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September 5, 2008
The Bu$hWorld Report
By Michael Youther
The best lines from the Democratic National Convention...Highlights of Barack Obama's acceptance speech...Top Ten reasons John McCain picked Sara Palin to be his running mate.
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Some of the best lines heard at the Democratic National Convention:
· “One thing you can say of George Bush; Mr. President, we will always be in your debt.”--Raum Emmanuel (D-IL), 8/26
· “If [McCain’s] the answer, the question must be ridiculous”--New York Governor David Patterson, 8/26/08
· “Republicans talk about putting ‘country first,’ but tell that to Marion, Indiana. They sent my job overseas. America can’t afford more of the same. We need a president who puts the Barney Smiths before the Smith Barneys.”--Barney Smith, a once-proud Republican whose lost his job at the RCA factory in Marion, Indiana after 31 years, when his job was shipped overseas, 8/28/08
The best line not heard at the convention:
· “[The Republicans are] asking for another four years -- in a just world, they’d get 10 to 20.”--Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), left out of his prepared speech at the request of the Obama Campaign. If we had more people like Kucinich in Washington, we wouldn’t be wondering how to get out of Iraq. We wouldn’t be there.
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The climax of the convention was Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. Here are some highlights:
· Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, [but] what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? · For over two decades, [John McCain has] 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--you're on your own. · Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work. · Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. · ...I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. · I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. · ... I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. · Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office. Obama said, “Now is the time...” · ...to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, ...to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. ... to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent....to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses... to protect Social Security for future generations...And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons. · You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us--that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it--because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. Obama’s speech was truly inspirational. If you watched it, you know what I mean. If you didn’t, you can find the complete speech at http://www.demconvention.com/barack-obama/. Won’t it be nice to have an articulate President, admired and respected around the world; instead of an inarticulate boob, who is an embarrassment every time he goes out in public? ****** The morning after Obama’s speech, there were rave reviews, but they were cut short by John McCain’s stunning announcement that he had picked Alaska Governor Sara Palin to be his running mate. To say that the political analysts and pundits were stunned is an understatement. If McCain’s plan was to bring more media attention to his campaign, he succeeded (maybe too well). The media is all abuzz with theories on why John McCain picked this little-known governor over much more likely choices, such as former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, or even turn-coat Democrat Joe Lieberman. Here are my top ten reasons John McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate: 1) She blew away all the other vice-presidential contenders in the swimsuit competition. 2) She has extensive foreign policy experience, having actually visited three foreign countries (if you count a refueling stop in Ireland on her trip to military installations in Germany and Kuwait.) Cindy McCain recently reminded ABC viewers of Palin’s foreign policy expertise, “[R]emember that Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia.”--8/31/08 3) She was the only candidate shorter than John McCain. 4) A search committee comprised of stand-up comedians and late-night talk show hosts picked her. 5) She has years of executive experience: Six years as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 7,000)--during which she racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt, or $3,000 per resident. She has also served 20 months as governor of Alaska, population 670,000-- the same as Memphis, Tennessee or about a quarter the size of Obama’s home town--Chicago, Illinois. 6) Hillary turned the job down. 7) McCain’s staff did not realize that “vetting” meant investigating everything about a candidate, so you don’t end up with a candidate like Sara Palin. 8) McCain has had a secret crush on her since 1984, when she was chosen Miss Wasilla and then was first runner-up in the Miss Alaska Contest. 9) She will help McCain solidify the elusive right-wing lunatic fringe vote. 10) The McCain campaign strategists believe that disappointed Hillary Clinton supporters are so incredibly stupid that they will vote for Palin--just because she is a woman; even though she is diametrically opposed to almost everything Hillary stands for. ****** The week after the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Republicans held theirs in St. Paul, Minnesota. Even though I believe Republicans have been willing accomplices to the wreck and ruin perpetrated on the United States by the Bush Administration during the past seven-plus years, I decided to hold my nose and watch as much of the Republican National Convention as I could stomach. It was the worst five minutes of my life. Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been roused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.