What a Liberal Hears in McCain's Speech

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (GETREAL)  -- Sen. John McCain's Republican presidential nominee acceptance speech has not been well received.  Some analysts say he "missed his mark".  Others say "it lacked substance." 

McCain did outline, with varying degrees of detail, some aspects of his promises to the United State public. 
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Sen. John McCain says he'll reduce government spending and get rid of failed programs.

Let's Analyze:
(1) "reduce government spending"

Fine, but to what degree?  By what amount?  By what percentage?  It should not be hard to spend less then his protege, GW Bush.  Bush inherited the largest surplus in the history of the civilized world (from Clinton), has squandered it, and worse, paid for the wars with deficit spending.

So, if McCain intends to "reduce government spending", does this include reducing deficit spending on the war in Iraq?

(2) "get rid of failed programs"

How will you measure failed programs?  Does your list include the war in Iraq? 

And we're just getting started...

Taxes

McCain said he would:

• Keep taxes low and cut them where he could.

This is somewhere between "READ MY LIPS?" and "ANYTHING GOES".   Let's Analyze:>

(3) "keep taxes low"
Last I knew, taxes aren't that low.  But "keep taxes low" could also mean "pass on the cost of the war to your children by staying the course with deficit spending".

(4) "cut them were he could"
Here we see no commitment.  In 2011, when we ask him "why didn't you cut any taxes", he could say "I couldn't".  He's kept his promise.
 
• Double the child tax exemption from $3,500 to $7,000.

(5) "Double the child tax exemption"
This usually means "have more kids, we need soldiers"

(6) "from $3,500 to $7,000"
This means "I want to buy your vote because I think you're stupid."

• Cut the business tax rate to help American companies compete and keep jobs from moving overseas.

(7) Cut the business tax rate
Individual families will have to bear the tax burden, not businesses.

(8) to help American companies compete
At what? In what new directions?  Why only compete?  What areas of which sector can the US take the lead?

(9) help keep jobs from moving overseas
Why only "help"?  Who are we "helping"?  "Help" is an advertising hedge.  "Goop helps keep your whites whites".

Get Real has some ideas.  How about investing billions of dollars in renewable energy technology - not only to outfit the US with a renewable energy grid, but also so the renewable energy products we make in the US are the least expensive to build, most durable exports that everyone in the world wants to buy?

Senator Obama has proposed an Apollo-like plan for renewable energy, and McCain offers a mere $150 million dollar tax break for renewable energy companies.

Foreign trade

McCain said he would:

• Open new markets to American goods and services.

WHICH NEW MARKETS?  RUSSIA? CHINA? IRAN?

• Prepare workers to compete in the world economy.

AGAIN, AT WHAT?  SERVING BURGERS AT WENDYS?  Get detailed, Mr. McCain.  Take note: the young high-tech US work force is uber-mobile and will relocate overseas.  If you're not informed on economic trends and don't know where the economy actually needs investment, you will oversee the first reverse brain-drain in the history of the US economy.  Is that what you mean?

Unemployment assistance

McCain said he would:

• Help workers who've lost a job that won't come back and find a new one that won't go away.

(10) lost a job that won't come back
So much for your plan to keep US companies here; if the jobs won't come back then you don't have faith in your program.

Worker training programs.  Sounds absolutely liberal.  HOW DO YOU INTEND TO PAY FOR THIS? THE ANSWER MUST BE TAXES. How do you intend to keep taxes low and help workers who've lost a job that won't come back and find a new one that won't go away.

• Use community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities.

(11) new opportunities in their communities.
What new opportunities?  What are you talking about?  And how do you intend for the US Federal Government to "use community colleges"?  What do you mean?

• Retrain workers in industries that have been hard hit and cover the pay difference during retraining.

(12) cover the pay difference during retraining.

All of this while you're keeping taxes low, right?

It's ironic that a liberal would complain about investing in worker retraining programs.  I'm all for it.  But McCain's speech in internally inconsistent.

Economy

McCain said he would:

• Create millions of new jobs, "jobs that will be there when your children enter the work force."

"WHAT JOBS?  WHAT SECTORS? WHAT INVESTMENT?"

Energy

McCain said he would have the United States:

• Produce more energy at home.

"WITH 150 MILLION?  COMPARED TO OBAMA'S PLAN THIS IS NOTHING."

• Drill new wells offshore.

Everyone says we need to drill for more oil.  Even Obama says it's on the table.   But why only be reactionary and limit real investment to more oil?

• Build more nuclear power plants.

This plan is incredibly naive and irresponsible.   Where will you put the waste, and how will you pay for its safe storgae for 1/2 billion years?

• Develop clean coal technology.
Clean coal is an industry myth.  Coal that comes at the expense of mountaintop removal is not worth it. 

• Increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas.

WITH 150 MILLION IN TAX BREAKS?  GET REAL! Beside, we want increased PRODUCTION, not increase use.  We should not consume more energy for the wanton sake of consuming it.   We need to reduce our consumption (amount) and change the source.

• Encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.

WITH WHAT?  REBATES? = MONEY = TAXES.  You're losing it, McCain!

Education

McCain said he would:

• Make schools answer to parents and students.

HUH?  Any involved parent knows that schools BEG for parental involved in PTOs.

Health care

McCain said he would:

• Make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance.

UM, WE ALL KNOW HOW TO USE GOOGLE.  WE CAN FIND IT.  WE JUST CAN'T AFFORD IT.

Federal spending

McCain said he would:

• Reduce government spending and get rid of failed programs to "let you keep more of your own money to save, spend and invest as you see fit."

FAILED PROGRAMS LIKE THE WAR IN IRAQ, We HOPE?

Foreign relations

McCain said:

• A serious blow has been dealt to al Qaeda, but the terror network has not been defeated and will strike again if able.

He might as well wear a t-shirt: BE SCARED.  VOTE REPUBLICAN.

• Iran is the chief state sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons.

BUSH MESSED IT UP, WITH IRAN. NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.  IF YOU COULD OVERCOME YOUR NEANDERTHAL TENDANCIES, WE MIGHT JUST FIND SOME OTHER WAYS TO DEAL WITH IRAN THAN TO BOMB THEM.  But so far it looks like you can't wait.

• Russia's leaders have rejected democratic ideals, invaded a small, democratic neighbor, Georgia, to gain more control over the world's oil supply, intimidated other neighbors and have ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire.

"OK, SENATOR.  TELL THE TRUTH HERE.
(1) WHY DID RUSSIA INVADE GEORGIA? The answer is to quell a regional conflict between the Georgian republic of Ossetia, that wanted to break away.
(2) WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Bush has no plan; none.  He is staring at Putin, powerless to do anything.
(3) Besides, as in our first blog, DIDN'T BUSH GIVE Putin and other world leaders PERMISSION to invade lesser powers?