This has been a dizzying couple of weeks. The ups and downs of the financial crisis and of the attempts to repair it are coming fast and furious. Congressional bickering and finger-pointing has left us no closer to a solution than we were when this whole mess started. And during this turmoil, the candidates have been struggling to find the right angle to take. I've seen a lot of criticism directed at both McCain and Obama, although McCain is getting the lion's share of it. It didn't help him to make such a big stink about how he has been "stepping in to solve problems for the American people", when the bill he was trying to lay claim to got defeated later the same day, causing a massive plunge on Wall Street.
I think the media, and most voters, are truly missing the point here. The candidates are both correct when they try to stress the urgency of the situation, and the need for some feasible agreement to be reached as soon as possible. For each day that the issue remains unresolved, the money crunch worsens and the effects are being felt in businesses and households all over the nation. But the problem comes when we expect the candidates to come up with the answer. Reality check - neither McCain nor Obama has been sworn in as president yet. In case you forgot, there is still a guy named George W. Bush residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and he's got a lease there until January of next year. This is HIS problem right now, and it is HIS job to rally the administration and Congress to work out a deal. His failure to do so is the problem here, so laying the blame for the bailout's defeat on either candidate is a bogus move.
What, exactly, do people expect McCain and Obama to do right now? They are senators - no more and no less, and both have been removed from the day-to-day business of Capitol Hill for months now as they campaign for the presidency. How, exactly, are they responsible for leading Congress to the answer for all our nation's economic woes? After a crash that was years in the making, it is unrealistic to look to either one of them to solve it all in a week or two. They have both voiced their belief that an agreement on a plan is urgently needed, and they have tried to encourage their colleagues to find some common ground. But for either of them to interject themselves into the process in a greater way would be inappropriate right now, and probably none too helpful, if the events of the past several days are any indication.
The McCain campaign has alleged that Obama has been "watching from the sidelines" during this crisis, and has not done enough to rally support for the president's bailout proposal. Reality check - during yesterday's vote on the bailout plan, 60% of House Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while only 37% of Republicans did so - despite the McCain camp's insistence that "It's really Senator McCain who got all parties around a table to hammer out a deal". The truth is that Congress is not focusing on the needs of the presidential candidates right now - many of them have their own election bids to worry about, and pissing off their constituents is not on their agenda. They do not answer to McCain, or Obama, and to add the presidential race into the mix is a distraction from the task at hand.
It's time for the media and the public to recognize that the leadership on this particular issue needs to come from the White House. Admittedly, this is easier said than done. Bush and his cohorts, after years of alienating and disappointing everyone around them, have fallen into the lame duck zone, where their powers of influence are virtually nil. Still, we cannot lay the responsibility for a solution to the bailout issue on the presidential candidates. Not yet, anyway. When one of them is elected, he will need to get his shit together pretty fast and take action to clean up this mess on a long-term basis. But for now, the immediate concern is the short-term needs of the market and of Americans who are scared and strapped for resources. Reality check -the president and the leaders in Congress must be the ones to step up and make something happen. It's time for everyone to get off the partisan blame train and admit that, even if it's tough to do, a plan is needed and the time to pass one is now.
Remember the Wendy's commercial from the '80's, with that old lady yelling, "Where's the beef?" I can't help thinking the same thing after the fiasco on Capitol Hill yesterday. John McCain calls off the debate, the campaign and everything else, because he thinks going to "Warshington" and finalizing the bailout bill is more important than anything else. But he forgot to make a plan for what to do AFTER he got there, and he ended up doing and saying nothing helpful all day. If ever there was an example of the old saying, "If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem", this was it. There was no guidance offered and no insight shared, and the day ended in frenzied media glare and bitter partisan bickering. What happened? Where was the input he seemed so desperate to share with his fellow Congressmen and women? WHERE'S THE BEEF?
This is just typical McCain -style over substance. Want to boost your sagging campaign numbers? Bring in Sarah Palin - she looks good and has instant surface appeal. Sure she's a bit inexperienced and not too great with the issues, but if nobody asks too many questions or watches too many YouTube videos of her in church, she will dazzle the base. Don't have a great track record or any new ideas to run on? Just throw some negative ads on the air...deflect attention from your own inadequacies and pray that most people won't bother to fact-check your empty accusations against your opponent. Want to look like a hero during a time of national crisis? Announce that solving the problem is your number one priority, then make a big show of abandoning everything else to focus on just that one problem.
Except, after all that "country first" rhetoric, he hasn't actually contributed anything to the process. He seems to think this is grade school and that someone's taking attendence. But you don't get points just for showing up to the meeting. If he really does want to get this task done, then he has to participate - offer some ideas, guide his colleagues, SOMETHING, especially after he painted himself as someone who just HAD to be involved in fixing this problem. If he has anything constructive to add to the debate, then what is he waiting for? Now is the time to show his hand, before we all decide that the whole incident was nothing more than posturing and pandering to revive his poll numbers.
Wasn't he the guy who prides himself in reaching across the aisle and supporting bipartisan solutions? Didn't he tell us he had the experience to lead in a time of crisis? Hadn't he been chiding Obama for what he called "inaction"? In fact the McCain campaign ran ads about Obama's supposed "inaction" this week..and FactCheck.org already posted a response showing why the ad was full of crap (what a surprise!) Well, last time I checked, there was no hand extended across the aisle to Democrats by Senator McCain - in fact, he couldn't even get his own party to come together and agree on a plan. He failed as referee when the fighing broke out and the discussions broke down. He still has not presented his own outline of what he wants the plan to include and how it should look. His statements to the press and in the meetings yesterday, by all accounts, were generalizations about being "optimistic" and indicated no clear direction or strategy. He flailed his way through the meltdown last week, and he seems to be flailing his way through this process as well. OK Senator - you wanted in on this and you said you were ready to roll up your sleeves and get something done. So...WHERE'S THE BEEF???
I'm sure today will be another day of drama and turmoil, and it still remains to be seen whether or not the debate will happen tonight as scheduled. But at this point, the first and most important question to be answered is, when is John McCain going to do what he said he came to Washington to do? Or will this turn into yet another campaign promise that gets broken before the campaign even ends?
Just when I thought that things could not possibly get any more insane than they already were in the worlds of politics and finance...today happened. Yesterday, I said this situation in Washington was turning into a circus. Today, I realize I may have been too generous in my assessment. At least you know what to expect in a circus - some animals, some clowns, some crazy stunts performed without a net as the audience holds its breath...oh, wait. That sorta is what today was like, when you get right down to it.
I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime. I have to ask: if you're a McCain supporter, just what the hell exactly is it that you're supporting at this point? I mean, do you even know what the hell your candidate is supporting? Because after he spent the day riding in on his white steed to rescue the economy, nobody seems to know what he was there for. People IN HIS OWN PARTY could not explain to reporters what McCain's position actually is. Does he want to see a modification of the Paulson plan? Does he want something else altogether? Does he want a glass of warm milk, a blankie and a nap? There's no way of knowing, because he STILL hasn't taken a stand or made a statement that explains his specific concerns or criticisms on the bailout plan. After bringing the race for the White House to a grinding halt, forcibly party-crashing the proceedings on Capitol Hill, and pissing off David Letterman, there has been no result, no progress, no clarity. NOTHING.
I am at a complete loss. How can he still have people of sound mind who would vote for him? I cannot, for the life of me, understand it. After this past 2 weeks, he appears to be something more than people may have bargained for. They wanted a maverick, and he really was one once. But now? Well, now he's just a loose cannon - a schizophrenic shape-shifter who changes gears so rapidly and recklessly that you can hear the engine grinding from miles away. Careening like a geriatric pinball from talking point ("The fundamentals of our economy are still basically strong") to talking point ("America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system"), contradicting himself in ways that cannot possibly be ignored or explained rationally. Throwing out half-baked ideas, one after another, in a desperate attempt to sound like he's being decisive - let's form a commission! No, wait - let's fire the head of the SEC! Oooh, no, I got it - we should try that newfangled "oversight" thingy I've heard so much about! Yeah, that's the ticket!
This is not what should happen. This man has sold himself as the man with the plan, the one who could get things done, the reformer, the bipartisan enabler, the voice of experience and know-how. I ask you, in all honesty and in all seriousness: have his judgment, his demeanor, his actions, his words, his entire response to the economic meltdown, impressed anyone as being good enough? With so much at stake, and with so little room for error in the way this is handled, does it make ANYONE out there feel better to see how confused and erratic McCain's message has been? I don't know...I can only speak for myself, but this guy has me scared shitless. I know Obama's supposed to be the one with no experience, but McCain has failed spectacularly at his attempts to play the role of the capable leader in a time of crisis. The way he went from cluelessness about the true scope of the problem, to the other end of the spectrum where panic reigns and the sky is falling, just boggles the mind. And the childishness of suggesting that the debate should be called off, and that if things weren't resolved to his satisfation by Friday night, he wasn't gonna show up - well, that's just the most inane thing I've heard in a long time. To dictate to his opponent, the Debate Commission, all his hosts in Mississippi who spent so much money, time and effort preparing for this event, and the American people that this debate could only go forward with his say so...it is arrogant, presumptuous and outrageous, and one of the least presidential statements he could possibly have made.
I know there are voters who still -STILL! - feel he is the best choice to lead our nation out of its current circumstances and into better times. But based on this past couple of weeks alone, I don't think those people are basing their vote on McCain's abilities as much as they are basing it on a dislike of Barack Obama. There is nothing scarier than the idea that people would knowingly and willingly choose someone who is already screwing things up in Congress (they had a bailout deal in play before he showed up today), before he even gets elected, just to avoid voting for someone like Obama.
You know what, folks? Obama's not a Muslim. He's not a terrorist. He doesn't hate white people. He doesn't support extremists or radicals. He has known, and even worked with, people who have dubious views or conduct (just like John McCain). He himself has never shared those views or engaged in that sort of conduct (unlike John "Keating Five" McCain or Sarah "Troopergate/Witchcraft" Palin). He is a legal US citizen. His middle name is Hussein. He comes off as a bit too cocky sometimes. He has not been in Washington as long as his opponent has. He is liberal. He is black. And all things considered, he is the better choice in this presidential race, so put your country first and get over it.
That's it. I surrender. I've been MIA for several days now, just trying to keep up with the changing winds of this presidential race, and the economic crisis, and life in general. I would sit down to start a new blog post, and literally, within 5 or 10 minutes, I would hit "refresh" on my news browser and find that some new development had...well...developed. And whatever I had already written was suddenly obsolete, as a new pile of crazy came tumbling out of the sky.
Folks, I submit to you that this past couple of weeks have transformed this country in the worst kind of way. We are no longer looking at Washington or Wall Street. What we are now looking at is a nation that has become the biggest reality show in the history of mankind. We've got the loopy cast of characters, we've got the smackdowns between rivals, we've got the entire world tuned in 24/7, choosing their own "bad guys" to hiss and "good guys" to root for, and alternately laughing and crying at the drama of it all. The only thing we're missing is for Flavor Flav to show up and start mackin' on Sarah Palin.
I love this country. I was raised to believe that it is a nation born of a courageous struggle for freedom, liberty and equality. But when I see the circus that has sprung up in the wake of the Wall Street meltdown and the bitter race for the White House, I am disgusted. The ringleader seems to be John McCain, as he encourages the chaos by changing his stance day to day (sometimes even hour to hour), and juggles platitudes, accusations and distractions in the center ring while fire shoots out of his ears, trying desperately to ensure that the spotlight stays on him at all times, by any means necessary.
Today's display was the most desperate yet, as McCain threatened to pull his participation in the first presidential debate this Friday night, so he could go to "Warshington" and hammer out an agreement to save the financial world. This, despite the fact that everybody who has already been in Washington, working on this bill for the past several days, doesn't really need him there.
Senator Chris Dodd, the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show this evening after President Bush's speech. He called out McCain for pulling yet another 180:
"I'm delighted that John is expressing himself on the issue. I've heard from Barack Obama on numerous occasions over the last number of days, calling...I know he's talked to Hank Paulson, and so he's been deeply involved and interested in how this is progressing. I've never heard from John McCain on the issue. That's why I'm delighted he's expressing some interest, and I'm a little concerned that while we're meeting - in fact, tomorrow morning at 10 AM, Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate are sitting down to try and finalize some of these particular points; we had a long meeting today, the Democratic Caucus in the Senate - and I'm just worried a little bit that sort of politicizing this problem, sort of flying in here...I'm beginning to think this is more about a rescue plan for John McCain than a rescue plan for the economy. So we're going to meet tomorrow apparently at the White House, late in the afternoon, but candidly, a lot of us have been working for five straight days, around the clock, and I haven't heard a word from John McCain".
As for the House Democrats, Rep. Barney Frank (Financial Services Committee Chairman), summed it up in one sentence. Referring to McCain's threat to cancel his participation in the debate unless an agreement is reached by Friday night, he said, "It's the longest Hail Mary in the history of football or Marys".
So McCain tries to act as if he is transcending the political games, and putting his country first by suspending the campaign and postponing the debate while he attends to more pressing matters. When in reality, he has not even attempted to participate in the efforts to get a bill passed before now, nor has he even had a position on the issue that was consistent from day to day. He sputters, spins, and does what he can to keep changing the dialogue from the dismal economy (which is also dismal for his campaign) to...well, anything else at all.
On the other hand, Barack Obama has been constant and calm, true to his past voting record and to his plans and proposals, refusing to pander or to backpedal. He remains assured and assuring, and he acts like someone who expects to deal with these types of crises as president and is unafraid to do so.
The circus is getting louder by the minute, with new dirt about McCain's campaign staff being discussed every day and McCain shouting at the top of his lungs to drown out those discussions; with poll numbers slipping and McCain turning up the volume on new attack ads; with the media scrutinizing him and his running mate and McCain disparaging their journalistic credibility...the noise is beginning to overwhelm those of us who are trying our best to pay attention.
Yet in the midst of this unholy din, Obama is resolute. He is cautious. He is thoughtful. And instead of panic, he is offering a steady presence and a real hope that Congress can agree on a bill that will satisfy both the needs of the marketplace and the needs of average Americans. It's hard to believe, but it is his quiet response that seems to be cutting through the noisy blasts from McCain's camp and reaching the ears of voters. Polls taken over the past several days indicate that most Americans trust Obama's ideas on the economy, rather than McCain's. In addition, Obama picked up the electoral lead for the first time in key battleground states like Michigan, Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Of course, this is all subject to change again in the next 5 minutes or so. I guess we'll all have to tune in to "As The U.S. Turns" tomorrow to find out if the debate will go on, if Congressional agreement on a bailout bill can be reached, and if Flavor Flav and Sarah Palin will live happily ever after. Don't touch that dial...
OK, I know I said that my next post would focus on the current economic freakout that we're all dealing with, but I started putting it together and realized that there were so many facts to check before I posted anything. I am all about getting it right as much as possible, but the situation is incredibly complex, and going back in time to figure out how it happened and who fell asleep at the wheel is a long process. I reckon the world can wait another day or so for my 2 cents on that subject. :-)
So in the meantime, something else occured to me. While I've been watching the candidates react to the week's economic events, I've noticed a real distinction between them. Barack Obama has not wavered on anything he's said on the campaign trail, or even on anything he said or did during his terms in elected office. He has been consistent, confident and clear on his positions, with a focus on outlining some specific actions he intends to take to address the issues we face (including job growth through the development of new industries like renewable energy and stem cell research, tax relief for all families making less than $250,000 per year, support for fair pay for women and minimum wage earners, and a reinstatement of pay-as-you-go federal budget rules - click here to read more about the PAYGO rules).
John McCain, on the other hand, has found himself struggling to explain his position, offers little or no detail to clarify his economic plan, and often contradicts both his past voting record and his recent campaign rhetoric. He wants desperately to distance himself from the Republicans who have run the economy for the better part of the past eight years, and this is understandable - aligining yourself with the guys who set the stage for the biggest economic crash in America since the 1930's sure isn't a good idea in an election year.
The reinvention of John McCain makes me think of another prominent American who has based her entire career on changing her image - Madonna. In fact, I realized that you can actually use Madonna's songs to illustrate the key points about John McCain's candidacy. I know it sounds weird, but go with me here, people...
LIKE A VIRGIN
It appears that John McCain wants to pretend the past 26 years of his Washington career never happened, and that he is politically born again - a blank slate, pure as the driven snow, just waiting to bring an untainted agenda to the White House. This idea of casting off his past record is merely an attempt to fool the public into trusting him as an agent of "reform". He has been banking on the assumption that most voters are either too ignorant to know better, or that they have short memories. Unfortunately, he may be right. But he wants nothing more right now than to convince us all that he is truly a "maverick", someone who stands up against the Republicans and doesn't blindly follow their party line. Sort of like...oh, I don't know...a DEMOCRAT or something. He hopes we will ignore his 26 years as a Washington insider, and all those ties to the administrative blunders of the past 8 years. We should look upon him not as a part of that failed system, but as an outsider...someone fresh and new, whose greatest asset is not his past legislative record but rather the promise of future greatness. You know, like that Barack Obama guy!
During this campaign, John McCain has repeatedly asked us to follow him to Bizzaro World, where everything is the opposite of what it usually is. His campaign has shifted from a focus on "experience" to a focus on "change". He has publicly vowed to run "a respectful campaign", and then sunk to running what have been called some of the "sleaziest ads" ever seen. He hyped up his "Straight Talk Express", promising to demonstrate transparency in his campaign by allowing extensive access to the press...instead, he has kept them at bay and hasn't held a press conference for 35 days now, favoring staged rallies instead. He seems to be gunning for a world record in flip-flopping; this week alone, he called the economy fundamentally "strong" and declared a state of economic "crisis", he went from being a deregulator to a champion of government oversight, and he agreed with the governmental AIG bailout right after expressing his disapproval of that bailout. It makes your head hurt, it really does. Who knows - if he keeps pushing this line long enough, there may be people out there who buy his retooled image as someone who really can bring change to Washington - even though HE IS Washington.
FORBIDDEN LOVE
The one thing that's crucial to McCain's rebranding is separating himself from George W. Bush. But that's not so easy to do when you've been in bed with the guy for the better part of a decade. I mean, seriously...McCain's lipstick is all over Dubya's collar (not that we want to get into more "lipstick" analogies right now). He has criticized the Bush administration, vowing to "right the wrongs" done by the president - BUT he supported Bush consistently during the past 8 years and voted with him more than 90% of the time. More important than his past acceptance of Bush's policies is his failure to outline how he'd change them in the future. Both Democratic and Republican strategists agree that there is no discernible difference between Bush's stand on every single issue (including the economy, the war on terror, health care, education, etc.) and McCain's stand. If they've been so closely alligned for so long, how can we believe that McCain won't be just four more years of Bush?
LUCKY STAR
Throughout this race, John McCain has only seen a surge in his poll numbers once...after the start of the phenmomenon known as "Palinmania". Sarah Palin's initial impression on the public was sensational, and created a great deal of enthusiasm and interest where there had been little or none. But in the weeks since her nomination, the bubble has started to deflate. And guess what? We're right back where we started, with the candidates neck and neck in most polls, and McCain's solo campaign appearances being greeted with small, respectful crowds. Only when Palin joins him is there any sign of the excitement that was on display at the Republican convention. With several long weeks left before election day, and more information about Sarah Palin's past track record coming to light on a regular basis, it's highly possible that the Palin factor may have already peaked and begun its inevitable decline.
DIE ANOTHER DAY
On the subject of Palin, need we remind ourselves that McCain is a 72-year-old man, with recurring health problems? And that next in line for the presidency is...Sarah Palin? Just sayin'.
LIKE A PRAYER
Man, if there's a better title to describe McCain's economic policies, I can't think of one. In the face of monstrous market upheaval, billion-dollar bailouts on the taxpayers' dime, crisis-level issues in real estate, banking and insurance, rising unemployment, falling value of the US dollar, and multiple other signs of trouble in America, John McCain's plan is...well, we don't exactly know WHAT it is, because he doesn't actually know what it is yet either. As his senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said on Tuesday, "I don't think it's imperative at this moment to write down what the plan should be." This is an actual quote, people! I can't make this stuff up! So on the same day that our nation was reeling from the Wall Street meltdown, this guy tells us that an actual, spelled-out plan, with details and stuff, isn't really a necessity right now. Heck, let's leave that fancy-pants type of stuff to the intellectual elitists, like that Barack Obama guy! Sweet baby Jesus in a peach treee...and we thought McCain was throwing the ultimate Hail Mary pass by choosing Palin as his veep. But no! He was saving the best for last - a Hail Mary pass for the economic future of America! Whatta maverick!
I dunno, folks...I know McCain's a Gambler, but he just Can't Stop digging himself Deeper And Deeper into a hole every time he opens his mouth. All these 180-degree turnarounds are Causing A Commotion, and he's not giving me too many reasons to Justify My Love. Papa Don't Preach - it's high time for an Act Of Contrition after all you've gotten wrong. I realize it's Human Nature to be in denial about your past mistakes, but seriously, dude...you're definitely Guilty By Association. And in November, we'll be teaching you The Power Of Goodbye.
So I was born and everything, and you know how that goes. And now here I am. In between, I went some places and met some people and learned some things and had a time here and there. At this point in my evolution, I'm a mom and a music lover and an optimistic cynic (wha?) and a person who still hasn't found what I'm looking for. Yup, that about covers it, I think....
