Michael Steele's comments on Afghanistan unconsionableFollowing Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele's recent comments on Afghanistan, a storm is brewing within the Republican Party that could well blow him right out the door.In a clear and blatant effort to cast Afghanistan as Barack Obama's war, Steele mischaracterized the United States' involvement in the region, treating them as if it was actually Obama's doing."This was a war of Obama's choosing," Steele insisted. "This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.""During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Barack Obama made clear his belief that we should not fight in Iraq, but instead concentrate on Afghanistan," Steele later explained. "Now, as President, he has indeed shifted his...
In the British Conservative party's second TV address, David Cameron seems to emulate US Senator John McCain, famed for his "straight talk" on political issues.In the second address, entitled "What it Takes to Change a Country", Cameron promises precisely that: straight talk on political issues. He also further explains his "big society" vision.Cameron proposes the "big society" theoretically as an alternative to big government. The goal is clearly to brand the Conservatives as the party that can still deliver on social policy-related goals while cutting Britain's looming deficit.This will prove to be an especially important message as talk of a coalition government between Labour and the Liberal Democrats becomes more and more prevalent.While Cameron's message is a strong conservative...
Joe Wurzelbacher blames John McCain for his "screwed up" lifeMany of those following the 2008 Presidential Election found themselves resigned to sheer annoyance every time the spectre of "Joe the Plumber" popped up in the discussion.Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Joe Wurzelbacher, was picked out of a debate audience by John McCain.Following that brief brush with greatness, Joe the Plumber simply refused to go away quietly, becoming something of a conservative media darling, despite the fact that he repeatedly showed himself to have nothing to contribute.Apparently, all the attention has made Wurzelbacher's life somewhat uncomfortable, and he blames McCain for it.“I don’t owe him shit. He really screwed my life up, is how I look at it,” Wurzelbacher complained. “McCain was...
In a certain sense, it may have been only natural that a Presidential candidate who campaigned on a message of hope would embrace -- and, in turn, be embraced by -- a religion whose message so often aspires to be a message of hope.The de-hijacking (or perhaps re-hijacking) of Christian faith from the religious right certainly came as a surprise for those who had long grown accustomed to the association of Evangelical Christianity with conservative (and particularly Republican) politics.But there were clearly large portions of the American Evangelical vote that were simply waiting to be de-hijacked.In Like Father, Like Son (a book actually about Ernest and Preston Manning and the religious themes within their political careers), Lloyd Mackey splits Evangelical Christianity into seven...
To succeed, the Republican Party needs moderate conservativesWriting recently in the Los Angeles Times, Jonah Goldberg notes that many American left-wingers believe these are very, very good times for them.Why are these very, very good times for the left wing? Certainly not because they're implementing their agenda on issues like health care reform. As Goldberg notes, and certain less-than-gifted bloggers are more than willing to confirm, many left-wingers -- particularly socialist progressives -- think these are good times for them only because they believe the conservative cupboard to be effectively bare:"If there's one thing liberal pundits are experts on these days, it's the sorry state of conservatism. The airwaves and the Op-Ed pages brim with more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger...
Vapid accusations of racism do the issue a severe disserviceAs Michael Coren notes in his SUN media op/ed column, racism used to mean something."A racist was someone who judged another person not on their ability, character or achievements but purely and exclusively on the colour of their skin or ethnic background," Coren writes. "Members of racial minorities such as blacks, Jews or Asians lost jobs, were denied basic human rights, enslaved and even murdered. Racism, as I say, used to mean something.""Not now," Coren continues. "Racism still exists of course, but being called a racist often means you are winning an argument against a liberal or merely stating a conservative or orthodox opinion."Former US President Jimmy Carter and New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd took turns accusing...
Meghan McCain drops the gloves againThe last time Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin and Laura Ingraham took aim at Meghan McCain, things did not turn out well for them.Ingraham especially embarrassed herself when she mocked McCain as a "plus-sized model".The latest battle comes after Michelle Malkin identified McCain as a conservative commentator who needs to "shut up" during a live public online chat about her new book."So Michelle Malkin successfully rounds out the trifecta of extreme female conservative pundits, following Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter, who believe that I, and Republicans like me, need to shut up and get out of the party," McCain wrote on her blog. "Is this surprising? Not really, given my father’s complicated history with the extreme right of the GOP.""What do Malkin and...
The moment John McCain named her as his running mate was the time the Republicans lost the race for the White House. A lot of Republicans, and small-c conservatives, had been extremely uneasy about McCain’s conservative credentials, and even though Sarah Palin’s commitment to conservative principles and values are beyond reproach, her deficits in other areas made it impossible for (too) many Americans to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket. With her sudden announcement that she’d resign as governor of Alaska by the end of this month, she’s has yet again set in motion the wheels of rumour mills everywhere. Is......
When leader singer Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks spoke out against the Iraq war on March 10, 2003, she provoked a firestorm from the American right wing.Speaking out against the war in Iraq, Maines told an audience in London that she was ashamed the President was from Texas.Various right-wing activists, bloggers and media figures targetted the Dixie Chicks for nothing less than complete professional destruction.Shut Up and Sing documents how, in a period of weeks, the Dixie Chicks went from being lucrative corporate shills to being branded as un-American or anti-American.American country music radio stations fed the fire by caving under the pressure being exerted by far-right groups like Free Republic. By complying with the boycott -- refusing to play the Dixie Chicks' music and in...
Sarah Palin joins GOP rebuilding effortRush Limbaugh is an incredible ass.Limbaugh is such an incredible ass that he all too often fails to understand who is on his side, who isn't, and generally what's really going on.Such must have been his shock when he learned that former Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin has officially joined efforts to re-brand the Republican party, mere hours after Limbaugh insisted that the GOP leadership is afraid of her.Oops."Something else you have to understand is these people hate Palin too," Limbaugh had mused. "They despise Sarah Palin, they fear Sarah Palin, they don't like her either. She's, according to them she's embarrassing. McCain said, 'I was there with Ronald Reagan'…. No Reagan voter ever believed McCain was a Reaganite.""And I think… a...
McCains call for space for moderates within GOPWhen Arlen Specter left the Republican party for the Democrats, Rush Limbaugh had one request for him:"Well, Specter, take McCain with you. And his daughter."Limbaugh's words underscore what has become an increasingly-hostile environment toward moderate conservatives in the Republican party -- a trend that began in the 1990s as the Republican party increasingly courted the religious right. Demagogues more interested in ideological purity than the pragmatic nuts-and-bolts of politics have increasingly led the Republican party astray.John and Meghan McCain want to lead it back to the centre -- a task increasingly difficult with individuals like Limbaugh and Ann Coulter trying to drag the party even further to the right, and insisting that...
...John McCain and Barack Obama could beat swords into plowsharesIn a recent speech delivered in Prague, Barack Obama called for the global elimination of nuclear weapons."I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama announced. His stance remains at odds with American nuclear policies that weakly pursue non-proliferation elsewhere in the world -- in places such as Iran and North Korea, while failing in Israel, India and Pakistan -- while continuing to maintain stockpiles of nuclear weapons at home.Those aresenals have long been maintained under the pretences of deterrence.In a more reecent speech, John McCain called fof continued work on the US anti-ballistic missile shield.McCain's comments were made in...
Tommy de Seno calls for John, Meghan McCain to leave the Republican PartyAs one continues to assess the current state of the American Republican Party, one can't help but think that some honest, heart-felt criticism is certainly in order.The Republicans have lost the White House and lost control of both Congressional houses. To make matters worse, far-right ideologue Rush Limbaugh seems to have seized control of the party's public image.At a time like this, when times are so dark for the Republican party, Justified Right's Tommy de Seno wants to drive some of the party's most concerned supporters out.John and Meghan McCain are in de Seno's sights. Their unforgivable sin is purported to be criticizing the American conservative movement and working with the enemy."I grew tired of McCain...
With the election lost, it is time to find a scapegoat to pin the blame on. That's what the people around John McCain are now focusing on: Sarah Palin has returned to Alaska after her whirlwind 68-day exposure to America's national political scene, but the controversy over her vice-presidential candidacy shows no sign of abating. As the state governor stepped off a plane in icy Anchorage on Wednesday, she faced fresh allegations over her behaviour on the campaign trail and renewed attacks on her lack of readiness for the White House. Many of the attacks were from disgruntled aides...
One has to hand it to Republican presidential candidate John McCain. His concession speech last night was nothing if not phenomenal. If he had shown more of that side of his during the campaign, perhaps, he would not have lost by such a wide margin. It was disturbing to see, however, that whenever he spoke positively about his former opponent, Barack Obama, the (Republican) crowd in attendance would boo and barely stop even after being told by McCain to cut it out. This attitude doesn't bode well for the Republicans. Some of them will probably fail to learn vital...
Barack Obama elected President of the United States of AmericaOne could be forgiven if they feel that the world has ground to a halt this evening.The citizens of the United States of America have delivered their decision: Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.There will be no protracted wrangling over the electoral college. No supreme court. For the first time in nearly a decade, the United States can boast an honest-to-god democratically elected President -- elected fair and square.Few need any kind of reminder of the heavy burden of history Obama will carry throughout his Presidency. For the first time in its 231 years of existence, the United States has elected an African American as its President.Only in a country that has well and truly turned a historical page...
Licia Corbella, a conservative newspaper columnist, recently wrote a column (in a conservative newspaper) denouncing John McCain and Sarah Palin and making a cogent argument for Barack Obama instead. This earned her high praise from one reader, whose letter is the Letter of the Day in the Calgary Herald today: Kudos to Licia Corbella for her column about Barack Obama. I can't imagine this column was easy to write for such a proud and loyal conservative. Corbella joins the ranks of the highly respected Republicans and their supporters who have taken off their conservative glasses to see this presidential...
Americans elect the "Leader of the Free World" todayToday, as millions of Americans head off to the polls to elect the President of the United States of America, it seems that it's all but guaranteed that history will be made -- Barack Obama will be elected the first African American President.Of course, Obama has already made history by being the first African American to run for President as the nominee of one of the two major parties.But even as the polls continue to favour Obama with a lead of anywhere from three to seven points -- although enough undecided voters remain to turn the race for McCain -- this election is not over yet.The only poll that matters is the election.If Obama does indeed emerge victorious this evening, there are few rational reasons for tears to be shed. Obama...
Considering Barack Obama to be the lesser of two evils presents moral and practical conundrumAs the 2008 US federal election draws to a close, many American voters are finding themselves effectively sandwiched between their distaste for the twin elite coalitions in the United States -- the Democrat and Republican parties -- and their seeming inability to effect change through a third party.Actor Danny Glover believes he has the answer for the conundrum faced by these voters.A few days ago, Glover appeared on the Real News Network, where he proclaimed "if we are going to have some sort of impact on this Democracy, I think we're going to have to accept the fact that we're going to have to deal with the lesser of two evils, and I consider Barack Obama to be the lesser of two evils."Choosing...
The campaign is really going down the tubes fast when one of your own delegates switches parties and endorses your opponent: Fred Bramante, the former state Board of Education chairman who was on John McCain's N.H. leadership committee, has changed course and endorsed Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. In a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Bramante was enthusiastic in his praise for Obama's education's priorities — and was frustrated by the McCain campaign's focus on school vouchers, which Bramante called a "partisan approach" issue. While this now-former Republican has seen the light, one professor in Canada, oddly enough,...
No media endorsement matters as much as one by The Economist. In fact, this venerable publication's endorsement of politicians or parties matters more than the opinions expressed by local media in the various countries (such as in Canada). Now, The Economist has fully endorsed Barack Obama, calling him more intelligent than John McCain (and that's an understatement, as anyone knows by just looking at McCain, Sarah Palin and their new "best bud" Joe the Plumber, aka Joe the Unlicensed, Unqualified, Black-Market, Bungling, Wannabe Plumber): In terms of painting a brighter future for America and the world, Mr Obama has...
This is rich: Joe the Plumber, who isn't even qualified enough to obtain a plumber's licence and, as such, works on the black market, has taken to pontificating on the damage an Obama presidency would inflict on Israel: Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber," on Tuesday twice agreed with a claim from an audience member at a John McCain rally that "a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death to Israel." Wurzelbacher was hitting the campaign trail on behalf of McCain for the first time, joining former Rep. Rob Portman on a GOP bus tour through...
This doesn't come as a shock or surprise, because the recent rhetoric heard from both John McCain and Sarah Palin was destined to produce such vile events: U.S. authorities say federal agents have broken up a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people in Tennessee. In court records unsealed Monday, federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two neo-Nazi skinheads. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name. In related news, see the Top Ten Reasons...
Vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has "gone rogue": Amid reports that Sarah Palin has "gone rogue" - ignoring advisers and slamming her party's campaign tactics - some have begun to discuss her as a political contender after Nov. 4. "She's no longer playing for 2008; she's playing 2012," Democratic pollster Peter Hart told CNN yesterday. Debate about the Alaska governor's future came over the weekend, as the largest newspaper in her home state, the Anchorage Daily News, endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama and not the Republican ticket of John McCain and Ms. Palin, despite the home connection. Palin must be...
It's been clear for a while now that the next president of the United States will be Barack Obama, but nothing puts paid to John McCain's chances like Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama for president. Powell, a Republican himself and foreign secretary in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2005, has come out on NBC's Meet the Press explaining his deep concerns about McCain – and his disastrous choice of running mate, Sarah Palin. Powell is troubled by his party's shift to the extreme right and the recent outbursts of bigotry and outright racism directed at Obama. Update: Sour...
by Werner Patels You just have to feel a little bit sorry for the Republicans. After eight years of George W. Bush, they now find themselves with two millstones around their necks: John McCain and Sarah Palin. McCain is becoming visibly more erratic and angrier, while the Alaskan governor is a trigger-happy hockey mom who shoots anything in sight, but she failed to clean up the messes she left behind in Wasilla, where she was mayor once, and in the state capital, where her own party found her guilty of unethical and corrupt conduct. McCain has been given a...
After several incidents at McCain/Palin rallies, where audience members referred to Barack Obama as a "terrorist" and shouted "Kill him", questions have been raised about whether Palin and McCain might be guilty of criminal incitement to violence. Just one example, from the Huffington Post: Palin's new rhetorical strategy signifies an alarming new development in the 2008 Presidential election, and one that has been not only been documented by such high profile newspapers as the Washington Post, but confirmed by the McCain campaign itself. [...] With the McCain campaign now using the Palin stump speech to accuse Sen. Obama of...