Tom Finch – 10/29/08


This page was last updated on October 30, 2008.


No more GOP incompetence; Thomas M. Finch; Beaver County Times; October 29, 2008.

Mr. Finch’s letters never disappoint.  As usual, his letter is little more than a string of leftist talking points.  It’s at least the 22nd anti-Bush and/or anti-Republican letter from Mr. Finch since December 2004 and the 17th since August 2006.  Here is one example.  I wish he could get a regular column in the Times.  I also wish he could get at least five minutes per day on a local radio and/or TV station.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.


“Allow me to shed some light on the misguided neo-con opinions in Friday’s letters to the editor.”

[RWC] As I’ve written before, Mr. Finch likes to use the term “neo-con,” but he never tells us what his definition is.  I suspect Mr. Finch just heard it somewhere and likes the sound.

“Republican allegations concerning Barack Obama’s ‘socialism’ were described as being ‘reckless’ and ‘laughable.’  I do not know anyone making $250,000 a year, so let them pay more taxes — they can afford it — and it will ease the burden on the rest of us.”

[RWC] Mr. Finch hasn’t been keeping up.  According to Messrs. Obama and Biden, the “$250,000 a year” dropped to $200,000 and then to $150,000.  I wonder when Mr. Finch will begin to care.

“We need responsible leadership as to how it is spent, and recent history proves Republicans are incompetent to provide it.

“Another point: it was the Republican deregulation of the banking/mortgage industry and greedy corporate speculators who trashed the stock market, not Democrats.  Yet Wall Street gets a $750 billion bailout.  How much of that will get kicked backed to the RNC?  Republicans love to preach against big government — it sounds good — until you are the one that needs help.”

[RWC] “Republican deregulation of the banking/mortgage industry?”  Public Law 106-102 repealed the “Glass-Steagall Act” in 1999 when Bill Clinton was President.  75% of House Democrats, 98% of House Republicans, 84% of Senate Democrats, and 94% of Senate Republicans voted for the repeal and then-President Clinton signed the bill.

I know Mr. Finch doesn’t care, but more Democrats voted for the bailout than Republicans.

“As for being a fascist, Bush, McCain, Rove, Limbaugh and the entire spectrum of rightwing faithful who echo their platitudes are the true poster boys of fascism in America.”

[RWC] Does anyone want to bet Mr. Finch doesn’t know the real definition of fascism?

“They’ve spent the last eight years telling lies, promoting nationalism, ruling through fear (of terrorists), trampling on the Constitution, controlling the media and ‘suppressing the opposition.’  Yet they label Obama as the fascist?”

[RWC] Blah, blah, blah.

This is at least the second time Mr. Finch has told us the “rightwing” controls the media.  As I‘ve asked before, does Mr. Finch read the Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, New York Times, Washington Post, or watch CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, et cetera?

“If the McCain campaign resorts to these tactics to win votes, they’d run the country with the same unscrupulous corruption.  We need new progressive leadership in America, not more Republican lies and incompetence.  Vote for Obama.”

[RWC] Based on his body of work, should Mr. Finch really accuse others of lying?

Finally, what’s “new” about “progressive leadership?”  The “progressive” strain of leftism has been around for at least a hundred years.  At least three presidents (Wilson, Hoover, and FDR) were progressives.


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