McCain gets bounce; no one should panic or party

1. “Mr. Obama would raise taxes for those currently earning more than $97,000.00.” FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit voter advocate group, states that Obama would cut taxes for most families with incomes below $250,000 or for those individuals with incomes below $200,000. Remember, under McCain the massive tax cuts for the wealthy would have to be made up by all the rest of us.

2. “He has no creditable foreign policy experience.” If this critique were applied to past presidents, we would have to eliminate Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and others.

3. “Mr. Obama would rather abort a military conflict than win it.” The slogan presents false choices. Mr. Obama has a reasonable plan for bringing our troops home within 18 months, while leaving a small force to assist the Iraqi military. He shares the views of a majority of Americans, who not only want our troops to come home, but also think this war was a mistake in the first place. Further, he is determined to provide adequate care for all veterans after they return.

4. “Obama … supports negotiating with terrorist regimes.” It seems that talking with leaders of those countries with whom we disagree is now being implemented by President Bush and his Secretary of State. In fact, just about everyone, except Sen. McCain, supports this. Obama, of course, does not rule out more direct action under strict conditions if all multilateral negotiations fail.

5. “Mr. Obama … has limited executive experience.” So do all senators, because they serve in the legislative branch. More telling is McCain’s judgment in choosing a vice president who was mayor of a town a little larger than Bridgewater, Va., before serving as governor of Alaska (population 600,000) for less than two years. Now that’s scary!

6. “Mr. Obama … supports upholding the practice of ‘partial birth abortions’ ” Actually, Sen. Obama has a real and realistic pro-life policy. Mr. Obama said in the Saddleback Forum that he is in favor of “limits on late-term abortions, if there is an exception for the mother’s health.” He believes government has no business coercing women’s choice or criminalizing their doctors. He supports proven incentives that actually help women avoid abortion: adequate education, birth control, sufficient support and medical care. That is real help instead of rhetoric.

7. “Obama does not strongly advocate nuclear power.” He advocates judicious use of nuclear power and clean coal and will put us on track with new alternatives and technologies that will generate tomorrow’s jobs. McCain claims to support a range of energy options, but his 26-year history of supporting big oil says he still doesn’t get it.

8. National Journal ranks Sen. Obama as the most “extremist(sic) liberal in the U.S. Senate.” Other journals consider him a moderate consensus builder. He has excellent rapport with fellow senators.

9. “[Obama] and his wife have openly called for a socialist-minded redistribution of wealth.” Socialist-minded? Obama, a Christian, favors feeding the hungry and caring for the ill (Matt. 25:31-46). That takes money and commitment!

10. “Mr. Obama believes that government should dictate the level of health care you get, as opposed to your deciding how you want to care for yourself and your family.” Would that be “deciding” how you can buy health insurance when you can’t afford it, lost your job, were excluded for a pre-existing condition, can’t pay deductibles and rent too, can’t change jobs without losing coverage or have to go into bankruptcy through no fault other than sickness? Obama’s plan relies on private insurance — including keeping what you have — but ensures that everyone has coverage.

You will find that FactCheck.org takes on the distortions and lies of both parties in the campaign season. It is a project funded by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and accepts no funding from corporations, unions, political parties, lobbyists or individuals.

Type your comment here. I agree the polls at this time mean very little, state polls are more important.