Pedestrian Observer GB: Politics of Hypocrisy on the Campaign Trail

Guilt by association just kept on coming and rightly so with emphasis on the “right” has indeed brought the level of this campaign so low…… low enough reaching the depth of comedic irony. The politics of hypocrisy on the campaign trail takes on a route that is eerily similar to what Filipinos are so familiar and they don't even have to go to the Philippines to witness the same frustration and disgust.

Fair enough that John McCain insists that Barack Obama must explain and disclose his association with Bill Ayers a former Weather Underground activist now a fixture in the academe. Let me take a bold guess on the “conspiracy” aspect of the association…… Bill Ayers an expert in early education is recruiting his cadre of pre-school toddlers to spread Marxist Socialist ideology to topple capitalism, yikes so much for conspiracy. Talk of association well, Real Liberal Christian Church has this to say on Tina Fey, oh wait I got confused there or was it..... Sarah Palin:

Sarah Palin is hammering at Barack Obama about Bill Ayers, a founder of the 1960s Weather Underground (leftwing militants) group. However, she has had what can be described as a warm and cozy relationship with White-supremacist militia groups (militia movement) in Alaska some leading members of which have openly expressed the desire to secede from the U.S. and have stated their hatred for the country.

Source: Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin's political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. "Her door was open," says Chryson -- "and still is." By Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert, Oct. 10, 2008

Now exactly who is most guilty by association if that is how they have reduced the democratic electoral contest of America? Let us see, if that is the case John McCain should also explain why he met with this woman known for building a road to somewhere (unlike Ms. Palin’s road to nowhere leading to a non-existent bridge) as in someone’s pocket that it was renamed by the locals as the DM Macapagal Highway Robbery? If it is about judgment, Barack Obama did not meet this woman (very good judgment) while John McCain did (bad really bad judgment) and since he is running for the presidential office, this woman named Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is not who McCain should be “palling around” as she is accused of stealing the elections caught on audio tape talking about kidnapping, murder and padding the result with a million votes in her favor among other things perfecting lying as an art to almost scientific form. The Equalizer posted an entry titled "Will a President John McCain Support Gloria Arroyo's Stay In Power Beyond 2010?" which I believe also need an answer.

Ok, so far the politics of hypocrisy on the campaign trail is getting to be so ironic as related by Wilhelmina Orozco at Filam Forum below:

Folks, an American diplomat came over after the US reelection of Bush. He was asked by a Filipino reporter: "How was your election in your country?" The diplomat said: 'We learned a lot from you." The diplomat was Rep.

Need I say more? I think it is time for John McCain and Sarah Palin to stop this nasty accusation that just haunts them back like a bad dream. Look at what happened when their rabid followers accuse Colin Powell of “tribal politics” ……. Jimmy Crackcorn comes back with this hilarious but biting post titled "Photographic Proof : Powell Endorsement ABOUT RACE!."

Even those they accuse Barack Obama of being a celebrity like Paris Hilton just got more hilarious when Paris put out her own video early in the race and now the most stinging backlash is the hypocrisy and outlandish US$150K wardrobe splurge for Sarah Palin is beyond embarrassing, it is scandalous. That is plain hypocrisy and I think the Republican donors are not a happy camper upon learning of this excesses. Not exactly a typical Hockey mom attracting Joe six packers especially when her shopping spree cost 75 times more than the average Americans (the hockey moms and all mortals like us) on an annual salary of US$125,000 as a governor of Alaska. That would have been fine and "justifiable" so she can "focus" on her campaign but she also charge the state of Alaska to foot her travel expenses bringing along her uninvited children allegedly changing the declaration as official first family business to justify her expenses.

It is ironic that while we are in dire financial straits we see this kind of extravagance and it appears that RNC are split on this issue:

Election law experts are split (also along party lines) on whether the RNC’s expenditure is allowable under federal regulations prohibiting personal use of campaign funds.

“It’s clearly contrary to what Congress said in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which was authored by John McCain – that candidates can’t directly pay for clothing with campaign funds,” said Lance Olson, general counsel for the California Democratic Party. “If a candidate can’t pay for clothing, why should the RNC be able to do that? It doesn’t make sense.”

James V. Lacy, a Reagan administration lawyer who is an expert on nonprofit and election law, disagreed.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the expenditure, as long as it is 100% focused on the campaign,” Lacy said. “If they need to spend that money in order to keep her clean, clothed and focused because she is on the road 24/7, then that’s an appropriate expenditure.”

Now that must be what being a maverick is all about where they cannot even agree on how they should treat the wardrobe extravagance of Sarah Palin and her family. This is probably the reason why Filipino Americans are so accustomed or find Sarah Palin so attractive in terms of seeing the norm in Philippine politics in the US of A...... Politics of Patronage as seen in this LA Times article:

* More than 100 appointments to state posts -- nearly 1 in 4 -- went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.

* Palin filled 16 state offices with appointees from families that donated $2,000 to $5,600 and were among her top political patrons.

* Several of Palin's leading campaign donors received state-subsidized industrial development loans of up to $3.6 million for business ventures of questionable public value.

* Palin picked a donor to replace the public safety commissioner she fired. But the new top cop had to resign days later under an ethics cloud. And Palin drew a formal ethics complaint still pending against her and several aides for allegedly helping another donor and fundraiser land a state job.

Most new governors install friends and supporters in state jobs. But Alaska historians say some of Palin's appointees were less qualified than those of her Republican and Democratic predecessors.

University of Alaska historian Steve Haycox said Palin has been a reformer. But he said she has a penchant for placing supporters, many of them ill-prepared, in high posts. He called it "cronyism" far beyond what previous governors have done and a contradiction of her high-minded philosophy.

Sarah Palin indeed energized the Republican base and other sectors not necessarily the kind they should be attracting while she spur the Democrats to action and the independents to stay away from her and actively support the Democrats...... Just look at the number of volunteers on the Democrat side and you will see how powerful Sarah Palin is in swaying people..... except it is on the other side and not hers.

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