Stuck In The Middle Review
columnist: Scott from Oregon

Topic: Political Literature
Chris Mathews Plays Hardball Like A Girl... Or Real Questions You'd Like To Have Answered By The Candidates.

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Real hardball requires real hard questions. You got any?

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by Scott from Oregon
(Libertarian)
Thursday, April 17, 2008

I was watching Chris Mathews the other afternoon and he was rubbing his hands together in anticipation of all of the difficult questions he was going to ask Senator John McCain on his show "Hardball".

"Ooooh. Some hardball!" I thought.

Wrong.

Either there was a predetermined agreement to go easy on John McCain, or Chris Mathews plays hardball like a girl (no offence meant, ladies!)

I spent the hour asking John McCain questions that I knew would make him squirm, only the television screen was an effective deterrent in getting answers. I decided my only recourse was to use Walt's wonderful website to put those questions out into the world, in the hope that at some point in time, someone, somewhere, will get the opportunity to ask John McCain one of my questions.

I also thought, to be fair, I'd throw a few high heaters toward Barack and Hillary too. Lord knows, they have been getting enough hanging curveballs to make any hitter look good!

And finally, I thought I would take a few days following this article and add any really good questions left in the comments section. So come on, leave your best and most pointed questions and I will add them to this article. Let's play some real hardball!

1) Senator McCain, during the Republican debates Ron Paul was given the opportunity to ask you a question about the Presidents' Working Group on finances. Your eyes glazed over and you gave an obviously obfuscated answer, leading viewers to believe you either did not know what the Working Group was, or you were reluctant to talk nationally about what they were. Which was it, sir? If you were ignorant, are you better informed now? If so, can you explain what the group is and how it functions, as well as your opinion on whether it is beneficial to the American people as a whole or just an elite few? If you were reluctant to talk about this group on national television, would you do so now? If not, would you explain why not? Please, no more names of financial "experts" you would surround yourself with. Will you actually answer Ron Paul's question?

2) You are known for having a sense of humor. I am also known for having a sense of humor. Your idea of humor was to sing "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran," to a Beachboys' classic tune. I didn't find it at all funny. Do you think making jokes about dropping explosive devices on other people, possibly killing and maiming large numbers, maybe even accidentally killing innocent men, women and children is FUNNY? Please answer the question, sir. Is killing funny to you?

3)You made the statement during a Republican debate that "Washington changed us". Ron Paul stated that he did not think Washington changed him. My question is two part-- Do you think Washington changed Ron Paul in the manner you think it changed what you referred to as "us"? Secondly, since you came to Washington, why did you let it change you and how does this jive with your claim to be a man of principle? Did you come to Washington with no principles?

4) Remaining on the subject of change, I noticed that you changed your religious affiliation this year. Call me cynical, but it seems remarkably convenient and political in nature. Would you admit or deny that you became a Baptist to align yourself with a larger voting block? I am very interested in knowing the reason for the abrupt change in affiliation. Are you looking for votes, sir?

5) During the Republican debates, Ron Paul was notably and unfairly barred from a debate just before the New Hampshire primaries. No one can deny that he was doing better than at least two other candidates who were included, and the nature of the exclusion was obviously political and extremely unfair. As a Republican who supported Ron Paul and his run for president, I was unfairly treated in the political process by the process itself. While there may have not been anything illegal about the snubbing of Ron Paul, it certainly raises stark issues about election fairness and the democratic process. In one now reasonably well viewed piece of footage, you can be heard mocking Ron Paul for being excluded, reminding me of a child in a playground. You claim to be a man of principle, and yet you did not stand up for the democratic principle when this snubbing occurred. In fact you mocked it, sir. Can you tell me why anyone should vote for you, given the fact that you treated the process with such contempt? It was OK for you to alienate me and my vote, and last time I checked, I was an American. Do you think, perhaps, you behaved as badly as I think you behaved?

6)In a recent speech you gave about foreign policy, you stated that America needs to talk to her allies and the world at large, and listen to them even if they disagree with us, suggesting a man who would listen to majority consensus and act upon it. In other words, you implied that America would not follow GW Bush's policy of arrogance and would listen and bend to the sentiments of other nations. If that is true, then why will you not bend and listen to the will of the American people, who you have opposed for years now in regards to Iraq? Are you suggesting that, as president, you will listen to other nations and ignore your own constituency? Are you really that confused, sir, as to who you are applying to for the job of president?

7) I noticed that you are touting an energy independence policy. During this discussion, you mention that we need more nuclear power plants and used, as evidence of the correctness of your thinking, France as an example. You stated, as if it were a good thing, that France was 80% nuclear powered as a nation. My question then, becomes about Iran. They claim to be attempting to create their own nuclear power industry, in order to power their country. The taunting and ranting of Ahmadenijad notwithstanding (after all, it was you, sir, who sang bomb bomb bomb Iran) why is it any of our business if Iran develops nuclear power in an open and non secretive way? You support it as a solution to carbon emissions for us but not Iran? Is this not both hypocritical and an arrogant stance?

1) Barack Obama. Your plan for the economy seems to be much of what we've been getting, only, if you'll pardon the pun, a slightly different shade. More programs. More governmental intrusions. More wealth redistribution using the coercive tactics of the federal legal juggernaut. The US is 50 % Conservative, meaning, in theory, half the population does not want your interference and would like you to stop. How are you going to convince those unconvinced, that you know better than they do how to spend their money? Are you willing to throw them all in jail if they decide to revolt, say, by refusing to pay taxes? Telling someone it is his or her duty to go along with your programs is not a solution or an answer. Are you prepared to arrest those who disagree with you and actively and financially protest?

2)I've heard of many programs you are wanting to implement if elected president, but I haven't heard of which programs you want to get rid of. How about humoring me and listing the programs that are now federal but that were once state run, that you would be willing to remove completely from the federal government. You talk of change. The federal government growing has been the biggest constant in federal government. How much will you change this? Or will you keep the growth rate of the federal government unchanged?

3) I've heard you mention that you would consider taxing big oil profits because they made too much profit, and I've heard you say that you would like to regulate them more so they make less profit. Since big oil has a monopoly on the delivery of auto and jet fuel in this country, I must say, I am not averse to checking into their procedures and investigating price fixing and gouging. But I have never heard you list the falling price of the dollar as one of the prime reasons gas is so expensive. If our dollar is halved in value, foreign oil will double in value, generally speaking. Why should we trust you on the economy when this simple fact seems to miss your boat? What then, will you say is the cause of the devaluation of the dollar?

4) I was told you were a Constitutional law expert. I may have misheard this, but assuming that I have not, would you please explain why the IRS is allowed to have a "guilty until proven innocent" policy? How do you balance Constitutional rights such as the right to privacy with the 16^th amendment? Would you tell me what you think are the pitfalls-- Constitutionally-- with the way in which taxes are levied and collected in this country? Is there a law that requires all Americans to file and pay a tax on their income? If so, can you produce it?

5)As a practicing Christian, do you have any evidence that anything within the bible is true? Do you take the bible "on faith", meaning you do not require evidence before believing in the validity of a statement? If so, why should we vote for you? Evidence is the foundation of reason, and are we not trying to fulfill the highest office in the land with a reasonable man who will weigh the evidence before making any decision? If your beliefs in fundamental questions are not vetted using evidence and logic, why should we assume your presidency will be?

6) I noticed you were a leftie. Do you write with your hand cramped above your lettering, or do you smear your letters as you come across?

1) Hillary Clinton. You are perceived by many as someone who will say anything to get the most powerful job in America. You have admitted to fabricating tales in public to get people to vote for you. You know what I am referring to, the "bullets flying" debacle in your candidacy. Will you say anything to get elected?

2)If you are elected and you manage to get your form of health coverage passed, will you arrest those who refuse to participate out of principle? How will you explain to the healthy and fit that they must subsidize the lazy and the unfit? How will your healthcare system provide incentive for people to stay fit ( I know I watch what I eat because I fear the cost of being sick!) ? What will be the incentive for the health industry be once you promise to pay them no matter what? DO you then hire a bunch of inspectors to go around and inspect? Do you expect Americans to also pay these nonproductive inspectors? How does this promote a vibrant economy?

3) What will you do with Bill if you are elected? Will you allow him access to the interns while you are busy working? Will there be a no Bill alone with a female in the White House rule?

4)You keep referring to the nineties and your husband's presidency as evidence that your economic policies work well. It is well known that the nineties produced much wealth in the dot.com boom, of which America was on the leading edge of. Without that boom, your husband's policies would have looked rather ineffective and business as usual. Where is the boom going to come from that will make your policies look as good as Bill's did? If the boom does not come, will you have a plan B?

5)The period of your husband's presidency was a time when the IRS was more active in people's lives. I personally know of many people who were unfairly harassed by the IRS and were treated as criminals for simply not being able to fulfill the demands made on them by the federal government. One of them was a 37 year old girl who took on a seventh day a week of work to try and pay off an IRS bill that included penalties and interest on money that your husband's policies said she owed. She died of a stress related brain aneurism as a direct result of the stress imposed on her by the IRS and your husband's largesse programs. Will you talk about why you think you should impose this system on people to begin with? Without this added stress, don't you think most average Americans will be less likely to get sick? Do you not see the irony in your plans to help people of modest means?

So... those are some of my questions. If you have a good pitch or a fancy curve, ask a question and I will add it to this article. Maybe someday, we'll get some answers...

 From Comments--

1) I would like to ask Obama about The Global Poverty Act and how he intends for the American Taxpayer to foot this $845 BILLION(yes that's more expensive than Iraq) Dollar Tax.  It seems like this Act is based on how much($) a person lives on per day.  Well, if we flood those poor nations with Dollars, won't that just increase inflation? And even though those people may have more money, won't the inflated prices still keep them within the same poverty level.  Also, why are we giving the UN the power to distribute our tax dollars?

 2)My question is for any candidate:  We are currently $9.3 trillion in debt.  This debt is the fiscal equivalent of defecating on our children.  What plans do you have to lower the debt in the four years you are in office?  How much revenue do you expect to generate with your tax plan?  How much will the FY 2010 budget be? 

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2008 Scott from Oregon, all rights reserved.
Published: Thursday, April 17, 2008
Last modified: Friday, April 18, 2008

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