After revealing the results of the issue quiz in my last post, I challenged people to reflect about whether their voting habits mirror their positions on the issues. On the quiz, I agreed with the Democratic stance 86% of the time. But I may not vote Democratic.
Lemme ‚ÄövÑv=splain.
On domestic issues, I think George Bush is a horrible president. During a time of war (which I support), he issues a huge handout to the richest of the rich. With a mushrooming deficit, he has promoted a tax policy that results in a massive gift to the top 1%, who were already doing just fine, thanks very much. I am astounded at the political irresponsibility of adding a drug benefit for (mostly well-off) seniors when everyone understands that the senior entitlement programs are a ticking time bomb of a pyramid scheme (of course, the Dems are guilty here too). I think loyal readers of the MWO can tell from my earlier posts how I feel about folks using their particular hateful brand of Christianity to justify discrimination and to take choices away from women, and will remember that I support reasonable gun control. So far, it sounds like I should vote for a democratic-leaning potato if that would get Shrub out of office.
In foreign policy, while I have deep concerns about Bush‚ÄövÑv¥s preparation for the post-war reconstruction and am troubled by his (stupid) lie about the Nigerian uranium, I agree that the war was both just and necessary. I also have no patience with the folks who decry Bush‚ÄövÑv¥s unilateralism. While Bush‚ÄövÑv¥s style of interaction with the rest of the world could be improved, no amount of amiability will erase the fact that France‚ÄövÑv¥s national interest is simply different than ours. I agree with the Neocons that the U.N. should have no veto power over U.S. actions when our national interest is at stake.
I also have no patience with the Blame-America first crowd. Moslem fundamentalists are going to hate us no matter what we do. I also have no patience with the perpetual negotiators. You just can‚ÄövÑv¥t negotiate with some people. I would place Saddam in the same category as Hitler, Stalin, and North Korea‚ÄövÑv¥s dear leader (Check out the Big Hominid Blog for a 101 reasons NOT to negotiate with NK) ‚ÄövÑv¨ any agreement made will be immediately violated.
Given a choice, I would eagerly vote for a Democrat who held beliefs that matched my domestic policies, IF he also had a rudimentary understanding of foreign policy. But it looks like Dean is going to be nominated.
Ladies and gentleman, I probably not be able to vote for the Doctor from Vermont.
I say that very sadly. But good god, the man is an idiot when it comes to foreign policy. I wonder if he ever took any good history classes while he was on the way to earning his medical degree. The degree of his international naiveté is appalling.
There is also the lying problem. I suspect that the press corps of Vermont never put Dean under the microscope like the national press has (and will continue to do). The fact that a person never lies is not a qualification for the presidency. There are times when a President SHOULD lie to the American people ‚ÄövÑv¨ I‚ÄövÑv¥m glad FDR sold lend-lease to the American people as a business deal. I‚ÄövÑv¥m glad FDR was able to get isolationists to agree to the destroyer deal by claiming he was building American naval power in the Caribbean. However, Dean‚ÄövÑv¥s lying is stupid and reveals a contempt for the intelligence of the reporting corps (and by extent, I‚ÄövÑv¥m afraid, contempt for the American people).
When he lied about his previous stance on Medicare, did he think that reporters wouldn‚ÄövÑv¥t go look up his record? When he justified closing his records by claiming Bush did it, did he think reporters wouldn‚ÄövÑv¥t discover that Bush‚ÄövÑv¥s attempt to close his records was thwarted by a judge?
But even if I overlook the stupid dishonesty issue, Dean‚ÄövÑv¥s utopian ignorance about how the world works (Keep consulting the U.N.! France would have come around for me!) scares the bejeezus out of me.
When I expressed my fears to a close friend, he essentially replied: Liar, schmier. I don‚ÄövÑv¥t care if he‚ÄövÑv¥s a goat molester as long as he can push Bush out of the White House.
A fair number of Democratic die-hards may feel this way. But I predict that a solid percentage of Democrats will cast their votes elsewhere if Dean gets the nomination. I will. I want Bush out of the oval office, but do not want a pacifist nincompoop in the oval office.
