Country First: a question for Sarah Palin

At the Republican National Convention, there were many signs displayed with the word "Prosperity". Apparently McCain's plan for the economy is to give everyone a sign with the word "Prosperity", 'cause he sure hasn't said a blasted thing about any real steps to lead to prosperity (or even to slow the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots).

There were also many signs being held up with the words "Country First". Hmmm... as Gail Collins (New York Times) suggests:

"If she ever agrees to talk to a reporter, the interviewer should ask Palin whether she thinks a state that is extremely wealthy from oil and gas revenue should not be forswearing federal aid entirely so that less fortunate places can have more.

Really, a governor who puts her country first might think about that."

McCain's stump speech to nowhere

The REAL issue this election: the ISSUES

Regardless of the lies from Sarah Palin, the relentless flip-flopping from John McCain, the refusal to mention specifics about any issue ...and of course, the statement (more correctly, the desperate wish) from the McCain campaign that this election is not about issues...

The issues are absolutely what this election is about. And the horror that has been the Bush Administration - and which would extend to at least 12 years if McCain were elected - has not been addressed by McSame:

• Unemployment is at a 5 year high (link)
• A record Federal deficit (link)
• Wages are stagnant at best (if you have a job) (link)
• Healthcare costs continue to far outpace wages and inflation (link)
• Hard-working citizens continue to lose their homes (link)
• The Iraq war plunges us further into debt (over half $TRILLION) (link)
• The Constitution continues to be desecrated (link)

...and there is NOTHING to distinguish John McCain from George Bush.
...which of course is why the McCain camp so desperately wants to avoid any discussion of issues.

Barack Obama's stand on real issues are detailed here.

From a buddy in Alaska: Info about Pailin

We've got some friends up in Juneau Alaska (an incredibly beautiful place that I hope to visit again someday). Here's a link from their local paper yesterday with a local's impression of Sarah Palin:
The thrilla from Wasilla: recounting Palin's reign

Summary: Republican National Convention

My summary of the RNC: John McCain was a P.O.W., and the past 8 years have been such a monumental disaster that Rick Davis (McCain's campaign manager) has to declare that the campaign is not about issues.

But Joe Biden really summarized it well:

The silence of the Republican party was deafening. It was
deafening on jobs, on health care, on the environment, on all the
things that matter to the people in the neighborhood’s I grew up in.

McCain's speech: Consensus is he blew it

My thought as John McCain finished speech last night was that it was "a mixture of nothing, with air beaten in" (apologies to Malvina Reynolds for stealing lyrics from one of her songs). He reminded us again and again ...and again that he was a P.O.W. There was only one specific step he said he'd take; he said he'd double the tax exemption for each child one has, raising it from $3,500 to $7,000. That was it. Nothing else. Oh, and he even read his speech poorly. At least Palin, although lying repeatedly, did do a great job reading the words that had been written for her.

But I am biased. So when I saw this poll on CNN this morning I felt I had to share it. Note that at the time I saw this, 13,000 people had chimed in:

McCain had a chance to say something concrete about what he planned to do. He had a chance to give us specifics. And he squandered that opportunity.