I’ve steered somewhat clear of posting “political” blogs and bulletins. I say “somewhat” – as I can get a bit fired up now and again. I make no secret of the fact that when it comes to politics I am standing to the Left of you. Well, you may say, “my politics are already of the Liberal leaning Left variety”. My answer….keep looking left darlin’, I am there.
I have been following the Democratic National Convention and watching each night, speech after speech, and hoping for someone, somewhere, to say IT! And here it is, so eloquently put by Barack Obama, who has now secured my vote for the November election. A bit of his speech is excerpted here – and I suggest seeking out the full text. It was a great speech!
(And on a side note – Biden as his VP choice, excellent!) The greatest quote from this election process and the debates – Joe Biden on Rudy Giuliani – “And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency, is here talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani… I mean, think about it! Rudy Giuliani. There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence — a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else! There’s nothing else! And I mean this sincerely. He’s genuinely not qualified to be president.”
So read….weep….agree….and get out there and VOTE and show the world that we are done with this Right Wing Administration:
“But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10 percent chance …
The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives — on health care and education and the economy — Sen. McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made “great progress” under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers — the man who wrote his economic plan — was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a “mental recession,” and that we’ve become, and I quote, “a nation of whiners.”
A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud autoworkers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and they give back and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know.
Now, I don’t believe that Sen. McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people’s benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. It’s because John McCain doesn’t get it.
For over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is that you’re on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. You’re on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You’re on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — even if you don’t have boots. You are on your own.
Well it’s time for them to own their failure. It’s time for us to change America. And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States.”
(I am optimistic, inspired and screaming – “get off your asses and make sure you vote this election!”)
