I am a bit loathe to join this thread, because I’d hate to sway people’s votes toward Bush (then again, maybe I shouldn’t kid myself into thinking I have that much power). But here I go anyway because I’m a Kerry fan only to the extent that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Many of the beefs I have against Kerry are similar to Andrew’s (By the way, Andrew, isn’t the 501-c-3 you work for supposed to be non-partisan? :)). Kerry’s avowedly pro-Israel (and hence anti-Paletine) stance is very troubling, as is his “tough guy on terror” persona. I have a feeling that his out-Bushing Bush on the terror issue is mostly about acquiring undecided voters, but I still think it’s slimy. How can you say you are against the death penalty on the one hand and on the other say you “hunt down and kill” all the terrorists on the other? Additionally, like Bush, Kerry seems to think that there are a certain number of terrorists out there, that they are born that way, and as long as we root out these genetically determined “bad people” we will have no more enemies. Although Kerry’s foreign policy is bound to be a little more palatable than Bush’s, I’m afraid with him in office we’d continue to make terrorists by antagonizing the world.
One thing I like about Bush is that he does seem to hold strong convictions. I disagree with many of those convictions, but at least he has them. Kerry, on the other hand, seems to take the stereotype of the sell-out politician to a whole new level. Even his rhetoric about faith (which he recently started pulling out to compete with Bush’s on-the-sleeve-piety), seems just that, rhetoric. I know it is not my place to judge the sincerity of his faith. But in terms of its salience for his life as a politician…there doesn’t appear to be much of a connection.
These last critiques is more of the Democratic party in general, but whatever happened to standing up for the rights of the little people, and supporting local economies? I think Kerry’s position on these issues is also flimsy. He talks about being a man for the middle class, but what about the poor? It is especially difficult for me to find a man who appears to live high on the hog to be a worthy spokesperson for social justice.
Another “little people” issue: the unborn are obvious not a huge priority to Kerry. Granted, the Democratic party has basically categorically shut down pro-life Dems, but that still isn’t a good excuse.
So, what is a girl to do in light of an inability to vote for either candidate? Because I don’t live in a swing state I have the luxury of writing someone in. Now my quandry is that I can think of so many great write-in candidates, and I don’t know who to chose from: my dad, an elder at my church, Kucinich, Nader, myself (joke—I think I ’d even trust Bush or Kerry more than myself)?
This is just an aside, but what the heck was Kerry doing in one of the debates when he insinuated that married people who struggle with homosexuality should leave their spouses?
I’m sorry I got off-topic for a bit, but it is hard not to make comparisons on a topic like this.
Janel
Oct 31 2004
10:31 pm
I am a bit loathe to join this thread, because I’d hate to sway people’s votes toward Bush (then again, maybe I shouldn’t kid myself into thinking I have that much power). But here I go anyway because I’m a Kerry fan only to the extent that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Many of the beefs I have against Kerry are similar to Andrew’s (By the way, Andrew, isn’t the 501-c-3 you work for supposed to be non-partisan? :)). Kerry’s avowedly pro-Israel (and hence anti-Paletine) stance is very troubling, as is his “tough guy on terror” persona. I have a feeling that his out-Bushing Bush on the terror issue is mostly about acquiring undecided voters, but I still think it’s slimy. How can you say you are against the death penalty on the one hand and on the other say you “hunt down and kill” all the terrorists on the other? Additionally, like Bush, Kerry seems to think that there are a certain number of terrorists out there, that they are born that way, and as long as we root out these genetically determined “bad people” we will have no more enemies. Although Kerry’s foreign policy is bound to be a little more palatable than Bush’s, I’m afraid with him in office we’d continue to make terrorists by antagonizing the world.
One thing I like about Bush is that he does seem to hold strong convictions. I disagree with many of those convictions, but at least he has them. Kerry, on the other hand, seems to take the stereotype of the sell-out politician to a whole new level. Even his rhetoric about faith (which he recently started pulling out to compete with Bush’s on-the-sleeve-piety), seems just that, rhetoric. I know it is not my place to judge the sincerity of his faith. But in terms of its salience for his life as a politician…there doesn’t appear to be much of a connection.
These last critiques is more of the Democratic party in general, but whatever happened to standing up for the rights of the little people, and supporting local economies? I think Kerry’s position on these issues is also flimsy. He talks about being a man for the middle class, but what about the poor? It is especially difficult for me to find a man who appears to live high on the hog to be a worthy spokesperson for social justice.
Another “little people” issue: the unborn are obvious not a huge priority to Kerry. Granted, the Democratic party has basically categorically shut down pro-life Dems, but that still isn’t a good excuse.
So, what is a girl to do in light of an inability to vote for either candidate? Because I don’t live in a swing state I have the luxury of writing someone in. Now my quandry is that I can think of so many great write-in candidates, and I don’t know who to chose from: my dad, an elder at my church, Kucinich, Nader, myself (joke—I think I ’d even trust Bush or Kerry more than myself)?
This is just an aside, but what the heck was Kerry doing in one of the debates when he insinuated that married people who struggle with homosexuality should leave their spouses?
I’m sorry I got off-topic for a bit, but it is hard not to make comparisons on a topic like this.