More Political Theater

As with most Americans, I'm not overly happy about the Wall Street bailout. As with most, I don't fully understand the issues, but I know it feels like we the taxpayers are being asked to support socialism for big corporations that have already wrung huge profits out of the behaviors that now have them in trouble, and we're being asked to support this by the same people who tell us how evil socialism is when we want to support a higher minimum wage or support for the homeowners who are facing foreclosure or to find a way to help more families afford health insurance.

As with most Americans, I'm in the awkward position of trusting leaders whom I inherently do not trust to do what is in my best interest.

And today, it seems like John McCain is playing politics with that.

Democratic and Republican members of both houses of Congress have been working together, long hours, for a week in order to hammer out a bipartisan solution quickly. John McCain recently said "If we don't have a solution this week, this country could slide into a Depression by next Monday" and face "12% unemployment".

So, this afternoon, as leaders of both parties have reached a tenuous agreement as to how best to try to solve the crisis, in swoops McCain and announces that he's supporting a different plan, put forth by a small group of conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives, throwing the whole process into disarray, and most likely delaying the approval of any plan at all for a week or more.

So according to McCain, we need something by Friday or we very well might be in a Depression by Monday, but I guess it's worth that risk if he can show up at the eleventh hour and try to show decisive leadership by hijacking the process.

Where was McCain for the last week, if his input was so vital? Come to think of it, when he announced yesterday that he was suspending his campaign to rush back to Washington, and cancelling his appearance on David Letterman, why did he instead go to be interviewed by Katie Couric?

I do not believe there was any need for McCain to rush back. He has as much as said he's no expert on the economy, he's said it in several interviews over the past year. He is trying to look Presidential, but is instead merely gumming up the works, upsetting the careful work done by everyone who has actually been at work on the problem for the last week.

You can read more about this from Reuters.

That McCain would stoop to political theater, especially political theater that undermines the hard work of better informed and more involved people, and which at worst delays legislation that may be incredibly time sensitive, is entirely unforgivable.

If you need an example of why I'm so convinced John McCain would be a horrendous mistake for this country, I can't think of a better one than this.

An admitted novice at economics, stays out of the whole thing until the eleventh hour, and then rides in on his horse at the final moment to disrupt the whole thing to attempt to look like a maverick in charge, ultimately delaying legislation he himself claimed was vital to avoiding a Depression in this country.

Self serving at best, treasonous at worst. If you still support him, I can't imagine why. If he wins, may God have mercy on all of our souls.

Liam.