Letter to the Editor
In response to 'Consequences of an Obama presidency and how McCain can thwart it'
By KEVIN BUSHER
FOR TliE CAPITAL TIMES
KJBSO9I@PSU.EDU
The party of Lincoln, the great
communicator Ronald Reagan,
the General Dwight Eisenhower,
and the Trust buster Theodore
Roosevelt, the grand ole party at
their best. But now the GOP has
sold their soul to the like of Karl
Rove, Sean Hannity and Rush
Limbaugh. Their candidate for
President a victim of Karl Rove
in South Carolina during 2000
has torn full chapters from his
political playbook. John McCain
has decided in order to gain the
highest office in the land he must
appeal to the lowest common
denominator. John McCain a
self proclaimed "Maverick"
has tarnished his reputation by
allowing slash and burn politics
that has become his mantra. As
John McCain's poll numbers
sink so does his rhetoric, but
this is not why I write you today.
I wish to put to rest the issues
that were raised in a recent
article entitled "Consequences
of an Obama Presidency and
how McCain and thwart it."
(Which may I add at no point
talks about the "consequences"
but rather engage in sleaze and
untrue attacks.) I will attempt to
repudiate the misguidance of the
author.
I am baffled that the author
believes it is a matter of
perception that leads us to our
displeasure with the last eight
years. I am just wondering if this
the same as a mental recession
that McCain's campaign believes
we are in now? I am appalled that
he has not taken five minutes to
look around and see that Bush has
done more to erode this countries
standing in the world than any
other President in history. If
the months and years after 9/11
this country had leadership; we
could have come together to
tackle the real national security
problems. What I mean by this is
we could have come together to
pass substantive laws to secure
our borders, ports, and airspace.
But instead the republicans,
namely Bush and McCain said
Afghanistan is over—next stop
Baghdad! This is not leadership
it is propaganda.
The author calls Obama a
Socialist: This is the argument
that every time a Democrat comes
along and says look around,
are you better off now than you
were before. While the middle
class wakes up and goes to work
to come home to a house being
foreclosed on and a letter saying
the company is cutting healthcare
benefits. Then a democratic
candidate says I can fix this with
your help, they are obviously
a socialist and or communist.
When you are out of things to
say you throw mud and hope to
God it sticks to something. As for
dealing with Dictators Presidents
throughout history were willing
to sit down with our enemies. I
say this across party lines, all we
must do is look at modern day
North Korea. In 2002 they were a
terror sponsor, after negotiations
they are now off that Axis of evil
list and allowing inspectors in to
look at their nuclear plants. The
proof is in the pudding or puddin
if Sarah Pahl.' was speaking.
The author believes only the
Democrats are to Blame: Two
years of democratic control did
not produce this mess, while
there is plenty of blame to go
around. To begin to put it all on
the shoulders of the Democratic
Party is both irresponsible but
also irrational. For decades the
republicans have pushed for less
oversight, deregulation. Since
the 90's the Republican Party has
controlled the Congress, even
now Democrats lack a margin of
majority to accomplish all that
there is to fix from the past years
of Republican control.
The author Believes Obama
is advised by CEO's of Fannie
and Freddie: While Johnson and
Raines were CEOs of Fannie
Mae, Johnson was hired to head
the Vice Presidential search as he
had done for previous democratic
nominees. He is not an advisor
and was fired from the committee
after the uncovering of the depth
of his involvement with the
mortgage meltdown. I wish John
McCain and his supporters had
the backbone to denounce the
lobbyists and backroom dealers
advising his campaign. Just
several weeks ago John McCain's
biggest supporter Carly Fiorina
Former CEO of Hewlett Packard
and Vice President of AT&T said
John McCain lacked the insight
and knowledge to manage a
large company as she had done.
After of course she ran HP into
the ground and 'bailed out" with
her 21 million dollar golden
parachute, the list can continue.
Just as the McCain advisor Phil
Gramm wrote the deregulation
and lobbied it to Congress which
led to the sub prime melt down.
I" r I7 . iI'TWMUIM
My Point is this, John McCain and
the author can continue to point
fingers when it comes down to it
the policy and the henchmen are
clear. John McCain pals around
with lobbyists that instigated this
attack on capitalism. I will allow
the reader to investigate the
Keating Five Scandal. McCain
demands that Obama talk about
his relationships with people I
wish John McCain would take
the same steps Obama had done
in firing the people who led to
this mess (but then he would
have to find a new advising
staff). It is obvious by the friends
McCain keeps and policies he
proposes are dangerously out of
touch, and he lacks the ability
to facilitate the economic turn
around this country deserves.
The author believes Obama is a
Community Agitator: Our country
is propagated by community
organizers. The problem is
the Republican Party distains
them because they work in the
impoverished neighborhoods and
led people to fight for themselves.
The republicans would much
rather have the communities lack
representation and remain a vassal
to the powerful powerbrokers
of the GOP. You should be
ashamed too say that organizers
do nothing more than agitate the
masses. Quite frankly I take this
claim personally. I have worked
with underprivileged youth in
Lancaster and Luzerne counties;
all the while having funding cut
and being told we were nothing
more than wasting our time. The
author defends a failed rhetoric
of trickle down economics
and morals which lead to class
warfare. Martin Luther King was
a community organizer, would
you say he was a detriment to
our society. Here is a great one,
Jesus was a community organizer
would you say he did nothing
more than agitate the masses.
While you may not see the value
in serving the community; I do.
Come look at the faces of young
orphaned children, or sixty year
old men that have lost their jobs
and pensions as I have. Until
you do that do not for one second
think that community organizing
does not achieve good; because
it is what gives the hardworking,
underrepresented Americans
their voice.
I understand that the author
believes that Obamas plan will
subsidize the lower income
families because by definition
given to us by John McCain that
Oct. 22 2008
would be anyone making under
five million a year. But here are
the facts 95% of working class
citizens will receive a tax cut.
Just look these statistics up most
websites that are well respected
have said that the Obama plan
will save the American worker
tax dollars. The last President
to balance the budget was, Bill
Clinton a democrat. George
Bush inherited a surplus. He
spent it and more. John McCain
continued to write him a blank
spending check. Obama has
called for pay as you go. Where
he spends money he has shown
he will cut the money from
somewhere else. Compared to
John McCain who promises us
tax breaks for the wealthy and
if it happens to get us great, but
does not promise to cut spending!
This election is more than trickle
down economics it is about
making sure that everyone has
a chance to succeed. That is not
socialism that is Americanism.
John McCain should and must
apologize for the antics that he
and Palin allow at their rallies.
To allow people to yell terrorist,
kill him, socialist, and traitor are
irreprehensible. John McCain
will never look Obama in the
eyes and say he either agrees or
disowns these comments. The
honor of a person is their ability
to look their opponent in the
eyes and attack. John McCain's
unwillingness to do either show
that he is not a Maverick he is a
coward (on this issue). The author
wants John McCain to attack on
Obama's ties to people in Illinois.
That is fine, but remember; John
McCain has friends too! They
are harder to find these days
since his poll number dropped
but he has friends like Rev.
Hagee whom called the Catholic
Church the "great whores." See
but there is the difference in the
campaigns Obama believes that
this campaign should be about the
people, while McCain believes it
should be about his ego.
We can tally the previous letter
to say; socialist, terrorist, not one
of us, be afraid, vote McCain.
Here is the logic; Barack Obama
is speaking the language of the
middle class. Striking a populist
tone, this scares the people at
the top. It makes them think
the middle class is not going to
continue to take the beating they
have received over the past eight
years during W's presidency. The
Republicans want to limit the
political power that the middle
class has earned. The middle
class is demanding to be heard, I
believe in these most difficult of
times it is prudent to cut through
the rhetoric and find sensible
solutions for the American
people. I am a supporter of
Barack Obama. Barack Obama
has finally given a voice to the
people that have been invisible
from this Republican Controlled
Government! The country we
inherited under Bush/McCain
is unacceptable. This election is
about more than the sum of parts
that make it up. It is about what
kind of country we want to leave
for our children it is a vision for
America that will outlast Obama
and will outlast this generation
of Americans.
It is the 2 minute warning John
McCain is still down by three
touchdowns, running out of
trick plays, hailmary passes and
timeouts!
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