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Oct. 15th, 2008 10:14 amSo.
I was sitting next to a coworker this week when the topic went to politics, as my topics sometimes do. Yes, I like talking state and national politics at work sometimes, so long as its not with superiors. Yes, I am aware I should be paying more attention to office politics when at work.
She mentioned that that she's a lifelong conservative but she's not happy with McCain. His choice of Palin for Vice President meant she didn't want to vote for him. At the same time, she was uneasy about Obama's lack of experience as an executive.
I said this:
'When it comes to executive experience, the only people who have it are those who have been governor, or in some cases mayor of a very large city. There's still a lot of on-the-job training and there is a learning curve. That said, I look back on Barack Obama's record and he's been correct with his pronouncements much of the time. That is wisdom, and that is something you can't teach.'
I saw a spark of understanding in her eyes. I used to think that expression was strictly metaphorical, but I truly did see it.
McCain has been incorrect on financial deregulation, on the war in Iraq, on health-care deregulation and on tax policy. Leave aside the issues regarding personal choice and moral beliefs for a moment:
He had been in favor of even more financial deregulation up until all five US investment banks failed, were sold, or changed into other forms of banks - all of about a month ago. His current plan would fully refund the lenders who encouraged bad loans and use taxpayer dollars to do it. That's fiscally stupid.
While he has not liked many aspects of how the war against Iraq has been run he has been a champion of invading despite any credible evidence of any sort that Iraq posed any kind of a threat to the US. There was no credible evidence of them encouraging terrorism against the US, they were not involved in any way in the attacks of September 11 2001, they had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, they had very little firepower, and their military was at best sufficient to keep it from being overrun by Iran (remember Iran?).
On health care, he wants to tax your employer based health care as income. Yes, he then has a tax credit to offset some of extra tax burden; but the first thing he's doing is increasing your tax burden. Given double-digit healthcare increases over the last decade I think we'd see more taxes on the middle class in very short order. Because, of course, we need to tax the middle class. Yeah, right.
And we need to increase taxes on the middle class because... he wants to give tax breaks to corporations and the very wealthy, who have been getting considerably richer over the past decade. Again, to my wealthy friends and relatives, I am pleased you're doing well. That said, you've been paying a far more manageable share of your income in taxes than I have or than most Americans. A fairer tax structure will keep you doing well, continue to allow you your pleasures in life and keep US society balanced.
I also don't like McCain's interest in judicial activism, such as his court choices who will legislate laws I do not like from the bench; his opposition to marriage, notably gay ones and his first one; his willingness to nigh-enslave women on the altar of carrying babies to term regardless of circumstance or health; his temperament in general or his temper in particular.
I am concerned that he has not released his health records, including why he gets a 100% disability payment from the armed forces. I cannot stand his VP choice who is the likely beneficiary of those health records. I do not care for his disconnection from real household finances. Those are more matters of personal preference than objective reality but they count too.
Barack Obama is not running as much on experience. Experience can show you how to get out of a mess, yes. John McCain has Vietnam War experience, so he has some idea of how to win in Iraq. Barack Obama is running on wisdom, which not only helps show you how to get out of a mess like an Iraq War, it helps you from getting into entirely new messes - like an Iran War.
I was sitting next to a coworker this week when the topic went to politics, as my topics sometimes do. Yes, I like talking state and national politics at work sometimes, so long as its not with superiors. Yes, I am aware I should be paying more attention to office politics when at work.
She mentioned that that she's a lifelong conservative but she's not happy with McCain. His choice of Palin for Vice President meant she didn't want to vote for him. At the same time, she was uneasy about Obama's lack of experience as an executive.
I said this:
'When it comes to executive experience, the only people who have it are those who have been governor, or in some cases mayor of a very large city. There's still a lot of on-the-job training and there is a learning curve. That said, I look back on Barack Obama's record and he's been correct with his pronouncements much of the time. That is wisdom, and that is something you can't teach.'
I saw a spark of understanding in her eyes. I used to think that expression was strictly metaphorical, but I truly did see it.
McCain has been incorrect on financial deregulation, on the war in Iraq, on health-care deregulation and on tax policy. Leave aside the issues regarding personal choice and moral beliefs for a moment:
He had been in favor of even more financial deregulation up until all five US investment banks failed, were sold, or changed into other forms of banks - all of about a month ago. His current plan would fully refund the lenders who encouraged bad loans and use taxpayer dollars to do it. That's fiscally stupid.
While he has not liked many aspects of how the war against Iraq has been run he has been a champion of invading despite any credible evidence of any sort that Iraq posed any kind of a threat to the US. There was no credible evidence of them encouraging terrorism against the US, they were not involved in any way in the attacks of September 11 2001, they had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, they had very little firepower, and their military was at best sufficient to keep it from being overrun by Iran (remember Iran?).
On health care, he wants to tax your employer based health care as income. Yes, he then has a tax credit to offset some of extra tax burden; but the first thing he's doing is increasing your tax burden. Given double-digit healthcare increases over the last decade I think we'd see more taxes on the middle class in very short order. Because, of course, we need to tax the middle class. Yeah, right.
And we need to increase taxes on the middle class because... he wants to give tax breaks to corporations and the very wealthy, who have been getting considerably richer over the past decade. Again, to my wealthy friends and relatives, I am pleased you're doing well. That said, you've been paying a far more manageable share of your income in taxes than I have or than most Americans. A fairer tax structure will keep you doing well, continue to allow you your pleasures in life and keep US society balanced.
I also don't like McCain's interest in judicial activism, such as his court choices who will legislate laws I do not like from the bench; his opposition to marriage, notably gay ones and his first one; his willingness to nigh-enslave women on the altar of carrying babies to term regardless of circumstance or health; his temperament in general or his temper in particular.
I am concerned that he has not released his health records, including why he gets a 100% disability payment from the armed forces. I cannot stand his VP choice who is the likely beneficiary of those health records. I do not care for his disconnection from real household finances. Those are more matters of personal preference than objective reality but they count too.
Barack Obama is not running as much on experience. Experience can show you how to get out of a mess, yes. John McCain has Vietnam War experience, so he has some idea of how to win in Iraq. Barack Obama is running on wisdom, which not only helps show you how to get out of a mess like an Iraq War, it helps you from getting into entirely new messes - like an Iran War.
