This is a year when I’m not in love with any candidates in either party, but the two I like least (discounting Paul and Kucinich) are Obama and Edwards. There’s little I find more repellent than multi-millionaires battling each other over the votes of the “common man.” Which one really “walks the walk,” as the dimwitted cliché goes, in their mutual populist crusades? Well, open up your bank account, fellas… and while we’re at it, let’s have a look at those tax returns… hope they don’t include too many of those deductions inaccessible to the poor and middle class.
[These two guys would make great talk show hosts.-ed. Absolutely - and they look it.]
Before the 2004 election I was telling my Democratic friends that, if they wanted to beat Bush, this was an issue that they had to deal with and deal with well.
There had been a photo op where Democratic leadership had shown the public a Lexus and told the voters that, the suggested tax cuts, would get “rich” people the Lexus while “poor” people would be lucky to get the car battery. They urged the voters to tell their represenative to vote against the tax cuts.
What the Democrats never answered was what they were going to do for the “poor” people who needed the car battery to have transportation to get to their jobs. They still haven’t answered the question. They couldn’t deny the “rich” the car without denying the “poor” the car battery as well, but they didn’t seem to “get” that cost of the car battery could be financial life or death to some people.
So what did they do instead, but nominate a Kerry and Edwards who were far wealthier than Bush and Cheney. The clincher for me was when the tax returns came out and I saw that Kerry paid less in taxes than I did, but Bush paid more.
If Bill Clinton, etc., doesn’t like the tax cuts, then all they have to do is give it back – and many are wealthy enough to add on a hefty donation along with it.
I have worked in social services and have seen many a person take their one loaf of bread and split it with someone else in greater need. The candidates who claim to care about the “common man” need to do the same – and with their OWN money – rather than just talk about it if they want to be taken seriously.