The election
Yeah, I'm voting for Bush Jr.
How does a big fan of Tom Barnett, who is a strong advocate of John Kerry, decide to vote for Bush Jr? Well, my vote won't count. I'm a New Yorker and New York's electoral votes are going to John Kerry - that's pretty much a given. So I have the freedom to use my vote for goals other than my preferred choice for president. I want to reward George W. Bush for a job well done in a very controversial and hard leadership challenge.
There is a strong argument for Kerry as the next president, despite his disturbing election campaign, which is every bit as confused as the Republicans make it out to be. In short, according to pundits like Barnett, Kerry will take the presidential initiatives that do Bush Jr credit (War on Terror, economic incentives) but do them better, as suits the bottom-line needs of the nation. He will also be more nuanced in considering the issues that Bush Jr has done poorly (environment, reconciliation with international allies, balancing free trade, re-investment of public funds on a populist level to adjust to populist globalisation needs). I can accept Barnett's rationale to vote for Kerry as the better "nuanced" candidate. That said, John Kerry scares me enough with the campaign he has run that I don't at all feel guilty voting for Bush Jr.
President Bush Jr has been a much better president than his critics describe, and he has made good - and hard - stategic decisions in reaction to 9/11, including the war in Iraq. Therefore, I still want to reward this President for a job well done over the last 4 years, even if I don't think he's necessarily the best choice for the next 4 years, given the changed needs of the mission.
Whomever is the Commander in Chief in waiting by this time on Wednesday, I just hope he is fully committed to finishing what we started, winning the War on Terror and spreading global liberal reform, while looking out for the American people and the best interests of this nation.
- Eric
How does a big fan of Tom Barnett, who is a strong advocate of John Kerry, decide to vote for Bush Jr? Well, my vote won't count. I'm a New Yorker and New York's electoral votes are going to John Kerry - that's pretty much a given. So I have the freedom to use my vote for goals other than my preferred choice for president. I want to reward George W. Bush for a job well done in a very controversial and hard leadership challenge.
There is a strong argument for Kerry as the next president, despite his disturbing election campaign, which is every bit as confused as the Republicans make it out to be. In short, according to pundits like Barnett, Kerry will take the presidential initiatives that do Bush Jr credit (War on Terror, economic incentives) but do them better, as suits the bottom-line needs of the nation. He will also be more nuanced in considering the issues that Bush Jr has done poorly (environment, reconciliation with international allies, balancing free trade, re-investment of public funds on a populist level to adjust to populist globalisation needs). I can accept Barnett's rationale to vote for Kerry as the better "nuanced" candidate. That said, John Kerry scares me enough with the campaign he has run that I don't at all feel guilty voting for Bush Jr.
President Bush Jr has been a much better president than his critics describe, and he has made good - and hard - stategic decisions in reaction to 9/11, including the war in Iraq. Therefore, I still want to reward this President for a job well done over the last 4 years, even if I don't think he's necessarily the best choice for the next 4 years, given the changed needs of the mission.
Whomever is the Commander in Chief in waiting by this time on Wednesday, I just hope he is fully committed to finishing what we started, winning the War on Terror and spreading global liberal reform, while looking out for the American people and the best interests of this nation.
- Eric
Labels: iraq
posted by Eric at 11/01/2004 05:42:00 PM
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