McCain’s Call for “Change” Raises Questions
“Are they in essence accepting that the past eight years has been a
total failure?”
By Zafar Siddiqui, Engage Minnesota
Perhaps never in the history of the presidential elections has the word “change” been bandied about as it is being done during the current elections. The palpable thirst for change is a result of the American public’s frustration with the direction the country is headed in. The dismal financial situation, the ever escalating “war on terror“, the never-ending wars, the increasing anti-Americanism both in the East and the West, and literal drought of fresh ideas cry out for a change in all these areas.
Obama epitomizes the word change in every respect. Apart from being the first African-American nominee of a major political party, he is an exciting candidate like no other in recent memory. His background,
struggles, academic excellence, compassionate community work, sharp acumen in world matters, and cool head are the stuff of legend. Obama’s claim to change has been challenged during the primaries. But
Obama’s nomination all but clinched the issue of who stands for a real change.
The most appalling hijacking of the word “change” came about when the self-declared maverics, McCain/Palin, jumped onto the bandwagon of “change.” This was a non-starter from the beginning. After eight years of Republican administration under President Bush, the American public clearly spoke out loud by giving Bush the second lowest approval rating in the history of this country.
When McCain/Palin talk about change, one is left wondering what they are going to change? McCain has been in the Congress for over a quarter century and if there was anything left to be changed, he would
have changed it by now. And a glance at his manifesto shows that it will be just more of the same as in the Bush administration. It surely must be an embarrassment for not only Bush and his administration but the entire Republican party when McCain/Palin call themselves mavericks. Are they in essence accepting that the past eight years has been a total failure?
If that is the case, then McCain’s 90% votes in favor of Bush measures belie his pseudo claims to change. The recent change in McCain-Palin rhetoric, which has resulted in unbridled hatred and division, points to politics as usual. McCain-Palin supporters calling Obama a “terrorist” and shameful shouts of “kill him” heralds nothing but an undesirable change where any sense of decency has been short-changed for naked
hatred.
Obama’s multi-ethinic, multicultural, and multinational experience is a surreal combination. If anyone can lay a claim to the word “change,” it is Obama.
Zafar Siddiqui is a community activist who lives in Blaine.
Excellent article! Thank you for highlighting the the essence of what this election has come to mean. It is a defining moment in America’s history to have Barack Obama come so far….and if he becomes the President, it will become one of the this country’s greatest achievements. May the best man win.
WHAT IF:
Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched
around?…..think
about it.
Would the country’s collective point of view be different? Could racism
be
the culprit?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage,
including a
three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating
class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe
disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his
standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair
while
he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable
organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of
corruption
in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger
Savings
and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn’t read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included
discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many
occasio ns, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama’s family had made their money from beer
distribution?
What if the Obama’s had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected
reality,
do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they
are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive
qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another
when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University – B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard – Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware – B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science
Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy – Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University – 1 semester
North Idaho College – 2 semesters – general study
University of Idaho – 2 semesters – journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College – 1 semester
University of Idaho – 3 semesters – B.A in Journalism
Education isn’t everything, but this is about the two highest offices
in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.