BuzzFlash Mailbag for July 8, 2008
BUZZFLASH MAILBAG
Goin' fishin ... look for Mailbag's return July 14.
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Subject: McCain Bumbling?
Dear BuzzFlash,
When McCain became the presumptive GOPer nominee, he had at least a 3 month head start on organizing and running his national presidential campaign. He had 3 months to fine tune his "message" and to dominate the headlines.
McCain didn't step into presidential campaign mode until Obama became the apparent Democratic party nominee. McCain bumbled a 3 month lead.
Weeks before becoming the Democratic nominee, Obama hit the ground running with his presidential campaign. Obama showed a smooth transition from primary campaigning to presidential campaigning while McCain napped and is only now trying to get organized.
With all the messes that Bush has left us, from Iraq, the economy, to gas prices, etc. and considering the low approval/support for Bush and GOPers - I was expecting a Shock & Awe blitz by McCain to be well underway. Yet, McCain's campaign is bumbling.
I've often said that the manner in which a candidate leads their campaign is indicative of how they will govern and manage things if elected.
Those who are leaning towards supporting McCain should be asking themselves if this is the way McCain will run the country. Bumbling the problems, daily flip-flopping on what he supports or doesn't support is not the kind of leadership we can afford. Forget 'staying the course' on anything - McCain is still trying to find a map.
Obama easily stepped into a leadership position, he's set the course for the Democratic Party and presented his path for the country. McCain is bumbling around waiting for direction from the GOP or Rove or both. This presents another question - in the event of a McCain presidency - will McCain lead or just take orders from GOP headquarters?
Dory HippaufLehman, PA
Subject: Wes
Buzz,
Regarding Clark's words and the response he has gotten, I would just like to say that he was spot on. Just like being a pot head does not make one a medical expert on pot, being a POW does not qualify a person to be the Commander in Chief.
Akhil Bhardwaj
Jersey City, NJ
Subject: Obama 08
Where did Obama go wrong? HE DIDN'T!
What is wrong with those who are trying to give Senator Obama advice on how to run his campaign? He promised to bring both parties together. So far he hasn't strayed!
Senator Obama is the same person he was when he entered this race. He hasn't changed. This is exactly what Obama promised, people just decided to listen, after giving their approval on his appearance. I listened and I approved Senator Obama from day one, even when Hillary was throwing the toilet at him.
So please do not give the Republicans the opportunity to throw Democrats' words back in our faces. Because that is exactly what some Democrats are doing to the glee of the Rove republicans.
Do you want a President McCain? Well, don't let this vote be so close that they can pull another 2000 and 2004 again!
Our children's lives depend on a President Obama.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: First Things First If We're To Change The World
"The very first being?"
"Turnabout."
"Next?
"Moving forward."
"How fast?"
"Variable, depending upon existing conditions."
"Backpedaling?"
"Only by popular demand."
"Expressed how?"
"Online."
"Why online?"
"That's where everyone is."
"And then what sort of world?"
"It'll be up to us."
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Time To Consolidate All Media Drooling Over McCain
Hi BuzzFlash,
A caller to the Ed Schultz Show made a great suggestion for the Obama Campaign (and its supporters) to show how the media has become McCain's base.
He said we should shame the media, due to their "lapdog" reporting, by creating a single website named "McCain's Base" and show all the times the media literally drools all over McCain but goes after Obama.
For starters, I suggest Jed Report, Brave New Films and Media Matters.
Tom Wieliczka
Windsor Locks, CT
Subject: Jesse And His Friends
I leave Judgment to God
There is no doubt that while St. Peter was escorting Jesse to Judgment that he was shown that group way, way, way, over in the far distant field, and of course these are his buddies that he will be sharing his eternity with. It will be hard, Jesse, living without compassion for your fellow man. Say hello to my Father.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
We are on the precipice of another Great Depression. We should form a National Government regardless of political leanings. As a starter nationalize the power/oil etc. industry to ensure equitable return on investment. All earnings would accrue to the people and, as a starter, a new WPA to reconstruct and renew our ancient infrastructure. Reduce taxes and provide work for all who want it. Offer education thru University to those who have the aptitude and vocational training at the High school level.
Oh my goodness that's Socialism. Wake up America take a look at the rest of the free world; many of our allies have embraced these terrible philosophies with some success. And of course we have dabbled a little here. Social Security is a fine example.
We need some leadership and idealism together with energy and good old American know-how to get this country back from the disaster, a fascist-led disaster. Let us again show the world that the Dollar is strong as is the American People. God Bless FDR and all he did for his country!
A. Leslie Palmer
Mill Valley, CA
Subject: Uneasiness, Or Just Plain Fear
Something is amiss! Buzz, I know we thought we had it all figured out, but there is something strange afoot and it's scary as hell. I've seen and heard a lot of candidates in my lifetime, but this go round I must admit I see no sure thing. I don't believe I was ever as confused about a candidate's positions as I was. For instance, today, while listening to the daily talking jackals on cable news (joke), I discovered that I had misconstrued Obama's positions and policies all along.
They explained clearly that he had not flipped or flopped and I realized that I had misinterpreted his statements during the long primary campaign. He, Obama, was now making clear his positions so we could all understand them. Boy I'm sure glad these talking heads straightened me out!
Hell, I thought President Obama was going to pull our unwelcome young men and women out of the Iraqi meat grinder as soon as he touched down at Dulles International. Wheeee, that was a close one! These geniuses explained that Obama had never said or indicated any such thing and besides he had the right to rethink his position on the Iraqi invasion just like any good politician does. I'm sure glad they clarified that for me.
Listening to Obama over the long winter months also had me under the illusion that he was going to fight hard to restore the integrity of our Constitution and right all the wrongs that Bush-Cheney and their gang of thugs had done to our great nation. Again I was confused. He had never made any firm statements to that effect, the CNN and MSNBC intellects said. In fact Obama was going to allow Bush's FISA deal with congress to stand, support it and offer immunity to the telecoms after all!
After listening to these brilliant commentators for about thirty minutes I realized I had little to worry about. Whew! We dodged another bullet there! Obama was not going to screw up the status quo, some call a cult, the Beltway Boys, Girls and K STREET had worked so hard to establish after all! Pelosi, Reid and others who were worried like me that Obama might mess up a good thing can rest easy and get a good night's sleep now that he has given us new insight into what he was really thinking on those long cold winter nights of the primaries. We simply misunderstood him with all these silly "change" things going around like a damned disease or sumpthin!
Huh? Obama's about faces are being justified and sugar coated all over the media and on dozens of blogs. The part I hold in disdain is that they think I'm a damned fool and I am swallowing their lame ass reasoning and excuse making. Nobody is that stupid or ignorant are they?
I truly believe now that Obama and the democrats believe we have no alternative but to vote them in. You know I think god damned it they are right. They, like Bush and Rove in the past, have us by the Gonads again. The part that is so confounding is that the democrats have never grasped the fact that they were a shoo in this November and did not have to go back on their promises to us in order to garner a few votes on the side. They already had more support than they would ever need. What's wrong with these people and why do we hold them in such high regard?
Lawton Watson
Subject: McCain balance the budget? Ah ha ha ha
John McCain says he's going to balance the budget? What a joke. He wants us to stay in two of Bush's wars and maybe start a third one if Bush and his buddy Joe Lieberman get their way. McCain also wants to cut more taxes for the rich in spite of that he used to be against cutting taxes for the rich back when he was a "maverick."
Without having a plan McCain is saying that we're going back to the surpluses we had in the Clinton years when the Democrats had the White House. Just more of the same old same old election year lies. Seems to me that if we are going to elect someone to bring back the Democrats' surpluses we should elect a Democrat.
I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message!
Marc Perkel
San Bruno, CA
Subject: It's "Reaganomics," Stupid
BuzzFlash,
I agree with Paul Krugman that GW Bush doesn't get all the credit for current economic crisis, but it goes back much further than the housing bubble. Remember the billions wasted via junk bonds, leveraged buy outs, the savings and loan crisis, stock market bubbles, Enron? They all have their roots in Reaganomics, a combination of deregulation, privatization, unlimited military spending, and "trickle down" tax cuts for the very wealthy.
Deregulation includes gutting government agencies that oversee corruption as well as changing laws that had been in place since the aftermath of the Great Depression (such as the Glass-Segal Act,) and creating new financial instruments that distort the markets (such as stock options, index futures, and derivatives.)
Privatization has been carried into numerous areas where the government is more efficient and less prone to corruption. Most obscene is the use of mercenaries in the military. And of course the "peace dividend" has been annihilated by unlimited warfare, unlimited weapons programs, and the tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent.
What is special about the Bush administration is that it has embraced Reaganomics to the extreme, so long after it was obvious it was based on a totally flawed notion that there is no need for government to keep a level playing field for business (per Teddy Roosevelt) and to promote the common good (per our Constitution.) Even more amazing is that Republicans from John McCain down are still pushing all these disastrous falsehoods.
Krugman: Behind the Bush Bust (NY Times)
The soft-on-torture liberal
Subject: Why At The Beginning Of The 21st Century Did The Narrative Suddenly Change?
What happened was that the Internet expanded so rapidly that by the time the powers that be understood its full revolutionary potential, they'd already lost control of the narrative, since by then the narrative was being delivered online. This meant that instead of stories on the so-called War on Terror the news was of the advent of peace on earth and goodwill to all living beings. All this coincided with the 2008 election in which the newly elected president, Barack Obama, went on to end the Iraq War, negotiate with Iran plus turning things around here at home. And ever since then it's been up to us, the what sort of world.
A BuzzFlash Reader
Subject: Are oil prices heading for a tipping point?
To me, the Republican "party line" position on energy is a bit odd -- it's a backwards-looking, anti-business view that says let's rely on the technologies of two to three decades ago to save us. The "solutions" create as many problems as they solve -- nuclear waste we can't safely store, more fossil fuels that heat up the environment and leave us vulnerable to the whims of OPEC, etc. It's the past vs the future.
The reason I find this so odd is Republicans are "supposed to be" the party of business. But well-run businesses look to the future, not the past. They want to reach the finish line first on new technologies, so they get a bunch of patents and make loads of money off those patents.
I personally want the US to reach the finish line first. I want the US to be the one that makes loads of money off the new technologies. I want the US to be the innovators, not lagging behind the rest of the world.
The US has known about the dwindling oil reserves for at least 25 years and yet we still act like oil is the ultimate answer. Yes, we definitely need to get oil prices down now, but if we really want to put fear in the hearts of the OPEC, we'd get our act together on new technologies that would show them we could become completely energy independent ASAP. Want to make OPEC quake in their boots? Make them realize that skyrocketing oil prices are going to force the rapid production of alternatives that will make oil dependence a thing of the past.
There's a tipping point on the price of oil where clean alternatives are going to suddenly be cost-competitive. If oil prices keep going up exponentially, we could hit that tipping point a whole lot sooner than OPEC and the oil industry expects. Once we hit it, the whole game changes, so the TPTB ought to be very careful about pushing oil prices too much higher. It could backfire on them, not only in this election, but in the big picture of the energy industry.
The country really wants to have clean energy, but right now it's not affordable or feasible. The huge spike in oil prices could act as the catalyst to change all that. Oil companies and OPEC need to ask themselves if this is really what they want. If not, to the extent it's in their control, they need to back off the oil prices ASAP.
I think the tilt has already started. Unless something dramatic happens to get oil prices back down, I think the tipping point is imminent.
A BuzzFlash Reader
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