Dear Friends,
I know most of you are not watching the convention so let me “bring you up to date”. The polls continue to show the race neck and neck between Kerry and President Bush. As of late the President has closed the gap and tied but Kerry continues to lead by double digits in the battleground state polls. That is where the election will be won. At this point that would indicate Kerry will become the next President.
So why is Kerry so well liked? Is he that good to unseat an incumbent President? A president that has held us together after the greatest attack on this country? A president that has brought us out of a recession acquired from Clinton despite the 9-11 tragedy and war? An economy that has created 1 million jobs since August 2003?
No. The reason they like Kerry is because they know nothing about him. The less you know about the facts the more likely you are going to vote for Kerry. This is especially true of the youth vote. It is "trendy" to be for Kerry. The "cool" people like the rock stars and Hollywood elite promote Kerry in their concerts and movies. When you ask most Kerry supporters why they are going to vote for him they mainly state "because I hate Bush". What do they know about Kerry? - nothing. They know absolutely nothing about Senator Kerry nor his voting record while in congress. They believe they are voting for the lesser of two evils in choosing Kerry. But is Kerry really the lesser of two evils? Is Bush really an Evil man? Well let’s look at some facts. No Republican propaganda, just facts.
You decide.
Do Kerry supporters know his views on national security? Kerry states he will be strong on the war on terror. Yet do they know he voted to kill the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. He voted to kill the M-1 Abrams tank. He voted to kill every Aircraft carrier laid down from 1988. He voted to kill the Aegis anti-aircraft system. He voted to kill the F-15 strike Eagle. He voted to kill the Block 60 F-16. He voted to kill the P-3 Orion aircraft upgrade to improve electronic surveillance, he voted to kill the B-1 bomber. He voted to kill the B-2 bomber. He voted to kill the Patriot anti missile system. He voted to kill the FA-18 Hornet. He voted to kill the F-117 stealth fighter. He voted to kill the battle armor for our troops in Iraq. He voted to cut the funding to the CIA by 80% and FBI by 60%. He then blames Bush for all the intelligence gathering mistakes!
Do Kerry supporters know this? NO, but I bet you they know who was the latest person kicked off the Survivor show.
Do they know that the economy has been steadily improving? That we are no longer in a recession. That the past recession was inherited from Clinton prior to Bush taking over. Do they know that over 1 million jobs have been created over the past 12 months? And all this despite the enormous economic damage from 9-11 and fighting a war? No, but they know that OutKast won the MTV awards.
Do they know Kerry’s stance on taxes? Do they know he has voted to raise taxes 98 times including the middle class? He states he will not raise taxes on the middle class but he knows that the present tax cut that Bush gave all of us will automatically revert unless action is taken. So, by doing nothing during the next term the taxes will go up automatically. That is a fact. Bush will promote legislation to make the tax cuts permanent. Kerry will not. That is a fact. You will take less home from your paycheck. He also voted against increasing the child tax credit . Do they know that? No, but they do know who is the latest winner on American Idol.
Do they know about Kerry’s stance on the war? Actually no one does because he won’t make up his mind! He sits on the senate intelligence committee and saw the same intelligence data given to President Bush. He, just like Bush voted to go to Iraq. Now he calls Bush a liar. That Bush mislead us. Yet he knows that is not true. Yet he continues to deceive people by calling Bush a liar. Lied about what? We WERE attacked on 9-11. They Were middle eastern terrorists. They had ties to Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction - they used them against the Kurdish people. We tried all diplomatic means for several years but it did not work. So we went in because we had to. Lucky for us Sadam hid/destroyed his weapons because he knew we were coming but they did exist. Just ask Kerry. The world is safer now without the Taliban and with Sadam Hussein sitting in jail. Kerry knows these simple truths. The Bi-partisan 9-11 commission came to all these conclusions. They are there for all of us to read. They show the President was right and he lied about nothing. They refute all the lies in the movie by Michael Moore to which Kerry repeats as a mantra “Bush lied”. Do the basic Kerry supporters know this? No, but they do know the names of all the family members of Ozzie Osborne.
Do they know that Kerry voted against the partial birth abortion ban that would ban late 3rd trimester abortion on a live, viable, baby? That he voted against the Laci Peterson law making it double murder when someone murders a pregnant women. Yet he states he believes life starts at conception. Do they know this? No, but they know what Jessica Simpson’s sisters latest fashion wear is.
Do they know that while Kerry blames Bush for higher gas and fuel prices he and his democratic senators blocked Bush’s proposal to drill for vast oil supplies here in Alaska and Gulf coast in an environmentally safe method. This would have made us less dependant on foreign oil. You can’t have it both ways. He knows that oil prices currently are controlled by the OPEC foreign ministers not Bush or Cheney. Do the Kerry voters know this? No, but they know the name of the latest character to get “whacked” on the Sopranos.
Do they know what kind of person Kerry is? They think he represents the little man unlike big,bad,oil rich Bush. Do they know that Kerry’s wealth far exceeds Bush and is over 700 million? That he owns a private Gulfstream V jet called The Flying Squirrel (Bush has no plane). That Kerry has an $850,000 yacht called “Scaramouche”.
That he owns several large SUV’s while lecturing us about using them and damaging the environment. That Kerry owns 8 mansions here in the US and abroad (Bush has a ranch and Bush family have a beach house in Maine). Do they know this? No, he represents the little man, he understands us.
Do they know who his wife is? We all know how a wife can influence a husband. Do they know that he and Teresa Heinz Kerry own 28 manufacturing plants (Heinz) outside the U.S.? Yet he states Bush sends jobs overseas while he does not practice what he preaches. Do they know that Teresa Kerry contributed money to organizations tied to anti-American and terrorists activities - The Tides Foundation, Democratic Justice Fund, Council for American-Islamic Relations, National Lawyers Guild. Do they know this? No, but I bet you they know the names of the latest players cut from the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Do they know that despite all his years in congress Kerry never once proposed any legislation to improve health care? That he has elected a running mate Edwards who is a trial lawyer that has made his millions on suing mainly doctors, which is the main reason why health care is so costly in this country! Do they know this? No, they just know that Kerry is going to take care of me and give us all healthcare. Yea, right. Who can forget candidate Clinton in 1992 holding up a universal health care card that he promised all Americans would get. What happened?
Do they know that Bush has no ties to the SwiftMud boat commercials that refute Kerry’s activities in Vietnam and that Bush has called on them to stop? That Kerry campaign manager is also head of MoveOn.org which have commercials calling President Bush a liar, a coward and personally poisoning pregnant women? Yet Kerry has not denied them. Do they know this? No, they just hate Bush.
Do they know that Kerry graduated from Yale University with a low C average? Unlike George W Bush, he went to no higher education and did not get admitted to Harvard nor graduate with an MBA. W did. Do they know this? No, they just know Bush is an idiot.
My friends this is what it comes down to. People are misinformed. In order to vote correctly in an election you must know the facts and make an informed decision.
The Kerry campaign is hoping people stay misinformed. That people do not look into the facts. That people do not look at his voting record. That people continue hating Bush. My friends the banner of the Kerry campaign is hate and misinformation. He is depending on your ignorance of the facts and your unfounded hate of Bush in order to garnish your vote. I cannot ally with hate and ignorance of the facts. As a responsible citizen you must become informed and educate those around you. Motivate them to register to vote and cast an informed vote on Nov 2. Energize yourself and those around you!
This is why I hate election years. People denouncing the opposing party's tacticts by using the exact same tactics. You can take any set of "facts" leave out the ones that hurt your argument and emphasize the ones that help and make it sound like your side is brilliant. I think they do it in the court room in a similar fashion if I'm not mistaken. Let me try it with some "non- democratic propaganda facts."
Hate and misinformation you say? They "hate" Bush because they don't like his policies? They "hate" Bush because they see the last 4 years as 4 of the worst years politically and economically in the history of America? They "hate" bush because he turned the largest surplus in the history of our country into the largest deficit? They "hate" Bush because America has never been more disrespected abroad as it is right now? They "hate" bush because his public school reform has caused the entire Florida public school system to become so ineffective that parents refuse to send their children there for fear of their futures? They "hate" bush because more Americans die every day in Iraq for a war the entire world wanted W to stay out of...a war that was started on false pretenses (WMD) and reasons that could apply to dozens of other countries without huge oil deposits (do you think Iraq is the only 3rd world country with strong-man leadership and mass murders of minorities?). I'd say Kerry supporters disagree with Bush on important issues they feel strongly about. They could give a crap about Bush as a person.
Unfortunately, I am writing this from work and have not had the time to find as many fun factoids about bush as you have dug up about Kerry, but I have little doubt they exist. And as for all the fun little pop culture references, this sounds fairly hypocritical coming from someone who relies on the terminator to back up their economic policies by calling any doubters "economic girly-men." Anyway, I'm normally not that political, but as someone who works 20 blocks away from the RNC and witnesses the protests of a quarter million unhappy americans I find this sort of partisan diatrabe fairly unsavory.
And as opposed to hate and misinformation, why don't we talk about fear and blind patriotism? As someone who watched the world trade center crash down about 2 miles away from my roof I am thorougly disgusted by the republican party's use of fear and gratuitous 9/11 references in an effort to scare middle america into making that same uninformed decision that you seem so concerned about. Anyway, I thought the title of this board was "capital F-U-N" so I'll stop now (before getting into how thoroughly hypocritical it is for pro-bush fanantics to slander Kerry's war record when Bush spent his war days drinking, snorting coke and avoiding national guard duty).
And when considering Bush's re-election, please keep in mind these words of wisdom that our sitting president graced us with in the not-so-distant past:
"There's a saying in Tennessee, well it's a saying in Texas and they probably say it in Tennessee too. Fool me once...shame on me. Fool me twice..(long pause)...can't get fooled again!"
Certainly, Captial F-U-N is an appropriate forum for this. Aren't polictics FUN?
I love when folks use the term "false pretenses". Fortunately, I can supply you with a factual, hand-picked list of quotes that shows why false pretense is not entirely republican nor conservative to boot. Certainly, the truth lie somehwere in between!
Here is the list:
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is
the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten time since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18,1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to
respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct. 9,1998
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
"Hussein has .. chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." -
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible
to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course
to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." - Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein
because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9,2002
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years . We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weap ons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime . He presents a
particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation . And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass
destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real" - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
SO NOW EVERY ONE OF THESE FOLKS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED--THAT THERE EVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND HE TOOK US TO WAR UNNECESSARILY! The media and networks won't do it. Why do you suppose that is?
TSAUR write, "There's a saying in Tennessee, well it's a saying in Texas and they probably say it in Tennessee too. Fool me once...shame on me. Fool me twice..(long pause)...can't get fooled again!"
Tennessee voted for Bush in the last election as did Texas. The voting public certainly knows how not to get fooled.
I work with a lot of folks in Tennessee, and from the stories they tell, it make clear sense why the state "lost" the election for Gore (Florida withstanding). It has nothing to do with getting fooled.
Virtually anyone can be a democrat.
Just simply quit thinking (about it) and vote that way.
If you want to be a GOOD democrat, however, there are some prerequisites
you must have first.
Compare them below and see how you rate...
1. You have to believe the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of Federal
funding.
2. You have to believe that the same school system that can't teach 4th graders how to read is somehow the best qualified to teach those same kids all about sex.
3. You have to believe that guns, in the hands of law-abiding Americans, are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology, in the hands of Chinese communists.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal funding.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical, documented changes in the earth's climate, and more affected by Americans driving SUVs'!
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial but being homosexual is natural.
7. You have to be against capital punishment but support abortion on demand.
8. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments
create prosperity.
9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but loony activists from Seattle do.
10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
11. You have to believe the U.S. military, not evil, tyrannical regimes, start wars.
12. You have to believe the NRA is bad, because it supports certain parts
of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good, because it supports certain parts of the constitution.
13. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, General Robert E.Lee or Thomas Edison.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
16. You have to believe Hillary Clinton is all about "progress" and not power. She just wants to help us out of the archaic system of governing that we've been subjected to since our founding.
17. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried, is because the right people haven't been in
charge.
18. You have to believe Republicans telling the truth belong in jail, but a cheat, liar and sex offender belongs in the White House and you would vote him back in there in a New York minute (if you could).
19. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag, transvestites and bestiality should be constitutionally protected and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
20. You have to believe that illegal Democrat Party funding by the Chinese
is somehow in the best interest of the United States.
21. You have to believe that the vociferous minorities who protest against prayer and saluting the flag in school have far more rights than the majority who believe in God and country and want these values to be
instilled in our young children.
If you are locked in solidly to most of these beliefs - you're gonna be a big asset to John Kerry.
**Pollyanna mode on **
Herein lies the problem with our political system as it exists: Both sides spend all of their time telling me why I DON'T want to be the other side, rather than why I DO want to be with them.
I'm going to update my resume in this same vain.
* Unlike Pete Smith I DID NOT unleash blank worm on Company XYZ's network.
* NEVER took an extra 30 minutes for lunch..but Jane Dixon DID!
Watch the debate tonight. Listen to both sides, particularly the parts when they talk about WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO and WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN! Weigh those answers against your personal beliefs and vote your conscience. That's the American way... or at least it should be.
**Pollyanna mode off **
How dare you use wit, humor, and sarcasm to emphasize your inescapable Vulcan logic! lol Nice
That just got copied and fwd'ed to about 20 people in my company who desperately need to read it.
That fact that people with attitutes like this are roaming the streets of a swing state frightens the be-jesus out of me...some quick retorts:
1. You have to believe the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of Federal
funding.
- I could start out every response by saying "this is just plain argumentative and idiotic," but in the interest of time I will do it here and be done with it for the rest. As for the specific point, do republicans think saving the lives of homosexuals isn't worth it if it cuts into taxpayers money? Do they think federal programs and studys cannot help stem the spread of a deadly disease that has killed thousands upon thousands of americans? What point exactly were you trying to make here?
2. You have to believe that the same school system that can't teach 4th graders how to read is somehow the best qualified to teach those same kids all about sex.
-You think sexual education is bad? Do you feel qualified to tell your children about every STD, possible symptom or means of protection that exists out there? Do think every parent can say "wait till your married 'cause that's what your parents and God want" and have their kids actually listen? Whaaaaa?
3. You have to believe that guns, in the hands of law-abiding Americans, are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology, in the hands of Chinese communists.
Tell that to the parents of the kids at columbine...or the parent of the girl at the day care center in detroit yesterday. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time a group of american kids were killed by communist nuclear weapons.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal funding.
Sigh. Don't like federally funded art huh? You want to trust GM or Microsoft to sponsor the Natural History Museum or the Museum of Modern Art? The picasso's will have butterfly logos on them and the dinosaurs will be driving SUV's.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical, documented changes in the earth's climate, and more affected by Americans driving SUVs'!
Wow, this one gets an exclimation mark! I am fairly certain the world can agree that exaust from gasoline car engines contributes to global warming and pollution (ever been to LA? There's a reason you can't see more than a mile on a clear day and that the sunsets are so pretty). Do you think that because something isn't the only reason a problem exists we should ignore it?
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial but being homosexual is natural.
Here's a good one...been doing some DNA research lately? Found the "cure" to being gay have we? Personally I think being a republican is unnatural and against God's true plan, but I don't try to take away your legal rights because of it.
7. You have to be against capital punishment but support abortion on demand.
On demand? Like cable? I actually am against abortion...but do you think a case where a women is raped or having the child may kill the mother is wrong? I don't know about you, but I don't feel that's my decision to make...or my state legislators.
8. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments
create prosperity.
I don't know about you, but staying util 3 in the moring 3 nights a week working a corporate deal feels pretty oppressive. ;)
9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but loony activists from Seattle do.
So people who express there beliefs in a cause that is inarguably important to the world and the future are looney, but people who dress in orange while sitting out in the woods drinking beer all day are sane? Neat.
10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
Hmm...tough one, very esoteric. But I bet earning self esteem is a mite easier when you have the confidence to leave your apartment and interact with other people (which may require some help in some cases).
11. You have to believe the U.S. military, not evil, tyrannical regimes, start wars.
No you don't. ;) I believe FDR was a democrat.
12. You have to believe the NRA is bad, because it supports certain parts
of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good, because it supports certain parts of the constitution.
Sure, I support an armed militia ready to repel the british from my front yard...not sure if I support a dude with an AK-47 shooting up a day care center though.
13. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
I don't think those ATM fees go to paying back bush's 300 billion dollar deficit or helping save social security.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, General Robert E.Lee or Thomas Edison.
Not a history major, but I hear Ms. Steinem was a babe.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
Another sigh. Don't like affirmative action huh? See what happened in Texas, California and "ahem" Michigan after their systems were changed by the courts? You will find that the numbers of minority and financially underpriviledged students dropped exponetially the following year. But hey, fair is fair, right? You weren't born into a priveledged family with the right amount of money I guess you're screwed.
16. You have to believe Hillary Clinton is all about "progress" and not power. She just wants to help us out of the archaic system of governing that we've been subjected to since our founding.
I think Ms. Clinton is a babe too.
17. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried, is because the right people haven't been in charge.
Yeah, I could have lit a fire under communist russia and got them to shape up their act! Uh, actually it would take some convincing to make me believe that social programs = communism. Just because we do not share assets equally among everyone does not mean we have to ignore the underpriveledged. Part of the term "society" entails giving help to those who do not have the same skills and benefits as others. But, I can see the plus side of telling that mother of 4 in flint who's husband has been laid off to get a job and stop whining.
18. You have to believe Republicans telling the truth belong in jail, but a cheat, liar and sex offender belongs in the White House and you would vote him back in there in a New York minute (if you could).
Yeah, I'd rather have a C-student, alcoholic coke-head who can't pronounce nuclear running my country. And it's not nice to call someone a sex offender when they have never been charged with a sex crime, especially when that person is a Rhodes Scholar.
19. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag, transvestites and bestiality should be constitutionally protected and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
I say the gay pride parade in manhattan and I don't recall any donkeys being involved. And if you remember correctly, the founding fathers had a fairly good reason for seperating church and state. It has worked out pretty well so far (oldest effective constitution/government on the planet).
20. You have to believe that illegal Democrat Party funding by the Chinese
is somehow in the best interest of the United States.
As opposed to all that halliburton and swift boat for truth stuff. Not to mention some oil concerns that just may have a connection with Mr. "don't mess with texas"
21. You have to believe that the vociferous minorities who protest against prayer and saluting the flag in school have far more rights than the majority who believe in God and country and want these values to be
instilled in our young children.
Nope, I just think that both are entitled to their opinions, so says the constitution. See previous seperation of church and state comment as well.
Cool, now I fully hope to have my comments further commented upon so that someone else can waste as much time as I just did.
Vote your conscience!
Hi everyone. As Michigan is again a battleground state and could very well swing the course of this election, I just wanted to "bump" this topic up to the front of the board again.
Please peruse the above arguments made against Kerry and for Bush, especially the list of "how to be a good democrat" posted on September 30, 2004 and the claim that unemployment was going down and the economy was looking better under the Bush presidency. Look familiar? The Bush/Rove campaign of 2004 effectively used a "war of personality" to scare Americans into voting for Bush, and to the detriment of the nation it worked. What has happened since then? Although it seemed impossible at the time, the economy spiraled even further out of control, America's image abroad went even further into the toilet and the war that started SEVEN YEARS AGO still shows no definitive signs of ending in "victory."
Once again, the Republican party is attempting to distract and frighten Americans with claims of a lack of patriotism, teaching sex-ed to kindergartners and unjustified, patently false claims of sexism and elitism. Just like Bush defeated Kerry by falsely slandering his war record and scaring Americans with threats of terrorist attacks and homosexual uprisings, now McCain will use charges of sexism and elitism to distract you from the issues that are effecting Americans, and notably Michiganders. The Economy, the Environment and Energy Independence. McCain's economic plan DOES NOT DIFFER FROM BUSH'S. He wants to make Bush's tax cuts (which focus on massive cuts to large corporations and the top 1% of the nation's wealthy) permanent and hope for the best. He talks of "reform" as if America's problems can be fixed by "cutting off the old-boy network." That's not a plan, that's a catch-phrase. Not to mention, if you watched the RNC and the folks who were cheering for McCain, like me you must of wondered if there were any members of the "old-boy network" left outside of the convention hall.
Please don't be distracted by talk of lipstick, hockey-moms and mavericks. None of these words really mean anything to your lives, and they certainly will not lower the price of gas or decrease the unemployment rate in Michigan. Listen to the debates and think about the real issues that effect your life. Finally, ask yourself if you like the way the country has gone in the past 8 years and vote your conscience.
This is an easy decision for me!