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In any other democracy in the world the Republican Party would be toast, its prime minister tossed out, its years of governance repudiated. But not in our exceptional American form of democracy. A Republican stalwart who played a key role in implementing the agenda of George W. Bush over these long miserable eight years now attempts to recast himself as an “outsider” keen to return to Washington and clean up the mess he helped make.

John McCain can run from Republican Washington but he can’t hide.

The policy prescriptions in John McCain’s acceptance speech tonight were nothing but retreads of the failed policies of the Bush-Cheney years:

He promised tax cuts for the rich and the corporations.

He promised “free trade” deals that hemorrhage American jobs.

He promised vouchers for people to pull their kids out of public schools.

He trashed the teachers’ unions.

He promised more deregulation of huge business.

He promised more privatization of government services.

He promised judges who will curtail consumer protection, worker safety, and women’s reproductive rights.

He promised to continue the saber rattling and threats against Iran, Russia and any other country that defies U.S. hegemony.

He promised more militarization of our foreign policy.

He called for peace through war.

And once again we had to endure a corny homily where we re-fight the Vietnam War, an unjust and savage abuse of American power, which has now become a quadrennial tradition in American politics.

There was nothing in McCain’s speech tonight that differed in any significant way from the disastrous Republican policies of the last eight years.

He’s got Karl Rove’s surrogates running his campaign.

He’s pandered hardcore to the religious Right with the Sarah Palin gambit. It’s gay marriage all over again.

There is not a dime’s worth of difference between John McCain and George W. Bush.

Four More Years!

Original post by AFP and software by Elliott Back

AP – John McCain, a POW turned political rebel, vowed Thursday night to vanquish the “constant partisan rancor” that grips Washington as he launched his fall campaign for the White House. “Change is coming,” he promised the roaring Republican National Convention and a prime-time television audience.

Original post by AP and software by Elliott Back

ST. PAUL, Minn. — When it came time for Democrats to officially respond to John McCain’s speech at the Republican Convention tonight, the task didn’t fall to Barack Obama or even Joe Biden, who’ll likely get called upon often to fill the attack dog role for his ticket. Instead, they turned to a figure from the recent past: Hillary Clinton. Her full statement is below.

The two party conventions showcased vastly different directions for our country. Senator Obama and Senator Biden offered the new thoughts and positive change America needs and deserves after eight years of failed Republican leadership. Senator McCain and Governor Palin did not.

After listening to all of the speeches this week, I heard nothing that suggests the Republicans are ready to fix the economy for middle class families, provide quality affordable health care for all Americans, guarantee equal pay for equal work for women, restore our nation’s leadership in a complex world or tackle the myriad of challenges our country faces.

So, to slightly amend my comments from Denver: NO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN-PALIN.

Update:The Obama campaign has now place out a statement of its own. Attributed to spokesman Bill Burton, it reads:

Tonight, John McCain said that his party was elected to change Washington, but that they let Washington change them. He’s right. He admonished the ‘ancient, do-nothing crowd’ in Washington, but ignored the fact that he’s been part of that crowd for twenty-six years, opposing solutions on health care, energy, and education. He talked about bipartisanship, but didn’t mention that he’s been a Bush partisan 90% of the time, that he’s run a Karl Rove campaign, and that he wants to continue this President’s disastrous economic and foreign policies for another four years. With John McCain, it’s more of the same.

That’s not the change Americans need. Barack Obama has taken on the special interests and the lobbyists in Illinois and in Washington, and he’s won. As President, he’ll cut taxes for 95% of all working families, provide affordable health care to every American, end the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in ten years.

Original post by AFP and software by Elliott Back