Political rant - part deux...if you dare

[theq]

I agree that things would probably be better in America, and the world, had Kerry gotten in office. Unfortunately, Rove and Co. were very successful in getting a large segment of the population scared out of their wits. I worked a little bit for the Kerry campaign, contacting DEMOCRATS to see whether or not we could count on their vote for J.K. The most telling exchange for me went like this: "Hello Mrs. D., my name is Brian, I'm working with the John Kerry campaign. We're just checking in to make sure that we can count on you to vote for J.K. for president. "

Mrs. D.: Well, we really haven't decided." I continued on the phone a bit longer and asked her if she'd seen "Farenheit 9/11". She responded that she had not. I asked if she'd like to borrow my DVD. She said that she didn't have a DVD player. I asked her if I got ahold of a VHS version, would she be want to watch it. She said "Yes, we've been wanting to watch it." When I arrived at her doorstep, after having rented the VHS, I knocked on the door. She answered without opening the door, and seemed a bit uncomfortable by my presence. Eventually she opened the door. I said, "I thought that you'd wanted to see the movie?". She said she and her husband were no longer interested in seeing it. These were REGISTERED Democrats. I asked again about her possible voting for Kerry, and she got very evasive. Some of this prompted my saying" So, I guess you've already made up your minds, and are voting for "W". She said "yes". I asked why. She said "Because he's keeping us safe". In a nutshell, that's how the GOP kept the inept bunch in office. They scared people into it.

That said, Kerry was my second choice, behind Howard Dean. I liked Howard Dean a lot, as he was/is a fiscal conservative but progressive in most other matters. He was also a vocal backer of our invasion of Afghanistan, and an opponent of an Iraq invasion. In such matters, a guy couldn't be any more correct. The GOP has its own "Dean-like" candidate in Ron Paul in this cycle. He too, despite his very effective grassroots campaigning, and chance for some moderate crossover votes, is spurned buy the party elite, just as Dean was.

If the world was to have one common bumper sticker, it would probably be: "Anybody but Bush"

If we're of the world, the world is of consequence.

[jp5]

Choosing a particular party affiliation does not require one to blindly follow all the policies and opinions of that party. I don't love all republicans and hate all democrats as Geohaye might suggest. For example I support the second amendment and am a member of the NRA. I also support a womans right to choose. I will support a candiate who is fiscally conservative yet socially a bit more liberal, someone who protects this country from the inside by protecting jobs as well as our boarders. Right wing religous fanatics scare me as much as extreme left wing fanatics because I am pretty much right in the middle. I like to see a blend of both yet prefer my margaritas on the rocks. How's that for a paradigm?

[rowena]

Jp, I think you’re probably pretty typical of Californians as a whole. Many of us chafe at having to follow blindly one particular party platform. Our governor’s like that, too.

Probably because we Californians packed up and left tradition and home---we’re immigrants, often from the Midwest---black sheep of the family packed up in the 40s and 50s from Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere to follow our dreams and forge our own path. So we tend to be independent thinkers.

But many people are Republicans or Democrats because their parents were, their grandparents were, etc. The funny thing was back in 1972, when the vote was granted to 18-year-olds…. (If they can die in Vietnam, they should be able to vote, right?) Everyone assumed the new voters because they were 18-21 years old would vote liberal Democrat, but they didn’t. They voted as their parents voted, meaning conservative Republican. It takes life experiences for many people to change their party from what their family affiliation is.

Many of us who lived through the Vietnam War saw our friends get drafted and die in a war based on lies, do not trust government at all, especially Republicans, because whereas the Democrats appeal to people’s heads, Republicans like Nixon and Bush appeal to people’s hearts, with buzzwords like “terrorist, fear, God, country, taxes, anti-American, foreigners…” We’ve seen this rhetoric used, fear tactics used, to make people vote conservative Republican. You see it in Isobars' rants. If he keeps screaming, eventually you get so tired of hearing it you just cry “uncle”.

Isobars is too old at 64 to have been part of the protest generation. He’s like my older sister’s age, and she blindly accepted whatever the President said. “He’s my president so he’s perfect….with God on our side….America is the greatest country in the world, and if you don’t like it, get out….” Blah, Blah, Blah.

Neocons like Cheney/Rove/Bush and Isobars just get people to blindly follow through such rhetoric, because they know the average American doesn’t have the time, education or inclination to really think about what they are saying.

I sure didn't think much of Kerry, but he was the anti-Bush vote for many people.

[sharkasm]

[jp5]

"protecting jobs as well as our boarders"


oooppss... I've been busted by the grammer police. I meant to write BORDERS. But, I am a boardhead so what do you expect?

MKRASNOFF FOR PRESIDENT!


hey Nealpar, how's that hangover??

[sergem]

[sixtringr]

Rather intelectual discusion for a surfing website-not that there is anything wrong with that.
Bush or Kerry was a wash. We got the lesser of two evils.
If you look at the current list of nominees it seems more likely a choice between the least offensive of several piles of dog excrement.
God we could use a man like Theodore Roosevelt again!

Mike

[brettbuchanan]

Who is John Kerry again?

[gregorvass]

[quote="rowena"]

Probably because we Californians packed up and left tradition and home---we’re immigrants, often from the Midwest---black sheep of the family packed up in the 40s and 50s from Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere to follow our dreams and forge our own path. So we tend to be independent thinkers.

Yopu mano sloparafu compa chunga rim per huppa!

[jp5]

I sensing here that a lot of people voted for Bush simply because they did not like Kerry "the lesser of two evils", from TheQ's post that seems to include democrats. Considering Bush's low approval rating this line of thinking defies logic. If the guy is doing a bad job, you replace him! At least that is the way it works in corporate America, no...come to think of it I've seen too many people doing a bad job get promoted.