#26
Posted: 8/4/04 at 1:57pm
c'mon, ck, that's always been the case. the traditional wisdom until recently was that the country was split 40-40-20 between republicans, democrats and independent voters (regardless of which party with which they choose to affiliate themselves). that 40% on either side could be reliably counted upon to vote republican or democrat without even looking at the name on the ballot. it has always been about the independents. which is why you always get a headlong rush to the middle during these campaigns. that's why this year is so very different.
bush saw 4 million right wingers sit out the 2000 election and he's gonna be damned if that's gonna happen again. consequently, he's run much more to the right than most any candidate in recent memory. high profile support of evengelicals and their pet policies has run rampant through the campaign and it can't all be written off as solidifiying his base (for the record i think it's political suicide, myself, but they're obviously not listening to me unless you see rick santorum suddnely not speaking at the convention).
the fact that the contry is much more polarized with regard to presidential politics is, i think, a direct result of the fact that massive steps have been taken both domestically and in foreign policy areas. this is not an election about nothing. let's face it, 2000 was not life or death, but a lot of people see 2004 as exactly that. hell, i do. the issues at stake in this election for better or worse will determine the direction of america for at least the next generation. how many supreme court judges will be chosen (conceivably none, can you say filibuster?)? what is the future of health care in america? what will our role be in the world? these are not "i want to spend $30 billion on cleaner highways and he only wants to spend $5 billion, who do you trust on highways?" questions. this is the future of our republic.
the next several years will, i believe, determine the course of at least the next generation not just for america, but the world. anyone who is not informed on the issues and realities at stake in this election should be horse-whipped. there's absolutely no excuse in the information age for someone not to know what is going on in not only their hometown but in the world itself. the information is out there. it's every american's responsibility to sift through it and come to their own conclusions. if the last election taught us anything it's that every vote does indeed count. read, explore, discover, listen argue, question, poke, prod and find out everything you can.
our future is in our hands, discover for yourself who you trust to represent that to the world.
bush saw 4 million right wingers sit out the 2000 election and he's gonna be damned if that's gonna happen again. consequently, he's run much more to the right than most any candidate in recent memory. high profile support of evengelicals and their pet policies has run rampant through the campaign and it can't all be written off as solidifiying his base (for the record i think it's political suicide, myself, but they're obviously not listening to me unless you see rick santorum suddnely not speaking at the convention).
the fact that the contry is much more polarized with regard to presidential politics is, i think, a direct result of the fact that massive steps have been taken both domestically and in foreign policy areas. this is not an election about nothing. let's face it, 2000 was not life or death, but a lot of people see 2004 as exactly that. hell, i do. the issues at stake in this election for better or worse will determine the direction of america for at least the next generation. how many supreme court judges will be chosen (conceivably none, can you say filibuster?)? what is the future of health care in america? what will our role be in the world? these are not "i want to spend $30 billion on cleaner highways and he only wants to spend $5 billion, who do you trust on highways?" questions. this is the future of our republic.
the next several years will, i believe, determine the course of at least the next generation not just for america, but the world. anyone who is not informed on the issues and realities at stake in this election should be horse-whipped. there's absolutely no excuse in the information age for someone not to know what is going on in not only their hometown but in the world itself. the information is out there. it's every american's responsibility to sift through it and come to their own conclusions. if the last election taught us anything it's that every vote does indeed count. read, explore, discover, listen argue, question, poke, prod and find out everything you can.
our future is in our hands, discover for yourself who you trust to represent that to the world.
r.i.p. marco, my guardian angel.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
Updated On: 8/4/04 at 01:57 PM
