Many outside observers find it difficult to understand why the US Presidential election is even close. On the one hand you have a President who has ended one war, is ending another, and has avoided entanglement in a few more potential wars so far. He has saved the US auto industry, reduced US dependency on imported oil, pulled the US out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression and has enacted the most comprehensive healthcare reform since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society introduced Medicare and Medicaid – and all against the scorched earth policies of his Republican congressional opposition.
And on the other hand, you have a ZOMBIE who…
- Thinks its fun to forcibly cut the hair of a gay boy at school while his friends hold him down
- Loves his pet dog so much he puts him in a crate on the roof of his car on a several hundred mile vacation journey and hoses him down when he craps all over himself and the car.
- Counter demonstrates against anti-Vietnam war protestors – whilst at the same time claiming an exemption from the draft for religious reasons – apparently to do “missionary work” in France. There are no reports of any converts during his time there…
- Says that “I like to fire people who render services to me”
- Claims that he had no responsibility for Bain’s actions when he was still sole owner, CEO and attending some board meetings – and was listed as such on the the Company’s tax returns
- According to his own adviser has an “etch a sketch” approach to policy whereby his policy is whatever it suits him to say at any given time as if his previous policy pronouncements were of no consequence.
- Goes on an “insult tour” of Europe and Israel where he upsets his hosts with insensitive comments about rhe running of the Olympics and the cultural inferiority of Palestinians. Whilst attending the Olympics he doesn’t even go to see his wife’s dressage horse compete for fear as seeming elitist – a horse for which he claims a large tax deduction.
- Fails to declare his own tax returns of more than the past two years – and manipulates the two years he does release by over paying to make it look like he is paying his claimed 14.9% rate – an overpayment he is entitled to claim back later.
- Supports a tax plan – authored by running mate Paul Ryan – which would reduce his own future tax liability to less than 1% as it exempts all capital gains.
- Comments: “Let Detroit go bankrupt”, “I’ll veto the Dream Act”, “I’ll end Planned Parenthood”, “corporations are people, my friends”, “my job is not to worry about the very poor”, and “47% of people are dependent on the Government and unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives” despite the fact that most of them have paid taxes for large parts of their lives.
- His Libya comments seeking to make political capital out of the embassy attacks as US diplomats, including the ambassador, were being killed.
- Has appointed a senior advisory team drawn from the dark side of the Bush administration… By their friends you shall know them…
So what gives?
You can make excuses for the Citizen’s United case, a corporate dominated mainstream media, and widespread voter suppression tactics by Republican dominated state and local administrations, but there is no way such a zombie could be elected President – unless a majority of US voters have already become infected with the disease…
We in Ireland have had our own Zombie apocalypse to live through…
