Mr. McCain Failed To Connect

In the debate Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee, one that he desperately needed to win in order to turn back the Barack Obama tide, Senator John McCain utterly failed.

In a debate that was set in a townhall type of meeting where the presidential candidates fielded questions from an audience of undecided voters, Mr. McCain failed to deliver. The knockout blow he needed to assure Americans that he would be the right President to deal with the nation's economic problems eluded him. It was ironic because the debate's townhall format was supposed to play to Mr. McCain's strength.

But unlike Senator Obama who was able to articulate the economic issues down to the level of how such issues affect family's budgets, their access to credit, their retirement funds and everyday lives of millions of Americans, Mr. McCain pretty much stayed within his comfort zone. He stuck to his favorite talking point that freezing government spending would lead to lower deficits and therefore, lower taxes.

However, McCain's line did not and still does not resonate well with the average American. In a time when people are gravely concerned about the impact of the financial crisis on their family budgets, their access to credit, their purchasing power, and their ability to save for retirement, education, and health care, Mr. McCain failed to directly address such concerns. The impact of reduced government spending on the lives of taxpayers are not immediately felt when compared to reduced witholding (or payroll) taxes that people will immediately see on their paychecks.

There's a lot of anxiety and worry over the financial crisis. People are cutting back on spending. I take the train to work and I noticed recently that there are a lot more cars on my train station's parking lot these days, a sign that more people now commute than drive themselves to work. Last week, a report came out that car sales in the US which normally average about 1.3 million units a month registered September sales of 965,000, roughly a 26% drop. All carmakers, even the Japanese, reported double-digit drops in sales figures. ABC News recently reported that more than 500 car dealerships have closed since the start of the year. The lower sales was attributed to customers cutting back on spending and tighter access to car loans. Restaurants, department stores, airlines, jewelry stores have all reported drops in revenues.

Mr. McCain was correct when he stated that there was too much anger out there at Wall Street and at Washington because by failing to prevent the financial crisis, both institutions failed the country. However, as in the first debate, Mr. McCain failed to strongly explain to the people how his proposals to reduce taxes and government spending would benefit them. He failed to raise people's doubts on how Mr. Obama's proposals, specifically on how his (Obama's) plans to increase government spending on social programs while simultaneously reducing taxes would not further increase a trillion-dollar budget deficit.

Mr. Obama's plan to reduce taxes on 95% of the population, specifically the ones who make less than $250,000 a year, hopes to stimulate spending among the middle and lower classes. The plan is also aimed at helping small businesses expand and create jobs. It's true but only up to a certain point.

The problem with the Obama tax proposal, as Mr. McCain has correctly and repeatedly pointed out, is that to make up for the tax cuts on the middle class, Mr. obama will increase taxes on the 5% of the population, that segment of society we used to call "rich" but are now known as the "investor class".

It is correct that small businesses generate many jobs. However, it is outdated and folly to think that a nation's economy will significantly progress if one sector is awarded at the expense of another. That, for me, is divisive politics. One also needs to see the big picture here. It is the large corporations that create the better-paying jobs and consequently, higher quality and quantity-type of demand that help make a lot of small businesses thrive and grow. It is the large corporations, with their big-ticket capital expenditures in facilities, people and equipment, that contribute to a significant portion of a nation's wealth. In addition, that 5% of the population Mr. Obama plans to raise taxes on are already shouldering, according to some estimates, roughly 80% of the nation's tax burden. The plan to further increase their share of the country's tax burden could prove to be a disincentive to infusing more capital into the economy at a time when such investments are badly needed.

I do agree with Mr. Obama that in order for a capitalist economy like the United States to continue to thrive and maintain its standing as the world's most trusted financial system, that a certain degree of industry regulation should be put in place. I strongly agree that the trend towards deregulation that began roughly in the early 1980s under the Reagan administration has led to spectacular abuses of power among corporate executives and to a decline in certain industries such as the US airline industry. The current financial crisis ought to change a lot of people's views about deregulation. Every game needs a referee.

But going back to the debate, I was quite disappointed in Mr. McCain's performance because his proposal to cut taxes for all Americans to create more jobs and generate investment and his plan to curb government spending to address the growing budget deficit stand on solid ground. In addition, Mr. McCain has long been an advocate of regulation, much to the chagrin of his colleagues in the Republican Party who believe otherwise. He has also gone against his party numerous times on critical issues such as the waste of government money on pork-barrel spending. The campaign finance reform law that carry his name and that of Democratic Senator Russ Feingold aims to reduce the corrupting influence of lobbyists in Washington DC. He successfully fought for the passage of this law in spite of opposition from the Republicans, including President George W. Bush.

In contrast, Mr. Obama's track record in the US Senate in his four years there does not show a man who has gone against his party to address issues of corruption and excess. He has not authored or even co-authored a single law of national significance. In addition, in his four years as Senator, he spent the last two years running for President. As a result, among all the men who have run for US President, he has the thinnest resume. But thanks to Mr. McCain's failure on Tuesday night to strongly argue the merits of his (McCain's) economic proposals, it seems a certainty now that Mr. Obama will become the 44th President of the United States.

That's not to say that Mr. Obama does not have the intelligence to hold the most powerful office in the country and in the world. His Harvard law degree and his cool and poised demeanor during the debates showed unassailable evidence of it. Like all the Presidents that have come before him, he will certainly tap the best minds within the Democratic Party to advice him on domestic and foreign policy. He will certainly make history once he gets elected as the first African-American President. However, due to the absence of a defining professional track record that reveals his thought and decisionmaking processes, he is leaving millions of voters no choice but to simply rely on his promise of change not only in the US but also in the world. That would truly be the Audacity of Hope.

The Biden-Palin Debate

Just to share last night's Saturday Night Live (SNL) parody of the Biden-Palin debates that were held this past Thursday, October 2.

In addition, the show also presented a parody of last Friday's announcement that the US Congress has finally passed the bailout (or rescue) package which President Bush signed into law immediately thereafter.

Enjoy. :-)

Fire and Rain

"I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought that I'd see you again."

A sad one but this is my favorite James Taylor song.

It's an introspective song that speaks of heartache, personal loss, and broken dreams. This is one of the songs I love to listen to whenever I find myself in a reflective mood. I was already a student in college when I got to know and love this song. I was working on recovering from a relationship that had ended much too soon. I found comfort and, eventually, strength in the song's words.

To this day, I still listen to this beautiful song whenever life's troubles decide to spend time with me. The song's words help me face down the challenges that come my way. A lot of times, I look to its words like a prayer that will help get me through the rough times.

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus.
You've got to help me make a stand.
You've just got to see me through another day.
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way.

However, it is not only during such moments that I listen to this tune. There are also times when I turn to it to simply enjoy a quiet moment.

Fire and Rain was James Taylor's first hit. Released in February 1970, the song was released as a single from his second album, Sweet Baby James. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts that same year. The clip above was from a live performance of the song that Mr. Taylor did back in 1970 on British TV.

I like live performances done in intimate settings such as the one in this clip. I chose it because Mr. Taylor's fine live performance was complemented by an appreciative and yet very respectful audience. The words, music, and the emotion expressed resonated with the audience.

Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone.
Susanne, the plans they made put an end to you.
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song;
I just can't remember who to send it to.

I've seen fire and I've seen rain,
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end;
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought that I'd see you again.

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus.
You've got to help me make a stand.
You've just got to see me through another day.
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain,
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end;
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought that I'd see you again.

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun,
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around;
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
to come,
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain,
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end;
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now.

Thought I'd see you one more time again....
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now....
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now....

Katie Couric's Inteview with Sarah Palin

This is the latest SNL spoof on Sarah Palin. This time it focused on Katie Couric's interview with Mrs. Palin earlier this week. Enjoy.

Paul Newman (1925-2008)

This blog takes pause to honor a great actor, humanitarian, and philantrophist.

I first saw Paul Newman in the movie The Towering Inferno (1974) at the old Quezon Theater in Cubao, Quezon City. At that young age, I wasn't aware of the fact that he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. I only found out that he was through my parents, especially my mom who was a big fan.

In the many years that followed, I got to know a lot more about this fine actor. Thanks to cable television stations like Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics, I was able to see a number of his early movies, especially the ones that made him a star. Films like Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Paris Blues (1961), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), and Cool Hand Luke (1967) showed the range of his acting capabilities.

The last movie of his that I saw in a movie theater in Manila was The Color of Money (1986) where he co-starred with a young Tom Cruise. This movie was a sequel to The Hustler. In the States, the last two movies I saw in theaters were The Road to Perdition (2002) which he co-starred with Tom Hanks and Cars (2006) where his was the voice behind the character of Doc Hudson.

Aside from being a fine actor, Mr. Newman was also a noted humanitarian and a philantrophist. A strong and lifelong supporter of Democratic Party causes, in the 1960s, he, along with other Hollywood celebrities such as Marlon Brando and Charlton Heston helped champion and support the Civil Rights movement. He was also a staunch opponent of the US involvement in the Vietnam War. He supported gun control and advocated nuclear disarmament. In his later years, he also came out in support of gay marriage.

In the 1980s, he co-founded a business that released a line of food products that carried his name. It was called Newman's Own. Its most popular products were salad dressings and microwaveable popcorn. Aside from its products, this company gained fame and respect for its support of a variety of charitable causes. As a matter of corporate policy, it donates all profits after taxes to charity. When he was asked in an interview back in the early 1990s as to why he was donating every penny of his company's profits to charity, Paul Newman was said to have answered simply, "I don't need it."

Aside from acting, Mr. Newman was also an accomplished professional race car driver.

He passed away last Friday, September 26, after a long bout with cancer. With his death, the world not only lost one of its greatest actors but also a man who used his craft and his fame to spread a message of love and respect for his fellowmen. He will certainly be missed.

Photo credit: Getty Images