This post made me think, which is good and bad, actually. Why? Well, it made me think about why I was voting for Bush, which is good. But then I came up with the answer, which is bad. You see I, like many Americans, am voting for the lesser of two evils. Personally, I’d rather have McCain.
I read all 62 comments on Ari’s site, and the one thing that bothered me most was “Bush lied about Iraq”. He did? Holy Crap! You mean, gasp, that a politician, especially the Leader of the Free World, lied? How can this be? Politicians don’t lie. They’re there to serve the needs of The American People. They tell us that all the time. If the American People want it, then by God, I want it too. How often have we heard that only to respond, “Uh, this American People doesn’t want you to do that”. Gay marriage, gun control, Medicare, Social Security, and dozens of other issues can be resolved when the politician votes according to the will of The American People. Trouble is folks, the will of The American People may not be the will of the American Lobbyist. And guess who wins? It ain’t us.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that if you’re not going to vote for a man because he “lies”, then you might as well not vote at all. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…All politicians lie. To some extent or another, they don’t tell the truth. It’s part of the job. You show me a politician who has not told a lie and I’ll show you the most ineffective politician ever. The question is, why do they lie?
That, my friends, is the $64,000 question. My answer is this: They lie because we allow them to. There is no accountability if the politician is caught in a lie. Sure, we bluster and bitch and complain, but in the long run, nothing substantial happens. Clinton lied about Monica. Nothing happened. Nixon lied about Watergate. He resigned, but then 15 years later, he was lauded as a Republican hero. Reagan lied about Iran Contra. Nothing. I’m sure Ford lied about something, but not many people were paying attention to him, so it didn’t really matter. Sure, some of you will say, "Vote 'em out of office". That's an idea that rarely works. Well, unless you're Gray Davis.
A prime example is happening here in Mississippi. The Republican Governor, Haley Barbour, has cut 65,000 people from Medicaid with plans to shift them to the federal Medicare system. He did this with the full knowledge and support of the Legislature. Guess what? It's not very popular at all. It's causing a huge problem for many legislators. And now some of those legislators are calling on the Governor to open a special session, at taxpayer expense, to overturn the decision that THEY made. Liars, all of them.
There were some arguments that Bush’s tax plan helped the rich. Sure, it may have, but remember something, the rich will always find ways to get around taxes. They can afford to hire tax attorneys to do that. I’m sure if you or I could afford them, we’d pay fewer taxes too.
Others complained about Bush severing ties with our “allies”, Germany and France. C’mon, France? Ever wonder why Chirac hates America? It’s because his voters hate America. He could take a crap on the steps of Notre Dame, say it was in response to something Bush said, and then be elected president for life of France. Honestly, people, I’m getting tired of apologizing for being an American.
Well, I seem to have veered off topic a bit. The original point I was trying to make is pretty much the same thing Ari says. I’m not voting for Bush because I think he’s the best candidate available, I’m voting for him because he’s the only alternative.
Yes, I'm a Kerry "lesser-of-two-evils" kind of girl. Gah.
Wouldn't it be nice if both parties got so much of their shit together that they both had viable, strong leaders with real live differences that voters could choose between? Dear lord. Voter turnout would be insane.
McCain v. Clinton (either one of 'em, actually)? Dammmmnnnnnnn.
I keep thinking the Green Party was right more and more - direct elections, instant runoff voting, proportional representation. Then we might feel like our votes count.
Best,
Katie