August 16, 2004
Lose/Lose
from - smijer
Warning! If you are a Democrat, Independent, or a Republican that got left behind when the Bush ship of state set sail in the murky waters of increased deficits, international quagmires, and lurking stagflation: this is not meant to be encouraging or uplifting. This is some of that pessimism that we liberals are so famous for this time around. Skip it if you have been considering sleeping pills and Evan Williams already.
Imagine this scenario. It's November. The American people have finally decided "enough's enough". Kerry/Edwards wins in a landslide, with longer-than-expected coattails. The Republicans are out of power again, and are willing to do anything... anything to get it back. Including... kicking the Neocons and the Falwell crowd to the corner (like the Democrats have been doing with our fringe elements since McGovern), and putting strong moderates at the helm of the party: people whose priorities are on effectiveness over ideology, and governing over partisan politics. Great day in the morning! We have Democrats leading the nation, and Republicans ready even to reform in order to get back into the good graces of the voting public.
Fast forward to January, 2005. Reality hits. The war in Iraq isn't going away. John Kerry, bless him, is no more able to reverse the deterioration of the Middle East situation than Bush is now. That dam has already burst. Kerry pushes through a few positive domestic proposals, and perhaps succeeds in shoring up around the edges of Iraq, but oil prices continue to rise, and the economy must struggle forward with the albatross of historic debt around its neck. Terrorists have learned some big lessons in how to operate under our radar, and they continue to harass us in small, or large, but always tragic ways.
By 2008, America is once again ready for a change in direction. Sensing this, the Republican machine regains its confidence, issues another "contract with America", and pushes all of it's pinkest and roundest ideologues and corporate nannies out to the fronts of the ballots... for another four years just like the last four.
Does that make you think, for even a second, that a Bush victory might be preferable, on the premise that the enemy you know is better than the enemy you don't? Not for a second. The alternative is another four years of Bush, and then a pretty good shot at the same scenario above in 2012.
So, what good is all my doomsaying? I guess it doesn't do much. So I'll leave it off and make a personal and heartfelt appeal. My open letter to the next president of the United States:
John Kerry, I don't have much confidence in you. Please, please surprise me. Prove me wrong.::Get in there and show the kind of leadership we haven't seen since George Washington. Fix the problems. Get us in to Petroleholics Anynomous. Get the international community and our own policy makers really interested in helping Iraq achieve a viable state of self government and get our boys out of there. Take the targets on their back and put them to work hunting down and eliminating threats. Put the job market back on a strong growth track. Invest in new technology, and support the infrastructure that makes the old technology work for us in the meantime. Do something right. Please.
Love,
smijer
Posted by smijer at August 16, 2004 10:29 PM
My worthless prediction.......
Bush the younger wins in November. The next four years are worse than the previous. Hillary Clinton becomes President in 2008. Suddenly to the Republicans the Patriot Act will need to be repealed and speaking ill of a sitting President during wartime will be back in vogue.
Time will tell
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Posted by Buck on August 17, 2004 11:44 AM Link to comment |
I'm pretty sure that Kerry would be more of the same and then some. Here's what I see in a Kerry administration (and why I am against it):
A similar strategic bent on the current operations
No new actions, even vital ones like the impending invasions of Iran and North Korea (both of which need to be credible threats, and you have to be WILLING to do it for it to be credible)
Massive problems with enlistment by guys who would have re-upped under GWB
de-facto socialized medicine, which is likely to break the economy (enacted sans legislation via an executive requirement for all businesses to provide healtcare insurance to all employess, expansion of medicaid to cover the rest, and then price fixing of services and medication.)
Another major airline attack, which WILL break both the airline industry and the economy
I see Hillary running in 08, too. I'm not certain that she can win, but she has a good chance. I think that if she isn't popped on the campaign trail like RFK, she'll be popped in office like JFK. She has polarized too many people to not be issued a "second amendment veto".
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Posted by Phelps on August 17, 2004 12:18 PM Link to comment |
Reenlistment is already down (can't imagine why)... If this is more of a problem for Kerry than for Bush, I would say that's the fault of Rush Limbaugh's presence on Armed Forces Radio.
I'm in favor of making sure basic health care is available to everyone, though I recognize the pitfalls and the need to do it smartly. Maybe if we spent more time doing this, we would spend less time getting our boys killed in deserts.
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Posted by smijer on August 17, 2004 12:29 PM Link to comment |
No new actions, even vital ones like the impending invasions of Iran and North Korea (both of which need to be credible threats, and you have to be WILLING to do it for it to be credible)Not sure I understand this statement. Do you think that Iran and North Korea are credible threats already?
Massive problems with enlistment by guys who would have re-upped under GWBRe-upping under Bush guarantees you combat pay so if I am in the military for the education and the technical training for jobskills I would rethink my willingness to kill or be killed for Iraqi freedom.
de-facto socialized medicine, which is likely to break the economy (enacted sans legislation via an executive requirement for all businesses to provide healtcare insurance to all employess, expansion of medicaid to cover the rest, and then price fixing of services and medication.)There was a time when I was as against socialized medicine as anybody on the planet. The way I look at it now is if we can spend over a billion dollars per week playing Don Quixote in the Middle East then we can surely spend that much on healthcare for citizens. The government is going to spend more money than they have no matter what. The question is how are they going to spend it?
Another major airline attack, which WILL break both the airline industry and the economyStinger missle. Not a question of if just a question of when and where.
"second amendment veto"Pretty good. I have never heard that term. Have you ever read "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross? Fascinating history interwoven in a very good story of fiction. That being said I would still be relatively careful about what I post on internet forums. Ashcroft is watching!
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Posted by Buck on August 17, 2004 01:48 PM Link to comment |
