George W. Bush Goes Out on a Low Note
In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night (which he phoned in from the White House due to his “coordination” of Gustav relief, but was really because no one wanted his sorry ass there), George W. Bush - the President of the United States of America - equated Democrats to the Viet Cong.
Fellow citizens: If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry left never will.
Besides being just plain offensive and silly, there is a sad irony to the statement. After all, it was the Bush Administration that went to great lengths to authorize and excuse all sorts of torture against God knows whom, not unlike that which John McCain suffered.
Counter Bush’s inflammatory divisive rhetoric to this:
The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.
So I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.
and in 2004:
Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
I pick unity and hope over division and hatred. KTHXBAI.
lovefest Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 6:28 am
“oh pappa, oh pappa, I love you”
lefty Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
BP,
I find it funny that you close with “I pick unity and hope over division and hatred.”
The reason is people like you are not about unity. You and Chris have some of the most negative opinions of the “other side” I know. I am not using the work hate but it is pretty damn close. While this blog is not close to the hatred found on KOS or spewed by Moore, it is getting pretty damn close as well. Not to say the right does not have just as many assholes spewing unproductive bull shit, as we all know they do.
Obama will not unite the nation. McCain will not either. All these two candidates have done is unite their respective backers in a war against the other side. In fact, regardless of who will win this election, the nation will be even more divided in the years to come. That is simply a sad reality.
This is about two extreme opposites fighting for what they view is right and saying FUCK YOU to the other side who disagree. Make no mistake, politics have been a “winner take all” situation for a long time.
What has been lost is the ability for the open mind who wants to find a middle and make logical progress. There is not a party or a candidate who represents these folks and that is a fucking shame!
This election is going to be decided by these middle of the road people, who will pick what is in their opinion, the lessor of two evils. However, regardless of who is elected, the policy will reflect the extreme viewpoints of the winner and not those in the middle.
TBone Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Lefty-
Well said.
Byron Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
There was a headline in The Onion (I think, I looked but couldn’t find it) that sums up 95% of the objections to Obama found on this site - it was something along the lines of:
Republicans Outraged That Obama Trying to Win
The Humanist Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
@Lefty - what “extreme viewpoints” has Obama expressed?
Withdrawing to troops from Iraq? Better than 63% of the American people want that
Weaning us off dependence on foreign oil?
Raising taxes on the upper 1%, cutting taxes for the middle class, eliminating the capital gains tax on small businesses to spur growth and regain consumer confidence?
A comprehensive health plan that maintains access to private care if so desired, but establishes a base level of coverage for all, regardless of means?
Protection of our civil rights and privacy?
Buffalopundit Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
lefty, In my office I still keep a “McCain 2000″ cap and I have my “Raising McCain for Mass” pin from that time, too. I know you guys think I’m some screeching liberal, but I’m pretty middle-of-the-road.
I care about taxes being lowered, I care about public money being spent wisely and conservatively. I care that government be competent when spending that money and administering services.
I am aghast that the United States has sanctioned torture, appalled at the failures and poor planning and execution of the Iraq war, disgusted that it was premised on falsehoods, and shocked that we’ve dropped the ball in Afghanistan. I am worried that future action against Iran or Pakistan or North Korea or some other rogue state might be undertaken in a catastrophic, hasty way.
But on the other hand, I don’t like politicians who sermonize and try to impose their values on me. I am pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage, want there to be universal health care coverage for all people, want there to be a minimum wage that keeps pace with inflation, want schools to train kids to be able to compete in a global 21st century economy, and think that there are some things that are well worth a massive investment of public money for the greater good and big future payoff. I think people should be treated fairly and properly by government and by other people.
I am that swing voter, and I don’t have a problem voting across party lines if I like a candidate and what he/she stands for.
When I look at the political field, I see the guy I once volunteered for 8 long years ago, and he has succumbed to that fundamentalist Christian wing of the Republican Party that led me to quit. He stood up to Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in 2000, and it was music to my ears to hear this maverick run against those idiots, rather than into their arms. I was first attracted to McCain when he said at a debate that his most influential political philosopher was Teddy Roosevelt. Everyone else on that stage said “Jesus Christ”.
But he’s not that guy anymore. In order to win in 2008, he had to embrace and run to that crazy wing of the party, and there’s no way I can support him for that. I can’t support teaching creationism in schools or shutting down sex ed or banning abortion or segregating gay people as degenerates.
On the other hand, Obama shares the ideals quite closely as I’ve set them forth above. He sees the America I see - one that is fair, inclusive, just, and strong.
So, I’m that middle-of-the-road guy, and I’m afraid that without big-time change, the petrification and further lazy bureacratization of Washington will continue apace. While I appreciate McCain’s appeal as an agent of earmark reform, he loses me on the social issues. Palin’s selection merely reinforced that for me, as she is even farther to the right than he is on the social issues.
Will Obama unite the nation? Maybe not, as you say. But at least he’s talking about it. McCain hasn’t bothered, and has instead further gone down the path of division and identity politics.
But thanks for reading, even though you think I’m a leftist with blinders on.
lefty Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
BP,
I really do not see you as a swing voter but agree to disagree.
I am Pro-Choice and Pro Gay Marriage. Simply because I am a straight man and frankly these issues should not be up to me.
I am for low taxes for EVERYONE not just who it feels good to charge. The billionaire uses the same amount, if not less, of what taxes go to. The cry to fuck over the 1% is BULL SHIT and I am not in this group. If people want lower taxes government needs to spend LESS instead of looking to the rich to fund the waste.
I am against universal health care, as it stands today, because it would be administered by the government and NOTHING productive happens when it is run by the US government. Everyone who works or in unable to work or is under the age of 18 SHOULD have basic care. I do not give a fuck about those who decide to NOT work. Yes, there are plenty of these people. Cleaning up Medicaid and Medicare would do wonders for this effort but that would cost a certain party votes so it will never happen. Lowering the burden to business owners to provide health care for every worker work do wonders as well. Of course this would mean less fun money for the Fed, so that would never happen as well. Now there are going to be people that say business does not want to provide health care and business owners are assholes. To me this is a clear sign of a shitty worker. Every business owner wants to provide health care, provided they can afford it. Do what is needed to make that happen instead of making it a government program.
I am against a comprehensive minimum wage simply because it is not needed for EVERYONE. The concept of ANY job should be enough for one to live a live with a home or a family is BS. The concept of forcing wages to keep up with inflation simply allows people to not achieve what they should to have what they want. There should be jobs specifically for secondary income or students or individuals who do not need full time income. A comprehensive minimum wage does not consider this and fucks over small business. Not big business but SMALL business. Something I am a really big fan of.
I want schools to work but the actions needed to fix them are not on the table. They DO NOT need more money. They need competition and performance standards that would prevent issues like what happened in Wilson or McKinley from happening or at the least causing the assholes behind the problem their jobs and career. The teachers union is in control so there is going to be no change outside of the cost for a shitty product for those who need it most.
I do not think any MASSIVE INVESTMENT of public money should happen until the government can show that they can spend this money without fucking it up. But I do agree with you that this investment should happen. Where we disagree is what needs to happen before it and on the fact that it should not happen if those changes do not come first.
Obama does not want an America that is fair, inclusive, just, and strong. He wants HIS and YOUR perception of what is fair, inclusive, just and strong. Not mine. My vision is NOT on the table and sadly, the right offers more than the left for me. I am the swing not you IMO.
Fair would be spending less NOT charging those who have more. Inclusive would be treating those Religious wackos just as equal as the Atheist wackos on the other side.
Just and Strong are buzz words and really do not have any meaning in the USA that exists today.
Byron Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Strong majorities of Americans believe that the government should ensure basic health care for all, here; believe that upper income people should pay more in taxes, here; and favor an increase in the minimum wage, here.
So you can call those positions extreme if it makes you fell better, but it doesn’t make it so, even if you type in ALL CAPS.
Buffalo Pundit » Blog Archive » America Says:September 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
[…] “Lefty” posted a comment to another post, stating that Obama’s “unity” thing is all a bunch of hooey, and that no one really appeals to the middle-of-the-road voter. This is what I posted in reply: […]
TBone Says:September 4th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Pundit- its not that your a leftist with blinders on… your a partisan with blinders on… you pick a side- see everything that is wrong with the opposition and refuse to acknowledge or attempt to explain away everything that is wrong with your side. The same thing is done by supporters on the other side… it is politics as usual- its the mindset that allowed Bush to start a war, infringe on our civil liberties, and rack up the largest debt in history- without losing support of his base that would have gone ballistic if it had been done by a Democrat.
Buffalopundit Says:September 4th, 2008 at 8:05 am
There are plenty of people who are pointing out what’s wrong with Obama and Biden, no? The US isn’t some dictatorship where there is only an official party line and nothing else. I wonder whether RedState or Buffalo Bean, for that matter, do a whole lot of acknowledgement of what’s wrong with Republican candidates.
Of course they don’t.
And if I want to read something critical or Obama, for instance, that’s the first place I’ll go.
Because “partisanship” is not a bad word to me. We have competitive elections for a reason. We pick sides in political matters for a reason. One side is for one set of ideas, policies, and values, and the other side is for another. You get to pick.
And for me it’s one thing to point out policy problems, hypocritical statements, and downright horrible things I think the other side is promoting. That’s fine, because it’s about issues.
I don’t like personal, ad hominem attacks (I haven’t made any with respect to Palin or McCain), and I don’t like it when the Republicans basically say that they are the only party that promotes real, American values. That’s distinctly untrue and evil, and it helps to underscore the fact that they always take the argument several steps over the line, just as Giuliani and Palin did last night, mocking Obama’s work in Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods when he was a young law school grad.
So yeah, I pick a side. We all ultimately have to pick a side. Politically, that is.
The Democrats, however, acknowledge that both Dems and Repubs are, despite their differences, all on America’s side. The Republicans, however, do not.
Byron Says:September 4th, 2008 at 8:22 am
McCain, for example, has said that Obama would rather lose the war in Iraq if it helped him win the presidency. The anti-Obama whiners and concern trolls on this site have said nothing about this; I guess Obama is supposed to accept such attacks and not fight back.
As I said in another thread, The Onion put it best:
Republicans Outraged That Obama Is trying To Win