The Progressive Pen

A Progressive Mandate

Four years ago, the Wall Street Journal editorial page called George W. Bush's victory in the 2004 election a “decisive mandate.” Most of the conservative media made similar pronouncements.

Let's compare the election results from 2004 and 2008:

 

The 2004 election was of course very close; Kerry needed only 118,458 additional votes in Ohio to tip the election in his favor.

In contrast to Bush's slim victory, Barack Obama won in an electoral Electoral College landslide.  If Bush’s 2004 victory was a mandate, Barack Obama’s decisive win Tuesday night is a much stronger mandate.

Palin: Obama Will Take Away Your Freedom'

If Senator Obama is elected president, he will take away your freedom.  That was Sara Palin's message at a campaign rally on Saturday.  The Huffington Post quotes Palin as stating the following:

"Barack Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes, and I say this based on his record... Higher taxes, more government, misusing the power to tax leads to government moving into the role of some believing that government then has to take care of us. And government kind of moving into the role as the other half of our family, making decisions for us. Now, they do this in other countries where the people are not free."

Having already called Obama a socialist who "pals around with terrorists," Palin felt the need to suggest that Obama will turn the United States into a "[country] where the people are not free."

And just what is the radical tax proposal put forth by Senator Obama?  He plans to let the Bush tax cuts expire, for those making more than $250,000 per year.  So people making more than $250,000 per year would pay the same tax rate that existed during the Clinton administration.  God help us!

While most Americans remember the Clinton years as a period of economic prosperity, Governor Palin apparently believes that Americans were somehow lacking freedom during the 1990s. 

On a related note, was anyone surprised to hear that Palin's makeup artist is her highest-paid staff member?

 

"He Put the Country at Risk"

As the race winds down, even high profile Republicans are attacking McCain's historically reckless selection of Sara Palin as his running mate.

First, the Associated Press quotes Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska strongly criticizing Palin's qualifications.  Hagel addresses Palin's lack of foreign policy experience:

"She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials.  You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don't know what you can say. You can't say anything."

Hagel criticizes the ridiculous McCain/Palin claim that Alaska's proximity to Russia counts as foreign policy experience:

"I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia.  That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."

Finally, Hagel addresses the possibility of Palin assuming the presidency, if McCain is unable to serve.

"I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States."

Next, we have Matthew Dowd, Republican consultant and chief strategist for the 2004 Bush campaign, via the Huffington Post:

"[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot... he put the country at risk, he knows that."

Republican Milliken Rebukes McCain

It seems even Republican McCain supporters are taking issue with the McCain campaign's smearing of Barack Obama, which now includes allegations that he is a terrorist sympathizer.  CNN reports:

Former Michigan Gov. William Milliken, a Republican, told the Grand Rapids Press he was "disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign."

"He is not the McCain I endorsed," Milliken said Thursday.

He Forgot to Say "Please"

Add the Foo Fighters to the growing list of musicians who have told the McCain campaign to stop using their songs. Apparently, the McCain campaign has been using the 1997 Foo Fighters hit "My Hero" at campaign events, but never sought permission from the artists.

The Guardian quotes the band's leader, David Grohl:

"To have [‘My Hero”] appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song — and start asking artists' permission in general."

Grohl also noted, "This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist." Indeed, Jackson Browne, Heart, Boston, and John Mellencamp have all told the McCain campaign to cease unauthorized use of their songs.

In a Progressive Pen exclusive, I was able to obtain a photo of one of McCain's favorite bands, which has agreed to let the McCain campaign to use their songs:

 

McCain Loses Cool As "That One" Wins Debate

"I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."  -- John McCain, in his 2002 memoir

Maybe it was his sagging poll numbers.  Or, perhaps, it was the realization that he was about to go 0 for 2 in presidential debates.  Whatever the cause, something certainly ruffled Senator McCain's feathers Tuesday night.

Much has been written about Senator McCain's temper.  Earlier this year, Libby Quaid of the Associated Press, sifted through the McCain temper tantrum catalog to bring us some of his greatest hits:

"F--- you," he shouted at Texas Sen. John Cornyn last year.

"Only an a------ would put together a budget like this," he told the former Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Pete Domenici, in 1999.

"I'm calling you a f------ jerk!" he once retorted to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.

On Tuesday evening, Senator McCain's temper once again -- to borrow one of Sarah Palin's favorite phrases -- reared its head: "You know who voted for it?  You might never know.  That one." 

That one?  Who speaks this way about another person?  Perhaps you might tell the guy behind the counter at Starbucks that you'll take "that one," as you point to the appetizing Danish you have selected.  However, using the words "that one" to refer to one's opponent in the presidential debate is almost certainly a first.  One can only assume that, for Senator McCain, going with something more conventional like "my opponent," "Senator Obama," or "Barack" would not convey the appropriate level of disdain.

How awkward was McCain's "that one" moment?  CNN's Wolf Blitzer had this to say after the debate: "It's apparent to say that Sen. McCain has some disdain, I think it's fair to say, for Sen. Obama. That was very apparent throughout the course of this debate."

What is perhaps most astonishing McCain's performance: McCain's temper had already been identified as an issue earlier in the campaign.  One cannot imagine that McCain's advisers did not warn him how important it is for McCain not to appear angry.  Yet still, McCain's disdain for his opponent Tuesday evening was palpable.

One cannot help but wonder, if McCain's temperament is so volatile that he cannot manage to conceal disdain for his opponent during a televised debate in front of the entire world, what is he like behind closed doors? 

It does not seem at all surprising that colleagues of McCain, like former senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, have already warned that McCain's temperament is ill-suited for the presidency.  Smith told the Washington Post: "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him." 

At the very least, McCain's performance Tuesday evening should renew discussion about his temperament.  In the meantime, expect to see

"Turning a Page"

The nation's financial system is experiencing its most severe threat since the Great Depression. The string of bank failures in the US has now spread to Europe. Although the US government has approved the $700 billion bailout bill, we still do not know if the legislation will be successful in resolving the credit crunch; many well-regarded economists predict it will not.

No matter. The McCain campaign has announced that it wants to "[turn] a page" on the financial crisis. The declaration comes from Greg Strimple, one of McCain's top advisers:

"We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans."

Got that voters? The economy is in dire straits, but Senator McCain does not poll well on the issue, so we need to turn the page. Let's pretend this threat to the global economy to longer exists, and focus on things that will help McCain's poll numbers.

True to its word, the McCain campaign has stepped up its smearing of Obama, which includes Governor Palin repeatedly claiming that Obama is "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." The Associated Press has stated the allegations are false: “Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities, and there is no evidence they have palled around.”

Senator Obama's response:

"Instead of addressing these crises, Senator McCain's campaign has announced that they plan to turn the page on the discussion about our economy and spend the final weeks of this campaign launching Swiftboat-style attacks on me."

The Obama campaign would do well to continue to tie McCain's frame smear campaign to Strimple's "turn a page" comments. Strimple's admission highlights what is obvious: Senator McCain's smear tactics are part of a blatant, desperate attempt to shift the focus away from the economy.

Kudos to Couric

Amazingly, in her first month as the GOP VP nominee, Palin has only granted two interviews (I do not count the Palin/Hannity Fox News Republican infomercial as an interview). By comparison, Joe Biden has given more than 80 interviews over the same period of time.

Needless to say, the McCain campaign has gone to extraordinary lengths to shield Sarah Palin from non-scripted settings, i.e. protecting her from situations where she might actually have to think and answer questions. 

Now we know why.

The only woman that came off well in the interview with Couric, was Couric herself.  She managed to pin Palin to the mat during this exchange about McCain's (lack of) credentials as a regulator:

Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.
Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.
Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government.
Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.
Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to ya.

"To be fair, she thought it was a take-home interview," says Stephen Colbert.

Palin's Next-Door Neighbors

We are seeing a recurring theme: in the only two news interviews (I do not count Sean Hanity as news) the McCain campaign has granted with Governor Palin since she was selected as the GOP VP nominee, Palin has been asked to explain the ridiculous notion pushed by the McCain campaign that Alaska's proximity to Russia enhances Palin's foreign policy experience.

Both time Palin was asked to explain why Alaska's proximity to Russia enhances her foreign policy credentials, Palin has rattled off her folksy "they are our next-door neighbors" line."  Essentially, Palin is saying Alaska's proximity to Russia enhances her foreign policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia.  Thanks for clearing that up, Sarah.

Kumbaya Clinton

For most liberals, John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate was a transparent attempt to attract female voters, and a reckless decision by McCain to potentially put the radically conservative Palin a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency.

How radical is Palin?  By now, it has been well documented that she is not convinced that humans are responsible for global warming.  She supports teaching creationism in science classes.  She wants to deny victims of rape and incest the right to an abortion.  Palin even charged rape victims for evidence-gathering exams during her tenure as mayor of Wasilla.

Pretty scary stuff. 

What does Bill Clinton think of Palin? "My view is ... why say, ever, anything bad about a person? Why don't we like them and celebrate them and be happy for her elevation to the ticket? And just say that she was a good choice for him and we disagree with them?"

Well, Bill, you will have to forgive those of us who do not want to "celebrate" Sarah Palin.  Some of us might not be "happy for her elevation to the ticket" because we do not want another radical conservative in the White House who is not concerned with global warming.

As for Clinton's philosophy of "why say, ever, anything bad about a person?", who is he kidding?  Anyone living on planet Earth during the Democratic primary campaign knows that Clinton had no problems saying "anything bad about a person" a few short months ago.

Perhaps most distressing, though, is that Clinton's comments play right along with the right wing's attempt to frame any criticism of Palin -- warranted criticism of her radical policy positions -- as unfair sexist treatment.

Very disappointing remarks from the former president.