Endorsement Time

It will come as little surprise to readers of Mod-Blog that both Nomad and I will be voting for President Bush this November. Some of us are happier about that then others. Personally, I dislike Bush enough that I would have considered voting against him had the Democrats put up a worthy candidate who was believable. If they had put up a candidate who was going to take the fight to the terrorists, who was friendly to the traditions of our country, and who avoided the typical far left class warfare; then it was completely possible that I would overlook problems I have with the Democratic plank and vote for their candidate just the same.



Instead, we were given John Kerry as the Democrat’s man of choice. A man who has voted throughout his mediocre twenty years in public office to gut our defensive capabilities, wage war against the religious traditions of our nation, and pretend to serve “the little guy” while living it up off of inherited money. To pour extra salt on the womb, he selected John Edwards as his running mate. A multi-millionaire who made his fortunes chasing ambulances. A man who supports the right to abortion on demand yet thinks it’s appropriate to “channel” a dead child for monetary gain. I wonder if he’s ever tried channeling one of the aborted children to see what they think of his views concerning abortion? Probably not.



In the interest of detailing why Nomad and I are supporting President Bush in this election, I have decided to lay out differences and similarities in some important areas between Kerry and Bush in order to reflect why we are endorsing Bush. Keep in mind that this is my perspective. While Nomad will mostly agree, he might feel slightly differently about certain points. He can feel free to clarify or detail any of those he might want to represent differently. But I feel I've been true to how both of us feel concerning this election.





Gay rights:



President Bush firmly opposes gay marriage. This is good for Nomad, bad for me. However, Kerry is on the record as opposing gay marriage as well. Therefore, the issue will not be furthered by either candidate. So, it’s a non-issue in this election. While I’d like to see a more libertarian candidate, it’s not going to happen for any time soon. For Nomad, this is another reason to support Bush, for me it is another reason to not support Kerry. Either way, we come out at the same place for different reasons. There is no reason to vote based on this, even for the gay community. They will gain nothing from Kerry and might as well support Bush for other purposes that they agree with.



Deficit Issues:



The debt right now is largely a result of the two wars we have fought in the past years. If Kerry supports the war (which he now claims to), he will keep our troops there. He is a bigger idiot then I suspect if he believes that other nations will contribute more than a handful of troops more than what they already have. Russia said would absolutely not send troops. France has said from the beginning they would not send troops under any circumstances. It would be political suicide for Chirac to change his mind on that, Kerry or no Kerry. Germany has troops in Afghanistan, but has said they will not send troops to Iraq. The interim Iraqi government has already stated they would not accept troops from neighboring countries, even if offered. Muslim nations are not very enthusiastic about contributing. This means it will continue to be an American endeavor, paid for by American taxpayers. The rest of the money is going to Homeland Security, another department that Kerry would not dare to cut. So, it will not affect our debt if Kerry is elected unless the Congress stays firmly in Republican hands and the two sides come to a standoff on program spending. Even so, the bulk of the money will still be used on military operations. The rest will be used in the expansive programs the President outlined in his Convention Speech. While I’m not thrilled about a massive government, at least I know I support more of what Bush will spend it on then Kerry.



Abortion:



Kerry has said he believes life begins at conception yet continues to believe in a woman’s right to choose. For those of us who are pro-life, this is a “have the cake and eat it” approach that is hypocritical. Others disagree, but Nomad and I both believe that abortion is murder and hold this issue as very important.



Stem Cell Research:



The only real difference: Bush opposes additional federal funding for stem cell research until the science advances. Kerry believes that we should rush ahead with testing. Bush has been demonized as being “against” stem cell research. A simple review of his words blows this myth out of the way. He has made no move to stop independent research on stem cells. Any lab in the world may work on them. Bush has simply said that extra government money will not be spent on it at this time. Critics often fail to mention many of the issues involving stem cells. The cancer rate is high and we have so far not found any benefit from stem cells that we have not found from non-fetal cells. As Laura Bush said in her speech at the convention, President Bush has done more for Stem Cell Research then any President before him.



Oil independence:



Kerry is no better than Bush on this issue. The Democrats complain about the US as being too dependent on foreign oil yet refuse to let us use our own resources. It must be one way or the other. Bush is a big business oil man, yes. But do we really believe that Kerry is any less in the pockets of corporations and special interests? If you do believe that, then you must be smoking some pretty strong stuff.



The Environment:



Bush hasn’t done much here. There are many claims that he’s ruined everything we’ve gained in the past forty years but there is never proof to back up these claims. Either way, what has Kerry done? Is he going to install Gore as the head of the EPA? Probably not. Kerry has failed to give this issue any preference during the campaign and so I expect little better from him then I do President Bush at this point.



The Patriot Act:



Kerry voted in favor of the Patriot Act He has since complained about it’s usage. He has been unclear on rather he would try to repeal it or not. While parts of the legislation are questionable, it has helped us to nab several terrorists and break up more than a couple plots. It is likely that without the power given in the Patriot Act, these plots might have gone ahead and cost many American lives. The ACLU would have us believe that the government can now do whatever it wants with us. This is simply not true. The government has always had the right to search without warning, as long as they obtain a warrant. This is no different now. This is pure fear-mongering from the lunatic left.



Outsourcing:



Kerry claims to oppose outsourcing but there are reports about Heinz having substantial jobs overseas. Besides, based on economists I’ve heard, it's not at all clear that outsourcing is always a bad thing, depending on several variables. In our economy today, with so much business being sent overseas and international economies being intertwined, I cannot see how Kerry can do much to influence this. Vast quantities of goods are manufactured in other nations. If Kerry penalizes this, it will have a severe impact on our economy, and I can't see how economic principles can apply to make it an overall benefit. Prices will rise, buying power will decrease, dollar value will fall, which impacts profits and jobs. Kerry is pandering to un-educated fearful people on this one rather than trying to have a serious debate.



Foreign relations:



European nations may be more friendly towards a Kerry White House, but I can’t see how they would deal with us any differently. They won't help in Iraq no matter what. They won't hate us any less, as anti-Americanism is just that. It's largely cultural, less political. It's not anti-Bushism (a different phenomenon in itself). European (and other) nations will still toss out the same epithets such as "American arrogance", "American imperialism", etc. American stereotypes will persist. We will still be perceived culturally as fat, lazy, greedy, rich, racist, oil-hungry, war-mongering, ignorant, arrogant, etc. Fill in the blank: "You ______ Americans. You're all alike." This won't change under Kerry. It's much deeper than what President we have in office. It’ll be the same claims, "I don't hate Americans, just American policies". Yeah, right.



The Economy:



Again, I don't believe Kerry will have much impact here. He will be locked into certain expenditures (Iraq war, etc). This entire “how many jobs were created” garbage is a new fad created by the Democrats to encourage a negative view of Bush. Never mind that unemployment is at the same 5.5% that it was under Bill Clinton. We are a capitalistic society. Unless you work for the government, the government doesn't create jobs, businesses do. The FED will still control interest rates and the money supply. All Kerry can do is affect taxes and spending. If Kerry wants to pass spending cuts/increases or tax cuts/increases, he will have to have it pass in a likely Republican legislature. Who knows how that will turn out? Republicans certainly won't cooperate with him. In all likelihood, he won't change many policies, and the health of the economy will continue to be influenced by market forces, as it nearly almost always is.



Taxes:



Kerry has said he supports the Bush tax cut. He does want to roll back the cut for the top 2% of wage earners. That will pay for some things, but it doesn't take into account those of us who live in extremely expensive areas. Those who live in high-price areas can attest to how different a standard of living is. 200k a year in areas like NY or LA will get you a comfortable living but by no means is it equivalent to making 200k in someplace like Kentucky. I haven't seen any data that indicates that these increases/rollbacks on the top 2% will be enough to pay for existing expenses, new proposals, (health care, etc) and still reduce the deficit. Until one candidate finally steps up and supports a version of the Flat-Tax, I will not be viewing taxes as a major issue because they’re pretty much all the same. I got about the same taxes taken out under Clinton as I have under Bush.



Wars:



I have no doubt that Kerry would wage future wars. He's done an about face on his support for the war because he wants the office of the President to have the authority to launch pre-emptive wars. He came out a few weeks ago and said he supports the doctrine of pre-emption. He whines about "how" Bush went to war, but he NEVER opposes the ACT of war itself. He criticizes "Bush's" war, but what does that translate to in real life action? He loves bashing Bush for not being tougher on Saudi Arabia and North Korea. He's either all talk, and therefore a liar, or he will move on to a war of his own within his first Presidency. After all, Iran is a huge issue that is certain to be an issue in the next four years for whoever is President.



In Conclusion:



Kerry is nearly impossible to nail down on the issues, but he is basically Bush lite, depending on which way the political winds are blowing and the direction of the polls. Some days he panders to the far left, some days he panders to the right. Since the convention, he's been trying to portray himself as a moderate. He still might run to the right of Bush by the time the election rolls around. If you want a principled candidate, then Bush is the option. You could argue that Nader at least holds to his views as well. This is true, but his views are largely so repulsive that I don’t take him seriously.



President Bush has not been one of the greatest Presidents of our time, no doubt. He has made mistakes. He comes across as arrogant and doesn’t seem interested in expressing himself to the people. His attitude seems to be, “I’ll do what I need and the people will figure it out.” While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing at times, it’s not the way that America is used to being led and it is, therefore, uncomfortable. Yet, he does seem to have come around a little as witnessed during the RNC.



But, for all the problems I have with Bush, there is one factor that ultimately swings me in his direction. Simply put, I trust him to do what he says. I trust that President Bush will continue to pursue the terrorists through every spider hole and tunnel they can dig. I trust that President Bush will not wage war against those of us who consider religion to be a good thing that can be practiced openly without pushing it down the throat of others. I trust that President Bush will continue to keep America as his primary focus, rather than listening to what the French and Germans think America should be.



Do I have problems with President Bush? You better believe it. Do I have more problems with John Kerry? It’s not even a question. This country will survive another four years of President Bush and we will move on past his mistakes and be in a better place than we were because of his many successes. And history will view him positively, and thank him, for those contributions.