Oct 7 Debate--Comment on Two Responses

Take Credit When Credit Is Due, Sir

I love the way canidates try to use the selective history of what they said in the past as credentials for their leadership and foresight.

Take Obama, for instance. In the Oct 7 debate, he made sure to point out that two years ago he "said that we had a sub-prime lending problem." One year ago, he "wrote to Wall Street and said we had to reregulate and nothing happened." Nobody did anything about it, he complained.

So, that was it? He wrote a letter, he made a passing remark while on a commitee? If he really believed we had a problem, why not propose a solution WHILE A SENATOR. These guys act like they've been bystanders watching our country fall apart for the last eight years. It's never their fault. They were only Senators. Others...yes...it's because of THOSE people--the Bush administration this, the greedy Wall Street executives that. If you knew that this was a problem two years ago Barack, why didn't you do anything about it then? I can think of a few reasons.

1) You are lying to us right now and you didn't really think the sub-prime lending situation was such a big problem, but you happened to be in a situation in which you cosigned a letter with a bunch of other senators and you are now trying to claim credit for that routine "shame on you guys" Senate complaint.

2) You really did know it was a problem, but you didn't want to waste any political capital trying to fix it. I mean, you've gotta have a large group of senators behind you before you try anything bold and beneficial to the country, right?

3) You really knew it was a problem and you tried to get it fixed, but the republicans and other democrats stopped your progress. I think we would have heard about this by now if you tried this.

So--we know that Barack is either 1) lying to us, 2) not a bold, decisive deicision maker, or 3)not very good at convincing people to join his side.

Put a Pork In It

Don't think that McCain gets off with a free pass. Did anybody else yellwith fury at the television whenever McCain talked about the economy? Not your strong point, buddy. Kinda makes us Republicans look stupid for not choosing Mitt five months ago.

I still can't get over the audacity of these canidates. Do they really think we have twenty minute memory? When asked about taxpayers can trust the government with our money, McCain answered thus, "This situation calls for bipartisanship...and we need to reform." McCain then went on to blast Obama for pork barrel earmarks, maintaing that he, John McCain was "working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks."

John, my friend, where were you this past week? Didn't you shut down your campain to help with the emergency bailout bill? (And no--politicians. It's not a rescue. Lassie rescues. The Coast Guard rescues. Girlfriends of felons and the government bails out.) Didn't you camp out in Washington to smooth over your Republican friends and convince them to pass a rescue bill?

How come that bill didn't pass the first time it was up for vote? How come it didn't pass until a layer of pork and special interest tax breaks were added? Nothing else changed. Bernanke and Paulsen were just as adament and demanding before the first vote. The only thing that swayed Congress seemed to be the pork that the Senate added. Your senate. Barack's senate. Neither of you were arguing about pork on the Senate floor when the bailout bill was presented.

And then you have the gall to come to the nation a week later and say you are fighting pork?

No, my friend, you and your senate cronies have lost my trust. I want someone honest and courageous. They can be wrong. They can make mistakes. Admit it. Say that you were wrong about the economy. Tell us you'll do better next time and then ACTUALLY DO IT. Fight for what you believe. That's all I ask.

Maybe I ask for too much.