Showing posts with label middle-class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle-class. Show all posts

Saturday, November 1, 2008

UNBIASED ASSESSMENT OF McCAIN-PALIN RHETORICS

I heard both McCain and Palin's Nov 1 campaign speeches. I heard with an open mind, and memorised the key points. Mentioning them below, and the questions that immediately came to my mind in their context is written in Red within brackets alongside:

McCain: "Obama is a re-distributor of wealth; I will help create wealth." (Q: How does McCain propose to do that? No hint of that from Mc, or any explanation about his strategy)

McCain: "Obama will increases taxes on you; I will reduce taxes." (Q: What did Mc mean by 'you'? Did he mean all the middle class folks standing in the crowd? Is Obama going to tax every middle class earner, or, just the people having annual income more than $200,000? Will Mc's tax reduction be significant for middle class, or will it benefit the rich more? Mc does not shed any light on this aspect)

McCain: "Obama's tax policy will impose taxes on 50% of small businesses, like that of Joe-the-Plumber." (Q: Is the 50% figure accurate? On what basis Mc said 50%? Do 50% of all small businesses in US really earn more than $200,000 annually?! Btw, Joe-the-Plumber is not a small entrepreneur, nor does he plan to buy one, and Joe's annual income is not even $80,000; so, how is Joe-the-Plumber going to be impacted by Omaba's tax policy?)

Palin: "Joe-the-Plumber got Obama to state in very simple terms what he (BO) is going to do - Obama is going to re-distribute wealth, like socialism". (Q: Is increasing taxes on higher income brackets, and decreasing taxes on middle class 're-distribution' of wealth? Can this be characterised as socialism? Graduated tax rates, i.e., higher tax rates on higher taxable income is something very common in various G-7 and other OECD countries. Is Canada or Japan or Germany or Italy a socialist country?! Then what is Palin talking about when she says Obama is going to spread 'socialism?!)

McCain: "Palin and I will drain the Washington swamp." (Who or what is Mc referring to as 'swamp' in Washington? Does he mean - economic mess, trillion dollar deficit, collapsing health care, and so on? Well, all this happened and/or got exacerbated during the last 8 years of Bush tenure. And, McCain supported Bush 90% of times; so, which swamp will he clean? Does he mean to say that he will clean himself - his own brain? Isn't it all contradictory?)

In summary, from the analysis of campaign statements of McLin coming just 3 days before the election, I am not finding anything in their rhetoric that tells the American people about their plans, about what they are going to do. Instead, their whole rhetoric simply revolves around how 'bad' is Obama and his plans.

To any thinking, discerning, rational voter the above would immediately convey that McCain-Palin have nothing substantive to offer which will really help the larger sections of the population (i.e. middle-class). In fact, if one reads their statements carefully, quite often they are found to be deriding themselves (e.g. 'draining the Washington swamp').

If one takes in to account the inaccuracies/gaffes committed by McCain and Palin and juxtaposes with the above analysis, one would come to the inescapable conclusion that these Republican candidates are totally incompetent, unqualified, intellectually deficient for the posts they are running for.

On top of that if you place the recent indictment of Palin in 'Troopergate' incident, her connections with black magic, McCain's recent actions with regard to handling of US economic crisis, you will shudder (unless you are a blind and irrational McLin supporter) to visualize America's future in the hands of these two incompetent persons.

The question is: would the American people like to see the beginning of America's decline by electing McPalin? Well, this is a decision only the American people can make. Hope they will pause and invest their full wisdom before making this decision!



Saturday, October 18, 2008

"McCAIN EQUATES OBAMA WITH SOCIALISTS" - WHAT A FOOLISH STRATEGY!

One of the cable news reported that after grouping Obama with socialist European leaders in his weekly radio address on Saturday morning, at a rally later in the day McCain accused his opponent’s campaign of waging an “attack” on "Joe, the Plumber" and small businesses across America.

How confused McCain is! What is he trying to convey to his audience? How is Obama a 'socialist'? And, by the way, is any debate on socialism or capitalism relevant at this point in time when US is facing the worst economic turmoil since the Great Depression?

First, the day President Bush's administration decided to buy stakes in top 9 profit making Banks of US (Citi Group, Bank of America etc), it marked the end of so-called free market reign in US. Because, the buying of stakes in the banks is indeed partial nationalization of the said banks.

The above move of US administration came after the European nations of G-7 group had already implemented that strategy starting with Britain. In reality all these European nations have also partially nationalized their banks. But are these industrialised G-7 nations crying about socialism having entered their systems? No, they are not.

If partial nationalization smacks of socialism, then surely Mr. Bush has converted in to a 'socialist'! Mind you, he is an avowed Republican.


So, what is the sense in raking up 'socialist' word in the current context? Gordon Brown of Britain, Angela Merkel of Germany, Silvio Berlesconi of Italy, these leaders are not perturbed, even remotely, about 'socialism' supposedly creeping in. Because, socialism is not creeping in - either in Europe or US.

Then, what is McCain's plank of logic when he is using the 'socialist' word in an attempt to scare people away from Obama. And, therefore, where in God's name will there be any logic in trying to connect Obama with any past or present socialist leader of Europe? What will be its relevance? (Is there any socialist leader in Europe at present?)

This then begs the question: Does McCain know what is he talking about? The 72 year Senator doesn't seem to have any idea of how UK, and the G-7 European countries are trying to tackle the present economic crisis. How pathetic! This again goes to show the hopeless shallowness of McCain's knowledge about foreign affairs - an area in which he touts his 'deep' knowledge.

Now, the 'Joe, the Plumber' issue. By now every American knows that Joe is neither a plumber nor his annual income is more than $100,000. So, to cite Joe-the-Plumber case to build any argument regarding Obama's proposed tax strategy is utterly meaningless.

Moreover, how many small businesses make more than $250,000? Ans: Less than 1-2% of all small businesses. Therefore, Obama's proposal to tax people earning more than $250,000 is surely not going to impact the small businesses segment. Hence, it is clear that Mr. McCain has got it wrong here as well.

So, what is the conclusion? The conclusion is that the middle-class segment of USA is not going to be taxed more under Obama's tax plan. On the contrary the American voters need to remember is that Obama proposes to provide monetary help to the middle class segment.

So, how is Obama a socialist? And, how does his tax plan even remotely seem to sneak in socialism? Btw, is it a crime to provide relief to that segment of society which is in dire need of help, namely, the middle-class?

In all the Presidential debates not once did McCain mention the word 'middle-class'. He seems to be totally averse to providing help to this largest segment of American society. And he claims that he going to do good for the people at large, how sickening is that!!

One hopes the US voters will see through the charade of this Republican candidate and provide him a befitting reply by planting a footprint on his posterior on Nov 4.