Time Not to Fight, But to Unite

So, here's the deal. I completely understand my many conservative friends' concerns about Barack Obama. He is inexperienced, and he has not fleshed out his various proposals in enough detail to evaluate them to an optimal extent. We cannot be entirely sure about who we are getting as our next President, but here is the point.

Barring some catastrophe, Barack Obama is going to be our next President. So attacking his patriotism, his character, and his past associations at this point is akin to attacking our country.

Conservatives love to say they love our country, as if others do not. "Patriots" love to pretend that serving this country in military uniform is the only way to demonstrate loyalty. To me, as a former Peace Corps Volunteer, this is a very narrow and a very parochial view of what America has been, and may yet again be, in the world.

I love my country as much, if not more, than any conservative I've ever met. I'll match my work and life against anyone else's. People like me, Baby Boomers who protested against a stupid, unnecessary war in Vietnam, as well against the horrible racism that surrounded us as we grew up, are, in my view the most loyal Americans.

We did not join the military, which was the automatic way to express your patriotism, but chose a more difficult path. We actually cared enough about our country to tell our government when it was wrong. We spoke out, put our own lives and futures on the line.

Starting in 1971, I worked with returning vets from Vietnam who were traumatized by their time there. They formed a group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW.) Many of the leaders of this group became friends of mine, including the man whose life the movie "Born of the 4th of July" was based on.

As I talked with these guys, who were plagued by so many problems -- alcohol and drug abuse, violence toward friends and family, confusion as to how to fit back into our fast-changing society, I gradually came to realize that our paths had been traveled in parallel.

All of us loved our country, equally. We all were idealists. But we also shared a deep disappointment with what our country had become.

Plus, we realized, it was politicians who divided us, each from the other. First and foremost, manipulative men like Richard Nixon.

It's too late for all of that now. I call on all conservatives to unite behind the next President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Why? Because if you truly love this country, you will abandon partisanship and help him build our society back up to what it ought to be, not the third-rate, has-been nation that George W. Bush, the worst President in our history, is leaving behind.

Who would want this awful job? Only a patriot of the first order. Only a John McCain or a Barack Obama.

Think about it.

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Apocalypse Now

Now that I have so arrogantly dissed both major party candidates for their economic plans, I should probably connect up the threads between their plans and the vision I laid out in my own long series (not that anyone has read them or cares what I think.)

We are living in an age where a global economy has supplanted the national economies that were previously paramount.

The problem is that our political leaders still act as if they (and we) have the power to improve our own economic circumstances independently from global forces.

We don't.

In this one sense, I do not care who wins the Presidency. Neither candidate has impressed me with an economic policy proposal that is credible. They both are pandering to their bases, which are filled with scared folks stuck in a vision of life that will never return, a past that will not be replicated ever again -- not only here, in the land of greed and excess, but anywhere on earth.

Think we are suffering? Check ot what is happening in China. We are all now inextricably intertwined. What happens to the least of us impacts the most privileged among us.

Even though we have witnessed the greatest transfer of wealth upwards in history here in America, that is but a temporary state. What do you and I, stuck in the wreckage of what once was known as the "middle class," have in common with these super-rich people.

Nothing.

McCain actually spoke one salient truth in the third debate, when he discussed "class warfare." His error was identifying that outcome with his opponent, who probably represents instead the last, best hope for the rich to preserve their position, by tamping down the populist anger that is sweeping this nation now with an unprecedented momentum.

Unless Obama can establish plans that give new hope to middle class families that their dreams are viable, we are at a juncture in history where the super-rich are going to have to find the equivalent of the impregnable castles of the Middle Ages in order to survive -- and then, only temporarily.

Because walls never hold back history.

A backlash is building in this, and many other countries, that will make the riots of the 1960s look like child's play. When millions of people no longer have anything to lose, their collective fury will destroy anything that stands in their way.

Sadly, that will include much of what makes this country special...

Obama's Economic GPA

As the former Professor I am, it is hard to resist grading the candidates on their economics proposals. As a former math major, then an econ major, at the University of Michigan in the '60s, I do have a grounding in the theoretical macro-economics that these candidates are clearly struggling to master.

I have already graded John McCain's plan, which impressed me in many ways, but yielded only a 2.33. A C+.

Now on to Senator Obama.

As near as I can determine, his proposals revolve around:

* Suspending the tax on unemployment benefits as well as extending benefits (A).

* Allowing people to withdraw up to 10,000 dollars from their retirement accounts without any penalty this year and next (A).

* A 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures at some banks (C).

* A two-year tax break for businesses that create new jobs (C).

The main problem with his plan is that it is too thin. It does not address other aspects of the financial crisis we are experiencing. McCain at least tried to propose some measures beyond the easy stuff. Is Obama resisting doing so because he has the lead?

So, I have to add an (F) to Obama's plan for lack of attention to relevant detail.

So, his GPA comes out at 2.40, also a C+, but barely ahead of McCain. In short, I am disappointed with both candidates. At a moment when we need specifics, they are only delivering politically safe ideas.

That doesn't make it in this Professor's class, sorry. Both candidates should be ashamed of themselves. We do not need more C+ students in America. We've been living under one of those these past eight years, and it doesn't take an econ major to tell you that the result has been a disaster.

Whoever is our next President, I hope he rises above these levels. And before I vote on Nov. 4th, I hope one of these candidates delivers a more robust plan.

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Update: Was "Joe the Plumber" a Plant?

As the evidence rolls in, something smells very fishy about "Joe the Plumber." There is speculation that the McCain campaign was so desperate that they "set up" the Obama-Joe meeting that led to last night's spectacle.

Here is a post from one of the credible sources chasing this story:


There are a lot of questions being asked now about the star of last night's debate, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher. To many he seemed perfect-- maybe a little too perfect for the role he was playing: Joe Six-Pack.
It turns out Mr. Wurzelbacher is not a licensed plumber. He's not a licensed plumber, yet he is planning on starting his own plumbing business. Hmmmm. It also turns out that Mr. Wurzelbacher had a tax-lien placed against him because he owes $1,183 in back taxes.
It also looks as though Joe Wurzelbacher is related to Robert Wurzelbacher, the son-in-law of Charles Keating of Keating 5 fame. Readers will remember that John McCain was involved in the Keating 5 scandal. Both Charles Keating and Robert Wurzelbacher went to prison for corruption. Robert Wurzelbacher is now out of prison and a big donor for the Republican Party.
Of course it could all be a coincidence right? Well, here's another funny coincidence: Joe the Plumber lived in Arizona from 1997-2000. He lived at 1960 W. Keating Ave in Mesa, Arizona. There's that name again-- KEATING. It turns out that Keating Ave is named after-- you guessed it-- CHARLES KEATING, who developed the real estate in the 1970s.
Lots of "coincidences" there folks. Was Joe the Plumber Wurzelbacher a PLANT? It's too early to say definitively, we're still connecting the dots; but it doesn't look good for John McCain. The whole thing looks desperate and orchestrated.

Obviously, there is still a lot to determine about the "Joe the Plumber" story. I truly hope this was not an example of dirty tricks politics by McCain, because, in my eyes, he is a true American hero.

I know politics is a tough and dirty business, and that the only people elected President are ruthless. Yes, that includes Barack Obama, just check out his background in Chicago politics.

But as tough as Obama plays the game, he plays fair, according to every and any record available. I always thought McCain ran his campaigns that way too.

I guess we all have to wait and see and hope that this was not a manufactured incident by the McCain people, because if it turns out that it was, not only will McCain lose this election, his political legacy will be forever tarnished by the "Joe the Plumber" lie.

Yuck.

-30-

Joe the Plumber

He's no Rosie the Riveter, but this ain't the '40s, either. So, we'll have to make due with old "Joe the Plumber."

So who, exactly, is "Joe the Plumber?" According to a number of bloggers, he is a relative of Charles Keating, of the "Keating 5," the man who came the closest to destroying John McCain's career in the Savings & Loan scandal.

Now, I cannot independently verify this information yet, but since it is riding a huge wave across the Internet, I thought I'd put up the link to the original report. If it holds up, this guy (Martin, not Joe) will have made quite a name for himself.

If it doesn't prove to be true, Martin's credibility will certainly be shot.

Stay tuned...

Oops.

I just saw a rebroadcast of tonight's debate. OMG!

Two words: Kennedy-Nixon. In case, you don't get the reference, Obama is Kennedy and McCain is Nixon.

The outcome of this election, on November 4th, is now sealed, barring some sort of anti-democratic intervention.

President Obama will win this election by somewhere around 170 electoral votes. It's over, folks.

It's time to honor Senator McCain's service to this country, as he fades from the national stage. But this is a time for new, vigorous leadership, which is what Senator Obama offers all of us.

-30-

The Three E's, Revisited

First, I did not get to see tonight's debate. I was at a business dinner, so I don't know what happened, who "won" or anything otherwise salient at this point.

Instead, I want to review the candidates' economic plans, which they unveiled in the days leading up to the debate. First, Senator John McCain. He delivered a straight-forward six-point plan. (Tomorrow, I will try to do the same for Senator Barack Obama's plan.)

1. Eliminate taxes on unemployment benefits. (Wonderful idea. Have you ever tried to live on unemployment benefits? Not only is it impossible, in any state in the union, to try and set aside a quarter or so of these paltry payments for taxes is a ludicrous proposition. "A")

2. Guarantee 100% of all savings accounts for a period of six months. (I see what he is getting at here, trying to stem bank runs, and the idea may have some merit. But the federally insured deposit limit has already been raised from $100,000 to $250,000 per account. Anyone with more than that in savings simply has to break them up into individual accounts. If someone is that rich and too stupid to do it, I'd just as soon see them lose their money, if it comes to that. This is a bad idea. "F")

3. Cut capital gains tax in half for the next two years. (This might have appealed to middle class people before the current financial crisis, because the prospect of selling their homes or their stock market holdings was clouded by a capital gains penalty. But frankly, most of the value in those homes and investment accounts has disappeared. This is an outdated idea. "F")

4. Enabling people to write off stock losses quicker and with a higher limit. (This is straight-out a great idea, because the little people get hit far harder when stocks fall than big institutional investors. Of course, under this proposal, both would benefit. "A")

5. Cutting taxes on withdrawals from IRAs to 10 percent. ("A")

6. Instruct the Treasury to buy mortgages from people at risk of foreclosure, then re-negotiate the loans based on their homes' new values. (This is on the right track, but it lacks several critical components. One is holding the individuals who "bought" these homes accountable for their own lack of personal accountability. Another is to hold the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and banks accountable for their (criminal) roles in the sub-prime crisis. So, in my view, an unconditional bailout for consumers does not float my boat. But, in the end, renegotiating these bad mortgages is a necessary evil, sadly, to fix what is wrong with our economy. "C")

Final grade: 3 A's, 1 C, 2 F's. GPA: 2.33 (C+).