What It Comes Down To...

All during the last year I’ve been asking myself: How could anybody with brains, who has looked at the record of this administration, vote for George Bush…especially again?

Now, a lot of people just believe the rhetoric and can’t get past the two and three-word slogans, and others will never vote for a Democrat, regardless. But then there are those who are educated and otherwise who have made a reasonable effort at making a distinction, based on the facts and the performance of the candidates.

This is where I start to lose the thread. Why do they support George Bush?

Is it because of his record with the economy? No, that makes no sense.

Is it because of his record with the budget? No, he has racked up the highest deficits in history – higher than any of the ‘out-of-control tax-and-spend liberals’ he loves to rail at.

Is it because of progress in education? No. The No-Child-Left-Behind has been left behind.

Is it because of his support of veterans? No, Mr. Bush has chosen to slash veterans’ benefits in the middle of a war.

Is it because of his record in international relations? No, Mr. Bush and the Repubs could care less what other countries think.

Is it the war in Iraq? This is supposed to be Mr. Bush’s ‘strong point.’ Some strong point: for a war without any ties to 9/11, without any proof of WMDs, and with no post-war planning. Even the Repubs have to go through ridiculous gyrations to believe this war justified the lost lives of our sons and daughters.

Is it because of his brains, leadership, and ability to express himself? Please.

So why is it that anyone would vote for Mr. Bush? The last two weeks of the campaign give a clue: Mr. Bush has talked about nothing but the ‘war on terror’ while yelling his criticisms of John Kerry.

Bush-backers, you are voting for your leader for one of two reasons, or both. The first one is clear – the Fear Factor, spearheaded by Mr. Bush and Mr. Conflict-of-Interest Incorporated, Dick Cheney. Now, Scared Moms have replaced Soccer Moms. And Nuclear War is coming soon after John Kerry is elected. You in this category are afraid to change horses in mid-Apocalypse. You believe that Mr. Bush can stop biological and chemical warfare when he can’t even protect you from the flu.

But the second reason is even more insidious and well hidden from public view. You believe you are protecting what is yours. Your money. Your health care plan. Your job. Your 401-k. Your house. Your neighborhood. Your religion. YOUR way of life. You are a ‘have’ who does not want to become a ‘have not’ – something that you are sure will happen with John Kerry as president. Yes, this is an election about you too – the ‘haves’- and because of your selfishness, this country will become more divided, no matter who wins.

You know who you are, and it’s you who are doing the lying, cheating, and stealing to win this election, and not the Democrats. It’s you who are challenging voters at the polls, not the Democrats.

And you who think God speaks to your leader, you who flaunt your spiritual superiority, and you who quote the Bible: You should look very closely at Matthew 22:37-39, because you don’t care about your neighbors – just yourselves.

And you are doing it to keep what is yours.

It’s disgusting and outrageous, and that’s why we don’t want you running our country any more.