November 02, 2004
Why President Bush should not be re-elected.
I've been agonizing about writing this post for a week now. For better or worse, here it is.
President Bush shouldn't be re-elected.
Since the nominations became clear, I've said that Kerry wasn't my #1 choice. He may be more like #5 or #6 of the available candidates. But even so, I will vote for him without hesitation as a person who will lead our country more effectively and honestly than has the Bush Administration.
There are three main reasons that I feel so strongly that President Bush should not be re-elected:
1. Mr. Bush has done a poor job as President.
He has brought the country to the brink of financial ruin with tax cuts, reckless spending, and the resulting increased deficit... He has damaged the U.S.'s relations with most of the major nations of the world, and aggravated the already poor relations with others... Although I didn't oppose the war in Iraq, the President mismanaged the entry into the conflict, as well as the resolution of it.
2. President Bush does not have the ethical values I want in a President.
He lets others do his dirty-work while pretending to take the high-road... Although I have no problem with the fact that he avoided Vietnam by joining the Guard, I believe, from the evidence I've seen from both sides, that he did not take that alternative service seriously, and that he likely did not completely fulfill that obligation... He convinced Americans to allow the Iraq invasion with information which I believe that he knew to be false, or at best, exaggerated... He uses fear to convince people to support him and give him more power.
3. President Bush and his Administration are attempting to dismantle the Bill of Rights.
They have aggressively weakened the rules of search and seizure, habeus corpus, and public trial... They use their power to discourage and prevent free speech and free press...
I have intentionally not included links to supporting information here. I'm not attempting to change anyone who has made up their mind. Just as I don't expect that anyone could change my mind -- but I will be glad to listen to any reasonable arguments.
If you're undecided, all of the above has been discussed in the media. You know the arguments, and can find the discussion on the net if you need more.
I wish that I could make this post about the details of why Kerry should be president, instead of why Bush should not. But that's the special circumstances of this election. And I am confident -- from his background, and listening to his campaign -- that Senator Kerry will attempt to reverse the problems I've described above.
In a choice between President Bush and Senator Kerry, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Kerry is the superior choice, and I will cast my vote for him later this morning.