The Road to Truth 2012

This US election is so far more steeped in desperate lies than I can recall in 20 years of my following such things.

But don't run away with the notion that I'm referring to misstated facts or selective filleting and twisting of certain stats because it's even more disingenuous that that; stuff is simply being made up. 

The republicans gave the Dems a gift in 2008 with Palin and they really just had to sit back and watch the car crash but this year, without a "silly" VP on the ticket and a Presidential candidate that can't be targeted too much on personal issues (although the tax return thing has got to be hurting Mitt), the GOP still feels the need to play really dirty.

They continue to play on the "removal of the work requirement from Welfare" (lies), the $700bn removed from Medicare to "pay for Obamacare" (lies), the "you didn't built your business" (Obama simply did not say that), the death panels (lies), the birther bullshit, the abortion voting history of Obama (he did not vote to not protect savable foetuses) and much more.

The weight of utter lies set out here is much heavier on the GOP side than the Dem side and it tells you all you need to know about them.

Also, Ryan just lied about a car factory (closed under Bush) where he blamed Obama for not having it remain open.

The GOP fall over themselves to say how counterproductive any non-military element of Government is to "economic growth" but they take pork and subsidies willingly (Bridge to nowhere is one of countless examples of such hypocrisy).

Romney, just like McCain, will say just about anything to get the GOP behind him or get him elected - even if it directly contradicts his past political expressions and actions (e.g. healthcare). Maybe more to come from me as the election progresses.

McCain nailed on Healthcare

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Fact Check: Are business groups critical of McCain’s health plan? « - Blogs from CNN.com

Well, this really looks like something Obama could capitalise on next debate. And when McCains appalling healthcare idea really becomes understood by voters, who the hell would wanna vote him in?

Fuller thoughts on Presidential and UK politics

I'll deal with the US first:

On analysing the polling patterns, it's looking more and more sewn up for Obama and the debates are going his way. The residual tactics of the GOP seem nasty, desperate and are old hat - I really think the public are sick of dumbed down discourse.

 

The VP debate had Palin looking like a cocky local station news anchor, winking in the "see you tomorrow at the same time" way and faking her folksiness to painful effect. I suspected she'd try this hideous flannelling tactic she used so effectively in local politics to this national forum and it failed as badly as I thought it would.

 

Sure, pundits can pundit on about "holding her own" and "beating expectations" but the US public are clearly horrified by this useless, misguided VP pick. She made statements such as "we need more oversight and regulation" but then next minute talk about government "getting out of the way" and so on. She seemed oblivious to the contradiction - but I don't think the US public is.

 

McCain has judged this whole campaign quite appallingly and certain key plays have gone very wrong - not least the "suspension" of the campaign. Palin sucks at least as hard as Quayle but McCain is nowhere near as strong as Bush Snr was. You combine that with the context in which the republican president is currently less popular than scabies and he's got a (surely) unassailable uphill battle.

 

Meanwhile, in the UK, Gordon Brown survived conference season and has just completed a reshuffle. Absurdly, for someone trying to show strength and new ideas he's brought PETER MANDLESON back into the cabinet. You read that upper case right. Frigging Mandleson - who is having a kidney stone removed, incidentally. Staggering is probably the best word.

 

So the Tories are resurgent if you believe the media, though I can't truly believe that there's any real swell of warm feelings towards them so much as they've had time to thin out previous Major/Thatcher staff and the bad memories aren't as severe.

 

It's a shame because Brown could have done really well - especially if he'd followed through on the "listening" promises he banged on about when he took over (remember those speeches?). Now, the country seems destined to be at the mercy of the most "expediency"-driven Tory party in history with some proper right-wingers in the mix that have not yet garnered attention.

 

The economy is tanking and I can't help but blame Labour and the US administration (corrupt beyond belief and prostrate at the altar of all powerful corporations) for the whole thing. Many were warning of this for about 5 years but nowt was done. Which is usually the way and, although i don't see armageddon hoving in to view, I do think it's going to be a very very rough ride for a good couple of years. But I'd rather be going through this in the UK than the (almost) safety-net free US. I really fear for the millions who are going to suffer hideously due to this exhibition of how dark, amoral and dangerous unfettered capitalism really is. I've always believed the system was this bad but it seems to be a revelation to many right-wingers over there.

Post Convention-ness

Two epic American conventions and by god they were as American as they've ever been! Yes, we had the usual theatrical gimmicks, lack of any political debate of any kind, talking points co-ordinated, wheeled out and used as if video tape didn't exist before September 2008. And such tree melting disingenuousness and cynicism the moon turned green instead of its usual brain grey.

Can we please pause for a moment to applaud the McCain VP pick. Not because it was a good pick or because it is in any way clever or was even presented well but because of the 1000-watt-torch-in-your face blatant cynicism which it demonstrated. I mean, a cursory watch of the average Daily Show will show you ever deepening examples of McCain's power-hungry pandering in stark contrast to previous remarks but this Palin move is the most staggering yet.

He's hardly met the woman, she's hardly held office in anger, she's helped her constituencies pork out like bandits and she holds more core policies in opposition to him than I do! And she has similar genitalia to a certain failed Democrat Presidential candidate. Forgot about that...nearly.

This is a metaphoric wave of McCain's bare arse to American women and in particular Clinton supporters who should see it as worthy of pure contempt. It is also a work of pure evil genius in countless ways not least of which is the delight I have had in watching the GOP contort itself into strangulating positions in order not to weep into their hands on Meet the Press.

McCain: "Boo, hiss to lobbyists!"

Fact: McCain's senior campaign staff are leading lobbyists.

McCain: "Obama is just not experienced enough to be President!"

Fact: McCain has selected a VP who's sole significant political office is governor of the least populous state in the US for under 2 years and who is younger than Obama.

McCain: "I'm an agent for change."

Fact: McCain has voted with his party almost the whole time in recent history.

You could go on for pages...

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I must confess I didn't watch the Obama speech or much of the Dems. I just kinda thought it'd go well no matter what and it seems everything basically went swimmingly. It's good to see that Obama is calling the GOP out when it really starts taking the piss with the reality-reversing "spin". He'll not call it lies but he'll use pretty much every term in the English language it equates to.

Amazingly, Gordon Brown has come out in favour of Obama. I don't know whether that's a good or bad sign...

The rest of the world favours Obama too but then they also favoured Kerry so it simply don't mean much. I'm really gonna just watch it all play out.

The Daily Show has been truly on the ball throughout the last two weeks. I watched the DVD of the 2004 election season a while back and it was not a patch on this year. This week they have effortlessly slain every single "selling point" of the GOP McCain/Palin/Guiliani/Thompson et al have put forward by laying out as clear as day their 180 degree about faces on subjects and O'Reilly being only one of the guilty many.

I'm tired now but some immediate reaction is now up. :-)

The Blog | Tom Tomorrow: What They Said | The Huffington Post

How the American right-wing talked bollocks on Iraq from beginning to... well, there hasn't been an end. Click on image to view full page.
The Blog Tom Tomorrow: What They Said The Huffington Post

Sweet Bill Maher clip

Fantastic Bill Maher Op Ed clip on Bush

Thanks to CrooksandLiars.com.

Neocons turn on Bush for incompetence over Iraq war | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

Neocons turn on Bush for incompetence over Iraq war Special reports Guardian Unlimited

Ah, but thousands if not millions of us were saying well before the war that an invasion would be countrerproductive and end in tears. It didn't take "Delphic" (to quote Perle in thsi article) powers to see where we'd end up. Let's face it though. We went WAY WAY WAY beyond incompetence in describing Bush et al, a long time ago...