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John McCain = reality. Barack Obama= fairy tale.
In his speech following yesterday’s Wisconsin primary victory, John McCain made the case in favor of conservative based government and contrasted it with the… well, nothingness, really, of the Obama candidacy. Talking about the general campaign ahead, the Arizona Senator said,
…now comes the hard part and, for America, the bigger decision. Will we make the right changes to restore the people’s trust in their government and meet the great challenges of our time with wisdom, and with faith in the values and ability of Americans for whom no challenge is greater than their resolve, courage and patriotism? Or will we heed appeals for change that ignore the lessons of history, and lack confidence in the intelligence and ideals of free people?
I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than people. Our purpose is to keep this blessed country free, safe, prosperous and proud. And the changes we offer to the institutions and policies of government will reflect and rely upon the strength, industry, aspirations and decency of the people we serve.
Obama pledges not to raise the retirement age and to "protect Social Security benefits for current and future beneficiaries." This isn’t "change"; it’s sanctification of the status quo. He would also exempt all retirees making less than $50,000 annually from income tax. By his math, that would provide average tax relief of $1,400 to 7 million retirees — shifting more of the tax burden onto younger workers.
Political candidates routinely indulge in exaggeration, pandering, inconsistency and self-serving obscuration. Clinton and McCain do. The reason for holding Obama to a higher standard is that it’s his standard and also his campaign’s central theme. He has run on the vague promise of "change," but on issue after issue — immigration, the economy, global warming — he has offered boilerplate policies that evade the underlying causes of the stalemates. These issues remain contentious because they involve real conflicts or differences of opinion.
Good point. Obama promises "unity," but fails to reveal how he will make everyone agree with how he views things. "Unity" means together in an agreed upon purpose. He believes in the murder of babies in the womb. I know lots of people that don’t. How does he bring "unity" to that issue? He believes that the government has a right to seize my hard earned dollars from my wallet and give it to those who refuse to help themselves in many instances, thus perpetuating reliance on the state instead of one’s self. How can I be unified with Barack Obama in this belief, something that runs contrary to every fiber of my being?
And what of the new world war with the rising and expanding radical Islamic fascist movement? Well, first, there’s Obama. Interestingly, he notes today’s circumstances aren’t as "dire" as they were during the Cold War. In a speech given here this summer while campaigning in Laconia, NH, the tenderfoot Senator from Illinois told the gathered crowd,
"We’ve got real security challenges in this country. There is no doubt that al Queda is still seeking to do us harm… and our allies. There is no doubt that countries like North Korea and Iran pose a potential threat to us. But let’s be clear– the threat we face now is nowhere as dire as it was during the Cold War. We shouldn’t be governed by fear.
I find this interesting in that back in the day, leftists of Obama’s ilk refused to admit that the Soviets were a threat at all- in fact they believed that WE were the bad guys. While Obama deviates from the liberal line slightly on the history, he certainly gets it straight on the present:
We shouldn’t allow our politics to be driven simply by the fear of terrorism.
Of course not. Instead, they must be driven by the radical antiwar movement. Oh, and he proposes to simply get Iran and North Korea to simply "stand-down" their nuclear programs. It’s easy!
Meanwhile, here’s John McCain, again from his speech in Wisconsin:
We live in a world of change, some of which holds great promise for us and all mankind and some of which poses great peril. Today, political change in Pakistan is occurring that might affect our relationship with a nuclear armed nation that is indispensable to our success in combating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and elsewhere. An old enemy of American interests and ideals is leaving the world stage, and we can glimpse the hope that freedom might someday come to the people of Cuba. A self-important bully in Venezuela threatens to cut off oil shipments to our country at a time of sky-rocketing gas prices. Each event poses a challenge and an opportunity. Will the next President have the experience, the judgment experience informs, and the strength of purpose to respond to each of these developments in ways that strengthen our security and advance the global progress of our ideals?
Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan, and sitting down without pre-conditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?
Well said. Samuelson concludes his WAPO article:
The contrast between his broad rhetoric and his narrow agenda is stark, and yet the media — preoccupied with the political "horse race" — have treated his invocation of "change" as a serious idea rather than a shallow campaign slogan. He seems to have hypnotized much of the media and the public with his eloquence and the symbolism of his life story. The result is a mass delusion that Obama is forthrightly engaging the nation’s major problems when, so far, he isn’t.
Exactly. Not a dime’s worth of difference between the "fairy tale" (Bill Clinton’s words) Obama and the "non conservative" John McCain (Rush, Ann, James’ words)? Not on your life. Last night, Senator McCain laid out the list of problems, coupled with what appear to me to be conservative solutions. Obama and McCain couldn’t be more polar opposites…
If we are to succeed, we must rethink and rebuild the structure and mission of our military; the capabilities of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies; the purposes of our alliances; the reach and scope of our diplomacy; the capacity of all branches of government to defend us. We need to marshal all elements of American power: our military, economy, investment, trade and technology and our moral credibility to win the war against Islamic extremists and help the majority of Muslims, who believe in progress and peace, win the struggle for the soul of Islam.
The challenges and opportunities of the global economy require us to change some old habits of our government as well. But we will fight for the right changes; changes that understand our strengths and rely on the common sense and values of the American people. We will campaign:
to balance the federal budget not with smoke and mirrors, but by encouraging economic growth and preventing government from spending your money on things it shouldn’t; to hold it accountable for the money it does spend on services that only government can provide in ways that don’t fail and embarrass you;
to save Social Security and Medicare on our watch without the tricks, lies and posturing that have failed us for too long while the problem became harder to solve;
to make our tax code simpler, fairer, flatter, more pro-growth and pro-jobs;
to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil with an energy policy that encourages American industry and technology to make our country safer, cleaner and more prosperous by leading the world in the use, development and discovery of alternative sources of energy;
to open new markets to American goods and services, create more and better jobs for the American worker and overhaul unemployment insurance and our redundant and outmoded programs for assisting workers who have lost a job that’s not coming back to find a job that won’t go away;
to help Americans without health insurance acquire it without bankrupting the country, and ruining the quality of American health care that is the envy of the world;
to make our p
ublic schools more accountable to parents and better able to meet the critical responsibility they have to prepare our children for the challenges they’ll face in the world they’ll lead.I’m not the youngest candidate. But I am the most experienced. I know what our military can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how Congress works, and how to make it work for the country and not just the re-election of its members. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don’t. And I know who I am and what I want to do.
I don’t seek the office out of a sense of entitlement. I owe America more than she has ever owed me. I have been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. I have never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I haven’t been proud of the privilege. Don’t tell me what we can’t do. Don’t tell me we can’t make our country stronger and the world safer. We can. We must. And when I’m President we will.
Not a dime’s difference? I’ll say– more like a million bucks, at least…
