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Our Party BlogHave your say about all things democraticSeptember 8, 2008PAT BRANHAM'S BLOG 8: REPUBLICAN TORPEDOES WITH LITTLE SUBSTANCE
[Pat Branham was a delegate for Hillary Clinton to the Democratic Convention in Denver. Her blog about the convention appeared on the Chattanooga Times Free Press website. Pat is Director of a Clinical/Vocational Staff, a realtor, an RN and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from UTK and a Masters in Counseling from UTC.]The much anticipated speech of Sarah Palin really charged up the Republican Convention in the Twin Cities, but we didn't learn a great deal about the candidate's solutions for all that she criticized about the Democrats. We know she earned her name "Barracuda Sarah" early in life and that she fancies herself a pit bull with lipstick. We know she wants to drill for more oil, a non-renewable resource; but she didn't tell us much about how she wants to use unlimited resources such as wind and solar to reduce dependence on foreign and polluting resources. She doesn't seem to understand that one way to reverse the growing jobless rate is through "green" jobs that will improve employment, reduce energy costs, and keep us energy independent. Neither she nor John McCain explained why the Republicans sat in Washington with a Republican President for eight years and a majority in Congress for four without taking action on energy independence. She and McCain have belittled simple solutions like tire inflation which would actually give us more energy savings than off-shore drilling's marginal benefits and be immediately achievable. Sarah is already on record as believing that global climate change is not influenced by man. Where has she been? Hasn't she seen the graphs showing the earth's temperature increasing geometrically beyond any high plateaus ever charted in the history of the world? The barracuda was in attack mode in her convention speech, sarcastic and condescending toward Obama's choice of public service over becoming a corporate lawyer. She touted her experience as a hockey mom as if every other woman in the audience and the Democratic moms outside don't perform the same activities every day with their children. She spoke of her "real" experience as mayor of a town of 8,000 for four years and mocked the young attorney who chose early in life to direct a public service agency for people who had lost their jobs to other countries or were in need of housing. She brags on her husband being a member of a union while McCain blasted union bosses in his speech and voted against the Employee Free Choice Act that would give workers rights to organize for better pay and benefits. Obama's executive experience goes back to his being the first Black President of the Harvard Law Review. Sarah discounted not only the scriptural principle of lifting up the fallen through community service, but also completely disregarded Obama's eight years in the Illinois State Senate. This is balanced against her own two years as Governor of a state with the population the size of San Diego. Sarah neglected to mention Obama's four years as a U.S. Senator while she has zero experience at the national level. She not only ignored the leadership requirements Obama used as Director of a community service agency, but also ignored his leadership for ethics reform in the early days of his tenure in the U.S. Senate; although ethics reform is claimed as high on her list of priorities. Giuliani prepared the crowd for Palin's speech oddly enough by suggesting the Democrats have broken promises, although he lived openly with his much younger mistress while he was still married to his ex-wife. How's that for keeping a serious promise? Giuliani ridiculed Obama as a man who "never led anything;" and, like Sarah, degraded Obama's choice of executive experience in a lower-paying community service organization over becoming an attorney with a Wall Street firm. Ironically, in Giuliani's remarks, he openly showed one major policy failing in the Republican Party. He and the crowd chanted "Drill, baby, drill," a practice that would require eight to ten years to put more gasoline in our tanks. If he really felt this was a solution; why didn't McCain, the Republican President, and the Republican majority in the Congress begin off-shore drilling eight years ago? We could have more energy available today if they had planned and delivered. That's not leadership. In Palin's and Giuliani's degrading remarks toward Obama's choices and style of leadership, they once again demonstrated that the Republican Party cares about big oil and tax breaks for the rich. They don't have solutions for all those middle class people who need fair wage jobs and health insurance. They wasted their chance to lay out specific plans for the tough problems we face and chose instead to criticize and attack others, ignoring their caring decisions and workable solutions. We don't know who wrote Sarah's speech (perhaps she did), but she delivered it very well. Her B.S. in journalism and her experience in front of the camera as a sportscaster paid off. However, the rumors that her teleprompter jammed were admitted as false by Republican officials. She appears to be a loving mother with a good family. She is a woman who has achieved more than most, but she does not have the qualities or qualifications to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. What frightens me is her over confidence and lack of recognition that she doesn't meet the requirements for the job. She enjoys saying she and McCain are "not afraid of a fight." I certainly am among those who admire McCain's heroism 40 years ago. But perhaps Sarah should be slow to anger as scripture teaches. Being a thoughtful and reflective person is more important than being a pit bull when it comes to foreign policy. Do we really want a President and Vice President who are quick to use the trigger or push the red button? Or do we want Obama and Biden with the wealth of experience, thoughtfulness, and specific solutions needed to rescue us from indebtedness to Communist China and dependence on foreign oil from nations who spawned the terrorists that attacked us? If McCain had not been quick to encourage the war in Iraq, we could have focused on building a united effort with our allies against our real enemy, Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As Obama has said, he is not opposed to war. He is opposed to a "dumb war." Try telling the moms whose sons and daughters have arrived home mangled and dead since the surge that it has worked. The surge hasn't worked for them. The rate of killing has lessened, but his war has no end in sight, and people continue to die and receive terrible injuries. The Iraqis have not taken responsibility for self-government yet. That isn't success, and our country is near bankruptcy. We don't need a President and Vice President who shoot empty torpedoes from submarines rather than positing workable solutions to our problems. This post has 2 replies... Thanks for the great article, Pat, you bring up the most important point -- that John McCain and Sarah Palin are not offering constructive, creative solutions. As Joe Biden pointed out, none of these speakers at the Republican National Convention so much as mentioned -- uttered -- the phrase middle-class. Who is this "You" that they are speaking to? I distinctly felt that I was excluded from whatever conversation they were having with whatever narrowly defined group of people they have chosen to appeal to. I am confident that many people wondered, like me, who they were speaking to. Who is it exactly that they want to fight? Other Americans? What exactly are they fighting FOR? The Republican are ready to Fight, we get it already. Does all this fighting have a point, is there a plan behind it, does it construct, build, or contribute ANYTHING? Fighting. Stand up and fight. They will fight. I heard so much call to fighting that I'm wondering if McCain is modeling his persona after Yosemite Sam. I am in total agreement with what you said in your great article, Pat.
After all this country has endured for the past eight years under the current administration, we are definitely in need of some forward thinking candidates, who will address the very serious problems our country is facing, including economic issues, heathcare, and putting an end to the loss of life in the senseless war in Iraq. Like you, I believe Obama and Biden are much more likely candidates for the job. I can see them being able to re-establish diplomacy with countries throughout the world by opening up dialogue, something the "maverick" and the "pitbull with lipstick" will not even attempt, according to their arrogant rhetoric. Post a Reply... Most Recent Posts: 11/19: Make History Again: Help Us Elect Jim Martin to the U.S. Senate 11/14: John Bailes - "I will not puruse another term as Chairman" 11/11: Thanks to the Hundreds Who Worked 11/11: Celebrating Veterans Day~November 11 11/05: You Did It! You Made History! 11/04: Go Vote! 10/31: NOW FOR OUR FINAL PUSH! WHAT CAN YOU DO? 10/30: Paul Smith on High Voter Turnout: The Economy Has Awakened a Sleeping Giant 10/30: Vote Straight Down the Ticket: Obama, Tuke, Berke, Favors, and Brown 10/29: Watch HCDP's "Call To Vote" Commercial Tonight on CBS, Just Before Obama 10/29: Setting New Records: Over 55,000 Have Voted Early! 10/28: Join Us on Election Night at the Chattanooga Choo Choo 10/27: Message to the Hamilton County Democratic Party from Governor Phil Bredesen 10/27: Paul Smith~One of Our Two 2008 Estes Kefauver Award Winners 10/27: Annie Hall~One of Our Two 2008 Estes Kefauver Award Winners 10/24: Only Takes $5 to Make a Difference 10/23: EARLY VOTING HOURS CHANGE DUE TO HIGH VOTER TURNOUT 10/23: Let's GET OUT THE VOTE in Hamilton County! 10/23: New Links at Hamilton County Democratic Website Help Voters 10/21: More than 350 Attend Estes Kefauver Dinner |
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