I Can't Stop Myself

What really matters in this election this year? Does it really matter whether Obama will be the youngest President if elected, or that McCain, if elected, will be the oldest? Does it really matter whether Obama’s former pastor said outrageous things or that John McCain, an Episcopalian, has struggled in the past with the religious right, calling them intolerant? Does it really matter that Obama is multiracial or that he was exposed briefly in his youth to Islamic teachings? Does it really matter whose wife is most attractive - or richest? No, I think not.

What really matters this year, according to national polling and reported recently by National Public Radio in order of their relative importance to Americans are: 1) The economy; 2) The war in Iraq; 3) Health care; 4) Immigration, and; 5) Climate change.

On the economy, both Obama and McCain acknowledge that we’re going through tough times. But McCain, parroting President Bush, believes that the basics of our economy are still strong. Although he has opposed the Bush tax cuts in the past, he now supports them and believes that he can trim enough waste from government spending to eventually balance the budget. Obama recognizes that America is on the economic ropes largely owing to the Bush tax cuts that favor the wealthiest, deficit spending to finance a war that most Americans now think we should never have started in the first place, jobs flowing overseas because of “unfair” free trade policies, and deregulation of the finance/ banking industries. He advocates reducing taxes on the middle class, whose disposable incomes contribute most to consumer spending, and balancing that with increased capital gains taxes which almost exclusively affect the wealthiest who can afford to contribute more. He wants to get us out of Iraq soonest and shift the spending there to spending here to restore our infrastructure, create jobs, and invest in human capital. He would also move to renegotiate NAFTA to more favorable terms for us and to offer tax incentives for corporations to create and retain jobs for Americans.

On the war in Iraq, the comparison could not be starker. McCain believes that we must stay in Iraq for “as long as it takes,” and would commit us to a continuation of current policies in the War on Terror. Obama believes that by giving Iraq’s political problems back to the people of Iraq, we can shift our emphasis back to al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and the border areas with Pakistan. By pursuing more diplomacy and less unilateral force in the world, Obama believes that we can save billions, reduce military force structure issues, and win back the support of our allies.

On health care, Senator McCain would replace the current tax-free status of coverage provided by employers with refundable tax credits worth $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to help purchase insurance, which sounds like taking from Peter to pay Paul to me, except that more Americans are working part time jobs without employer-paid coverage. Obama would create a new plan for those who lack other access to coverage, as well as a National Health Insurance Exchange to help pool the purchasing power of small businesses and individuals. Obama would also offer a combination of subsidies and tax credits to help make coverage more affordable. He would mandate health insurance coverage for children but not adults. So his plan is not the same “universal” plan that Mrs. Clinton advocated.

On immigration, Obama and McCain come closer to agreement than on any other issue. Recognizing that current law is not working to stem the flow of impoverished workers out of Mexico, Obama voted for the Senate immigration overhaul bill that McCain co-sponsored in the Senate. The bill would have strengthened border controls, create a guest-worker program and legalize millions of foreign workers here now. Obama also backed the Secure Fence Act. As a presidential candidate, McCain has been attacked by more conservative Republicans for his stance on immigration. Accordingly, he has since said that he believes in securing the borders before legalizing immigrants.

On global warming, McCain was the lead author of a Senate proposal to reduce carbon emissions by 65 percent by 2050. Obama would have us reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. McCain supported an increase in auto fuel economy to 35 mpg but opposed a 40 mpg standard which Obama supported. Obama would reward domestic automakers for producing more fuel-efficient vehicles by helping them to fund health care for their retirees. Both are much closer to being “good stewards” of the environment, which George Bush claimed to be in one of his nationally televised debates with John Kerry in 2004.

COMPLETELY AND ENTIRELY STOLEN FROM: http://kgarry.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/swiftboating-on-a-budget-what-really-matters-in-this-election-year/#comments