Tierra Verde
Monday, October 25
Letter as sent to letters@dispatch.com
I have read the Dispatch's endorsement of President George W. Bush. I have to say that your arguments underwhelm me, and in fact, in reading this endorsement, I wonder why you even bothered.
You have criticized the President for his fiscal policies, the invasion of Iraq, the fact that he cannot admit errors, that he started the War in Iraq on slim pretexts at best, that President Bush talks like a conservative, but still manages to act and spend like one. You bring up the Medicare drug benefit and the No Child Left Behind Act. One greatly expanding entitlement spending, and the other sticking a very large federal nose into an area that it had not been in before. There is the looming deficit that this county faces now that is something that you'd rather not have. The Dispatch also wishes that Bush will make good on his pledges to reduce the deficit by half and to be a uniter not a divider. And you bring up, but do not critique about what damage President Bush has done to this nation's alliances. And let us not forget the court battles the Dispatch has had with the state on open records and open government. President Bush has certainly done his part to stop open federal government.
You have listed at least ten, possibly eleven issues that you have with the current President in this endorsement, with out giving any reason at all as to why the current President would change behavior on those issues. You may wish for them, but nothing in the past suggests that any of them will change. Including your most fervent wish that he become the uniter that he is supposed to be.
The past behavior of the last four years is a very good indication of what President Bush will be doing the next four years.
And the Dispatch has already stated in its endorsement that these are behaviors that you do not want!
Four years ago, President Bush decided to make his very slight victory margin as a sign for a mandate, versus trying to be conciliatory with the Democrats. As tightly contested as this election is going to be, I cannot see the President changing his mind on this, and keeping the same plans and processes already in place.
I've heard of damning with faint praise, but this is more endorsement with rather strong disparagement.
Your complaints about Senator Kerry seem to be well misplaced. Ask former Senator Bob Dole about long careers in the Senate. He might have a word or two about shifting positions. While the Dispatch thinks that Kerry is too flexible, the Dispatch also points out how inflexible the current President is.
The Dispatch makes its choice, but does not even come close to adequately answering the question of Why?
Endorsements should be about choosing the best candidate that bests represents the voter. Yet your endorsed candidate already fails this criterion in your editorial.
The Dispatch has erred in this endorsement. The Dispatch has not put forth any worthwhile reasons for reelecting President Bush. The reasons against Senator Kerry seem to be just because he is a new comer and therefore an unknown.
If the Dispatch did not feel comfortable endorsing Senator Kerry, which is its right, the Dispatch should have not endorsed any presidential candidate.
Permanent link posted by bytehead @ 10/25/2004 03:44:00 PM 
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