By Joshua Mannheim · Posted on August 4th, 2008 · No Comments
It always baffled me how the Bush-Rove machine managed to constantly get away with accusing their opponents of the very flaw they themselves exemplified. Take for example one of Karl Rove’s favorite charges, that of being “elitist”. This accusation was one he made against John Kerry in particular, even though it was Bush who, behind the artificially-created facade of Crawford Ranch, most exemplified the traits of an elitist (from a rich oil family and ivy-leaguer who avoided the Vietnam draft).
Now it looks like McCain is using a variation of the very same tactic. His recent ad accuses Obama of seeing himself as “the One”, America’s new messiah. Yet McCain himself recently has come out with a poster that depicts him looking more like the second-coming than anything I’ve ever seen hanging on a Sunday School wall.
This pot-and-kettle politics move is usually a pretty effective tactic. After all it allows you to innoculate yourself from being called on one of your weaknesses by being the first to point it out in someone else. And it seems that the facts rarely get in the way of the perception that is ultimately created. As long as the accusation has an air of truth about it and you say it often and forcefully enough, you’re on your way to some good character assassination.
By Joshua Mannheim · Posted on July 17th, 2008 · No Comments
Lately President Bush has been talking about reducing American dependence on foreign oil by drilling offshore for it. But what’s the keyword in the phrase “reduce our dependence on foreign oil”? If you’re an oil tycoon like the president, your answer would be “oil”–as in, we need to go get more of it. The actual keyword there though is “reduce”. That’s right, if you want to reduce your dependence on foreign oil, why not reduce the amount of oil you use in the first place?
America guzzles oil by the millions of barrels. If you think about it, at some point this will not be able to continue whether or not you believe in “peak oil theory”. There are things that can be done right away to move in the right direction. Instead the Bush administration has opposed raising the fuel efficiency standards for automakers. That right there is one solid step in the right direction. But no, it seems that the only solution they can see is the one that’s most profitable for their oil buddies, go and drill for more. More money for them, same problem for us.
By Joshua Mannheim · Posted on July 17th, 2008 · No Comments
McCain has been getting a lot of credit for the so-called “surge” but Mitt Romney has taken the back-slapping to the next level. Apparently McCain “authored the philosophy” of the surge. I’m not really sure what exactly that means but the implication is that McCain invented it. This kind of reminds me of Al Gore’s infamous claim to have invented the internet. At least in the case of the internet, it works. The surge, on the other hand, was a less successful venture.
By Joshua Mannheim · Posted on July 8th, 2008 · No Comments
The scientific method has given us a lot of great stuff. Thanks to science we now live longer, travel farther, eat better and blow up more stuff than ever before. It has gotten to the point that in our culture, we pretty much put our lives in the hand of science every day. We do this without even having the faintest clue how most of the things we use all the time actually work. All I know is that if I put a bag of corn in the microwave for a few minutes, it’s all popped when I pull it out.
Yet despite our utter dependence on–and unquestioning trust in–the goodies science give us, there are some areas where we just don’t like what science has to say. Look no further than the issue of climate change
By Joel Grenz · Posted on June 30th, 2008 · No Comments
The big issue for the past couple of days on the US Presidential campaign trail has been questions of patriotism. McCain and Obama are hot on the issue of whether they are patriotic enough. To me this just seems completely ridiculous. It seems that for some people out there, there’s nothing you can do to satisfy them that you love your country enough. Isn’t the fact that you’re a contender for the presidency of the country pretty decent evidence that you are patriotic? How many flag pins do you have to wear to make people believe you? Let’s move on to some real issues that matter here people!
By Joel Grenz · Posted on June 22nd, 2008 · No Comments
During the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry was criticized for being “elitist”. The same label is now being attached to Barack Obama. The question is, what’s wrong with having an elitist president?
By Joshua Mannheim · Posted on June 17th, 2008 · No Comments
If you’re looking to show off your cutting-edge fashion sense on the golf course this summer, while at the same time professing your political affiliations, John McCain has you covered.
By Joel Grenz · Posted on June 10th, 2008 · No Comments
Last week General Motors announced that it will be cutting back on the number of SUVs it produces. This move comes in an effort to appeal to a public that has suddenly become interested in fuel efficiency. As part of this plan, GM intends to sell-off the macho Hummer brand. Word is, the price will be quite attractive.
At first glance, trying to sell more fuel efficient cars may look like a good idea, but when it comes to Hummer GM may want to look again.
The big issue for the past couple of days on the US Presidential campaign trail has been questions of patriotism. McCain and Obama are hot on the issue of whether they are patriotic enough. To me this just seems completely ridiculous. It seems that for some people out there, there’s nothing you can do to satisfy them that you love your country enough. Isn’t the fact that you’re a contender for the presidency of the country pretty decent evidence that you are patriotic? How many flag pins do you have to wear to make people believe you? Let’s move on to some real issues that matter here people!
