Let's Be Honest

I’ve been tracking the left-right discourse in this forum for about a month but have never made a post, simply because the issues discussed have not strongly appealed to me. Let me tell you why:

It seems that 80% of the posts made concerning the upcoming election are those that concern the war, the incidents pertaining to Sep. 11, or something foolish done by the candidate you are not supporting. I understand that defense is a viable and definitive issue in this election, but has it advanced to the point that the general platforms of each candidate are rendered irrelevant? My problem with this election is that it is based almost solely upon war, and the blame for the mistakes/achievements in Iraq is quite debatable. Can we credit Bush for capturing Saddam? Can we blame Bush for not finding WMDs? Although many profess their individual view on these questions, no one really knows. We are just listening to someone elses opinions on these matters, as there is no possible way to compile the information necessary to reach a factual conclusion.

It seems as if non-milatary policy has gone by the wayside. As a voter, the facts concerning each candidate’s individual interests and plans (healthcare, education, taxation, foreign trade, employment, etc.) are rather attainable. While there will be some inevitable waffling on these issues, there is usually a good deal of distinction between two candidates on many of these topics.

Here is my question for all of you hardcore Bush or Kerry supporters: Where is your principle voting decision originating? Are you picking your candidate based upon the war and adhering to his values on other issues, or are you in agreement with the Republican/Democrat ideology, and thus you defend your candidate’s decisions?

I only give those two options because I have seen very, very little unbiased critique of the candidates, at least by those who do the bulk of the posting.

I have a friend that is the same way. He will call me at least twice weekly to persuade me to vote for Bush. I think Bush has some strengths, but I also think he is riddled with weaknesses. However, no matter what I say about Bush, my friend will defend him. I could say, “W is shorter than Kerry,” and my friend would respond, “Not really. That is just an optical illusion designed by the Commie left!” Granted, that is an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

There have been a few things said by the diehards that are somewhat contradictory to their candidate being immaculate, but those are few and far between. I’d love to see a true critique by Zeb, Lumpy, JeffR, RSU, and Rainjack on Bush and Kerry. Come on, guys. You don’t really think your candidate is perfect do you?

~Terumo

*Note: And no, JeffR, before you ask, I’m not joining any challenge!

Many of these things have been discusses to exhaustion; however, strong opinions do not change.

I agree with Bush on about 60% of the issues and with Kerry on about 40%. I’m not going to break it down, but I’ve done the math and that’s where I stand. Primarily, most of my strong opinions stem from domestic issues and not the war. Aside from my domestic opinions, I just get a bad feeling in the gut when I think about Kerry as our president.

Thanks for contributing.

~ Jack

I am a Republican. I am a republican because the views the party espouse most usually fall in line with my belief system. To that end, I think that my allegiance to the party defines my support for the candidate - Bush.

Stepping back from the support of my party - there are several things I dislike about GDub’s presidency. These have been discussed ad nauseum on other threads.

This being the political season - I know the rhetoric is ratcheted up on both sides. When the smoke clears, and the streamers & confetti are in the dumpster, you’ll see folks like me more issue oriented and less of the partisan I have been lately.

Or not…

For me it’s about character. Bush has the qualities I want in a president. Kerry doesn’t and I find his entire public record represhensible and in many ways questionable.

But since we are in a war agianst terror my opinion is strongly colored by how I view the capabilities of the man to wage war. Bush wants to win. Kerry wants to appease…as long as it passes a global test that is.

My two cents.

Terumo:

I know there’s been a lot of posting around here about the war. I saw a headline on the Yahoo news section this evening: “Iraq War to Dominate Next Presidency”. My first reaction to seeing that was to say out loud to no one in particular, “well, no shit.” In fact, I was amazed that some press guy took the time to actually write an entire article about something so obvious that it was mind-boggling. The way I see it, there’s not really all that much difference between the candidates except for their approach to how we should do foreign policy, especially with Iraq. IMHO, both guys are tools of big business interests, and will not change things around here that much. To put it in “Team America” phraseology, Bush is a dick, and Kerry is a pussy. I’d rather have a dick in the white house.