Campaign 2k+4

Elie Wiesel writes a great Op Ed piece on the tone of this campaign. I think most of us here fall into the categories that Wiesel writes about.

I don't consider, nor have I ever considered, myself a Democrat, yet when I look at Bush2, he inspires a flood of negative emotions in me that no political candidate has before. I have categorically refused to stand behind Kerry, because I don't really think he's a great candidate, and I don't think he'll be a great President. For me, the election is a referendum on Bush, and Bush has already failed. I find Kerry disappointing, yet only mildly offensive, so he'll do for the "anti-Bush".

I have yet to hear a defense of Bush that doesn't turn into either Clinton bashing or Kerry bashing. I've even heard Bush justified in that a second Bush term would hurt Hillary's chances in '08. My wifes uncle lives in mortal fear of a Hillary Presidency to the point that it is the overriding issue in determining who he votes for.

I respect that Foreign Minister feels otherwise than I do. Sometimes it seems that you could reverse the names above, and that would give you the basic Conservative voters feelings. My Father in Law is a combat veteran of Vietnam, and his hatred of Kerry knows no bounds. He will parrot the latest internet rumors as reasons Kerry is loathsome, and when those rumors prove false, it doesn't matter. He'll move on to the next rumor. When I question Bush's ability in front of him, I get a blank stare, then profanity directed at Kerry. I find it amusing that a native of Massachusetts who lives in Maryland can be so conservative. At least he has a sense of humor about that.

But both candidates are extremely deficient in their handling of the campaign. The US economy is not doing well, unemployment is too high, we have domestic issues that need addressing, the War against Terror has stalled, and Iraq is turning into a mess. I want to hear these issues addressed, not just questioning each others patriotism. Bush's defense of his record is absurd, and Kerry has pretty much told us jack about what he would do.

The Boomer generation has given us Clinton, Bush2, Gore, Kerry, Cheney etc. Bill Mahr said that in '96 he voted for Dole over Clinton because he felt that a Boomer he agreed with was worse than a WWII vet he disagreed with, and he felt it was the last chance we had to get a member of the Greatest Generation to lead us. He expressed fear over the capabilities of Boomers to lead, and fear that the ideology over pragmatism that marks that generation would lead to venomous partisanship. I guess he was right.