Tom Araya
10-04-2006, 03:26 PM
I have decided to vote Democratic this fall.
I believe in small government, free markets, strong defense, etc., but Bush’s snafu in Iraq is just too much. It overwhelms those issues which for many years made me vote GOP. In addition to screwing up so far, there is zero evidence that he’s changed, or that he “gets it,” or anything.
There is another aspect that makes this easier for me. Bush has not followed a conservative agenda (not that the Democrats would); he has increased the spending, size, and reach of government, mostly in the name of fighting terror. Historically, there has been a conservative philosophy. Today, most people & media use “conservative” as shorthand for “loyal Bush supporter.” But, as many have observed, Bush is no conservative.
I have a hard time at this point, saying, “Yes, this war has been horribly executed and there is no prospect for improvement, let me pull the lever for more of the same.”
Midterm elections are a referendum on the party in power; they are not just about the local races. The only contest in which I vote that is in doubt is the Talent/McCaskill race, but the sum of our votes do comprise a national referendum, and the news people will add up what happened and count the wins and losses. Who we vote for in ’06, especially for Congress, matters. As for ‘08, that’s two years from now. Who knows what will happen then? The GOP candidate will almost certainly run away from Bush so quickly and completely, so 2008 will be a different situation, most likely not a referendum on Bush.
In deciding how to vote, there is the over-arching question, “How important is the war on terror, Iraq, and the whole security threat represented by related issues?” If one says “Yes, really important, number one, that trumps all other issues,” and one also says, “Bush fouled up. Big time,” … then that is the justification for voting Democratic in 2006. I view this November’s election mainly as a vote for, or against, Bush, more than as a vote for a Republican or a Democrat
On the other hand, one could say, ” Despite ALL of the stuff the Bush administration has fubar’d, if the Democrats have not put forth anything better, any plan or strategy that is viable, … how do they deserve my vote? Just because they exist as an alternative to the current failure? … I cannot vote for a party whose platform and ideals conflict directly with mine.” That’s a position I respect.
“But the Democrats will cut and run.”
Let’s get real for a minute. No one is going to send more troops. It is not going to happen. So Dem or GOP, we are looking at “staying the course,” or “cutting and running,” or some course in between.
Iraq is totally hopeless. Today, now, it is beyond any rational expectation of recovery. I cannot foresee anything like victory, not by any remote definition, such as “getting Iraq to slightly stable, barely functioning, almost worthwhile kind of place.” I cannot see how to get there. I can see us staying there for a long, long time. 150,000 US troops, well-armed and well-supplied, in secure bases, are not easy to dislodge and are not even easy to hit with high casualties. Our guys are very smart and very tough. The insurgency cannot “drive us out” or even inflict “unacceptable” casualties. What this means, combined with what I can see from internet debates is that as long as we meet some threshhold, as long the troops can hang on, then the “true believers” will say “There is hope. We are winning. Look at the ELECTIONS!” If we’re waiting for a defeat in battle, some military rout of the Americans, that is not going to happen. Do we then stay indefinitely, spectators to chaos? No Democratic politician will say it, but maybe they would be the party of “cut and run.”
How long does the party of “stay the course," even although we have brought things to this violent, fractured, unpromising, unending situation, deserve my vote? If there is any magic formula, some way out (not that I can see one), at this point I have zero confidence in Bush’s and Rumsfeld’s ability to find it.
I believe in small government, free markets, strong defense, etc., but Bush’s snafu in Iraq is just too much. It overwhelms those issues which for many years made me vote GOP. In addition to screwing up so far, there is zero evidence that he’s changed, or that he “gets it,” or anything.
There is another aspect that makes this easier for me. Bush has not followed a conservative agenda (not that the Democrats would); he has increased the spending, size, and reach of government, mostly in the name of fighting terror. Historically, there has been a conservative philosophy. Today, most people & media use “conservative” as shorthand for “loyal Bush supporter.” But, as many have observed, Bush is no conservative.
I have a hard time at this point, saying, “Yes, this war has been horribly executed and there is no prospect for improvement, let me pull the lever for more of the same.”
Midterm elections are a referendum on the party in power; they are not just about the local races. The only contest in which I vote that is in doubt is the Talent/McCaskill race, but the sum of our votes do comprise a national referendum, and the news people will add up what happened and count the wins and losses. Who we vote for in ’06, especially for Congress, matters. As for ‘08, that’s two years from now. Who knows what will happen then? The GOP candidate will almost certainly run away from Bush so quickly and completely, so 2008 will be a different situation, most likely not a referendum on Bush.
In deciding how to vote, there is the over-arching question, “How important is the war on terror, Iraq, and the whole security threat represented by related issues?” If one says “Yes, really important, number one, that trumps all other issues,” and one also says, “Bush fouled up. Big time,” … then that is the justification for voting Democratic in 2006. I view this November’s election mainly as a vote for, or against, Bush, more than as a vote for a Republican or a Democrat
On the other hand, one could say, ” Despite ALL of the stuff the Bush administration has fubar’d, if the Democrats have not put forth anything better, any plan or strategy that is viable, … how do they deserve my vote? Just because they exist as an alternative to the current failure? … I cannot vote for a party whose platform and ideals conflict directly with mine.” That’s a position I respect.
“But the Democrats will cut and run.”
Let’s get real for a minute. No one is going to send more troops. It is not going to happen. So Dem or GOP, we are looking at “staying the course,” or “cutting and running,” or some course in between.
Iraq is totally hopeless. Today, now, it is beyond any rational expectation of recovery. I cannot foresee anything like victory, not by any remote definition, such as “getting Iraq to slightly stable, barely functioning, almost worthwhile kind of place.” I cannot see how to get there. I can see us staying there for a long, long time. 150,000 US troops, well-armed and well-supplied, in secure bases, are not easy to dislodge and are not even easy to hit with high casualties. Our guys are very smart and very tough. The insurgency cannot “drive us out” or even inflict “unacceptable” casualties. What this means, combined with what I can see from internet debates is that as long as we meet some threshhold, as long the troops can hang on, then the “true believers” will say “There is hope. We are winning. Look at the ELECTIONS!” If we’re waiting for a defeat in battle, some military rout of the Americans, that is not going to happen. Do we then stay indefinitely, spectators to chaos? No Democratic politician will say it, but maybe they would be the party of “cut and run.”
How long does the party of “stay the course," even although we have brought things to this violent, fractured, unpromising, unending situation, deserve my vote? If there is any magic formula, some way out (not that I can see one), at this point I have zero confidence in Bush’s and Rumsfeld’s ability to find it.