Vote
I voted for John Kerry this morning. My decision was based on a two-step process. First, I had to determine if he is fit to lead. He is smart, ambitious, and has a distinguished record of service both in the military and in the Senate. So he passes the threshold test. Second, and most importantly, I did what every voter should. I took an internal inventory of the issues that are important to me and examined my positions on those issues. I then compared my stances to his and President Bush's. Kerry is the candidate with whom I am more closely aligned. I don't agree with every position he holds. But I doubt I could find another human being on Earth with whom I agree on every issue. And of the two candidates, I am more closely aligned with Kerry. So he got my vote.
I don't think Bush could pass my threshold test. He is not smart. He is ambitious - but in a way I can't quite put my finger on. Almost like he has something to prove. His record of leadership is weak. He had no sense of civic duty as a younger man. He got a cushy assignment in the National Guard to avoid Vietnam, and he can't even say he fulfilled that responsibility. He seemed to develop all of his moral positions sometime in his forties. He can't answer simple questions like whether he has ever done cocaine or how many times has he been arrested. He ascended to governor of Texas where he had very little power or authority. His one skill is being likeable. His first real position of power was President, and he showed how weak he was after 9/11. (And no, I'm not just talking about the 7 minutes after he was informed of the attacks when he just sat there dumbfounded listening to school kids read about a goat.) When the whole world united behind the U.S., and he had a rare opportunity to truly lead the world in an historic way, he blew it. His ultra-nationalistic chest thumping and opportunism in seeking an unnecessary war in Iraq created the fastest 180 in world opinion I can imagine. The world went from believing that we are all Americans to hating Americans in a matter of months. Simply put, Bush isn't fit to lead.
Even if Bush were fit to lead, the next step in a good voter's process should be considering how the candidate lines up with your own positions. Like a majority of Democrats and Republicans, I disagree with Bush on most issues. (See my earlier post on How to Like Bush.) The difference between me and most Republicans is I am aware that I disagree with Bush. So Bush fails step two, too. He is not the candidate with whom I am most closely aligned on major issues, so he doesn't get my vote.
Kerry should win by a landslide if all voters were rational and followed this simple two-step process. There will be some disagreement about whether the candidates are fit to lead. Some think Kerry isn't because of his war protesting activities and his relative anonymity in the Senate. Those are legitimate concerns. Some think Bush is fit for a variety of reasons. So there is room of reasonable disagreement there. But moving past the first step - and assuming both men are capabale of doing the job, the next step has to be to compare the candidates' positions to your own. And for most Americans, Kerry wins. Not all, but most.
Let's hope the majority of Americans get what they want today.
I don't think Bush could pass my threshold test. He is not smart. He is ambitious - but in a way I can't quite put my finger on. Almost like he has something to prove. His record of leadership is weak. He had no sense of civic duty as a younger man. He got a cushy assignment in the National Guard to avoid Vietnam, and he can't even say he fulfilled that responsibility. He seemed to develop all of his moral positions sometime in his forties. He can't answer simple questions like whether he has ever done cocaine or how many times has he been arrested. He ascended to governor of Texas where he had very little power or authority. His one skill is being likeable. His first real position of power was President, and he showed how weak he was after 9/11. (And no, I'm not just talking about the 7 minutes after he was informed of the attacks when he just sat there dumbfounded listening to school kids read about a goat.) When the whole world united behind the U.S., and he had a rare opportunity to truly lead the world in an historic way, he blew it. His ultra-nationalistic chest thumping and opportunism in seeking an unnecessary war in Iraq created the fastest 180 in world opinion I can imagine. The world went from believing that we are all Americans to hating Americans in a matter of months. Simply put, Bush isn't fit to lead.
Even if Bush were fit to lead, the next step in a good voter's process should be considering how the candidate lines up with your own positions. Like a majority of Democrats and Republicans, I disagree with Bush on most issues. (See my earlier post on How to Like Bush.) The difference between me and most Republicans is I am aware that I disagree with Bush. So Bush fails step two, too. He is not the candidate with whom I am most closely aligned on major issues, so he doesn't get my vote.
Kerry should win by a landslide if all voters were rational and followed this simple two-step process. There will be some disagreement about whether the candidates are fit to lead. Some think Kerry isn't because of his war protesting activities and his relative anonymity in the Senate. Those are legitimate concerns. Some think Bush is fit for a variety of reasons. So there is room of reasonable disagreement there. But moving past the first step - and assuming both men are capabale of doing the job, the next step has to be to compare the candidates' positions to your own. And for most Americans, Kerry wins. Not all, but most.
Let's hope the majority of Americans get what they want today.
posted by Charles S. Russell at 9:03 AM
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