Monday, September 15, 2008

A very Schwartzian meme

My Jewess princess Katie Schwartz came up with a great idea. She's begun a new meme that asks a bunch of questions of Obama supporters and since I am powerless to refuse her anything when it comes to the internets I now give you my answers to her probing questions:

1) What is your name (nickname, whatever you're comfortable sharing), your age (range), gender, occupation, income bracket (range), how you identify (gay/straight/whatever)? Married/Single/Divorced? Kids (how many)?
Name: blog name-Dr. Monkey, real name-Steve
Age-45 and damn proud to say so considering my health history
Gender-Male
I'm a straight white guy who is a member of PFLAG and I'm in a long term monogamous relationship with a woman who I refer to on this blog as Sparky. We have no children of our own but if you have kids and we like them then we think of them as ours, just don't ask us for money to help raise them.

2) What are the most important issues to you in this presidential election and why?
The two biggest issues for me are ending the immoral war in Iraq and getting universal health care for all Americans. The war is sapping our tax dollars faster than a fat kid goes through sheet cake and it makes no sense to me that we can waste billions of dollars on a war for ExxonMobil and Shell oil but we have no money for health care for all Americans. All I am asking for in the health care area is that we get the same health care that Bush McCain and Dick Cheney have had all their public lives. All I want in the war of terror area is for us to get out of Iraq this second and to let a pan-Arabic force take over in Iraq and Afghanistan.

3) Why do you think voters should vote for Obama/Biden, what differentiates this ticket from McCain/Palin?
I think people should vote for Obama/Biden if they want to get out of the current mess that 30 years of conservative politics has drug us into. What makes them different from Bush McCain/Palin is that they want us out of Iraq, want a more equitable health system for all of us, and they believe in using the power of the federal government to help the poor, the downtrodden, the working class, and the middle class. Obama/Biden are not perfect and they'll still kowtow too much to corporations for my taste and they'll keep throwing money down the rathole known as the Pentagon but they are a far sight better than continuing the failed conservative policies of Bush McCain/Palin.

4) If McCain/Palin wins this election, where do you see our country going in the next four years?
If they win then I see this country not moving forward at all. I see it staying in this same awful place where the rich keep getting more obscenely rich, the wars drag on forever because heaven knows that whatever "gains" we make over there will be "fragile" and we'll have to stay to protect them. I see more deregulation that will cost more lives, line the pockets of the super rich, and further damage our nation and our economy. I see people staying fearful and afraid to speak out because dissent will not be tolerated by a President with a hair trigger temper who has shown he'll say or do anything to stay in power. I see gays, lesbians, women, and minorities losing many gains they have fought for over the past 50 years. I see science and reason mocked and shunted aside in favor of the radical right wing religious agenda. I see freedom of choice being taken away from women and yet more voter caging. I see a version of America that is my worst nightmare.

5) Economically, where do you think this country is today and how do you think Obama/Biden can make a positive impact?
As the latest investment bank failure as shown us, the economy of this country is in the toilet. We've let them deregulate things too far and we're sliding backwards to the era just before the Great Depression. The gap between the haves and the have nots is widening every day and it's going to get worse under Bush McCain/Palin because they want to make more tax cuts to businesses and give their rich friends bigger tax cuts while we work harder and harder for what little we managed to get.

History has shown time and time again that the economy does better under Democrats than it does under Republicans and this is because more people share in the prosperity. Obama/Biden can make a positive impact by taxing the rich more, ending the Bush tax cuts, taxing companies that outsource jobs, and providing tax breaks and incentives to people and companies that provide "green" jobs that will aid us in becoming self sustaining energy wise. And by ending the senseless immoral war we can redirect that money to go to fixing our crumbling infrastructure that Bush McCain/Palin have ignored for years.

6) In the past 8-years, how do you think this country has changed under the Bush regime? Have you been affected by these changes? If so, in what ways?
Too many changes to go into now but I'll highlight the biggest ones:


  • loss of civil liberties

  • the growth of domestic spying

  • yet more insane privatization of essential governmental services

When our own government can call anyone they please an "enemy combatant" and thereby imprison us indefinitely and take away all our constitutional rights then we're all affected by the changes Bush hath wrought.

7) I have read that Palin is considered the new voice of feminism, which is offensive in my opinion. Of equal concern are her views on abortion and the removal of books from libraries. I'd like to know what you think about all of that and how you feel about McCain choosing Palin as a running mate. And what kind of message you think that sends to women?
The message that women should get from the cynical politically calculating choice of Sarah Palin as Bush McCain's Veep is that you are stupid. They obviously think that a woman who is the polar opposite of Hillary Clinton is as qualified as Hillary is and that you ladies should vote for him because his running mate has a vagina.

The message I get from his choice of an inexperienced evangelical female is that the old man will do anything to be elected. He picked her to satisfy the religious right, who he once scorned. As much as they bray and brag about her limited experience she is the least qualified person to be Vice President since Dan Quayle. My worries about the leadership of Bush jr and Bush McCain pale in comparison to the worries I have about an anti choice, anti science, religious nut bag like her.

I tag Little Merry Sunshine, Liberality, Helenwheels, and Diva Jood to do this meme if they so choose because I'd like to see their answers to these great questions from the great Katie Schwartz.

25 comments:

Katie Schwartz said...

Once again you have outdone yourself. Bra-fuckin-vo.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I agree with everything you said. I was so happy you mentioned the Great Depression because I'm hearing concerns about this from many other liberals off-line.

Six banks have already closed. I'm terrified we're heading in that direction. If, if, if Obama/Biden doesn't win this election, I fear that's exactly where we're heading and I'm so freaked out about it.

PERFECT A. ha. Seriously, MonkeyMucker, you are eloquent and dripping in poliknowledge.

:)

Unknown said...

Uh oh, the pressure's on! I'll be happy to answer these questions but I can tell you now, it's going to sound a helluva LOT like yours. Thanks!

Unknown said...

OH and so nice to meet you, The Great Katie Schwartz!

DivaJood said...

Monkey, oh, lordy, those are serious questions. I will do my best, but yikes. I'm a Diva, a natural blonde, and thinking hurts.

Little Merry Sunshine said...

I will happily answer these questions.

Mnmom said...

I might just stick my nose where is doesn't belong and offer up my opinion too - I quite good at that. I agree with everything you said. The evidence is mounting beyond all reason that we are indeed the same person. But I might smell better.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

mnmom-I seriously doubt that you smell better than I do since I exude a musky Tom Bosley like aroma. Well, I exude it when I'm not emitting rich farty goodness into the world.

Katie Schwartz said...

THE GREAT HelenWheels, it's awesome to meet you, too.

Please tell me when you've posted. I'd love to read it and link to it.

Katie Schwartz said...

DivaJood, you can do this baby justice.

I am so in awe of MonkeyStud's responses. Very important dish here.

Unknown said...

I will! I am working on it now, and of course I keep editing it... OY! What have you done to me?!?

:)

MIMILEE said...

I couldn't DISAGREE with you more!

Obama will do nothing to CHANGE anything! He has absolutely NO experience and is very shallow, in my opinion. As for Joe Biden, he is nothing but a lying politician. He is a real sleeze as far as I am concerned.

I think McCain will win hands down!
What a wonderful American he is and so much experience! Cindy will make a gracious first lady too.....
I also love the straight forward, "barracuda" style of Sarah Palin and she has a wealth of experience.....much more than Obama!

Regards,
MIMI

Unknown said...

Nice satire??

Anonymous said...

Hey! You did an awesome job! I waited until I was finished with mine before I read yours so I wouldn't be too heavily influenced by your simian brilliance.

Nevertheless, I'm right there with you on the issues.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

mimilee-I'll leave your comment up since unlike other conservative radical right wing religious nut bags who leave comments here from time to time you have not insulted me or my readers and commenters. And you have not tried to evangelize to me. However you are one mistaken person, McCain will not win and this is Palin's last big moment on our national stage. Bush McCain is as out of touch as his BFF Bush jr. is.

Oh hang on, I just saw your blig and maybe you are putting us all on. If so, good satire, it's very funny.

Either way, thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

OMG!! I don't think she's a parody... sorry I commented on her "fluffer" post before I knew. I feel a little mean but what is she doing coddling a 40 year old divorced son and touting Palin w/out any information on her? That blog scared me ... sorry...

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Mimi-You obviously didn't read my response to your first comment. I do not allow any evangelizing in the comments section of my blog. You have the freedom to follow any stone age religion you like and I have the freedom to not follow any religion. I will delete all religious comments you leave here because this is a religion free zone. And please don't cry that I am censoring you. You are free to say whatever you like on your blog and I am free not to read it.

Helen-Please don't feed the conservative trolls who show up here from time to time, it only encourages them. I love your zeal and your comments but please, pretty please don't argue with them here anymore. I'll just delete any of their comments I find objectionable even though they'll say I'm a "hater." :)

Unknown said...

I hear ya! And I appreciate it! I was just confused! As a fellow atheist, I am likewise annoyed, btw.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Helen-I saw your comment on her "fluffer" post and I thought the same thing. :)

Katie Schwartz said...

Can't wait to see DivaD's and HelenWheels. I'm waiting with baited breath and nipple tassles. And that's Katie exercising patience, I have news.

Unknown said...

Ta daaaaa!!

My answers (finally).

Life As I Know It Now said...

It seems as if my work is cut out for me.

Life As I Know It Now said...

And wow! I got to post a comment on your excellent blog too!

KELSO'S NUTS said...

Nice work, man. I can't vote but I certainly favor Obama. What's amazing is that this is the absolute easiest choice I've ever seen in America, but Obama's social policy and the foreign policy he's shown all summer couldn't get him elected in Colombia or Israel, let alone France or Italy.

He's the ONLY choice, but I'd love to see him stronger on a range of women's issues including but not limited to choice. I also think he needs to shape up on gay and lesbian issues as well. I understand that it does him no good to be seen as "the pro-gay candidate" but what's right is right. The American LGBT community has given him a lot of passes so far on some pretty stinky things. If I were gay and living in America, I'd really have to go with McKinney, to be honest.

On criminal justice issues, he's only slightly better than McCain in the sense that he doesn't NECESSARILY believe in incarceration for drug possession. Otherwise, I can't really think of a Western head of state who holds Obama (and McCain's harsh views). Obama's in favor of the death penalty. In a huge way. He favors incarceration of juveniles with adults. He favors GITMO. He favors warrantless wiretapping. He favors the KKK-and-yer-out laws. He favors no federal parole. He favors no judicial discretion in federal sentencing. He favors PATRIOT 2.

He's fine CANDIDATE and the obvious choice for President Of The US but he couldn't get elected anywhere else in the modern world on that platform. I live in Panama and I can say without question that Manuel Noriega had a far less severe criminal justice policy than Obama has.

The coziness with religion is another problem for me. And would be for the rest of the world.

I'm probably not as down on Obama's ties to Wall Street and the Entertainment Industry as a lot of progressives are. This is kind of a cultural thing, I think. My guess is American progressives use "anti-corporate" as a more expansive term which would include a lot of the same social stuff I worry about but aren't necessarily "anti-business."

In the rest of the developed world there's more or less an agreement on a woman's right to choose, gay rights, no death penalty, no custodial sentences for victimless or minor non-violent crimes, no political prisons, the right of a speedy trial, single-payer health, separation of church and state, and a sense of being a good world citizen in trade and peace.

Because those issues are all part of the normal social contract in all the other nations of the West, business, finance, and corporations are looked on as good elements of society that promote steady growth.

It would be as weird for a left-wing French person for example to say he or she was "anti-business" as to entertain the notion for a second of a death penalty or even a life sentence.

We'll all breathe a sigh of relief when Obama wins because he's bright and logical and has great leadership abilities. But the fight's not over. Progressive Americans have to keep the pressure on him to rethink some of these ideas like incarcerating juveniles with adults. And to get way less prudish about women's issues, LGBT issues, and sex and contraception.

I know America has changed a lot in 20 years, but it sure is weird for me to think that a guy I consider a very good Democratic candidate is somewhat LESS PROGRESSIVE ALL AROUND than George H.W. Bush (Sr) was.

MommyLisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MommyLisa said...

I am EXTREEMLY concerned that Bush McCain-in my a**/Palin will win because too many people are stupid and too many of them actually go out and vote. In the GREAT STATE OF HUBERT HUMPHREY, WALTER MONDALE, et al. there is a dead heat between the two right now - and our Repubs wanted Romney! ACK!

The only thing Sarah Palin has in common with real women is that she dresses like one.