Bush vs. Kerry -- The Deciding Issue for You?

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:13am

If your vote for President of the U.S. rested on how each stood on one issue that you considered to be the most critical to you, what would that issue be?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:15am

That is VERY tricky.. between the war, the economy, and Bush/Cheney the Bigot Brigade.. i am not sure

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:19am

simple - i would vote for 'not bush' - i cannot and will not support a theocrat.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:22am

exactly....

I just can't pick "the most important issue". LOL

[junglered]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:26am

#1 issue for me is taxes.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:47am

With every issue in Moore's film and the fact that I think that Dubya is just so effing stupid, the issue that hits hardest is the gay marriage issue. It's the most personal. While Kerry and Edwards don't have the guts to stand up for gay marriage, they are at least in favor of gay unions and for every other gay civil rights issue.

http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/919/919_edwards_tmp.asp

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:50am

I'm surpirsed Bush doesn't have us in fenced off ghettos by now......

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:11pm

Aside from his obvious incompentence and manipulations, 1. Iraq and 2. civil rights issues.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:17pm

Finish what we started in Iraq. I vote for Bush.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:23pm

Bush is an idiot . I never liked him, I never voted for him, and he is not and will never be my president. We are hated all over the world because of this goofball.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:24pm

because of this (Ignorant, half witted, biggoted) goofball.

[magruder]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:36pm

I'm no fan of Bush, but America has been hated the world over long before George W. took office. America has the terrible habit of meddling in the business of others countries, usually under the guise of establishing a "democracy," but more often for nefarious or selfish purposes, and leaving said country in a shambles when things don't go as planned. I'm generalizing, but there are many examples through Central and South America, as well as our history in the Middle East, and with Democractic and Republican administrations to equally share the blame.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:51pm

Actually;
lots of Europe loved Clinton.
Oh and Magruder; is that Robbe on your icon? I am a huge fan.

[magruder]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:53pm

Yup! Robbie Williams and a puppy, in a fight to the finish of who can be cuter.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:56pm

Why Robbie of course. He is a dreamboat. And I love his personality.

Posted: 7/10/04 at 1:22pm

It is virtually impossible for me to give Mr. Bush any credibility of thought, as even he himself celebrates his anti-intellectualism. However, whoever is pulling the strings (and it might very well be him) knows how to play the political game. And a game it is, much to the confusion, frustration and anger of many whose lives are directly affected by their chess moves. This new maneuver of forcing the DMA issue is going to have the effect they desire, and I find that painful. Almost as painful as the ideology of 'we should finish what we started in Iraq' - when, in many cases, there has been no thought of acknowledging the idea that we shouldn't have been there in the first place. I wonder how far this schism in life-view that exists in this country will go. Sometimes, enough is enough.

[sean martin]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:05pm

The one deciding issue?

How long it takes Bush to move out of the White House.

And Magruder: you're right about the US slipping in prestige around the world, but Bush just shoved it all right over the edge. Seriously, anyone who votes for this twit deserves a free week at Betty Ford.

[SammyGal]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:19pm

Gay Marriage Amendment
Trying to take away Roe V. Wade

those in my mind are the most important.
AKA BUSH IS A F*CKING MORON!

KERRY/EDWARDS ALL THE WAY!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:26pm

For those of you voting for Kerry, I'd like to know why. All I'm hearing is the "Bush is an idiot" litany. Any real reasons why you want to see Kerry in office? What is he going to do for this country?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:26pm

I don't think I could really choose a single "most important issue." I can't f*cking stand Bush, and am most certainly not voting for him!

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:34pm

Gothampc - I absolutely understand your point. It is beyond frustrating that the apparent option doesn't seem to have a 'center of gravity,' if you will. Of course it would be appropriate and optimum to vote for somebody because you actually wanted them in office, rather than simply because you don't want the opponent. However, in my own case, the antipathy I have for Mr. Bush and what he stands for, with and by is so great, that I'm not sure there's any option I wouldn't take. It is indeed unfortunate that the Democrats chose not to investigate the few candidates who actually seemed to have a thought and idea as to how they felt and what they would do. In many ways, they continually prove to be what the Republicans paint them as. But again, when left with the awareness that you cannot under any circumstances support this administration, there really are no realistic options at this time.

And how sad is that?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:46pm

Magruder is right...the US has a long history of self-serving meddling. The difference in the case of Iraq is that we became the overt aggressor by invading a country that was not an imminent threat to our safety and well-being. And many Americans were duped into being supportive of the invasion based on a planned and structured series of lies.

Now, even I don't think we can just walk away from Iraq at this point in time (although I firmly maintain we should never have been there in the first place...), but Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, and their puppet, W, need to be taken out of the equation while there is any chance at all of America regaining any credibility in the eyes of the world.

On the home front, my main concerns all fall under the general heading of privacy. Privacy is central to many areas of concern....reproductive choice for women, same sex unions, free speech, open access to medical records...and on and on.

Kerry and Edwards can certainly be faulted for not being more aggressively in favor of same sex marriage, but I believe that they are aiming to win the war, not just a battle. I think, politically, it is prudent for them to support same sex unions and benefits, which is less of a potential hot button for middle of the road undecided voters---and less of a lightening rod for the Rovians to manipulate. As much as I would like to see same sex marriage be a done deal immediately, it makes sense to get elected first (while supporting "diluted" gender issues) and then it's a hop, skip and a jump to full and equal rights that include the term of marriage.

It has pained me to write the previous paragraph. It is only since I've become older that I've developed the patience to work for gains in stages...to reign in my natural tendency to DEMAND everything (politically) up front. And I've only become willing to take the slower road because I've seen, over time, that that's often how some of the biggest, most far-reaching gains have been made.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:47pm

Did anyone watch "NOW with Bill Moyers" last night? (Yeah, I know it can be a snooze, but still...it's important viewing). They had this guy going on about how America is more interested in the culture wars than the things that really affect us personally as Americans, and how politicians count on this. For instance, someone always brings up the "School Prayer" issue at some point, now this will NEVER come to pass in America, but by talking about it openly in the press and whatnot, and hopefully getting the ACLU involved, the Right gets support from people (particularly in the ever-screwed-by-the-right lower classes), because support for religion shows the people that they "share the same values"....and they vote accordingly. This year alone, there was more signifigant political talk about a film made by Mel Gibson or gay marriage than there was about the economy, benefits, healthcare, etc. This is how the right rallys up the troops and gets people to support a party that doesn't give a **** about them.

[shesings]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 5:39pm

Gotham - I have heard others echo your view point, lets finish in Iraq, etc. My own father said to me "Bush made this mess let him clean it up" but the problem is HE WON'T. Things will just escalade and continue to become worse. Maybe Kerry hasn't given us a ton of reasons why he would be a wonderful pres, but Bush has given us a ton why he is a dreadful pres. He is running our country into the ground. Thats reason enough for me to for vote Kerry. Anyone would be better than Bush.
Also Kerry has much more tolerant views, such as those regarding gay marriage. Let's stop living in the 50s. Whether or not gay marriage is a sin is not for us to decided. That decision is God's and God's alone. Pressing the issue is just a sad attempt to gain the Christian vote, when in reality gay marriage won't effect our government one bit. Except for maybe boost the economy with all the added revenue from those FABULOUS weddings the gay men will throw! We wonder why people hate our country .. it's pretty evident to me.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 5:47pm

given the choice between a cadaver and a chimp i'll take the chimp every time based solely on it's propensity to fling it's own feces.

oh c'mon that was a little funny!

i'll be voting bush because i fear that john kerry in his haste to "improve" america's standing in the world will kowtow to every single expectation that comes down the pike from every "ally" out there and ensnare american foreign policy in a morass of feel good internationalism while paying lip service to fighting the tide of islamo-fascism that threatens to wash away civilization as we know it.