While John McCain trots out symbols like Joe the Plumber, Obama has laid out concrete proposals to rebuild the middle class, achieve energy independence, provide universal health care without increasing government bureaucracy, and increase openness and accountability in government. He has surrounded himself with policy advisors, starting with Joe Biden, who include Democrats and Republicans of enormous experience and distinction. Based on the substance, tone, and organizational prowess of the two campaigns, there is just no doubt who will be more skilled at leading our government and serving the public interest.
It's hard for me to get the whole "fear of Obama" thing. If Obama is a socialist for believing in the progressive income tax, so was Teddy Roosevelt. (John McCain actually admitted on Larry King that Senator Obama is not a socialist.) If you're worried about who your candidate pals around with, aren't you concerned about a presidential aspirant whose campaign leadership and inner advisor circle consists of lobbyists for dictators, including Saddam Hussein? Doesn't a VP candidate who "pals around with" actual secessionists bother you?
This election has turned into a real mismatch. Obama and Biden represent the superior ticket in every important respect.
It's sad to see once-honorable public servants like John McCain and now George Voinovich reduced to red-baiting and other scare tactics in order to avoid accountability for the GOP's horrible record of governance since 2001. You don't think the GOP believes in redistributing wealth?? Of course they do. They want to redistribute wealth from the middle class to the uppermost tier of the wealthy, while all the risk spreads downwards. And who are the free market champions running the McCain campaign? Lobbyists who want to help their clients flee accountability, while feeding at the public trough. The Dallas Morning News -- which actually supports McCain! -- just ran this story about how McCain is in the pocket of big telecom and, no surprise, opposes net neutrality as a result. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedconte.... Colin Powell's endorsement confirmed what all truly honest Republicans know -- the McCain campaign is running on empty. No ideas. No integrity. No shame.
Does Joe the Plumber know for whom McCain's lobbyist allies actually work for?
From today's New York Times: G.O.P. Donor Is Accused of Overcharging Pentagon, NY Times, Oct. 17, 2008
"The Democratic chairman of a House investigative committee presented documents to the Pentagon on Thursday charging that a top Republican fund-raiser, Harry Sargeant III, made tens of millions of dollars in profits over the last four years because his contracting company vastly overcharged for deliveries of fuel to American air bases in Iraq.
"In a written statement on Thursday, a lawyer for Mr. Sargeant, who is the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a major fund-raiser for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign, called the allegations "deeply disappointing" and asserted that they were not supported by the facts. ...
"But the latest claims of impropriety by the company, presented by Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, go much further. Mr. Waxman uses e-mail messages, company documents, Pentagon reports and other information to make the case that Mr. Sargeant repeatedly received contracts to deliver the fuel even though his company was not the lowest bidder."
Meanwhile, William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime. Two lobbyists with whom Timmons worked closely over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.
By the way, here’s what The Progress Report says about the ACORN controversy: “Mass voter fraud is just a conservative myth used to justify increasing the difficulty of the voting process. In an interview with Salon, Lori Minnite, a professor of political science at Barnard College who investigated allegations of widespread voter fraud, explained, ‘From 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once. That's 26 criminal voters -- voters who vote twice, impersonate other people, vote without being a resident ... Meanwhile thousands of people are getting turned away at the polls.’”
Meanwhile, the story on McCain’s ties to special interests just gets worse. According to the morning news, “Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain sought to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellphone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz., nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley. Over the past year, she offered land for a permanent cell tower, and Verizon Wireless embarked on an expensive public process to meet her needs, hiring contractors and seeking county land-use permits."
For more evidence why McCain’s claims to leadership ring hollow, see Mark Ames and Ari Berman, Played Like a Fool: Campaign Manager Cashes in on McCain's Cold War Mentality, http://www.alternet.org/story/102401/: “[D]espite McCain's tough talk [about Putin], behind the scenes his top advisers have cultivated deep ties with Russia's oligarchy -- indeed, they have promoted the Kremlin's geopolitical and economic interests, as well as some of its most unsavory business figures, through greedy cynicism and geopolitical stupor. The most notable example is the tale of how McCain and his campaign manager, Rick Davis, advanced what became a key victory for the Kremlin: gaining control over the small but strategically important country of Montenegro.”
The prominence of lobbyists in the McCain campaign – including his campaign manager, Rick Davis, who stands to profit from his firm’s ongoing lobbying work even while he is supposedly focusing on the campaign – does not bode well for the leadership tone that John McCain would set as President. How can we believe McCain’s populist speeches when he surrounds himself with people who are responsible for or champions of the very practices he is denouncing?
Obama is the better choice for troubled times ahead
While John McCain trots out symbols like Joe the Plumber, Obama has laid out concrete proposals to rebuild the middle class, achieve energy independence, provide universal health care without increasing government bureaucracy, and increase openness and accountability in government. He has surrounded himself with policy advisors, starting with Joe Biden, who include Democrats and Republicans of enormous experience and distinction. Based on the substance, tone, and organizational prowess of the two campaigns, there is just no doubt who will be more skilled at leading our government and serving the public interest.
It's hard for me to get the whole "fear of Obama" thing. If Obama is a socialist for believing in the progressive income tax, so was Teddy Roosevelt. (John McCain actually admitted on Larry King that Senator Obama is not a socialist.) If you're worried about who your candidate pals around with, aren't you concerned about a presidential aspirant whose campaign leadership and inner advisor circle consists of lobbyists for dictators, including Saddam Hussein? Doesn't a VP candidate who "pals around with" actual secessionists bother you?
This election has turned into a real mismatch. Obama and Biden represent the superior ticket in every important respect.
October 31, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Voinovich stands by comment labeling Obama a socialist
It's sad to see once-honorable public servants like John McCain and now George Voinovich reduced to red-baiting and other scare tactics in order to avoid accountability for the GOP's horrible record of governance since 2001. You don't think the GOP believes in redistributing wealth?? Of course they do. They want to redistribute wealth from the middle class to the uppermost tier of the wealthy, while all the risk spreads downwards. And who are the free market champions running the McCain campaign? Lobbyists who want to help their clients flee accountability, while feeding at the public trough. The Dallas Morning News -- which actually supports McCain! -- just ran this story about how McCain is in the pocket of big telecom and, no surprise, opposes net neutrality as a result. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedconte.... Colin Powell's endorsement confirmed what all truly honest Republicans know -- the McCain campaign is running on empty. No ideas. No integrity. No shame.
October 20, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Obama renews efforts to link McCain to Bush
Does Joe the Plumber know for whom McCain's lobbyist allies actually work for?
From today's New York Times: G.O.P. Donor Is Accused of Overcharging Pentagon, NY Times, Oct. 17, 2008
"The Democratic chairman of a House investigative committee presented documents to the Pentagon on Thursday charging that a top Republican fund-raiser, Harry Sargeant III, made tens of millions of dollars in profits over the last four years because his contracting company vastly overcharged for deliveries of fuel to American air bases in Iraq.
"In a written statement on Thursday, a lawyer for Mr. Sargeant, who is the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a major fund-raiser for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign, called the allegations "deeply disappointing" and asserted that they were not supported by the facts. ...
"But the latest claims of impropriety by the company, presented by Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, go much further. Mr. Waxman uses e-mail messages, company documents, Pentagon reports and other information to make the case that Mr. Sargeant repeatedly received contracts to deliver the fuel even though his company was not the lowest bidder."
Meanwhile, William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime. Two lobbyists with whom Timmons worked closely over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.
October 17, 2008 at 11:46 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Steelers, Steelworkers rally for Obama in Boardman
This is great!
By the way, here’s what The Progress Report says about the ACORN controversy: “Mass voter fraud is just a conservative myth used to justify increasing the difficulty of the voting process. In an interview with Salon, Lori Minnite, a professor of political science at Barnard College who investigated allegations of widespread voter fraud, explained, ‘From 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once. That's 26 criminal voters -- voters who vote twice, impersonate other people, vote without being a resident ... Meanwhile thousands of people are getting turned away at the polls.’”
Meanwhile, the story on McCain’s ties to special interests just gets worse. According to the morning news, “Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain sought to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellphone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz., nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley. Over the past year, she offered land for a permanent cell tower, and Verizon Wireless embarked on an expensive public process to meet her needs, hiring contractors and seeking county land-use permits."
October 16, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Experts expect few specifics when presidential hopefuls face off tonight
For more evidence why McCain’s claims to leadership ring hollow, see Mark Ames and Ari Berman, Played Like a Fool: Campaign Manager Cashes in on McCain's Cold War Mentality, http://www.alternet.org/story/102401/: “[D]espite McCain's tough talk [about Putin], behind the scenes his top advisers have cultivated deep ties with Russia's oligarchy -- indeed, they have promoted the Kremlin's geopolitical and economic interests, as well as some of its most unsavory business figures, through greedy cynicism and geopolitical stupor. The most notable example is the tale of how McCain and his campaign manager, Rick Davis, advanced what became a key victory for the Kremlin: gaining control over the small but strategically important country of Montenegro.”
October 15, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Biden: Ohioans could decide next American decade
The prominence of lobbyists in the McCain campaign – including his campaign manager, Rick Davis, who stands to profit from his firm’s ongoing lobbying work even while he is supposedly focusing on the campaign – does not bode well for the leadership tone that John McCain would set as President. How can we believe McCain’s populist speeches when he surrounds himself with people who are responsible for or champions of the very practices he is denouncing?
October 14, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. permalink suggest removal