Political Fraud: Selling America a Bill of Goods

It's beginning to sound more and more like a Palin vs. Obama Presidential race. My biggest fear is that conservative and independent voters around the country will wake up on November 5 and find out, much to their surprise, that it's John McCain that won the office of President of the United States and only then will they wake from their stupor and see, and regret the silliness of what they've accomplished.

Talk about a bill of goods. The sales pitch that the Republican supporters swallowed hook, line and sinker is something to behold.

The Democrats used their meeting to tell a richer, more expansive national story, one more or less in tune with the party's platform and aspirations. In contrast, as we go to press, the Republicans are staging an elaborate fraud, the purpose of which is to divert the public's attention from their disastrous mismanagement of government and to deceive voters about their agenda. Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, admitted as much when he said, "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." [The Nation Editorial Board - 8/3/08]

They are once again getting snookered by the pandering politicos who run the radical right. Evangelicals, ever the willing suckers, are getting sucked in yet again. Same thing with rednecks, soccer moms, and erstwhile social conservatives of all stripes. "Join us again, [wink, wink]. We'll string you along for another four years!"

I know that America is a nation of consumers and so should be a little more cautious about these kinds of advertising and aggressive sales pitches. This time, it seems as though simple brand loyalty has kicked into high gear and the whole Party has bought into the sales pitch and is now shouting together in unison this fantastic, unbelievably bloated, false, and expansive advertising campaign.

The upshot here is that nothing short of a divine thunderbolt will get through to these people. They were wrong about Vietnam, wrong about Reagan, wrong about Clinton, wrong about Gore, wrong about Bush, wrong about Iraq, wrong about McCain, wrong about Obama, wrong about everything important to the political life of the country. And they were not only wrong; they were, and remain, proud of being wrong. Remember Richard Cohen on Iraq? "You and your kind were wrong to be right; we were right to be wrong," he said. (Cohen--who, coincidentally, was also wrong about Clinton, Gore, Bush, Iraq, McCain and Obama--was quoting a French ex-Stalinist approvingly in that statement, thereby laying bare the similarities among power-worshiping courtiers across time, space and ideology.) [Eric Alterman - The Times, They Have A-Changed - The Nation 9/22/08]

Are there any educated consumers left? Do these Republicans understand the damage they are doing to the country? Have they no shame? Don't they understand that they are promoting a bombastic, wily, calculated, devious, overblown, scheming, empty shell of pseudo-conservatism wrapped in a sheen of falsehood and innuendo?

It's the masters of spin. Spin the news, turn truth on it's ear. Tell tall tales with wide-eyed fascination and call it truth. The tales and falsehoods are brazenly apparent and the Republicans are joyously and enthusiastically lying their fool heads off. It doesn't matter if it's national TV or the local newspaper. Lies, repeated endlessly, sell. Just ask a used car salesman. Have Americans ever bought a used car that the salesman REALLY wanted to sell?

Is anyone thinking of the United States of America? The Palin "bubble" is the conservative base getting excited about the return to the "Culture War." Social conservatives have suddenly found their "feminist" side? The word "sexist" has now been added to their arsenal of rhetorical bludgeons? This does the country any good?

The governor was aggressively marketed in terms of her maternity, yet questions about how she managed to mother five and lead the state were dismissed as sexist. The governor's two years leading Alaska, which in terms of citizens served is the equivalent of being mayor of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was said to be the linchpin of her appointment, but questions about her breadth of experience were dismissed as sexist. Her surrogates wanted the press to write about mooseburgers and ignore how the governor had once pursued the kind of earmarked federal funds she now insists are anathema to her. Conservatives have probably used the word "sexist" more in the past week than they have in the past 50 years. [Anna Quindlen, "Can You Say 'Sexist'? - Newsweek, 9/15/08]

"Drill Baby Drill" is all about Oil company profit NOT the welfare of the people. What is good about this for Americans?

...the dirtiest little secret in this dirty game is that Big Oil doesn't really want more crude coming to market. Oh, it does want the ANWR and offshore leases, because it wants to lock up and stockpile every last acre of public oil property before Bush-Cheney exit, stage right. But the Big Five (Exxon Mobil, ChevronTexaco, Conoco Phillips, BP, and Shell) are siphoning enormous profits from our pockets by keeping supplies tight.

The Big Five control 55% of the U.S. gasoline market, and the top 10 control 81% of the market. It's in their self-interest to use their monopolistic grip to squeeze the supply line, which means squeezing you and me. When Exxon Mobil says it is eagerly searching for more deposits, it is talking about bank deposits, not oil.

Some focus on McCain the "War Hero." Wouldn't it be smarter to see if his "message" could at least be deciphered in a coherent way?

I should note that there’s nothing offensive about a political figure changing his or her mind once in a while. Policy makers come to one conclusion, they gain more information, and then they reach a different conclusion. That is, to be sure, a good thing — it reflects a politician with an open mind and a healthy intellectual curiosity. Better to have a leader who changes his or her mind based on new information than one who stubbornly sticks to outmoded policy positions, regardless of facts or circumstances.

So why do McCain’s flip-flops matter? Because all available evidence suggests his reversals aren’t sincere, they’re cynically calculated for political gain. This isn’t indicative of an open mind; it’s actually indicative of a character flaw. And given the premise of McCain’s presidential campaign, it’s an area in desperate need of scrutiny. [Steve Benin - The Carpetbagger Report]

Wouldn't it good for Americans to be able to trust this man's honor and dignity? Wouldn't it be good to know how this translates into real policies that will improve the lives of Americans? How is this tale of pandering and rhetorical gymnastics helping Americans improve their lives?

McCain has been mesmerized and overshadowed completely by the dazzling Ms. Palin! He's sold himself completely to the radical base of his party. He is deliberately confusing us, lying to us, and bringing only disgrace to himself and his Party. Who is John McCain? Does he ever speak for himself anymore? How is this good for America? Sarah Palin is NOT running for President! WAKE UP AMERICA!