Voting for Democrats on November 2
There are always two sides when an incumbent president is running for re-election. The first is whether the guy with the job has done a decent job, the next is, who are we picking to replace him?
The answer to the first part is obvious. Three and a half years of George W. Bush have left America poorer, less employed, more heavily taxed (state and local increases far exceeding minimal federal decreases), less insured, less healthy, less respected in the world, less safe from terror; with 3,000 civilians dead, and over 10,000 military casualties. More children (born and "unborn") are dying, schools are more stressed than ever before, there are fewer cops on the streets, the gap between rich and poor has grown dramatically, and we are more segregated and more divided than at any time in the last half century.
But what about our choice. Well, listen, I know many of you are frustrated, but you shouldn't be. John Kerry wasn't my "first choice" but he's an excellent choice. He's a real hero, not an invented "tough guy." He was a real hero in Vietnam; not because he went, that was just his responsibility as a young man of his times, but because he was a leader who did what was necessary to keep his troops safe in an unsafe place. He was a much bigger hero on his return; sticking up for what he knew was right by opposing a cruel, destructive, and pointless war. His question then, "how do you ask someone to be the last person to die for a mistake?" contrasts brilliantly with George W. Bush's cowardly surety with the lives of others.
But even though those actions reveal the true character of the man that was a long time
ago. So let's look more recently. John Kerry, as a freshman US Senator, led the charge against the extremely popular Ronald Reagan on the Iran-Contra issue, a time when Republicans were not just supporting nun-killers in Central America but were providing the "Axis of Evil" with sophisticated US arms. Also during the Reagan years John Kerry was a voice for fiscal sanity, insisting that we could never have the social programs America needs to compete in the world, nor guarantee Social Security, without balancing the budget. This while Reagan was making himself extremely well-liked by running the deficit up to unimagined levels (though, of course, nothing like we've got now) while raising taxes. That was risky for a Democrat then, but he was right.
In the Senate John Kerry has consistently been for women's rights, for expanding health insurance, for expanding federal support of education and increasing grants for college students, for shifting the tax burden back away from those earning under $50,000 annually to the super-rich and corporations, for civil rights for everyone, for the right of all Americans to vote. All this absolute consistency is proven out by Bush's claim that he is "the most liberal Senator." Of course he is not, no one outside the Bush campaign and the National Journal (part of the Bush campaign) thinks he is. But everytime Bush says this it proves Kerry is no "flip-flopper." The record in support of what is right for Americans is clear.
On the controversial votes John Kerry has taken the kind of nuanced positions we require
of our leaders. Despite George W. Bush's limited view of American intelligence, we know that even as parents the world is more than "yes" or "no" or other absolutes. So one can desire to finally fix the Bush administration's decision to send our troops into war without body armor without wanting to approve a multi-billion dollar slush fund for the Vice-President's friends. One can think abortion is a bad thing without insisting (as Republicans do) that an unborn fetus should have more rights than it's very alive mother. One can even believe that legal marriage in the US is contract law, and that it is different than religious marriage. (After all, no state recognizes the religious content of marriage: no state stops a Catholic from divorcing, for example, or accepts as legal any church document signed during the marriage ceremony.) And, unlike Bush/Cheney who won't even speak to Congressional Democrats, Kerry has forged bipartisan connections throughout his career. He might be able to make Washington a functional place again.
And in this campaign John Kerry has put out clear plans to provide health insurance to every American child, and another 10 million adults minimum. He has shown how he can
improve aid to our schools, raise college grants, and increase both the size and the pay of the military, all simply by rolling back Bush's irresponsible tax cuts on those with taxable incomes over $200,000 (remember folks, the mean family income in America is $37,000). He shows absolute support for the American soldier as well as respect for the international need for law and coalitions and a respect for human life on every continent. No Kerry Administration Defense Secretary would generate an Abu Ghraib nightmare that strips the US of moral authority around the globe. And he won't appoint anyone like Clarence ("Americans don't have the right to trial") Thomas to the Supreme Court. Will he do everything I want done in America? Obviously not. Will his Presidency make America stronger, healthier, better? Obviously yes.
Tuesday is vital day in America. And you need to not just vote for John Kerry and John Edwards. From Capitol Hill to your state legislature Republicans are leading the drive against American Values. In Washington that includes putting vicious right-wing maniacs like Tom DeLay, Dennis Hastert, Trent Lott, and Bill Frist into power. In Statehouses they are working overtime to write discrimination into state constitutions. They are trying to pull health insurance from poor families. They are opposing increases in the minimum wage. Worst of all, their Secretaries of State are fighting with all their might to take voting rights away from US citizens. Republicans don't want you to vote, or they want you to vote for
the third party candidate they've put on the ballot to distract you. Don't be fooled. Vote for John Kerry/John Edwards at the top, Vote for Democrats for Congress, Senate, Governor and every State Legislative Position. Tuesday is the day to take America Back!
Kerry/Edwards November 2
here's one last quote from today's New York Times: "'My fiancé is in Iraq, I want him to come home now, and I don't want him to be shipped off ever again for unclear reasons," said Anne Spooner, 20, who was jumping out of her white flip-flops to catch a glimpse of Mr. Kerry in Orlando on Friday. "If Kerry is a little awkward, so be it. We're electing a president, not a celebrity."
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