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Obama and McCain as Panderers-in-Chief

Thursday October 16, 2008

Categories: News, Politics, Pop Culture

The star of last night's debate was clearly Joe Wurzelbacher, otherwise known as Joe the Plumber. The winner is up for debate. But Americans were certainly the losers as both candidates competed not for the role of Commander-in-Chief, but for...

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Comments (17)

Filed Under: barack obama, casting stones, joe the plumber, joe wurzelbacher, john lewis, john mccain, leadership, political figures, the presidential debates

posted by Brad Hirschfield @11:22am Permalink email icon

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Giora

October 17, 2008 9:10 AM

We can punish a politician unwilling to tell us harsh truths. Instead we reward them. We don't want to hear bad news and we kill the messenger. We drive gas guzzling cars and live in houses too big and expensive and finance it by credit card and home equity loans.

Politicians are just a manifestation of the normative values of a society.

Ray

October 17, 2008 10:36 AM

GOD help us , if OBAMA get put in OFFICE !!!

Chava

October 17, 2008 10:38 AM

http://McCain

I am a Black , Jewish female that has friends that are Muslim and for the soul of me, I cannot understand why more of my Jew friends don't support Senator Obama .
If we forget how it was in Germany in 1930. People like MaCain and his followers began terrorizzing Jews with vemon of words, then came thge dogs and thugs and the ovens. It all starts somewhere man stands by and does noting .

Jews of all people should know this. As a Black woman as well I know it and am terrified about McCain who once wasd a decent main and Palen who is a fear and terror mongol and should be put on the FBI,s terror watch.

Chava bat Sarah

Giora

October 17, 2008 11:05 AM

I don't think comparing McCain to Nazi Germans is fair.

I think you have a point about too many Jews supporting him for the wrong reasons. Particularly the ones equating Muslim to Arabs to Terrorists which by a process of derivation start with Obama has a Muslim father and thus is aligned with terrorists.

Rebecca

October 17, 2008 11:06 AM

I think it is appropriate to wait until you have the job of President and have been fully informed on the budget, programs, and deficit options to be reticent to make sweeping statements about your plans to correct things. Telling the American people in an election race what your detailed plans for budget reform are is bound to be a false promise.
Neither of them can really know that yet. What we are looking for is their philosophy, their guiding principles...the values that would brought to bear when making the tough decisions. And, I'm not talking about personal values...but political, and social ethics. They were somewhat clear on that: Obama would "use a scalpel" and McCain would impose an "across the board freeze". There's a lot of information right there in terms of their styles. Obama sees things on a case by case basis...he is valuing the program or line item as he makes the decision. McCain has as his highest value the deficit itself, not delving into the details.

Character assassination and mud slinging are a detraction from core issues. It is unfortunate that this tactic is still a primary method for instilling doubt in a voter's mind. All either one of them has to do is instill a "reasonable doubt" about the character of the other and people will start to question, get confused, panic. I don't know what the truth about either of them is, on a personal level. I have to look at how they stand on the issues that I care about. My primary concerns are: energy, education, and health care.

What are your primary concerns and how does each candidate address them? Are they good or bad people...can we really know?

Elisheva

October 17, 2008 11:20 AM

http://Candidates

Ms. Chava, I am an independent and have always strived to support a candidate that is better for this country and Israel. I can not support a candidate (Obama)who has not clearly demonstrated his track record, who does not tell the straight truth, who is not really a friend of Israel since I remember clearly in 2006 in the U.S. Congress he VERY harshly criticized Israel in the war with Lebanon after the kipnap of the two soldiers, he can't clearly explain his 20 years relationship with his controversial church and pastor. He can't explain how he is going to fund all his programs (if not by raising taxes) in a time the economy is hurting. I have to look at his character and the things don't jive. Above all, I grew up in this country at the time of the civil rights movement and have always admired Dr. Martin Luther King who said -- "Do not judge a man by the color of his skin, but by his character". I am precisely doing that. Therefore, I don't understand what your statements of being a black Jewish woman having Moslem friends have to do with an election if not that you want to support a candidate based on color and religion.
I don't like McCain either but at least his track record of 30 years is clear, he has demonstrated being a friend of Israel - as stated by Senator Joe Liberman (a Jewish senator and previously Democrat). Those are the reasons why an independent like me can't support Obama. HaShem helps us if Obama wins.

LESLIE FURSETZER

October 17, 2008 12:38 PM

SOME HOW AMERICANS NEED TO TAKE OUR CUNTRY BACK.. THIS CAMPAIN IS THE SAME AS ALL OF THEM. THE ISSUES ARE TIP-TOED AROUND AND NEVER RELY TALKED ABOUT. NOTHING ON THE DEFICIT, LITTLE ON THE WAR AND NOT MUCH ON THE BANKING BAILOUT. I THINK THOSE THAT FAILED- SHOULD. ALL THOUGH THE GOV'T HAD A HAND IN THAT. SOCIAL SECURITY SHOULD BE DONE AWAY WITH. NOT REALY. IT IS SOUND. JUST PAY BACK THE FUNDS TAKEN FROM IT...
THEN LAST NIGHT, THE NEWS TALKED ABOUT VOTER FRAUD. FOLKS THAT CAN VOTE, BUT THIER ID & SS# ARE NOT IN ANY GOV'T DATA BASE? NO WAY TO DOUBLE CHECK VOTERS IN MANY STATES. AWAY FROM THE DEBATES, THERE ARE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS. WITH NOT ENOUGH TIME TO FIX THEM
JUST ONE MORE; CONGRESS PASSED AND THE PREZ SIGNED A LINE ITEM BILL. WHAT HAPPENED? HOW COULD THE SUPREME COURT VOTE THE AS ILLEGAL?
G-D AND WE KNOW, THAT THE FAT HAS GOTTO GO OUT OF ANY BILL PASSED.
LES

Susie

October 17, 2008 12:56 PM

Why isn't anyone talking about what a nightmare it would be if Palin took the presidential chair. Honestly, i don't care what his handlers tell the press and American public, but McCain does not look healthy. Palin as President is a frightening prospect. She is against everything evolved women hold dear... including equal pay for equal work. And what's the deal with her schooling... she had to attend five different colleges in order to she graduate. Scarey. Obama is smart and not afraid to change his opinion once he evaluates all the information. We need that right now.

Steve

October 17, 2008 2:23 PM

All this commander in chief talk is chilling. The president is not my commander in chief. I am not in the military. I don't have to do what he says. it is my duty as a citizen to dissent if I disagree with what he says or proposes. the president is only the "commander in chief of active duty and reserve military personnel. period. Obama and McCain are not running for commander in chief. That is only one of many duties of the President.

All this talk about commander in chief is Post 9/11 garbage, and is part of the fascist shift which has accelerated since 9/11. Use of words like "homeland," jingoistic patriotism and nationalistic fervor, loss of habeus corpus guarantees and the use of torture, a foreign policy of pre-emptive war, anti-gay legislation, should fill us with dread, both as citizens and as Jews. DPrivate mercenary armies headed by radical right fundamentalist christians (Blackwater), deployed inside the U.S.in New Orleans after Katrina and not subject to either civil or military law. Remember Germany from 1933-1935? 1936? 1937?

Don't be deceived by all this talk about the war on terror and Islamo-fascism. It's opportunism. Fascism is "corporatism," in which the government is allied and ultimately serves and is served by large corporations and the ruling elites. Rather than the people constituting the nation, the people is subsumed within a concept of "homeland," threatened by external and internal enemies. Please don't dismiss this analysis as fear mongering. At least consider it. We live in very dangerous times.

Lucy Silver

October 17, 2008 4:06 PM

The truth is that the president of the United States and all of our important politicians have become nothing more than "law makers" who take money from and listen to lobbyists for Big Business. It is Big Business who runs and controls the decisions. Democrats (Cuomo and Barnie Frank) were heavily involved in the disasterous Fannie and Freddy Section 8 fiasco, and Obama got a huge contribution from them. There is no end to what the Republicans have done--they have destroyed government and privitazed everything from Wall Street to the military and war.

So, my point is that Obama and McCain are basically helpless. The tide is too heavy to turn. The truth is, we are rudderless, adrift on an ocean with no land in sight.

Lucy

LAURA MUSHKAT

October 17, 2008 5:12 PM

have not read the other comments yet so if I am repeating something sorry.

First JOE THE PLUMBER - "POOR GUY" turns out Joes in not a licensed plumber but can be one in his home town but works in a nearby town for another guy. In the nearby town you must be a licensed plumber but if you are not you useally can work for one who is-at least where I live so I guess it is that way. Unfortunatly due to his few minutes of fame people looked into his personal life and found that the plumber he works for supposidly is not licensed either. So imagine Joe is not working on his own somewhere!! Ya never know.

Ya gotta live today like you are being watched by security cameras or by anyone with a phone with a camera and do something dumb=you can be on you tube for life. ah well progess!

US-CHINA-OBAMA-AND MCCAIN-first to be fair I gotta tell ya I am a Jewish Mama for Obama.

Has anyone thought to ask either O. or M. or ANY POLITICIAN-what are the plans if China decides to call in the 43 trillion dollar load??

Methinks it may happen even if the politcos do not and maybe we should all be learning to speak Chinese.

What happens when someone calls in a loan and you can not pay no matter how good the reason may be!!!
Hugs
Laura

Yemma

October 17, 2008 9:57 PM

Complaints..... complaints..... complaints. Have we forgotten that
YHWH allowed Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because
all they did was complain ? Accept the dire reality that all the
bad news in today's newspapers started from the bottom up... From all
of us, ordinary people like us who couldn't wait to have what we want, without working for it first! We want what our parents have,
forgetting that they worked so hard first, before being able to get
what they enjoy today. We are a generation of "instant gratification"
freaks... everything on credit! All the institutions of our nation
wanted to profit from the tide of this false illusion. And they and
the media fueled it further by calling it "the American Dream" we all
bought into. It is not Clinton or Bush's fault! We must accept the
responsibility of having had a part in the pathetic condition of our
country today. And the reform and change must come from each one of
us before it trickles down to all the institutions of our government.
Blame where the blame should be. We permitted ourselves to become
the root of this dilemma. It is time we learn discipline, right
morals, right judgments, and go back to the time-tested virtues that our grandparents and parents have lived by! They were the ones who sacrificed for the greatness of this country we live in. We do not have the right to direct it to bankruptcy because of our excesses!
Why is it that we always see the mote in another's eye, and we cannot
somehow see the big, dark glob in ours?

Both our presidential candidates are not perfect. If you want a perfect candidate to fit the mold you idealize you will never find one. I am going to vote for the candidate that is more practical, yet
more aligned to the discipline that I want this country to steer to.
Promises are not enough for me. We all know that candidates promise
and the more grandiose the promise, the more suspicious we should be
of the sincerety of that candidate. G-D bless us all! And G-D bless
this country!

Karen

October 17, 2008 10:31 PM

I do not believe in abortion but I don’t believe the the country should legistlate it. The rate of abortions drop under democratic leadership that has been proven because of preventative programs. There have been more Republican presidents in recent decades than Democratic presidents yet they never overturned Roe v Wade even when the Republicans were a majority in Congress. Life is life sending a soldier into battle to fight a war based on lies should also be fought against just as folks fight against abortions. Why haven’t more christians stood up to President Bush for his lies and on going corruption in his Administration. McCain and Palin have both been convicted of ethical violations. McCain has confessed of adultery and Palin’s daughter is pregnant at 17. While I don’t condemn these people I see the unfairness by christians against Obama and it is disheartening. When preachers like Pat Robertson, Focus on the Family leaders preach hate from the pulpit they are no better than J Wright. Christianity is not a Republican monopoly and there should be separation of church and state. The bible saids give to Ceasar what is his and give to God what is HIS. I love the Lord and I love this country and we must pray for our leaders because God not man appoints them

windbender

October 18, 2008 8:19 AM

Obama's Campaign has called McCain's ethics, honesty and judgement into question on the basis of his own actions. That is fair game as a genuine issue and concern for anyone considering him for the office. McCain's Campaign has called into question those same issues and added partiotism, nationality and religious beliefs to boot, by use of guilt by association, inuendo and bald-faced lies. The two are not on par any more than are the qualities of the candidates themselves. Both need to clean this up, in my opinion. To do that, Obama will need a wisk broom and a mop - McCain will need a haz-mat team.

Joe

October 19, 2008 8:51 PM

B"H

I agree with Brad. Both candidates are telling "special interst" groups what they want to hear.

To Muslims, "I will support a Palestinian state and the rights of Muslims in Lsrael, and to restrain Israel from agression...etc. etc."

To Jews: " I fully support the right of Israel to exist within secure borders, etc. etc.

As nasueum. They're both liars and panderers. And, yes, the American people are losers no matter which one gets elected. I'm voting for McCain only because I think he's the better of two awful choices. Maybe McCain will kick the bucket from old age when in office, and we'll at least get Sarah as our president. She's the best of a sorry lot...Joe

devorah

October 20, 2008 2:32 AM

I am so very tired of voting for 'the lessor of the 2 evils'. We need to get 'it' together & act appropriately for our standing in the world while we still have one.

HannaCT

October 25, 2008 1:03 PM

In dwelling on the decision of being made to choose between the lesser of two evils, I've come to the conclusion that both camps are attempting to blackmail the voting public with all their hate and fear-mongering.

If Obama doesn't win, or if he is assasinated once in office, we are told by the spin docotrs the possibility of an African-American uprising exists.

If McCain doesn't win, we are to expect an uprising by Neo-Nazi skinhead types. And of course if he dies in office..... Sarah Palin.

I would like to know what the powers that be..... the ones who push these candidates on us actually have in mind?

Certainly, we can all agree that these two men are not the best choices of either party. But they are the ones we were handed.

We should all be praying, begging God for help because who ever wins this election, I'm afraid we are in a world of trouble.