Several days ago, the political world potential - hopefully - imploded for one Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN). On Chris Matthews, MSNBC "Hardball" program, Rep. Bachman, when asked by Matthews if she believed Obama held anti-American views, she replied, "Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are."
Several days ago, the political world potential - hopefully - imploded for one Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN). On Chris Matthews, MSNBC "Hardball" program, Rep. Bachman, when asked by Matthews if she believed Obama held anti-American views, she replied, "Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are."
Further, Rep. Bachman called for the media to launch an investigation of Congress to determine who is pro-American and anti-American.
To paraphrase, former Senator Lloyd Bentsen, from his 1988 Vice-Presidential debate with Dan Quayle, "Representative Bachman, I knew Joseph McCarthy. You're no Joe McCarthy." Well, I really did not personally know McCarthy. But even as a very small child, and as a student of history, I know enough about demagoguery to scream about it when I see it.
The McCain/Palin team and their "band of reckless and ruthless brothers and sisters," try as they may out of desperation, will never be as successful in destroying lives as was Joe "the liar" McCarthy. Seems like everyone on the Republican side wants to label people "Joe." I wonder how popular the name, Joe, is amongst their children.
So now - suddenly - Bachmann says she regrets using the term "anti-American" while discussing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's views? Why you may ask? Because since her remarks, her Democratic opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg, has raised more than $1 million in campaign contributions. In just a few days!
Well no wonder she has regrets. a remark that could threaten her re-election bid. Prior to her remarks, she only held a 4-point lead over Tinklenberg. This week's polls should be quite interesting.
Bachmann claims to have never seen "Hardball" prior to her appearance. Ever! Is she just too busy? Does she not have access to television or electricity?
But Bachmann's remarks are all too typical of a political movement that has lost all credibility.
McCain and Palin, and their surrogates, continue to talk taxes. They continue to claim that Obama will raise taxes on all the Joes and Jills out there, that he will be sending tax dollars - "your tax dollars - to people that don't even pay taxes.
Of course, they conveniently lie about virtually every aspect of Obama's tax proposals. The ones that will cut taxes for "working families." As opposed to "non-working" families. They forget, probably because "they" have never paid their fair share of them, that most members of the lower and middle income strata in America pay payroll taxes on 100 percent of their earnings, unlike the folks that earn more than $250,000, who pay payroll taxes only only a minority of their income.
And they lie about Obama's healthcare plan as well as their own. I guess they don't have access to the "Internets." I guess they don't really know anything about their own federal healthcare plan that is far from a single payer Medicare plan, but rather a menue of private plan choices called the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan, or FEHBP.
You can learn everything you need to about FEHBP right here:
http://www.opm.gov/...
Obama simply says keep your current insurance, or if you can't or do not wish to, or just plain do not have health insurance, you can take a look at FEHBP and the very same variety of choices that are available to members of Congress and other federal employees.
On one hand, I am morally, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually disappointed that we have had to once again endure such a negative political campaign season. But on the other hand, most polling shows that Americans are responding negatively to the negativity. Hand in hand with that, many voters are actually sensitive to the real issues.
I just hope that by the end of the day on November 4, people will have sifted out the lies and chosen to side with actual facts.
Cluelessness may be an excuse for checking the wrong boxes on the ballot. It is not an excuse for running a political campaign.
clearthemist.blogspot.com