MishpishObama and Berlin: Are we being set up
July 25th 2008 22:51
National news carriers in Australia optimised the Obama in Berlin event by overplaying footage of the orator in front of a massive crowd in Berlin. Everyone is comparing him to Kennedy. Everyone is saying how amazing his speech was. But what does it all really mean? Is he really the "new, black Kennedy"?
It all wreaks of spin to me. Everything in the Obama compaign has veered toward the Kennedy-era: New hope, opportunity and a time for change. The true test of a candidate is what he DOES, not what he SAYS. Obama is fighting his lack of experience with a message that spurs hope in a disillusioned population. It's like Primary Colours all over again. The trouble with presidential campaigns is there's very little talk about the issues, and more talk about what's wrong with competing candidates. In an age where a candidate is afraid to do any policy that isolates it's voters, lobbyists and popular opinion, the result is a depressing 'no action is action' policy.
Here is a brief run through on Obama's stance on certain issues:
Iraq:
TPM Election Central painstakingly compared every single vote on Iraq by Sens. Clinton and Obama, since Obama entered the Senate. Senators Clinton and Obama voted identically, except once: On the confirmation of “General George Casey to be Chief of Staff for the Army, held just this past February. Hillary voted against confirmation, while Obama voted to confirm.” Why did Sen. Clinton vote against Gen. Casey’s confirmation? (source: noquarterusa.net)
Environment:
Calls for cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Would accomplish this through a cap-and-trade system that would auction off 100 percent of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit.
Would channel revenue raised from auctioning emissions permits -- between $30 billion and $50 billion a year -- toward developing and deploying clean energy technology, creating "green jobs," and helping low-income Americans afford higher energy bills.
Calls for 25 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and for 30 percent of the federal government's electricity to come from renewables by 2020.
Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in R&
for renewables, biofuels, efficiency, "clean coal," and other clean tech.
Calls for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. 50 percent by 2030.
Calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2022 and 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2030.
Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Calls for reducing U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels a day, by 2030.
Introduced the Health Care for Hybrids Act, which would have the federal government help cover health-care costs for retired U.S. autoworkers in exchange for domestic auto companies investing at least 50 percent of the savings into production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Supports raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 40 miles per gallon and light trucks to 32 mpg by 2020.
Supports a phaseout of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.
Cosponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act. After being badgered by MoveOn and other progressives over the issue, he "clarified" his position by saying he would support liquefied coal only if it emitted 20 percent less carbon over its lifecycle than conventional fuels.
(grist.com)
Immigration
Supported Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
(CNN)
Same Sex Marriage
Opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a constitutional ban. Supports civil unions.
(How can you oppose same-sex marriage, but not a consititional ban... isn't that like "smoking but not inhaling?)
(CNN)
Obama's critics cite his lack of experience, others say he has flip flopped on issues based on popular opinion. The cynics see his spin campaign as ingenuine and misleading.
In an age where everyone wants to believe there is hope for American democracy to meet its own criteria as unbiased, independent and unfallible, there is a lot of pressure on Obama to deliver. If he makes it through to the presidency, let's hope this great orator can live up to his own hype, and make even the biggest cynics believe again.
The crowd for Obama in Berlin
Here is a brief run through on Obama's stance on certain issues:
Iraq:
TPM Election Central painstakingly compared every single vote on Iraq by Sens. Clinton and Obama, since Obama entered the Senate. Senators Clinton and Obama voted identically, except once: On the confirmation of “General George Casey to be Chief of Staff for the Army, held just this past February. Hillary voted against confirmation, while Obama voted to confirm.” Why did Sen. Clinton vote against Gen. Casey’s confirmation? (source: noquarterusa.net)
Environment:
Calls for cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Would accomplish this through a cap-and-trade system that would auction off 100 percent of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit.
Would channel revenue raised from auctioning emissions permits -- between $30 billion and $50 billion a year -- toward developing and deploying clean energy technology, creating "green jobs," and helping low-income Americans afford higher energy bills.
Calls for 25 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and for 30 percent of the federal government's electricity to come from renewables by 2020.
Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in R&
for renewables, biofuels, efficiency, "clean coal," and other clean tech.Calls for improving energy efficiency in the U.S. 50 percent by 2030.
Calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2022 and 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be used in the U.S. each year by 2030.
Calls for all new buildings in the U.S. to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Calls for reducing U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels a day, by 2030.
Introduced the Health Care for Hybrids Act, which would have the federal government help cover health-care costs for retired U.S. autoworkers in exchange for domestic auto companies investing at least 50 percent of the savings into production of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Supports raising fuel-economy standards for automobiles to 40 miles per gallon and light trucks to 32 mpg by 2020.
Supports a phaseout of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.
Cosponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act. After being badgered by MoveOn and other progressives over the issue, he "clarified" his position by saying he would support liquefied coal only if it emitted 20 percent less carbon over its lifecycle than conventional fuels.
(grist.com)
Immigration
Supported Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
(CNN)
Same Sex Marriage
Opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a constitutional ban. Supports civil unions.
(How can you oppose same-sex marriage, but not a consititional ban... isn't that like "smoking but not inhaling?)
(CNN)
Obama's critics cite his lack of experience, others say he has flip flopped on issues based on popular opinion. The cynics see his spin campaign as ingenuine and misleading.
In an age where everyone wants to believe there is hope for American democracy to meet its own criteria as unbiased, independent and unfallible, there is a lot of pressure on Obama to deliver. If he makes it through to the presidency, let's hope this great orator can live up to his own hype, and make even the biggest cynics believe again.
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Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Lets hope Obama does live up to all the positive hopes and expectations.
Trouble is, we have just gone through a much smaller scale version of this, and elected Rudd as our PM, which I supported, however, now I am seeing not just cracks but whole ravines between reality and spin, promise and delivery, positive change and just keeping nose above water.
It is the banks and the big players in the stock markets that MUST be brought to heel, for it is these institutions of the greedy and uncaring that have wrecked the most havoc in Western societies, and a lot of developing ones too!
cheers
fog
Comment by mish pish
The bank's do share a lot of the blame. If they weren't so greedy and didn't follow such poor and unethical practices with their lending ratios, the sub prime crisis wouldn't have happened. And how frustrating is it to see Treasurer Swan, asking the banks not to raise rates outside of the RBA, knowing full well that the banks won't pay him any heed.
And yet the banks are stilling sending me letters with pre-approved credit cards! Haven't they learned a thing!!!????