Weblog
05/26/04 03:29 PM: Political Rant
It’s been a while since I’ve used this space for political rants… so here we go, eh?
It was over a year ago that I first endorsed Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination. Since then, of course, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry has emerged as the nominee-in-waiting for the party. So, what are my thoughts on Kerry and the upcoming election?
Well, it’s not a coincidence that this web site began on January 20, 2001. It emerged as a place to protest against the Bush administration… and while the content of the site has not always been dedicated to that purpose, I always keep that in mind. However, I will openly admit I am not inspired by John Kerry. I was inspired by Howard Dean, and for the first time in my life I donated time, money and effort to a candidate. But, as uninspiring as Kerry may be, I will vote for him. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. I’m damn tired of voting against people rather than voting for people.
The reason why I am voting against Bush is simple, he hasn’t proven to me he deserves four more years. Obviously he went in with a handicap, being that I didn’t think he deserved four years in the first place, but reelection is a vote of confidence, and I cannot give him that. It’s time for change, it’s time to try something new. I don’t know if Kerry will be any better, but it certainly can’t get much worse.
I’ll say that the war is the big issue, but in truth, I never would have voted for Bush. I don’t think there’s anything he could have done to get my vote, and some people will say that’s stupid. But, for me, that’s the way it is. But I think it was the war that sold me on the fact that this man cannot be given command of this nation for another term. When we opt for war, when we have the chance to plan every aspect of it, and to do it on our timetable, there is no excuse for what we are seeing now. No one seems to be in charge, the buck doesn’t stop anywhere, and it’s an embarassment. Mr. President, you can’t enjoy the distinction of being a “wartime president” when you started the war!
I realize this entry is just another liberal rant, but something Al Gore said in his speech the other day really resonated with me. On September 12th, a French newspaper ran the headline “We are all Americans now.” We had the world on our side, and look where we are now. We blew it. We alienated the world, and if there is another attack, we won’t see any pity. In fact, most will probably say we deserved it. And a part of me says, maybe they’re right.
