The president himself drove by my neighborhood the other day. Such is life in the swingingist of the swing states-Pennsylvania. This election, and not just in the pre-ordained “battleground” states, is critically important.
More and more states, such as New Jersey and Maine, are proving to be anything but predictable. This is why it is crucial to file for and vote by absentee ballot. Unless you live in a hopelessly one-sided state (I’m looking at you, Texas), you need to vote in your home state. It makes little sense to vote for Connecticut’s representative when you really live somewhere else.
I support John Kerry. Now that we have that out of the way, it must be said that this election season has been one of the most frustrating ones to date. Republicans call Kerry a flip-flopper and Democrats incessantly note just how dumb George W. Bush is (factual, but ineffectual). John Kerry proposed a weekly debate schedule with the president. Bush not only turned down his invitation, but he has even been pushing for only two debates this fall instead of the three that both the Presidential Debate Commission has proposed and John Kerry has endorsed. (We will also get to hear the prophet of doom-and-gloom Dick Cheney take on the man with a million dollar smile in John Edwards at a token single vice-presidential debate.)
The real issues are not what Bush wants to discuss. Over 1,000 men and women have come home from Iraq in body bags. Can anyone tell me just what we have accomplished there? We have a soaring national deficit that is bad news. Oh, and a non-partisan government study by the Congressional Budget Office officially showed what we liberals have said all along: the very rich received the tax cut. Bush has been creating jobs of late, but he would have to pull off some sort of miracle to actually finish his presidential term with job gains.
John Kerry wants to engage the world more in the fight on terror and utilize the time-tested strategy of multilateralism instead of the arrogant, cowboy-esque policy of going it alone. He and John Edwards also aim to make healthcare more affordable by providing Americans with the chance to get the same comprehensive coverage that every member of Congress receives. Stating that he has voted again and again to raise taxes is not true. Check out Cheney’s record and you will see that he voted for the same “increases.” Oh, and as for his votes against weapon systems, it turns out that Dick voted the same way most of the time. Simply put, these arguments, when looked at with an open mind, don’t hold water.
If we don’t explore the issues in formats such as debates, this election is going to come down to a cosmetic contest about whom you most like as a package. So please, file for an absentee ballot, research the issues, and vote. In my mind, the choice is clear. Remember though, your vote is your voice and you’d better use it if you want to have any say in this nation’s direction.
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