Jul
10
As immediate woes like the ridiculous price of gas, the mortgage crisis, the falling dollar, among other economic hurdles distract Americans from more distant issues like the war in Iraq, we can expect to see the GOP try to make the case that they are best suited to protect the American taxpayer by naturally keeping taxes low. They must make this argument because 1) in order to win, the GOP must convince the American public that the Democrats will raise taxes, consequently leaving the economy in more of a slumber than it already is, and 2) the GOP just doesn’t have a compelling argument to stay longer in the unpopular war in Iraq, so they must do everything in their power to keep people’s minds on the “number one issue.” Thus, this coming November, if Americans think more about their empty pockets and less about the War in Iraq, the GOP will almost certainly succeed.
Although I would agree that our economy is the most pressing and important issue facing our country today, we can’t begin to forget how the economy’s current state is only a symptom of the war in Iraq.
Democrats must make the case that the war in Iraq is directly related to our economy’s steady downfall. Only during the last eight years has the middle class faced extinction as the gap between the rich and the poor widens even further. Tax breaks for corporations have done nothing to help average Americans, and have done everything to help war profiteering corporations. The war has cost us trillions of dollars borrowed from China and Saudi Arabia that future generations will have to pay off as the dollar continues to sharply fall and inflation continues to rise. If the Democrats can convince the American public that increasing food prices, oil prices, commodity prices, etc. will continue to rise if McCain resumes the war in Iraq, Americans may wake up to the fact that paying low taxes just won’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things when they’re most likely going to pay $8 a gallon, from which a good chunk of the proceeds will be used to fund the war in Iraq and the inevitable war in Iran.
But of course, Americans don’t think in black and white. Or do they? Even if Democrats can succeed in convincing the American public that the war in Iraq is negatively impacting our country from an economical standpoint, still a great many Americans will make their decision on who to vote for based on the color of the candidate’s skin. These voters are the same naïve and ignorant individuals who voted for Bush twice because they could see themselves drinking a beer with the gregarious golfer. Race is not the only polarizing issue. Gay marriage, abortion, gun control, among other decisive issues, as important as they are, will serve to divide Americans along party lines to vote based on their beliefs rather than a candidate’s policies on health care, the environment, the economy, and the war in Iraq.
In an ideal world, an American voter would look at the big picture and decide on a candidate based on his or her overall package, hopefully with an emphasis on the candidate’s stance on the most pressing issues immediately facing the country directly (economy) and indirectly (Iraq). However, when voters vote for a candidate just because they would enjoy a beer with the candidate, or because the other candidate’s black or white, or more reasonably because the candidate is against abortion or for gay rights (what ever happened to separation of church and state anyways?), then we face a serious problem. I mean if Obama has to continually assert that he is not Muslim because Americans can’t fathom a non-Christian president, you know we live in a society that arguably may not be too far off from one that stones women when their faces aren’t completely veiled.
The strong likelihood that McCain will most likely continue the downward spiral of the Bush Administration’s failed domestic and foreign policies doesn’t seem to matter much to most Americans. What seems to matter more is that McCain would defend the sacred and holy right to have a gun. But to the voter in Montana who can’t wait to cast his or her vote this coming November, I ask: what good will that .547 revolver do when a mushroom cloud trespasses your backyard?
Although that’s a bit over-exaggerated, like the facts leading up to the war in Iraq (ZING!), the point still stands. There are pressing issues facing our country that need to be dealt with immediately before it’s too late. In my view, Obama proposes the best policies to address those pressing issues.
What are those policies?
To responsibly end the ill-conceived and poorly managed war in Iraq that has cost us trillions of dollars, our reputation and influence in the global arena, and more importantly, the lives of more than 4,000 brave soldiers and more than a million innocent civilians. I have listened to many arguments for why abruptly ending the war would pose a serious problem for the Iraqis. From a humanitarian standpoint, leaving the war as irresponsibly as we got in would lead to a mass slaughter between the Shiites and the Sunnis. From a political standpoint, leaving the war would allow Iran to exploit Iraq’s natural resources. What to do?
Now here’s a reality check: The United States sadly cannot sustain another potential eight years in Iraq. We are not the super power that we think we are anymore. How can we be when leaders from Iran and Venezuela make light of our dominance; and with good reason, for the war has emboldened our enemies, cost us our reputation and influence in the global arena, and our good allies. And for what? So that Iraqis can have the right to vote? I think the Iraqis preferred the right to have their family members in one piece.
The Obama campaign’s promise to responsibly end the war doesn’t necessarily mean that every troop on the ground will be coming home. A great majority of American troops will gradually come back home, while some will stay back at an American base in order to police and keep the Iraqis from killing themselves. By drawing away our main focus from Iraq, Obama will convert his attention to the real war on terror against Al Qaeda, and will help rebuild our economy by promoting new jobs in conventional industries, as well as new ones like alternate energy, which in turn, will help pay off our debts.
Obama also proposes to talk to the leaders of our enemies. Some would say that shows a sign of weakness, but I would say that is the American way. America has always been a country about diplomacy first, and war as a last resort…until Bush. Unfortunately, McCain will continue Bush’s failing trend to piss off the international community as he laves diplomacy in the backburner and aggressively eyes Iran.
Of course, you’re free to disagree with Obama’s policies and my opinion. If you’re in the mindset that McCain will truly serve our country well because his policy to never surrender appeals to you, then by all means, vote for him. I just hope that you own stocks in Exxon Mobil or Halliburton, because for the rest of us, brace yourselves for another potential four to eight years of Hell.