Bush
I have decided to vote for George W. Bush in the upcoming election. I know that few of you are going to be bowled over with surprise, since I've made it quite clear that I prefer his candidacy to Kerry's. Still, it was very much an open question for me until the past few weeks.
I never seriously considered voting for Kerry, but had nearly made my mind up to vote Libertarian. I actually have a long history of voting for third party and write-in candidates for president. I did not vote for Bush in 2000. In fact, the last time I voted for a major party presidential candidate was in 1988, and then I regretted it.
So why the departure from tradition? I think you already know. At the end of the day, I want a president who thinks it's more important to wage war on Islamofascism than to be liked by France. Yes, it's that simple. I admire certain other aspects of the Bush presidency and loathe others, but at in the final analysis, my decision will hinge on that one issue.
I am further motivated by the prevalence of the "Anybody but Bush" sentiment. It is a proposition fueled by irrationality and naked hate, and its pervasiveness has warped our political discourse.
When 14 months (or 12 years, depending on how you look at it) becomes a "rush to war," there is a problem.
When Bush's initiation and subsequent annual increases of funding for embryonic stem cell research are characterized as a "ban," there is a problem.
When a demagogic filmmaker's wildly inaccurate, venom-filled agit-prop is welcomed as a serious political documentary, there is a problem.
I cannot combat the poison of the ABB mindset by voting Libertarian.
I will vote for Bush. And yes, I will probably come to regret this vote as well. Less so, however, than I would regret doing otherwise.
Comments
When Kerry decided to counter President Bush's speech by talking about Vietnam service, I realized that this race is over. If the Kerry campaign hasn't yet figured out that Vietnam is a losing topic for them, they never will.
It's not even going to be close by November.
Posted by: CRB | September 3, 2004 10:43 AM
Yeah, could you freakin' believe that? Whose idea was that, anyway? And why aren't they fired? Christ, what a tone-deaf cock-up of a "rally." He should thank God most networks dumped the feed after about 2 seconds....
Posted by: Barry N. Johnson | September 3, 2004 03:56 PM
And not only was Kerry talking about Vietnam, he was attacking VP Cheney. Someone needs to remind the campaign that Kerry is running against BUSH.
Kerry has already shaken up his campaign once when he was polling behind Howard Dean, does he dare try it again with the election 60 days away?
Posted by: CRB | September 3, 2004 09:21 PM
i have to commend you on using common sense, that's something that just isn't all that common anymore. you've come to your decision based on openminded analysis on the important issues other than petty personal unsubstantiated opinions like many people seem to do now. i will be steeling your comment of "irrationality and naked hatred" if need be. i would love to vote libertarian myself, but after serving in kuwait and iraq myself, i know the details there, the good ones that the media is hiding from the public, and the gross hype they use to fertilize the bad ones, so i have to go with the candidate that is going to start the end of this already existing multidecade worldwide civil war against mulsim terrorism. we're fighting in the streets over there so we aren't fighting in the streets here.
also i hate being right about this one.
but i warned people that if islamic terrorist could get thier way, they'd kill our kids, those people scoffed at me. the reality hit in a russian school with their islamic terrorists linked to al quada, some were arab(arabs aren't chechnyians), using the candy coated name "chechnyian rebels", accomplished just that theory i had. could it have been a test there to check the public reaction and hone thier skills to do the same in america?
go ahead scoff at me, did you ever see airplanes flown into buildings before sept 11 either.
if we can free ourselves from the threat of terroism we'll have the freedom to vote for the more effective candidate in a peaceful lifetime.
Posted by: stockcar20fan | September 4, 2004 10:20 AM
When you sign a bill that expands the role of the federal government in education, you're not a conservative. When you sign a bill that spends tax dollars on free drugs, you're not a conservative. When you sign the Campaign Finance Reform Bill, you may be many things, but you are not a conservative.
God! I miss Ronaldus Magnus!
Posted by: Paul Moore | September 7, 2004 06:27 PM