It would be a lonely state for me if I had to turn my back on those who are Bush supporters. (Granted, fortunately, I would get to keep most of my close friends and relatives.)
Because Texas is Bush's state and very comfortably in Bush's column, the issue of who to support will never be joined for many--they won't see the ads, debate the issues, or even really care. Bush leads here by about the same margin as Kerry leads in Mass.
I have given Kerry money, put his sticker on my car, and his sign on my lawn--until it was stolen!
I have now lived through a lot of elections that I thought were very important, critical at the time. I feel the same way about this one, I guess. But the reality, with a few key exceptions, is that the two parties are not that far apart--some consider them one party with two names. Even if Kerry gets elected, he will have two Republican houses to contend with--forget about him accomplishing even half of what he promises. And even Kerry has not stated he will differ from Bush in the conduct of the war; he certainly will not pull out and leave the new Iraqi government in the lurch. He will be inheriting a bad situation, but it's unclear how his approach will differ in getting out of that bad place. He will try to internationalize the effort, but it seems so unlikely our erstwhile allies will offer up innocent lives to take the place of Americans after Bush got us into the mess over their objections.
The key shift in voter dynamics will not occur until the mass of voters who support Republicans realize that the GOP does not represent their class interests. Rich people do not need health care, head-start programs, college loans, job training, job protection, a higher mainimum wage, or social safety nets; the vast majority of people (including rural white males) do. The GOP gets a lot of its support from people who vote their "values," altyhough for the life of me I cannot see what is so Christ-like about cutting taxes. In any event, this is why the president talks about banning gay marriage--does anyone really thinks the guy cares otherwise? (By the way, Kerry also opposes "gay marriage" but supports civil unions, not necessarily a position at odds with Bush's.)
When that shift occurs, we will see the re-emergence of the "moderate" Republican wing that seems to have withered away almost completely.
On the whole, I will be glad if I never have to see Condi Rice on Meet the Press after November, and that is reason enough to strongly support Kerry.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2004-08-08 10:08 am (UTC)Because Texas is Bush's state and very comfortably in Bush's column, the issue of who to support will never be joined for many--they won't see the ads, debate the issues, or even really care. Bush leads here by about the same margin as Kerry leads in Mass.
I have given Kerry money, put his sticker on my car, and his sign on my lawn--until it was stolen!
I have now lived through a lot of elections that I thought were very important, critical at the time. I feel the same way about this one, I guess. But the reality, with a few key exceptions, is that the two parties are not that far apart--some consider them one party with two names. Even if Kerry gets elected, he will have two Republican houses to contend with--forget about him accomplishing even half of what he promises. And even Kerry has not stated he will differ from Bush in the conduct of the war; he certainly will not pull out and leave the new Iraqi government in the lurch. He will be inheriting a bad situation, but it's unclear how his approach will differ in getting out of that bad place. He will try to internationalize the effort, but it seems so unlikely our erstwhile allies will offer up innocent lives to take the place of Americans after Bush got us into the mess over their objections.
The key shift in voter dynamics will not occur until the mass of voters who support Republicans realize that the GOP does not represent their class interests. Rich people do not need health care, head-start programs, college loans, job training, job protection, a higher mainimum wage, or social safety nets; the vast majority of people (including rural white males) do. The GOP gets a lot of its support from people who vote their "values," altyhough for the life of me I cannot see what is so Christ-like about cutting taxes. In any event, this is why the president talks about banning gay marriage--does anyone really thinks the guy cares otherwise? (By the way, Kerry also opposes "gay marriage" but supports civil unions, not necessarily a position at odds with Bush's.)
When that shift occurs, we will see the re-emergence of the "moderate" Republican wing that seems to have withered away almost completely.
On the whole, I will be glad if I never have to see Condi Rice on Meet the Press after November, and that is reason enough to strongly support Kerry.