April 2004

Grandpa Ain't Voting for Nobody Just Yet

I hate to admit this, but my uncle is right - this election is too critical to mince around about supporting John Kerry for President. Back in 2000, the difference between Gore winning and losing Florida was the top-to-bottom force of will on the part of every Republican involved. They wanted to win it more, and were prepared to do everything necessary. The Democrats were not ready to go all the way. This year MUST be different. If you have not seen what the Dems are up against, media and money wise, you are either blind or too damn ignorant to be voting in the first place. It's not important that our candidate is a punk; he's all we got to remove Bush from the White House. Four years is more than enough.

Three weeks ago, this article looked like another "John Kerry is a terrible candidate" article. Not anymore. Now, I've awaked to the understanding of the "No More GEORGE Bush" camp. I am reborn.

As late as last week, I wrote this about Kerry:

Why is he running? Seriously, can anyone tell me? I've heard enough of the "to make a better future for America" rubbish to last a lifetime. Everyone says that.

Besides, hasn't this guy been running for President since 1972? The title Professional Presidential Candidate makes me itch. (How, by the way, did this party manage to pick the most flawed and unexciting candidate possible? Is the Democratic Party this misguided, or do they secretly want Bush to win?)

Of the three most talked about candidates in this race, only Nader, can claim an honest reason to run for office, in my mind. Nader is a nut. Bush and Kerry, on the other hand, run for President because it is all that they can do. I mean, it is what they were bread to do. John Edwards and Howard Dean ran for office, when compared to Bush and Kerry, to make the world a better place for all people. Kerry and Bush run because they can. Can we afford to have either elected?

After watching the President's New Conference a few weeks ago, my frame of mind changed: This country would have to be absolutely nuts to cast more votes for Bush than for John Kerry. The voters did not do it in 2000, and that was before George was more than an inexperienced "uniter, not a divider." After seeing the President fail to take responsibility for one single action of his administration, I wonder why people did run to any number of other candidates - even Grandpa Munster!

Having watched the President's performance on the 13th, I became 100% certain to vote for someone other than Bush. I'm not telling you who I'm gonna vote for on election day - hell, it's too damn soon to tell - but there is no way I am going to play a part in prolonging Bush's childish administration's tenure.

Bush, when he is not playing the schoolyard bully, pretends to be a victim. At the news conference, he responded to tough, but fair, questions personally rather than directing his answers to the millions of Americans watching and hoping for an answer to a number of pressing questions of policy. Instead of being honest, he responded defensively. Bush's style of responding to questions directs the response to the reporter. "Well, Bill, that's not exactly true…" or "Now, Mary, what we're doing…" is a device that changes the reporter into an adversary, one who is raining on Bush's parade. (The media's been his lap dog for over four years now, why can't he learn to like them already?)

After he turns legitimate concern into the fantasies of the liberal media, President Bush goes into plan B, which is to pass the buck. Who's going to run Iraq after June 30th? What is the US Military's role in Iraq after the handover? Even though the President started this war, and is planning on using the war to carry him to victory in November, the answers to the most critical questions are in the hands of other people. Generals and Secretaries will, but not the President.

Who runs a country this way? Who runs for reelection this way?

Lined up back-to-back with the President, John Kerry looks like a terrific candidate. He is adult-like, faulty, and awkward, but no so much so that he looks un-presidential. Little by little, that Kerry fellow may become an honest to goodness candidate in my mind. I know he is an adult, but how is he going to not only get us out of this mess without allowing Iraq to blow up with civil war, and how is he going to change the way business is done in Washington.

Maybe I'll know next month.