Nov 04 2008
For President- McCain is the Only Choice
I’m a Republican; that’s not a secret. I’m conservative; no surprise there. So I’m supporting McCain? Big whoop, right? Did any of you think I wouldn’t?
But there’s more to my endorsement than Democrat vs. Republican party identification. More than conservative vs. liberal ideology. Every election purports to be “the most important in history”, but rarely is. This one though, considering the trials America faces at home and abroad, just might be. And both candidates represent starkly views of our American future. This country will be fundamentally changed with either’s’ victory on Tuesday.
Barack Obama seems to be a fine man with a great many qualities that could be put to use in service of America. His nomination was a great moment in American history and he has much to be proud of. I really do think our country is better because of Obama’s candidacy. His opponent, John McCain, is a true hero who actually lives the motto of his campaign: ‘Country First”. Agree or disagree with him, only the most jaded fool would deny McCain’s credentials as a hero and patriot.
But being president takes more than a great biography or a soaring speech. There are two major issues that the next president must address, and to address them wrongly would be nothing short of disastrous. There is no doubt in my mind that John McCain has the experience, judgment, and conviction to make the right decisions from the first day he’s sworn in.
George W. Bush hasn’t been successful in many things over the last eight years, but one thing he can claim credit for is that since September 11th, there have been no terrorist attacks on American soil. Do you remember how you felt after September 11th? Do you remember feeling helpless? Defenseless? Not knowing when the next terrorist attack would hit, but certain it would? Well, it’s been well over 2,500 days since, and we haven’t been hit. And don’t think Al Qaeda and friends haven’t tried, either. Like him or hate him, President Bush deserves credit for that.
But he’s been a victim of him own success. Terror attacks get news coverage. Peaceful days do not. And so we’ve forgotten that it is still a dangerous world that we live in. That Al Qaeda and Islamic Fundamentalists still seek to destroy America and kill Americans. That we cannot sit back and rest. McCain realizes this; Obama does not.
McCain advocates an offensive policy against Islamic extremism that takes the fight to were they live. He supports the wiretapping of suspected terrorists. He believes in international cooperation when needed, but isn’t afraid to go it alone when he must. Obama and the Democrats oppose most terror surveillance techniques- techniques that have, without a doubt, prevented terror attacks on American soil. And while his desire to repair American prestige abroad is admirable and needed, he strikes me as too much a “citizen of the world” (his own words) and leaves me wondering if he would take unilateral action if needed or if he would place U.N. approval ahead of American security.
In Iraq, McCain supported the Iraq troop surge before it was popular, and as a direct result of the surge, the Iraq War, once deemed hopeless, is on the verge of concluding with an American victory and a free and stable Iraq. Who would have thought such a thing was possible?
John McCain did.
Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War. With the benefit of hindsight and a little historical perspective, he may be proven prescient and correct. But he also opposed the surge, and we now know for a fact that he made the wrong decision. Had he admitted his error, his opposition would be forgivable. But he hasn’t. That’s not just stubborn- it’s insulting to the troops who have sacrificed so much to liberate Iraq. Had Obama been president in 2006, there is no doubt that his policies would have led to a U.S. loss in Iraq that would have shown American weakness, emboldened our enemies, and led to catastrophic slaughter and sectarian violence in Iraq. Worse, it’s likely that an early American withdrawal from Iraq would have led to it becoming a terrorist safe haven (like Afghanistan before 9/11) and likely would have precipitated a third Iraq War.
One point rarely mentioned is the danger of the unexpected. On September 10th, 2001, how many of you knew where Afghanistan even was? Did you know what Al Qaeda was? The Taliban? Things change suddenly and profoundly in this world, and we need a President who knows how to react. A few months ago, Russia invaded Georgia (and if you’re wondering how Russia managed to invade the U.S. state of Georgia, and what’s become of Atlanta, you might as well stop reading right here) and John McCain immediately condemned the act and called on Russia to withdraw. The first thing Obama did was call on both sides to show restraint. Russia invaded Georgia, and Obama called on both sides to show restraint? Are you freakin’ kidding me? The next day, humbled by the less-than-enthusiastic response to his asinine moral equivalency, Obama again took to the podium and called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene. Too bad he forgot that Russia has a permanent seat on the Security Council and holds a veto over any council action. Ooops! As a U.S. Senator, isn’t it kinda like… his job, to know minor details like that? Anyways, by day three, he finally stood up and said something similar to what John McCain said in the first place.
Let’s review- it took John McCain three minutes to make the right call. It took Barack Obama three days and three different answers before finally grasping at something close to coherent. When the unexpected and unanticipated happens again, and it will, who do you trust to sit in the Oval Office?
Very simply, John McCain, with years of experience in foreign policy and having personally experienced war and its consequences, made the right decision on the surge, and has been proven right. Barack Obama was wrong on the surge, and has yet to admit his error. McCain doesn’t need time and experience to make the right calls when something happens- he’s seen it and knows it. Obama? Who knows?
The second major issue the next President will have to face is the economy, the likelihood of a U.S. and worldwide recession, and the formulation of a recovery. One these issues, the differences between the candidates are stark and clear. John McCain will lower taxes across the board; Barack Obama will raise them. Don’t be fooled by his mantra that “95% of American households will receive a tax cut”. Such would be quite an achievement, seeing as how only 40% of American households actually pay federal income taxes. When you look into his plan a little more, you realize that the “tax cut” for lower income Americans is actually a tax giveaway to them. Obama calls it a “tax cut”. Most people call it welfare.
Obama’s plan will tax the rich and give to the poor. What could possibly be wrong with that? Well, for one… what’s rich? Obama can’t seem to make up his mind. It fluctuates between $150,00 and $250,000 a year. That may seem like a lot of money, but a two-income household can make that, and if they have kids, a mortgage, and other expenses, I dare you to call them “rich”. But under Obama’s plan, they would be, and they would be taxed punitively. That’s bad economics.
The second major problem with Obama’s tax plan is that it will disproportionably tax small businesses. Big corporate CEOs don’t make $250,000 a year, but Mike, the owner of Mike’s Corner Appliance Store, or Chuck, the owner of Chuck’s Neighborhood Construction, or Joe, the Owner of Joe’s Plumbing, do. And Joe the Plumber apparently knows more about basic economics than Obama. If Joe the Plumber wants to go off on his own and start his own business, hire employees, and yes, “spread the wealth around” through free market capitalism, he runs the risk of being punished with higher taxes. So what’s the point of starting a small business in the first place?
If Obama’s tax plans become reality, existing small business will immediately feel the crunch, followed closely by you and your wallet. Faced with a choice between dwindling profits or raising prices, which do you think they’ll choose? Can’t raise prices? Then they’ll have to lay off a few employees to compensate. Hope you’re not employed by a small business.
Bottom line- we’re facing a major economic recession and Obama wants to take more money away from Main St. and send it to Pennsylvania Ave. In what way do you think that will help the economy? How will redistributionist policies make you more prosperous, and make you better able to pursue the American dream? Obama’s version of the American Dream involves taking money from those who’ve earned it and giving it to those who have not. My version of the American Dream involves being able to keep most of the money I earn while knowing that one day I might be able to make even more and not be punished for it. Obama’s enticing you with a nifty little welfare check. Personally, I’d rather have a paycheck, and I hope you do too.
John McCain understands that raising taxes during a recession could be catastrophic. That taking money away from small businesses will cost jobs. That transferring money out of the economy and giving it to Washington will help no one except Washington bureaucrats. Last year, small businesses created 100% of all new private sector jobs -100%!- and Obama wants to tax them more. It will be disastrous, and it could prolong our economic troubles for years to come.
I am not without disagreements with McCain. I do wish he was more of a small government fiscal conservative. I wish he took a tougher stand on illegal immigration. I think campaign finance reform was a well-intentioned but badly flawed idea. But in these uncertain and potentially dangerous times, there is really only one candidate who can lead America. Only one man who understands the danger we face and has the experience to confront it. John McCain has seen war, suffered in war, and knows how to win and finish wars. He understands basic economics- that high taxes prolong economic difficulties and that taxing small businesses will cost jobs.
Our country has become too polarized over the last eight years- one of many negative consequences of the Bush Administration. And perhaps my plea falls on deaf ears for my Democrat readers. But I beseech you to look beyond party labels this election. Only one man has the real world and political experience necessary to lead our county. Only one man has actually reached across party lines in bi-partisanship efforts. Only one man will enter the Oval Office and not have to face a steep and potentially dangerous learning curve. Only one man has actually accomplished things, and not simply talked about them. How easy it is to listen to Obama’s amazing speeches and soaring rhetoric and forget that he has no significant legislative accomplishments to speak of, and has less than four years of service as a part-time U.S. Senator. Obama talks; McCain does.
On Election Day, vote for the only man who is truly qualified, ready, and able to be the President that America needs. The only man for the job is Sen. John McCain.
Well said.