When the Sarah Palin love/hate obsession is over, and it will be over soon, this election will be about the issues that face this country. Make no mistake, the Republicans want to make this election about personalities, we've got to remember to make it about issues. There are three issues that we must talk about from now to election day. The Iraq war, the economy, and Supreme Court appointments.
A Top advisor to McCain, Rick Davis said the following in the Washington Post, here quoted in an AP story:
"This election is not about issues," Davis told The Washington Post this week. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
Here's the entire AP article:
It's about the Issues
The reason why the Republicans don't want to talk about the issues is that none of the issues favor them.
1.The Iraq war/War On Terrorism: Barack Obama wants to end the Iraq war, John McCain wants a perminant presence in Iraq. It's that simple, beyond all the arguments about the surge and did it work, and whether or not we should be there, the bottom line is this, McCain wants to stay indefinately, Obama will have us out by 2010 or 2011. What's more Iraqi PM Maliki wants us out by 2011, at the latest.
Obama wants to smartly shift some troops from the war in Iraq, to the war in Afghanistan, where they are desparately needed, and bring the rest home from Iraq. We don't know what McCain's plan is because for all his vaunted military 'experience', he hasn't told us what he wants to do, the only word out of his mouth lately has been 'surge.'
- The economy tax cuts: McCain would continue the Bush tax cuts indefinately, continuing the high deficits of the past eight years, letting governments like that of Saudi Arabia and China finance our debt. Obama wants to raise taxes on the top 1% and cut taxes for working people, making the tax code fairer and more equitable.
The economy jobs: Almost unnoticed in the ballyhoo about Sarah Palin, is the latest unemplyment figures. The unemplyment rate is now 6.1%. Obama has specifically promised to spend 150 million on renewable energy.
Here are some specifics, on how Obama plans to spur job growth by spending 60 billion over 10 years on modernizing our infrastructure, 10 billion over 10 years on childhood education, and 150 billion in 10 years on green technology.
Obama's Plans for economy
McCain spoke in boiler plate generalities about the economy in his acceptance speech, about favoring renewable energy, but gave no specifics on how much he was willing to spend.
Here's the pertinant text from the acceptance speech from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
My fellow Americans, when I'm President, we're going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we'll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
I am stunned by how backward looking McCain's statements on the economy are. Nuclear power and drilling for oil, and lip service to green tachnology? We can do better, Obama will do better.
- Appointments to the Supreme court: The next president could make up to three appoinments to the Supreme Court. Since so many issues are settled in the Supreme Court these days, do you really want issues like choice, guns, torture, school vouchers, and affirmative action to be made by a McCain appointee to the Supremos? I'm guessing you don't.
So next time one of your non-political apolitical freinds or family says to you, "Doesn't McCain look presidential?" Or "Didn't Sarah Palin give a great speech the other night?" Sit down and discuss these issues with them.
I'm sure one of these issues affects them directly. Tell them it's in their self interest to vote for Obama, and tell them why.
You will be doing your friends, family and nation a great service.
Remember the issues favor us, all we need to do is talk about them.