This Election Is about Who We Want to Be

I hope Barack Obama wins. There is no question in my mind that John McCain will simply continue the policies of President Bush. The fact that Bush is trying to help McCain win is all the evidence any of us should need that McCain will continue business as usual. McCain is for more tax cuts for the rich and for more deregulation; those are the two policies that have created the financial mess we're in.

The polls appear to be tightening but I'm encouraged by the huge turnouts that Barack Obama is getting when he campaigns around the country (every state, every region, every city and town in the U.S. is pro-American and Sarah Palin should be ashamed of herself).

But here's the real point I want to make: the polls don't matter. But voting does. Americans need to make a statement about our future. There's not a doubt in my mind that our country needs two political parties but one of those parties, the GOP, is broken; Republicans are stuck in the middle of the 20th century with a mean philosophy and an economic theory that makes no sense. These days, Republicans can't even win without playing games (see here and here). Until the Republican Party rebuilds itself and turns into a party with real ideas and real respect for average Americans, it is time to send the right wingers home. It is time for the Democrats and a change of course. This election is a referendum on George W. Bush and the failed policies of the Republican Party over the last eight years. There will be no change unless the Democrats have a mandate. If Barack Obama wins by a point or two with little change in Congress, our nation will continue to drift and people like David Broder will continue to make dumb assessments of where we are.

If you're young, vote like your future depends on it. If you're much older, vote for the sake of your children and grandchildren. Take ownership of the future. Vote. Vote for the party that has always cared about average Americans far more than protecting the privileges of the wealthy and well-connected. Vote for real change.

McCain Can Only Offer More of the Same

Many years ago, John McCain served his country honorably. If he is to maintain his reputation, he should think clearly about what he is offering the American people. If all he can offer is more of the same, such as more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, that is not what Americans need. If all he can offer is fear and smear, that too is not what Americans need. If all he can offer is a short temper and erratic behavior, that too is not what America needs. If all he can offer are distortions of the truth and misleading statements and all of the above, Americans have not only grown weary of that since that's exactly what we've gotten from Bush for eight long years but McCain's honor will become a whisper of the past.

After all is said and done, McCain should keep his honor intact and not go down a dishonorable road.

There's a sad truth. McCain does not measure up to the problems we are facing. Think of it: if McCain gets elected and runs the White House the way he has run his campaign, our nation will be in for four more years of failure. It's time to move on this November 4th. Our nation has work to do.

McCain's Fearmongering Sure Sounds Like George W. Bush

McCain's desperation is sad to see. First, Sarah Palin is not a reassuring pick. She's John Bircher material. If you don't remember the John Birchers, they were big fans of Joseph McCarthy and had radical right-wing ideas about how the country should be run. Palin may not be an official member of the John Birchers but if it walks like a duck and talks like duck, it must be a right wing quack.

Second, John McCain has an anger problem. You could see it in the first debate. You could see it when he was talking to the folks at the Des Moines Register, a paper about as Main Street as you can get. Like Bush, McCain thinks he knows all the answers and doesn't have to ask questions and doesn't like to be asked questions either. Bush's credibility is already shot, and McCain's credibility is fast sinking.

McCain calls himself a maverick, someone who can reach across the aisle. Remember when George W. Bush claimed he would do that? But Bush turned out to be more of a friend to Wall Street than Main Street. Six weeks before the election, McCain suddenly discovered Main Street after thirty years being a buddy of Wall Street. I've lost count of how many lobbyists are currently working for McCain.

We need change in Washington. The nation took the first step in 2006 by electing Democrats to Congress. But with Bush threatening to veto no-brainer bills like extending unemployment benefits, and Republicans refusing to help override Bush's vetoes, it's difficult getting work done that will help the economy and help average Americans. McCain says he gives Americans straight talk but he can't even acknowledge his role in the current economic crisis. McCain is a deregulator, just like George W. Bush. Deregulation means not minding the store. It means looking the other way as crooks destroy the economy while grabbing millions for themselves. That's not presidential behavior.

It's time to send McCain and his fellow Republicans home. Change can't come soon enough.