by Damozel | Sensible conservative/master satirist Jon Swift has a list of reasons why McCain is the right man for the job. Here are some of my favorites (though it is very hard to choose):
We are going to need a President who will not be afraid to tell Americans to eat their vegetables or to yell at our enemies to get off our lawn. In last night’s debate John McCain won by proving that he is the only candidate who is crotchety enough to lead this country for the next four years.... Who better to berate Americans for the next four years to stop living in a dream world and face the facts?. [More]
[I]f by some miracle our enemies (or even our friends, like Spain) agree to all of our preconditions and McCain condescends to meet with them, McCain will surely treat them with the contempt they deserve, just as he did with Obama last night. Obama was lucky that McCain even deigned to show up to debate him at all, as he made clear time and time again. The way McCain patiently castigated Obama for his naiveté and lectured him time and time again that he just doesn’t understand gave us some insight into McCain’s diplomatic skills, which will also prove useful in his dealings with Congress. [More]
The bailout bill passed without anyone consulting Swift. But he had some ideas.
Swift opposed any cap of any kind on executive compensation.
The worst provision of the bailout bill was the cap on executive compensation. Many of these executives are already underpaid and they are suffering terribly as their stock options become worthless. One reason why some companies have not performed as well as they should have was that their executives were too distracted trying to make ends meet to focus on their jobs and they were worried about what will happen to them if they become unemployed. They are no doubt chilled by what happened to AIG CEO Martin J Sullivan when he resigned in July after AIG wrote down $20 billion in losses on assets linked to subprime mortgages. He got a measly severance package that only amounted to $47 million, which will be worth even less in 2009 dollars if the economy continues in the direction it’s headed. What incentive are executives going to have to work hard and pull their companies out of debt if we cap their compensation and how are we going to convince some poorly performing executives to resign if we don’t promise them hefty golden parachutes? [More]
Or, on a related note, any limitation on Christmas bonuses.
Telling Wall Street workers that Santa Claus might not come this year would be devastating for our economy, which depends on the infusion of cash it gets each Christmas as investment bankers spend their bonus checks buying condominiums and boats and indulging in lavish meals in luxury restaurants. How can we hope to get out of this economic slump if we do not guarantee the Christmas bonuses that keep our economy going? [More]
And he wanted a guarantee that Nancy Pelosi won't be mean any more to Republicans.
If Democrats expect Republicans to vote for any bailout bill, it must include a gag rule that prevents Democrats from saying nasty things about them...Republicans are not fools. They need a guarantee in writing that Democrats will not ridicule Republicans in the days leading up to the election and try to blame them for the financial crisis. “Now is not the time to fix the blame," said John McCain, blaming "Senator Obama and his allies in Congress" for infusing "unnecessary partisanship into the process.". [more]
We should just cut out the middlemen and elect Jon Swift. Was it not Plato who said that in a just society, the philosopher shall---or should---be king?
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