The Ghost Writer Guild develops brief op-ed style articles so that you can easily send them to newspapers. The articles highlight notable developments in the 2008 presidential election, and are posted here on the blog for your use. You can copy and modify these articles and send them to your local news outlets or to national news sources, or post them on external blogs. We need your help! Here are three ways you can get involved. (1) You can submit articles to your local newspapers, using the Speak Out tool. Scroll down and pick any state. Enter your zip code and click "participate.” Then submit the article to any newspaper on the list by cutting and pasting it into the tool. (We advise you don’t send ghostwritten articles to national papers.) (2) If you have more time, you can get involved by submitting to newspapers in other states (especially battleground states) and to external blogs. To help in this way, contact sthieme@kc.rr.com (3) If you are a writer and would like to contribute to this effort, please join the Guild. We aim to provide at least one featured article per day. In addition, these articles are archived on the group’s blog. NOTE: Each article was contributed to The Ghost Writer Guild and may be used in any way, with any modifications, to promote Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Dear
Like many other Americans, I have watched in disbelief over the last two weeks as Republican leaders and their talk radio cohorts have attempted to block recovery measures. It is difficult to fathom this degree of self-centeredness. So let’s assume you speak in good faith and are just unaware of the crisis looming.
You need to be clear that the imminent catastrophe is your disturbing legacy. It is a direct result of the failure to regulate our financial institutions; the alarming disconnect between average Americans and your party (as evidenced by the millions of conservatives who voted Democratic); and the failure to monitor and repair infrastructure and the very fabric of our society, such as schools and hospitals.
It is now time to fix the mess you have wrought. This is not the time to be recalcitrant and blinkered. Consider the possibility that your views may be wrong, or at least that other views have validity. Please join the President in trying something else. Our future is at stake.
Yours truly,
I was distressed to learn that part of Republicans’ objection to the stimulus package is its emphasis on education. Perhaps you are unaware that more and more jobs are being outsourced to places such as India and China because their workers have the needed education and skills. We all live in a global village, and to compete in everything from service industries to the development of new technologies, we must keep up in education.
Over the last eight years, we saw that trying to bypass, buy up, or shop our way out of debt only created an ephemeral bubble. That bubble has burst. Now it is absolutely essential that we wise up and do more to prepare our next generation to produce saleable items, original technology, and culturally sensitive services. For this, education is critical. To leave it out of any stimulus package is short-sighted.
I hope that, as a committed citizen of our great country, you will be able to reassess your outmoded ideology and truly “Put Our Country First.”
Consider the facts. McCain graduated in the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. He never had a command rank, and as he often points out, he spent much of his time as a prisoner of war. The fact that McCain has voted so often against benefits for veterans and against safety equipment for soldiers is a sign he does not fully appreciate the costs of war. He tends to see things in military terms; the surge, for example. He does not emphasize diplomacy. He is a gambler, in his professional life and as a hobby.
Lastly, McCain is weak on details. Remember, Joe Lieberman had to whisper in his ear about Iran's relationship with Iraq. Remember his misstatements about Spain, the Czech Republic, and Somalia.
Barack Obama does not have a military background, but many military veterans and soldiers in the field believe that he will be a strong leader. He has impressed world leaders. He has demonstrated his executive abilities and sound judgment, and his steady hand on the tiller during the campaign, when making his vice presidential choice, and during the financial crisis. The strengths of the McCain-Palin ticket are a myth. Let's choose Obama-Biden.
Republicans have objected that media coverage of Barack Obama during the campaign was more positive than coverage of John McCain. Wait a minute! Assuming this is so, there could be a rational reason, one with an important lesson for 21st century American politics.
In fact, a Pew Research Center study found it wasn’t so much that coverage of Obama was overly positive, but rather that coverage of McCain was overly negative. No wonder Republicans are unhappy. But they’ve missed a key sentence in the Pew report: “Much of the increased attention for McCain derived from actions by the senator himself, actions that, in the end, generated mostly negative assessments.”
There’s a saying for this: You reap what you sow. McCain/Palin ran one of the most negative campaigns in recent history. And that negativity boomeranged. If a campaign repeatedly lies, those lies eventually get called out, resulting in bad press. On the other hand, Obama ran a positive, effective grassroots campaign based on issues, not personal attacks. He denounced what he terms the “silly season” during elections. Perhaps his victory will signal not only how Americans want a president to lead, but the way they think campaigns should be run.
In the midst of the economic turmoil, the Iraq war is taking a back seat in this presidential campaign. Not so for the 400,000 Iraqi Americans. With continued ties to Iraq, the single most important issue on their minds is the fate of their ancestral home. Whom they will cast their votes for on November 4th is not as clear.
Will Iraqi Americans vote for the candidate who wants to end the war or for the one who vows to continue fighting? Not an easy choice if your home country is the prize. Not surprisingly, the Iraqi community is split.
At the beginning of the campaign, an undecided Iraqi American friend of mine was leaning toward McCain, afraid that if Obama followed through with his promise to withdraw American troops, Iraq would fall into chaos. Now he is leaning toward Obama. Why? He says Obama will be more accepted by the Iraqi people, and thus more likely to make breakthroughs. Second, he hopes Obama’s continued pressure on the Iraqi government to take responsibility for their own country by setting a timetable for withdrawal will yield results.
I add that, of the two, Barack Obama is the more thoughtful, more patient candidate. John McCain is locked into the mindset that the military has the most potent answer to all international crises.
Does experience count? Yes, of course it does, but this election is not about experience. If the person in the race with the most "executive experience" is the governor of a state with a population about the size of Columbus, Ohio, you can be sure that experience is not the deciding factor.
John McCain knows this. That's why, at his convention, he stopped talking about experience and started talking about change. Of course, it's just like McCain that he can't stick with that message either, judging from the TV ads I've seen. Which tells us something about what really counts - competence.
We have a perfect opportunity to compare the leadership abilities of these two men by looking at how they've run their campaigns. They manage finance, personnel, strategy, and operations. They have budgets of millions and staffs of thousands. And who wins this comparison? It's not even close. Obama's campaign is efficient, disciplined, and focused, while McCain's is haphazard, reactive, and scattered.
When it gets to crunch time, it's Obama I want running things. That other guy scares me.
First let me say, I am not being overconfident, complacent, or cocky. I know the election won’t be decided until voters go to the polls on November 4th. But it is time to start thinking seriously about what an Obama presidency will look like.
I see the calm hand of leadership beginning to steer us out of the economic mess. In place of inaction, I see deliberation and careful planning on the issues that matter: the economy, education, health care, climate change. In place of secrecy I see a new transparency. Instead of divisiveness, people are working together. I see our image abroad undergoing a huge makeover. Instead of viewing us with disgust and distain, many around the world will look toward us with fresh admiration for choosing the path of vision, hope, and change. At home, for the first time in decades, the younger generation will feel they have place in society.
I expect there to a huge collective sigh of relief come November 5th. Now, please, do your part to make that a reality.
Cutting all earmarks (which would include cutting funds for many worthwhile local projects) would not make up for renewing the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy and would result in more debt for future taxpayers. So what else would McCain cut? He voted against safety equipment for the troops and against health care and education benefits for veterans. He voted against most initiatives for development of alternative sources of energy. It does not appear he will put money into rebuilding the nation's infrastructure.
By allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, Obama is returning the country to the situation under the Clinton administration, when millions of jobs were created, new industries emerged, and there was prosperity for the rich, poor, and middle class. As Obama points out, we have done the experiment and it is clear: the trickle-down tax policies of the last 8 years did not produce new jobs, and problems such as crumbling bridges, climate change, health care costs, and access to energy were ignored. Obama recognizes that government spending can be used to solve problems and stimulate growth, providing opportunity to all Americans.
Apparently the well-dressed, well-groomed, speech-coached Sarah Palin is “going rogue,” departing from the directions of the campaign. The Republican’s media ads are almost all negative, so it isn't clear exactly how she is off-message. Perhaps more to the point, how would a President McCain manage a rogue VP? And what kind of distraction would that be for the nation?
The Obama campaign is a structured movement, powered by over 3 million donors and run by advisors, staff, and volunteers, using old-fashioned community organizing and up-to-date technology. Statements are issued in response to events, and are consistent with the positions taken by Barack Obama for his whole career. Obama is responsible for his campaign and responsible for the decision to choose Joe Biden. There is no need to make any apologies for Biden, who speaks independently to voters or the press. Of course, he can be misquoted: when he said the new president would be tested, he also said Obama would be a “man of steel.”
Here's what's actually historic, and why I'm working hard for Obama even though I know he's not my dream progressive: for the first time, the dominant Caucasian folk are working with the dominated people of color as allies.
The black teenagers that pass my house wave at this middle-aged white lady and make a power-to-the-people fist cuz I have an Obama sign in my yard. They stop and we talk about how this country can begin to heal and turn in a better direction. They see an ally, and I see allies, where before we all saw 'threat'.
When I walk down the street and meet a man of color, my childhood-programmed response to 'threat' doesn't kick in right away, because Obama has changed my wiring at a deep level. Maybe that man's programming is shifting too. The old white lady at church told me today that she 'got' a person who assumed she had voted for 'the old man'. She said, "I told her, what makes you so sure? As a matter of fact, my husband and I both voted for Obama."
All this alliance among so-called enemies is so extremely threatening to the ruling class, they are pulling out all the stops to renew racial emnity and xenophobia. Even if the purists all vote for immediate perfection and the GOP derails democracy again and Obama loses, this new thing will not go away, because it is meant to be.
You could have chosen a running mate who’d spent time working for all Americans and taken an interest in the world, but you chose a hypocrite who raised the sales tax while claiming she cut taxes, who aggressively went after earmarks while claiming independence, and who abused power at the local and state levels. Sarah Palin obtained her first passport last year. With the help of over $150,000, she brought glamour to your campaign, as you chose politics over country.
You could have run a campaign on issues. Of course, making the case for trickle-down economics is challenging, and offering a $300 million prize for a better car battery is pretty hokey, but you could have tried. Perhaps you could have followed the model of Alan Greenspan, who admitted he was wrong about deregulation and the markets. Instead, you yell socialism, brag about being a maverick, and sponsor robo-calls claiming Obama pals around with terrorists. You know all Obama did was work with a man Republicans and Democrats in Chicago have accepted into society as a hard-working educator.
Everyone, McCain had a chance to do better. Vote for Obama-Biden.
Palin also has indicated that science, to her, is a point of view, not a process, and that school children should get to hear other points of view, such as intelligent design. This would be bad for science and bad for the economy. The Bush administration has muzzled scientists and other professionals and has ignored reports about climate change and environmental hazards. A McCain/Palin administration may be even worse. Vote for Obama/Biden.
In a rare moment of truth for Republicans, the presidential election has come down to a simple choice: the “real” America versus the “other” America. Clashing world views about patriotism after 9/11, economic fairness, and social values finally have been distilled to an essence anybody can comprehend.
Maybe we needed a self-proclaimed Washington outsider, such as Sarah Palin, to tell us in simple terms. And if that weren’t enough, Michele Bachman (R-Minn) felt the need to call for an investigation of all members of Congress to determine who is pro-American and who is not, with the chilling implication that something needs to be done with the latter. A burning at the stake, perhaps?
All this is eerily reminiscent of the “pure-bloods” and “mud-bloods” in a bestselling series of books. Pure fiction, to be sure, but a powerful read. The denizens of what’s left of the Republican Party might want to read up on what happens to those who sew such legendary seeds of division. Then again, maybe this is why some “real” Americans have sought to have these particular books banned.
Barack Obama has not been on the national scene as long as John McCain, but people who know him well attest to his judgment, compassion, and ability to make decisions and advance programs that address the needs and goals all Americans. He has demonstrated this in his work in the Senate, campaign, proposals, two books, and travels around the world. Obama exhibits his calm, deliberate nature in everything he does. His ideas are comprehensive and address near- and long-term challenges. There is a good chance that what would be a surprise to McCain would not be a surprise to Obama. For example, it was easier for Obama to handle the financial crisis because he’d been aware of the problems on Wall Street and Main Street for some time and did not have to change his stance on regulation. Obama has gathered around him a world-class group of advisors. The Obama/Biden administration will handle the mess inherited from the Bush administration and any new crisis that occurs.
The Republicans claim Americans must vote Republican to keep America safe. But I disagree. Barack Obama understands the complex nature of the world. One of his first acts of legislation addressed proliferation of nuclear materials. His energy plans address the substantial security risks if we continue at the present levels of demand for oil: we are contributing to the income of nations that fund Islamic fundamentalism. He knows the war in Iraq hurts the ability of our military to fight in Afghanistan and elsewhere. He will devote effort to the peace process in the Mideast. His strategy concerning Russia includes helping to decrease the dependence of its neighbors on Russian energy, addressing tensions before they escalate into military confrontations, and engaging with the Russian government and Russian people.
All of Obama’s plans are comprehensive and based on an understanding of history as well as the current facts on the ground. We cannot be a strong nation militarily if we don't attend to rebuilding our bridges and roads and improving education for everyone.
A comparison of the websites of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain makes clear which candidate has thoughtfully considered the issues of our times and is offering plausible solutions. One website has a well-defined 33-page plan; the other has a hunt-and-peck feature that leads to anecdotal paragraphs explaining some possible options.
We owe it to ourselves as voters to be educated and fact filled, to use logic and good sense in deciding this election. So, read, study, and learn. I promise you, the Republican Party is not the same as it was when grandpa was a Republican. Likewise, the Democratic Party is not the same as when you volunteered for it in high school. In 2008, the Republican Party stands steeped in and poised to continue its reckless behavior of deficit spending. The Democratic Party is ready to lead the way back to balanced budgets and treasury surpluses.
The common definition of maverick in the U.S. and Canada is “an unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.” If indeed this definition is what Senator McCain and Governor Palin refer to in their use of the term, then we should most absolutely fear McCain. Although he astonishingly asserts the untrue notion that Senator Obama got his political start in the living room of a terrorist, we can say that McCain was branded early in his own career by none other than the American financial terrorist, Charles Keating. Unfortunately, I believe his inability to focus on current problems with our economy and the world economy as a whole is substantially due to two points: McCain has little to no conceptualization of economic forecasting or implementation, and I sadly guess that somewhere on his hide is branded CK, not meaning Calvin Klein.
Obama called for independence from lobbyists and we—millions of donors who had never donated to any political campaign—responded with our hard-earned and much-needed money. This is a victory for public financing, based on the public’s confidence in the candidate. It is also testimony to the Obama team’s managerial and financial skills. In turn, the campaign’s fiscal responsibility gives individual donors confidence, knowing their contributions will be prudently spent.
The difference in fund raising between the McCain and Obama campaigns is a good reflection of the disparity between their effectiveness, administrative skills, and level of enthusiastic supporters. The Republicans are foundering now as they grapple with the power of a fed-up public ready to replace 8 years of failed economic and foreign affairs policies. McCain and the Republicans are crying foul because they are strapped by the limits of government public financing, at the same time as wealthy individuals and 527s raise millions from lobbyists. We have seen this movie before. However, this time we will not be hoodwinked. The Democrats wised up. Welcome to the era of smart grassroots campaigning, powered by the public in its true form.
Raising $150 million in September has been hailed by Obama’s supporters and decried by McCain’s.
McCain asserts that Obama changed his mind about federal financing, and accuses him of being the first candidate to not accept it since introduced in the 1970s. True. But here’s what’s also true: Obama’s ideal of a grassroots campaign, one not supported by special interests or big corporations, has been met by more than 3 million citizen contributions. The problem with McCain's complaints is that, in fact, Obama's campaign IS funded by public financing.
So don’t blame Obama for having supporters like me, with such a strong commitment to changing the direction of our country's policies that we are providing him with the resources to secure the presidency. Supporters like me who want our country partnering with the world community in conservation and peace, being admired rather than scorned. Supporters like me who believe access to the best healthcare is a right of all citizens, and that excellent affordable education guarantees our future. It isn’t Obama’s fault we are willing to publicly finance his election, making whatever sacrifices may be necessary.
This is market-based American economy at its best!
As we sink deeper into the morass of lies and smears that the McCain campaign has become, as McCain embraces ever more tightly the same forces of darkness of which he was once a target, and whom he once furiously denounced, as he strays further and further from his professed desire to run a decent, uplifting campaign, I'm inclined to wonder just how John McCain views himself in the wake of his scorched-earth campaign. Is he tormented by these choices, doubting that they are worthy of his principles? Is he accepting of what he knows to be shameful tactics in the context of grander ends that justify what would otherwise be unacceptable means? Or does he see himself engaged in a righteous struggle in which even the most vile action is virtuous?
McCain doesn't talk much about his faith, but his running mate does. Perhaps during their conversations, they discuss the Bible. I wonder if the Book of Mark, Chapter 8, Verse 36 has ever come up: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
I hope, for our sakes, that John McCain is defeated on November 4. And I hope, for John McCain's sake, that he gets right with his own conscience.
