I wanted a free Obama button (ironically, it might arrive after the election) and MoveOn.Org (MOO) started sending me emails, which I knew would happen.
I know that both of my readers are more interested in my personal life than my politics. But I still like writing about politics. I promise I'll put personal stuff in here soon as well. Soon.
Dear MoveOn member,I'm not your monkey [member].
Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night?[Last night meaning at the RNC convention] [...]No.
...The speech told us a lot about her.That was the point.
It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.So, she's in politics. Like you! (And heh, Rush and Ann are entertaining, if vulgar in what they put out. That's kinda the point. Like you!)
It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago...If true this part is quite condemning.
...It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.Read: Tax breaks aimed at the middle class, not the upper. Even though tax breaks virtually always benefit the upper class.* (See Obama's The Audacity of Hope to understand my point)
But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters...So what? Hope the speechwriterr is good at writing speeches. That is what they are supposed to do. Do you expect them to use Barack's speech writers?
...didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions...Ah, she IS a conservative! NO WAY for a REPUBLICAN!
...And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)Uhm, right. Aren't you just say she was mobilizing the Republican base?
One of the best ways to get the word out about Palin is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper.Read: Write our talking points to your favorite paper (or all of them)!
Today's a great day to write because this is very relevant—it just happened last night. Plus, our online tool makes it easy and has great tips.Read (great tips): Our talking points
Please take a few minutes to write a quick letter to the editor now:No.
http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709- 10483324-ww1oKlx&t=3
Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party...I said it first! It is about mobilizing [see noted right below] the base and getting votes. The kind of things you need to do to get elected!
Note: First to say it when this was written, not posted (others have gotten to it; it's not like it isn't obvious...)
Writing a letter to your local paper is a great way to make sure voters understand that......Is a great way to get our talking points across (a normal tactic of all sides).
...The opinion pages are the most widely-read pages of the newspaper...Really? (For seriously!) I would have guessed weather followed by sports.
...Write today, and your letter's a lot more likely to get published because it's so topical..Topical? "Palin is bad because she is a conservative?" (Like many Republicans...)
...It'll help sway the editorial board too.Sad but true.
Here are a bunch of points you might want to include in your letter:Read: The talking points I was talking about earlier.
Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task."
Always dangerous when leaders thing they are the tool that God uses. (Although Biblically this is true, but complicated.) Of course, if she actually means it's God's task, not ours, that is hard to argue with (and I would not).
She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2
I wonder -- seriously -- if that is a bad thing for a state governor.
This is politics...Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party.Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3
Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools...Bad. Bad Bad Bad.
She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4Some of us call this an open mind. Especially for a conservative conservative.
Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5Her view is slightly (if only so) more nuanced than that.
Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6EVERY POLITICIAN HAS TIES TO OIL. IT POWERS THIS COUNTRY! You had better hope that they know big oil.
Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7
Not gonna support MO.o's example, but yes, it is pretty far right.
Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8
As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library.Which books?
Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9
She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10[Bridge] Yup, pretty much more or less. She most definately was playing politics to her advantage there.
The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night...And Rove has done quite well. In 2004 all that was needed was a candidate that we thought could still breath and think!
...That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters...It does make her more palatable for voters or she wouldn't have said it. This is POLITICS!!!
...Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.Some do, actually.
Please help get the word out about where Sarah Palin really stands on the issues.
I think we all actually know, as you pointed out so eloquently throughout most of this letter.
http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=95&id=13709- 10483324-ww1oKlx&t=4
Thanks for all you do.Nothing for MO.o!
–Nita, Ilyse, Wes, Karin and the rest of the teamHooray!
P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's worth a watch
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=It's probably funy. That is what Comedy Central does. I haven't seen it yet though.24753&id=13709-10483324- ww1oKlx&t=5
[MO.o] Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-10483324- ww1oKlx&t=6
2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-10483324- ww1oKlx&t=7
3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-10483324- ww1oKlx&t=8
5. Ibid
6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
7. Ibid
8. Ibid.
9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-10483324- ww1oKlx&t=9
10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
I do like sources part. Even if I haven't checked most of them out.
Want to support our work?..Obama's? Probably. MoveOn.org's? No.
We're entirely funded by our 3.5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.No. NO chipping in to MoveOn from madjon.
mj's notes:
*They have more money, so any tax break helps them. It skews the numbers a bit so that it looks like the breaks were "only" for the wealthy. BUT a 5% tax break will benefit the top 1% of income earners (in dollars) more than the rest of us. Simple math:
$100m * 105%[**] = $5m saved.
$30k * 105%[**] = $1,500 saved
Even though both sides get a 5% tax break.
**105% being a 5% tax break, completely made up by me.
2 comments:
heheh....i do like hearing how your personal life is going, but you should write what you feel like writing! I really respect your passion for politics and only wish more people in this world would actually think through things like you do without coming to abrupt conclusions.
that was pretty good.
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