Re: Kerry picks Edwards for Veep
A person whose positions have changed since 1970? The horror. This refers to a statement made nearly 35 years ago, when Kerry gave an interview to the Harvard Crimson, 10 months after he had returned from the Vietnam War angry and disillusioned by his experiences there. No doubt you'll be able to find someone coming back from Iraq sans a few limbs who might echo the sentiment.
He went to Vietnam. He was obviously sore about it, but at least he did it. What exactly did Bush and Cheney do when faced with the possibility of active duty? Oh, yeah, right...
Bush has a pretty good collection of contradictory statements himself -- from "I don't think you give timelines to dictators" to "I don't think you can win" to his position on the 9/11 commission to the environment to the No Child Left Behind Act -- and they were all collected in one dizzying term.
As for the whole "voting against defense systems" everyone's harping on, funny how they're leaving out how both Cheney and Bush himself spoke out against those very same systems.
I have a lot of friends who supported the invasion of Iraq who don't now. It ain't flip flopping. It's a thoughtful and careful reevaluation of the facts then and new facts since. Kerry's changing his mind might be a liability, but he's not alone in that, and I'd say someone who blindly wants to believe something so bad that they'll dismiss all evidence to the contrary as being equally dangerous.
Fun as I know it is to pick on Kerry, Karen, you're not neccessarly zinging a bunch of true believers here. Trust me, I'm no big fan of Kerry myself. I'd have preferred another Democratic candidate, and as I mentioned, I still would've taken McCain over any of the jokers we've seen in play this go 'round. Voting for the person who annoys or scares you the least is sad, but it's not exactly unique. I imagine a good chunk of the votes cast in this country are "least of all evils" defaults.
Were it only so simple and black and white, it would definitely be funny. But it helps to look deeper.
I don't hate Republicans as a rule. I've got conservative leanings myself, at least on the fiscal policy side (social policy is another matter). I helped run a Republican campaign for state senator here in Hawaii just four years ago. I support people who I think will advance the issues I value and best represent my views, and if that happens to be a Democrat, Republican, or Free Energy party member, so be it. (Hell, I voted for Perot... albeit for no particularly good reason, it being my first presidential vote.)
You are right that I am voting against Bush more than I am voting for Kerry. But it's not because of some shallow dislike of the guy (though I do dislike the guy). I really wish you'd give me more credit than that. I'm looking at the record, what's said versus what's done, and where things are today compared to 2000, and deciding I don't like how things have gone.
I'm fully aware that someone can look at the same things and decide they approve. So I don't neccessarily ascribe their support to blind adoration, either. But Bush II gets an "F" in my gradebook, and that's what I'm taking to the polls.
A person whose positions have changed since 1970? The horror. This refers to a statement made nearly 35 years ago, when Kerry gave an interview to the Harvard Crimson, 10 months after he had returned from the Vietnam War angry and disillusioned by his experiences there. No doubt you'll be able to find someone coming back from Iraq sans a few limbs who might echo the sentiment.
He went to Vietnam. He was obviously sore about it, but at least he did it. What exactly did Bush and Cheney do when faced with the possibility of active duty? Oh, yeah, right...
Bush has a pretty good collection of contradictory statements himself -- from "I don't think you give timelines to dictators" to "I don't think you can win" to his position on the 9/11 commission to the environment to the No Child Left Behind Act -- and they were all collected in one dizzying term.
As for the whole "voting against defense systems" everyone's harping on, funny how they're leaving out how both Cheney and Bush himself spoke out against those very same systems.
I have a lot of friends who supported the invasion of Iraq who don't now. It ain't flip flopping. It's a thoughtful and careful reevaluation of the facts then and new facts since. Kerry's changing his mind might be a liability, but he's not alone in that, and I'd say someone who blindly wants to believe something so bad that they'll dismiss all evidence to the contrary as being equally dangerous.
Fun as I know it is to pick on Kerry, Karen, you're not neccessarly zinging a bunch of true believers here. Trust me, I'm no big fan of Kerry myself. I'd have preferred another Democratic candidate, and as I mentioned, I still would've taken McCain over any of the jokers we've seen in play this go 'round. Voting for the person who annoys or scares you the least is sad, but it's not exactly unique. I imagine a good chunk of the votes cast in this country are "least of all evils" defaults.
How on earth can you still vote for this man? Just out of your hate for the other party?! Wow, what a motivating factor.
I don't hate Republicans as a rule. I've got conservative leanings myself, at least on the fiscal policy side (social policy is another matter). I helped run a Republican campaign for state senator here in Hawaii just four years ago. I support people who I think will advance the issues I value and best represent my views, and if that happens to be a Democrat, Republican, or Free Energy party member, so be it. (Hell, I voted for Perot... albeit for no particularly good reason, it being my first presidential vote.)
You are right that I am voting against Bush more than I am voting for Kerry. But it's not because of some shallow dislike of the guy (though I do dislike the guy). I really wish you'd give me more credit than that. I'm looking at the record, what's said versus what's done, and where things are today compared to 2000, and deciding I don't like how things have gone.
I'm fully aware that someone can look at the same things and decide they approve. So I don't neccessarily ascribe their support to blind adoration, either. But Bush II gets an "F" in my gradebook, and that's what I'm taking to the polls.
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