November 3, 2008: Vol. 31, No. 44

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November 3, 2008 / Brooklyn news / Politics / The Politicrasher

War is hell — but it pays the bills! How Obama lost another Ohio vote

By The Politicrasher

The Brooklyn Paper

CINCINNATI, OHIO — I had to come all the way to Ohio to see just how right President Eisenhower was.

The 34th president had famously warned his fellow Americans about ceding too much power to a military-industrial complex — but the perniciousness of those vague words was readily apparent when I accompanied an Obama volunteer to the home of Tammy Marcotte, a 33-year-old living in an upper middle class suburb of the Queen City, where I have come to document the last throes of our election.

Orchestra of St Lukes

Marcotte started by telling the Obama canvasser that she was still “undecided” — undecided! The very a word sends a delightful charge up the spine of any political worker (the chance to actually influence someone! It’s like getting the Glengarry leads!).

Then she excited the volunteer even more when said he one issue was “jobs.”

Jobs?! That’s the ultimate hanging curve to these Obama troops. “Well, you know, Ohio has lost 200,000 jobs in seven years, the most since the Great Depression …” the worker said.

“No,” Marcotte responded. “I’m interested in only one job — my husband’s.”

BoroDeal

The husband, it turns out, makes Meals Ready to Eat for the U.S. military — “and if Obama pulls us out of Iraq, he’ll lose his job.”

And there was the very danger that Eisenhower warned against — the notion that Marcotte’s, and no doubt tens of thousands of other Americans (many of them actually peace-loving), are so heavily connected to a war economy that ending the war would be bad for their bottom line.

So Obama loses another Ohio vote because his desire to bring our troops home safely would necessarily — and negatively — affect the good, hard-working Americans who feed them.

The volunteer didn’t really know what to say. But I do: War truly is hell — and not just because it’s bloody, destructive and dehumanizing. It also makes good, honest Americans vote against their most vital national interest: peace.

War, after all, pays the bills in the Marcotte home.

Wherever there is a smoke-filled backroom or a smoke-free barroom, The Brooklyn Paper’s Politicrasher will be there, bringing you the inside dope on our next generation of leaders. Got a hot tip for the Politicrasher? E-mail Newsroom@BrooklynPaper.com.

←Politics: Full election monty! McMahon, Squadron, and, oh, Obama win big!

→Politicrasher: Obama vs. McCain: It all comes down to the juice boxes

Reader Feedback

Joe from PH says:

The 10 billion a month everyone screams about that the Iraq war costs. Many people do not realize most of that 10 billion a month is providing tens of thousands of jobs right here in America. After every war the country experiences a recession for this exact reason. The costs of the war in dollars creates tens of thousands of jobs. The war ends so does the need of the jobs it creates. Sad but true. If Obama is elected and ends the war the recession we are in will only be extended and deeper. Sad but true.

Nov. 3, 2008, 4:24 pm

Scott from St. Louis says:

I'm sure you meant well. However, we feed them to all sorts of folks around the world in volumes far exceeding what the military consumes. BTW, the military - which was established by the Constitution - does more humanitarian work than any NGO or the like. After Katrina, what were people eating thanks to the National Guard? MREs. And that's while they waited for a bunch of civil servants, most of whom at the middle and lower levels are about as motivated as a koala bear on eucalyptus, tried to 'get help' to them in the first 72hrs. So, I wonder did you actually mean well, or are you are just naive and poorly informed? Hm? Or maybe you are just an idiot :)

Nov. 4, 2008, 12:32 am

Scott from St. Louis says:

Joe, that was intended for the young genius, not you. You, sir, are correct.

Nov. 4, 2008, 12:33 am

Joe from PH says:

Scott,

The problem is most people are misguided on facts. Many people have total disdain for the military or for even the way the military is used. The problem is partisan politics of individuals blinds an individual from understanding and appreciating what our military provides. The military provides humanitarian aid to the threat or even actual use of force is necessary in the world we live in.

Nov. 4, 2008, 11:02 am

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