Thanks For Nothing, John McCain

So let me see if I have this sequence of events right:

1. John McCain "suspended his campaign" due to the economic crisis.
2. He flew to Washington DC 22 hours later
3. He barely spoke during the White House meeting
4. During the debate and on Sunday talk shows, he took credit for pulling together the House Republicans to support the bipartisan bailout bill.
5. The House Republicans have just voted 133-65 against the package, leading to its defeat
6. The Dow Jones has gone down over 500 points

Wow. What great leadership.

Why I Don't Like Sarah Palin

Let me count the ways...

1. Because her positions on issues I care about are the opposite of mine: anti-choice even in cases of rape, incest and when the health of the mother is in danger, pro-drilling, anti-polar bears, abstinence-only sex education, pro-hunting, pro-book banning, for the Iraq War.
2. Because she lies. I could go on and on, but here are few - She was against the Bridge to Nowhere, she said no thanks to Bridge to Nowhere (she actually kept the money), she is against earmarks, she sold a plane on eBay, Obama is going to raise taxes for everyone, etc. etc. etc.
3. Because she actually tries to pull off the argument that she knows about foreign policy because you can see Russia from an island in Alaska and that Canada is on the border. I would feel so much better if she would just say "You know what, I don't know about foreign policy, but my running mate does. I have other experience that John McCain doesn't have, so we complement each other." Wouldn't that be so much better? But no, she is either insulting our intelligence or really doesn't have much of her own.
4. Because she is running for the 2nd most important position in the free world, yet she will not make herself available to the press. Is she that bad? What are they protecting her from? Even Fox News is criticizing the McCain campaign for the unprecedented restrictions.
5. Because she was snarky and sarcastic during her acceptance speech.
6. Because she mocked Obama's work as a community organizer. Obama headed up a faith-based organization that helped out-of-work people while he was in his early 20s. What was she doing when she was in her early 20s after she barely squeaked out of multiple colleges with a degree?
7. Because the city of Wasilla charged women for rape kits while she was mayor.
8. Because she is refusing to cooperate with the Troopergate investigation. It is too much like the Bush Administration. If the Republicans didn't want their candidate to be subject to an ethics investigation during the presidential campaign, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE PICKED SOMEONE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION!!!!

These reasons have nothing to do with:

1. The fact that she is a woman
2. The fact that she is a working mother; I am one too
3. The fact that she kept her baby after finding out he had Down's Syndrome

It is a MYTH that anyone is actually criticizing her for these things. It is not sexist is to question her regarding her stand on issues, her experience, her knowledge. It is sexist to treat her differently than a man would be treated in a similar position. The Republicans still just don't get it.

This may be part 1, because I am sure I can come up with many more reasons I don't like her.

How Transparent and Slimy

How transparent is John McCain's attempt to postpone the debate? Over the last week, he has demonstrated that he can not coherently discuss the economic crisis and has seen his poll numbers go down.

And how slimy is McCain's political maneuvering today? Obama called McCain this morning to suggest they come out with a joint statement supporting a bipartisan solution to the economic crisis. McCain returned his call this afternoon when they agreed to the joint statement - to be developed collaboratively between the two campaigns. Minutes later, McCain is on TV issuing a call to suspend the campaigns and challenging Obama to agree and to postpone the debates. Is this country first or is this manipulating a serious situation to stem a political slide? My head spins with how the Republicans can accuse the other side of EXACTLY what they are doing.

"Shock Doctrine"

I heard an author, Naomi Klein, on The Randi Rhodes Show on my way home from work today. She wrote a book called "The Shock Doctrine" that describes the strategy to take advantage of crisis to push through policies that never otherwise would have passed.

The Bush Administration is expert at this. Think:

• 9/11 and the Patriot Act and the Iraq War
• The rise in oil prices and "Drill Here, Drill Now".
• And now the financial market crisis and the bailout.

Apparently, this bailout package contains a truly scary provision that basically says once the Act is passed, there will be no oversight of decision making of the Secretary by any court of law or administrative office. And according to Naomi Klein, Newt Gingrich is using the crisis to promote a return to Reagan-era economic policies. On the radio, she urged people to contact their elected representatives and the Obama campaign to let them know we are not falling for it this time and that they need to resist these tactics.

Naomi Klein will be in the Bay Area October 16-19 for various speaking engagements.

Taxes

I am so sick of hearing about people who are not voting for Barack Obama because they believe he wants to raise everyone's taxes. Here is what I want to say to them.

First of all, if you read his tax plan and don't just listen to the McCain campaign's blatant lies, it is simply not true. Secondly, even if you get a tax cut from the McCain tax plan, it will be much smaller for the average taxpayer vs. the wealthiest taxpayer. And most importantly, I want to tell these people to look at the big picture. Let's see. Everyone got a tax rebate under our current Republican president, George W. Bush. However, how quickly has that tax rebate been spent on higher gas prices and higher food prices? How much has your net worth fallen due to the fall of the housing market and now the stock market? These economic crises can be directly attributed to the Republican policy of deregulation, which McCain has supported until it all blew up last week. Was all of that worth that measly tax cut you got?

Inspired to Blog

I have been inspired to blog. I have been familiar with blogging for a while, given that my sister is a blog celebrity. I have even guest blogged a couple of times on my sister's blog. Until now, however, I have not felt the urge to start a blog myself. Until now.

Until I realized that the presidential election race is disturbingly close given how dissatisfied Americans are with the current Republican administration and the direction this country has been going. `

Until the hypocrisy and dishonesty of the John McCain campaign has reached such high levels that even Karl Rove is admitting it.

Until an unqualified VP candidate has managed to eclipse all campaign coverage to the point where a comedy show has to tell the press how to do its job.

Until bogus surveys about race are published suspiciously right when momentum appears to be swinging back in Barack Obama's favor.

I am inspired to blog.