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What is the difference between Bush/Cheney and McCain/Palin? You guessed it: Lipstick.

All that “McCain is real change” talk aside, if you take a close look at the Republican election platform, the kind of people John McCain surrounds himself with and his choice of running mate, you can only come to the conclusion the Bush/Cheney years will be perpetuated in all issues that matter.

The Republican Party, which has become the political arm of the economic interest groups that are waging a war on the middle class for more than eight years now, has elected itself just the ticket they need. An old, sick and tired ex-maverick, who is so keen on becoming President that he throws each and every belief he may held at one point away for the office. He wasn’t able to stand up to the religious right, the vote providing machine of the GOP, to nominate the Vice-President of his own choice. He came out with, what he thought in his old-man-stubbornness-tantrum is a serves-you-right-candidate who is, much to the glee of the Cheney/Rove crowd, the ultimate Manchurian Candidate. The oil companies couldn’t be happier, cheering her on with drill-baby-drill chants, and the anti-choice crowd gets all bleary eyed for her “fetus-first” stance. Good job John McCain.

Again you will not get universal healthcare. If you are not insured, you will be left out to die if you can’t get to the emergency room in time. And if you make it there, you may die on the waiting room floor anyway. But insurance companies will continue to reap huge profits, as will pharmaceutical companies. Read the GOP platform page 37:

The American people rejected Democrats’ attemptedgovernment takeover of healthcare in 1993, and they remain skeptical of politicians who would send us down that road. Republicans support the private practice of medicine and oppose socialized medicine in the form of a government-run universal health care system. Republicans pledge that as we reform our health care system

And more radical the VP nominee:

The bill would establish an Alaska health care information office to give consumers factual information on Recognizing that health care must be market-and business-driven, rather than restricted by government, Governor Palin is proposing a repeal of the Certificate of Need program (CON). CON is a regulatory process that requires certain health care providers to obtain state approval before offering certain new or expanded services. [Palin’s administration] concluded that the CON program does not benefit the citizens of Alaska, given the litigious environment surrounding it (emphasis added)

John McCain:

John McCain believes health care reform should address the rising costs that threaten families’ budgets, business competitiveness, and government programs by making the entire system responsive to the needs of American families. Families should receive quality, accountable care at lower costs by harnessing market competition.(emphasis added)

Who do you think is going to come out on top?

We are sharing a planet. The sheer number of inhabitants and their need for food and energy puts an incredible strain on the world we live in. Since the Club of Rome analysis in 1972 thoughtful people are reminding us that we can go only so far, or this world we live in will be uninhabitable. But still, there is money to be made and the lifestyle of the wealthy few to be defended. To defend that lifestyle, energy supply is key.

An example from the GOP election platform:

Any legislation to increase domestic exploration, drilling and production must minimize any protracted legal challenges that could unreasonably delay or even preclude actual production. We oppose any efforts that would permanently block access to the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (emphasis added)

The VP nominee:

The standard should be no different for industry. Ironically, we’re trying to convince the rest of the nation to open ANWR, but we can’t even get our own Pt. Thomson, which is right on the edge of ANWR, developed! We are ready for that gas to be tapped so we can fill a natural gas pipeline. I promise to vigorously defend Alaska’s rights, as resource owners, to develop and receive appropriate value for our resources.

John McCain:

As far as ANWR is concerned, I don’t want to drill in the Grand Canyon, and I don’t want to drill in the Everglades. This is one of the most pristine and beautiful parts of the world.

But I guess he’s already changed his position, hasn’t he?

He has also changed his views on Abortion (see 1999 statement as opposed to now).

He shows his colours on who can be bailed out if they make bad decisions and who cannot:

On the issue of Bear Stearns, every financial expert I know says that if it had failed, it would have rippled throughout the entire financial community and would have caused greater problems which eventually would have come down on the average citizen if our economy continues to decline the way that it’s been doing.

Look, Americans are hurting right now. They don’t know if they have to get another job. The challenges are enormous right now. The key to it is not to bail out people who speculated or people who engaged in unsavory practices. The key to it is get the lender and the borrower together. We know how hard that is because of identifying the lender, but there’s ways to do it. Of course there’s a role for government, but it’s not to reward greedy speculators. It is not to reward people who misbehave. And it certainly isn’t a huge expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars which, in the long run, could exacerbate the problems that exist (emphasis added)

The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout will cost you – nobody knows yet – but it is safe to say A Lot:

There is no guarantee that the takeover will work, and it comes at a potentially massive cost to taxpayers. The government has pledged to inject money in the companies in any quarter in which they would otherwise be insolvent — up to $100 billion in total for each company.

I could go on for a while here and the result would be the same. Wherever John McCain is not yet in line with the ultra-right GOP election platform, he is getting there. If elected, the Bush era wouldn’t only be extended, but enhanced. And to top this off he will have provided you with a Vice President who is Cheney with boobs and – lipstick.

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