Democracy In/Action
We are a nation of laws, and not of men. And yet the Republican campaigning of late has focused on two men, 'Joe The Plumber' and Bill Ayers. These are attempts to campaign on fear, not on the issues, and they undercut that 'maverick' image that they tout so much.
I. Joe The Plumber
The Republicans have turned him into an icon, trying to appeal to the working class, trying to make them worry that Obama would raise taxes on them, ignoring the fact that if Joe The Plumber makes less than $250,000 a year, he has nothing to worry about, and if he makes more than $250,000, then he should be able to afford to pay taxes. I personally would love the opportunity to pay taxes on $250,000.
The question of whether or not Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is licensed as a plumber is not at issue. If he works as a plumber, he is a plumber. The question of licensing is certainly of concern, but not in this context.
The question of his unpaid back taxes in light of his question is also not really the point. If he's unable to pay his current taxes, then he is not going to be impacted by new taxes. In fact, according to the New York Times, some tax analysts say that if Joe's new plumbing business makes $250,000 gross, not net, he would probably be eligible for tax cuts under Obama's plan.
Here's a site with a summary of the Joe/Obama conversation.
Joe is being used as an icon to sow fear about socialism and sharing the wealth, ignoring the fact that the only people who would have taxes increased are the wealthy 5% who had their taxes cut by the Bush Administration. And a little socialism doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all the unbridled capitalism seen on Wall Street of late, creating hedge funds on hedge funds on funds that aren't there and overwhelming the banks and insurance companies when one institution fails, sending rippling waves of fear down through the entire economic web.
II. Bill Ayers
The campaign, Sarah Palin especially, is using a tenuous connection between Obama and Bill Ayers, who participated in the Weather Underground organization when Obama was eight, to imply that Obama is a T.B.A., Terrorist By Association.
Yes, politicians are going to have the people around them examined. For instance, John McCain has explaining to do about his association with Charles Keating, who stole millions of dollars from California taxpayers in the 80s.
But Ayers is not a close associate of Obama, has no role in Obama's campaign. Obama has condemned the actions of the Weather Underground. Something is neither true nor relevant just because Palin and McCain keep repeating it.
It is disingenuous of the Republicans to claim they are doing anything other than implying Obama is a terrorist, an other, and the only reason they are doing that is to play on fear, and that is not what we need to be talking about.
If you want to compete for the image of being the party of change, give us a good plan that will impact the country positively, and keep the tone of the campaign clean. For the most part, this has been a relatively cordial campaign, but the implications of terrorism are simply unacceptable.
If Christopher Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley and an admirer of John McCain, criticizes McCain's handling of the campaign and endorses Obama for president, leading to his own resignation from the National Review, that is something that McCain needs to consider.
I. Joe The Plumber
The Republicans have turned him into an icon, trying to appeal to the working class, trying to make them worry that Obama would raise taxes on them, ignoring the fact that if Joe The Plumber makes less than $250,000 a year, he has nothing to worry about, and if he makes more than $250,000, then he should be able to afford to pay taxes. I personally would love the opportunity to pay taxes on $250,000.
The question of whether or not Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is licensed as a plumber is not at issue. If he works as a plumber, he is a plumber. The question of licensing is certainly of concern, but not in this context.
The question of his unpaid back taxes in light of his question is also not really the point. If he's unable to pay his current taxes, then he is not going to be impacted by new taxes. In fact, according to the New York Times, some tax analysts say that if Joe's new plumbing business makes $250,000 gross, not net, he would probably be eligible for tax cuts under Obama's plan.
Here's a site with a summary of the Joe/Obama conversation.
Joe is being used as an icon to sow fear about socialism and sharing the wealth, ignoring the fact that the only people who would have taxes increased are the wealthy 5% who had their taxes cut by the Bush Administration. And a little socialism doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all the unbridled capitalism seen on Wall Street of late, creating hedge funds on hedge funds on funds that aren't there and overwhelming the banks and insurance companies when one institution fails, sending rippling waves of fear down through the entire economic web.
II. Bill Ayers
The campaign, Sarah Palin especially, is using a tenuous connection between Obama and Bill Ayers, who participated in the Weather Underground organization when Obama was eight, to imply that Obama is a T.B.A., Terrorist By Association.
Yes, politicians are going to have the people around them examined. For instance, John McCain has explaining to do about his association with Charles Keating, who stole millions of dollars from California taxpayers in the 80s.
But Ayers is not a close associate of Obama, has no role in Obama's campaign. Obama has condemned the actions of the Weather Underground. Something is neither true nor relevant just because Palin and McCain keep repeating it.
It is disingenuous of the Republicans to claim they are doing anything other than implying Obama is a terrorist, an other, and the only reason they are doing that is to play on fear, and that is not what we need to be talking about.
If you want to compete for the image of being the party of change, give us a good plan that will impact the country positively, and keep the tone of the campaign clean. For the most part, this has been a relatively cordial campaign, but the implications of terrorism are simply unacceptable.
If Christopher Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley and an admirer of John McCain, criticizes McCain's handling of the campaign and endorses Obama for president, leading to his own resignation from the National Review, that is something that McCain needs to consider.
posted by Devin at 12:52 PM
1 Comments:
I was pointed to this interview...it is excellent from - Economist Dr. Michael Hudson on Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's "Plan" passed by Congress on October 3, 2008. We discuss what is being purchased, the congressional vote, what this means for the oligarchs, and what this means for the rest of us.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21041.htm
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