The GOP has gotten good at taking advantage of wedge issues and wedge questions, but so often they're on the wrong side of the issues.
Now is our chance to take it to them. After the fold is a list of 10 wedge questions that are carefully worded to put McCain and Palin in a tough spot. (I have taken more than a little hint from George Lakoff on a few of these.) Each question is worded to require McCain/Palin to anger either the base or independents. One question is in common for the two of them, for different reasons.
Your task: If McCain or Palin come to your city, go to their event, pretend to be a loyal McCain supporter, and ask one of these questions. Even better, suggest these questions to sympathetic journalists or hometown newspaper reporters. Otherwise, try to ask these questions on camera of any GOP official or campaign surrogate who's in town.
(I should note, the questions are phrased as if the questioner is a McCain supporter.)
Questions for McCain:
- In your opinion, who has done a better job as president - Bill Clinton or George W. Bush?
- Working-class folks in towns all across America are experiencing hard times right now, and they do essential work to keep our economy going so you and I can have the lifestyles we have. Haven't these folks earned their right to guaranteed health care, no ifs, ands, or buts?
- You say you believe in reducing wasteful spending and reducing the size of government. Do you think we should eliminate the Department of Education, which costs us billions of dollars a year?
- I already know about your plan to cut taxes across the board. Specifically though, why do you want to give a permanent tax cut to wealthy people making over 2 million dollars per year when our budget deficit is already crushing our economy?
- We all support nuclear power. And as we all know, the waste from nuclear power plants can take tens of thousands of years to become non-radioactive. Do you think there will be humans on this planet in 10,000 years to even worry about the nuclear waste we're creating today?
Questions for Palin:
- You have said you support teaching creationism in public schools, but that has been ruled unconstitutional by the courts. Would you support a constitutional amendment to require teaching of creationism in public schools?
- Many churches including yours (and mine) promote praying to change homosexual individuals into heterosexual individuals. Do you believe that through the power of prayer, homosexuals can be "reformed" into heterosexuals?
- In your opinion, do you believe that the end of the world is near, and that we as Christians should be preparing for it in some way?
- I'd like to ask you about a silent tragedy that happens over two thousand times a year in our military. Do you believe that a woman who is serving in Iraq who is raped by a fellow service member should be allowed to receive an abortion in an army hospital?
- We all support nuclear power. And as we all know, the waste from nuclear power plants can take tens of thousands of years to become non-radioactive. Do you think there will be humans on this planet in 10,000 years to even worry about the nuclear waste we're creating today?