Editor’s note: the following is a piece written by Judith Gayle, a feature writer for Planet Waves’ subscriber edition, Planet Waves Astrology News. She also writes a political blog, called Political Waves, where this piece was originally printed. –RA
With only 15 days to go, you’ve seen what the Right is using to slow up Obama’s sweep — race and voting issues. The McCain buzzwords which include everything from the far, dark corner under the kitchen sink, are hateful and frightening to the base — now it’s “welfare” and “socialism.” Mac continues to be rash with this mouth, alienating those who aren’t on his narrow, Red path.
Consider:
“At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” McCain said in his weekly radio address. “They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut it’s just another government giveaway.”
That’s a quote from an article indicating that Obama drew 100,000 in St. Louis yesterday; 75,000 in Kansas City later in the day. As Obama opens up the world to unifying possibilities, McCain insults Europe, as he did Spain not too long ago. We will NOT survive this century if we continue to exclude and alienate. Old McPoopyPants is the cranky voice of continuing the national isolation George Bush made an art form.
CNN’s Blitzer noticed that too, throwing it for comment to Missouri swing-state’s Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt. Matt Blunt, Roy’s boy and our quickly expiring Governor, told us on Face the Nation Saturday morning that Sarah Palin was a perfect candidate for the Show Me state. On CNN, Roy defended Palin’s notion that small towns [Pea Patch style] are the home to real, pro-Americans [make that culturally conservative and religious.] Absurd!
The Blunts are just that, Neanderthals of a quickly fading era. Missouri is a bellwether — McCain currently leads by a single point and it’s dicey that he can hold it; the turnout for O yesterday set a national record. As well, Obama has turned so many traditionally Red states that bellwethers may not have much punch this time. In case you missed it — all truisms are moot this time.
The big news of the race today is Colin Powell’s endorsement of O as a �transformational figure’ prepared to lead the country. He spoke of the generational shift, he mentioned the larger topics of Supreme Court nominations and international goodwill — he was effusive about Obama and as enthusiastically damning of his own party. The question concerning moderates of all stripes, even those not effected by race, has been Obama’s readiness and experience; Powell just put that to bed.
And only the dense would refuse to see that Colin’s endorsement is the military-mind rejecting the out-of-touch military-model; that can’t be ignored. Troops are now sending four times the money to O than McCain; Powell’s selection won’t surprise them, but it may surprise a few others. And while endorsements at this late date don’t usually carry too big a punch, this one may.
An interesting article on the power of newspaper endorsements tells us that while it may or may not sway voters, it certainly represents their local attitudes. When I mentioned to a retired MO state assemblywoman yesterday [at a Dem PAC meeting] that the Chicago Trib had come out for Obama — their first ever Dem endorsement — she sucked in her breath in surprise.
That’s stunning — and so are the totals of newspapers favoring O; you’ll find a list below. Obama leads 62 to McCain’s 18, with a number in Republican territory, including Salt Lake and Denver. Here are some links to explore:
The Chicago Tribune endorsed it’s first Democrat, adding, “We are proud to add Barack Obama’s name to Lincoln’s in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States.”
The LA Times says, “He is the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States.”
There’s also Esquire’s first-ever endorsement. Christopher Hitchens goes for Obama and Buckley Jr. endorsed Obama and then resigned from his position on Dad’s political journal, the National Review.В
Then there’s a long list of GOP “betrayers.”
McCain is getting a little bounce now; it was to be expected as those who have sat out the war take their position against the dreaded interloper and respond to the fear-speak. I doubt that many of these are undecided votes. Obama should get a similar spike, now that Powell has played his card with a flourish.
As you watch the polls, forget about what Mac’s getting — keep an eye on O’s numbers: they’re steady, they don’t shift downward. As long as they stay constant or shift up — he’s already won.
The Kid [that’s what we call Brian, the young Obama organizer who is headquartered at Fishin’ Jims until the election] called the other day to convince me to coordinate the last push for county turnout in this crunch period; he was upset to hear I wouldn’t be in the Pea Patch for the vote. It’s time for my yearly trek home; I’ve already voted absentee, and I’ll leave for California the end of October to celebrate the family Fall birthdays and get my [seriously missed and oh-so-necessary] quota of heart-connect.
Brian seemed glum, which betrays his exhaustion and the unyielding challenge that is the Patch; as well, Obama has sternly warned all his folks not to count on anything, to work as if every vote counts and he’s still the underdog. Which brings us to the hurdles.
Topics of race require one to pull into abstract thought; this is true for Dems anyhow, who are horrified at the tone of the rhetoric coming from the other side. This kind of energy is mindless, dangerous and illogical; you can’t “convince” a racist.
Happily, racism is not what is driving this election — economy is.
I’m posting a piece below about Western Pennsylvania, part of that corridor of white reluctance, that makes me wince every time I read it. But it is emblematic of where we are, with America’s warts in plain sight. And please note, as you wince — and you will — that even as raw as it is, it breaks the racial paradigm. If and when Obama wins this race, we will have cut the thread that binds us to one of our oldest Karmic obligations and Achilles Heels and allows us to move into a new appreciation of diversity and modernity; it can’t come too soon!
As for McCain, the reason he’s gone to notions of socialism is that, when Obama’s response to Joe the Plumber gave him opportunity, he could pounce on the Commie, better-dead-than-Red scare words to sway the elders. It’s the elder generation now that is keeping Mac alive; those lost in the honor of World War II [which, for some reason, is more emotionally associated with McCain than his own experience in Vietnam.] Some will not budge on this, locked in the past; but there are many, many elders that see Obama as hope for American restoration. Florida is the bellwether on that topic; who’da thunk it?!
Be assured, the GOP bravado in the face of the Obama sociopolitical movement is as bogus as Joe the Plumber.
In the Washington offices of the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, anxious staff members spend more times polishing their resumes than working towards the November election.
While claiming publicly they will “fight to the end,” the GOP is in full retreat, sensing a landslide that will not only sweep Barack Obama into the White House but will add to Democratic majorities in Congress.One RNC staff member circulates a daily email called “The Death Watch.” It contains the latest poll numbers that show GOP Presidential nominee John McCain falling further and further behind.
“It’s over,” says one angry Republican operative. “McCain has blown it.”
A few reads, below — two on racism; then Frank Rich, who did a good job of skewering Mac this weekend. After that, heads up on voter issues, as well as Obama’s call for investigation that links current voter purging to Ninegate: he has a mind like a trap; as the Rolling Stone interview indicated, he doesn’t mind being underestimated. It works in his favor and ours. As well, RFK Jr. and Greg Palast give us disturbing details on the continued occulting of votes by the GOP machine — open the links, do diligence.
IMHO, this election will either be a stunning sweep in November or another of those edge-of-chair legal wrangles that we saw postpone a winner for days on end in 2000. The security of the vote will tell that tale.
McCain might have one chance, slim at best — if he fired everyone in his poisoned campaign, and showed us more of that guy that traded jokes with Obama at the dinner for Al Smith, he might turn some heads … but it would likely come too late to stop the actual Straight Talk Express that Obama’s riding straight into the Oval Office.
Jude