Senator John McCain certainly does deserve our respect. He is a war hero and spent many years in the Senate as a Republican from Arizona. His name is on some fine across the aisle legislation and bills. And McCain has served on some good committees.
He was against Don Rumsfeld 's war behaviors as Secretary of Defense, calling for his resignation. But who was not? He had his moments. But as a Republican Senator, he has failed his state and country.
Senator John McCain says he tells it like it is, with his burley "Straight Talk." He can be a likable, funny guy. On his campaign trail Senator McCain delivers little stories and one liners to communicate to people. They are folksy and he adds cute little twists.
However, Senator McCain is dead serious. I watched him deliver a speech in Detroit. He started with his cute rhetoric, got laughs and proceeds to tell his audience nothing! Oh, he boasts about how he can do things, and how he knows what to do. He speaks in high generalities, rarely giving details of how he is going to do a program and where he is going to get the money to do it. Platitudes!
He is talking to people who have lost their jobs, have the highest unemployment rate in the country, many have lost their homes from the mortgage crunch. These are people hanging on by a thin thread of humanity, many on the edge of survival. They are looking for solutions to their problems auto industry woes, of health insurance, immigration, education for their kids, and jobs shipped out of the country and the mortgage crisis. McCain calls them "My friends," they are looking to him as some possible savior. They come to hear McCain give them answers... and get cutesy rhetoric.
Senator McCain talked about the issue of making the broken Mexican Borders secure. Well, McCain has been a Senator from Arizona for some years, and in the Senate all the while Bush was the president for the past seven years. The Mexican border may have been broken for that period of time, even longer. The Republicans have been in control of the congress until last year, and now, they want to fix a broken Mexican border?
Why didn't the Republicans who were in charge, want to fix the border sometime in the last seven years? Now, they cry it a National Security problem. That is always a good gimmick, especially after the Republicans permitted 9/11 to occur by fifteen Saudis, and then pandered their fear mongering rhetoric as National Security on every thing they touched. They are aware the Mexican Border would be a thorny subject to Americans struggling for survival. So National Security is a good pretext.
The American people are not stupid. The Republicans only think they are. They can see through the Republican the ruse of political games of lies and distortions used to get their agenda filled. I cannot imagine how many Mexicans are illegally coming to this country in search of jobs and a better way of life, are really coming here to do us harm. I am sure I can count it on one hand.
Senator McCain offered a retraining program for unemployed Michigan workers, training at places like the Community Colleges to prepare them for new jobs they can do. Which new jobs Senator? From what sectors of business and industry? How will you fund this money for this project and for how long? Where are the details of your program Senator?
In your speech you told the Michigan people to trust you to do what is right. What is right for you, may not be right for me. Senator, I do not trust any one who asks for their trust to do what is right for me. give me the details of what you will do, how long it will take, expected results, how you will fund it and the impact on our economy and lifestyle.
Don't get folksy and cutesy Senator. This is serious business. We do not need a comedian with a mouthful of one liners. Give us some substance, something to chew on, or get out of the way!
If McCain does get the nod as the presidential candidate for the Republican party, look for him to select the guy he has been cozying up with these days as vice president...Democrat turned Independent Senator Joe Lieberman!
