I am a registered Democrat, and I can no longer hold my tongue regarding the following phrase:
"Anybody but Bush."
Are you kidding me? For instance, I would not make a better president than Bush.
However--
· I have a little more conviction than Wesley Clark:
In general, I'm pro-life -- excuse me, I'm pro-abortion rights.· Unlike Howard Dean, you can count on me when I give you my word:
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean changed his story again, saying Wisconsin is no longer the end of the road for his campaign.
(Although I may have been quoted screaming "Yaarrrr!" on "International Talk Like a Pirate Day.")
· I’m not as hypocritical as John Edwards:
Throughout his campaign, Mr Edwards has resisted challenges to criticise his opponents, stressing the "positive" message he is trying to spread. But, trying to look ahead, he has sharpened his attack on Mr Bush in recent days.During a brief stop on Saturday in Wisconsin he said: "This president is at war with working people."
· I have much better etiquette than John Kerry:
There, the Massachusetts Democrat went to Pat's Steaks and ordered a cheesesteak — with Swiss cheese. If that weren't bad enough, the candidate asked photographers not to take his picture while he ate; shutters clicked anyway, and Kerry was caught nibbling daintily at his sandwich — another serious faux pas."It will doom his candidacy in Philadelphia," predicted Craig LaBan, food critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer. After all, Philly cheesesteaks come with Cheez Whiz, or occasionally American or provolone. But Swiss cheese? "In Philadelphia, that's an alternative lifestyle," LaBan said.
And don't even mention Kerry's dainty bites. "Obviously, Kerry's a high-class candidate, and he misread the etiquette," LaBan said. "Throwing fistfuls of steak into the gaping maw, fingers dripping — that's the proper way."
I may be a small town girl from Wisconsin, but at least I know how to eat a cheesesteak.
Regardless, I am certain that, should I be elected president of the United States of America, I would have absolutely no clue as to how to keep the people of this nation safe from terrorists, nor do I think the candidates above do. Personally, I think GW has some good ideas (Acrobat Reader required).
“We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans
and confront the worst threats before they emerge.
In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is
the path of action. And this nation will act.”
P R E S I D E N T GEORGE W. BUSH
JUNE 1 , 2 0 0 2
So, please resist the urge to write-in "Maureen" this election.
It's not that I have no concerns other than terrorism, but I do not want to spend my life in fear. Fear compromises our freedom. And it gives me nightmares.
Update: Bye bye, Wes.
Posted by at February 10, 2004 11:23 PM | TrackBackWhere in WI are you from? My little corner of meatspace is near West Bend, but I grew up near Appleton.
Posted by: Sean Hackbarth at 01:20 AMMy apologies for the delay in responding, Sean. The day job interrupted my blogging.
I'm also from the Fox Valley area. I grew up near Oshkosh.
Posted by: maureen at 07:55 PMWhen I turned 18 I registered to vote as the first Republican in my family. Through 1998 I always voted the GOP ticket. However, following Clinton’s acquittal with 10 Republican votes I changed my voter status to "no party". I voted for George W. Bush in 2000, but don’t plan to vote for him again.
In 2002 I offered my support to a Republican woman who was planning to challenge incumbent Corrine Brown in Florida’s 3rd CD. However, the GOP establishment in Florida did not want anyone to challenge Brown- fearing that a high black turnout for Brown would hurt Republicans in other races, namely Jeb Bush. The Republican Party harassed my candidate to the point that she withdrew from the race. I immediately began looking for an alternative candidate, but could not find one. Then within a week of J. C. Watts announcing his retirement from Congress, Jennifer Carroll, the GOP’s failed 2000 candidate, announced she would resign from her state job- effective on the last day of the qualifying period.
To insure that Brown did have a challenger I became a write-in candidate. My purpose was to harass the GOP since I knew I would not be able to campaign and had no chance of winning. Still I received about 100 votes without spending a dime.
I have always known that the Democrats are the party for the welfare state. I have since realized that the Republicans are the party for millionaires. We need a party for everyone else.
I find it alarming that some conservatives that don’t like Bush will vote for him anyway out of fear of a Democrat victory. I find it equally alarming that Democrats will vote for whomever their party nominates out of fear that Bush will be re-elected. As long as Americans vote for one of the major parties out of fear of the other I don’t see how they won’t be wasting their votes. If you are going to vote for the Democrats or Republicans no matter what, these parties will take your vote for granted. These parties will assume that they can do whatever they want because you are going to vote for one of them regardless of what they do or don’t do.
Americans must realize that the Democrats and the Republicans have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Neither party will acknowledge, let alone deal with, the nation’s most pressing issues. Do the Republicans really want to end abortion, reform the tax code or reduce the size of government? No, they don’t want to give up their campaign issues. Do the Democrats really want to protect the environment, make public schools effective or stand up for American workers? No, they don’t want to give up their campaign issues. Will either party confront the growing power of corporations? No, both parties are allied with and controlled by corporations.
No one who wants to make fundamental changes in American politics will vote for the Democrats or Republicans. No one who really wants to find workable solutions to the nation’s problems will vote for the Democrats or Republicans. Such voters must join together and provide the nation with a viable alternative political party. The American people must either hold the Democrat and Republican parties accountable to their interests- or destroy them.
Jon Arnett
Interim National Director,
The National Union Party
http://www.unionparty.rantweb.com
