Sunday, October 24
My possible letter to the Dispatch about their endorsement
If the Dispatch could have come up with real reaons for reelecting President Bush, I would just say, that's how the cookie crumbles. But to literally take Bush to the wood shed, give him a shellacing, and then still proclaim him to be their standard bearer, that's just insane. If and when I have a final letter that I send which will be by Monday evening, I'll put the updated letter in a new posting. Hopefully with differences listed. Here is what I'm currently rumminating.
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 have to wonder if the person who wrote this endorsement actually does endorse President Bush.Permanent link posted by bytehead @ 10/24/2004 11:08:00 PM
You take issue that you have repeatedly criticized the President for his fiscal policies, and that the Dispatch strongly opposed the invasion of Iraq. You also take issue with President Bush that he cannot admit errors and that he started the War in Iraq on slim pretexts at best. You also take issue that while President Bush talks like a conservative, he 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. And while if I recall correctly, the Dispatch was for the tax cuts at the time, the looming deficit that this county faces now 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.
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 in place.
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?
I find it interesting that the Dispatch worries about how the rest of the world will view the outcome. While the UK Guardian is asking Clarke county voters to go out and vote, and preferably vote for Senator Kerry, Russian President Putin endorses President Bush. One story gets a hailstorm of hate letters, while the other is treated as if nothing is out of the ordinary, when both stories are about convincing people to vote for a particular candidate.
I've heard of damning with faint praise, but this is more endorsement with rather strong disparagement.
Endorsements should be about choosing the best candidate that bests represents the voter. Yet your endorsed candidate already fails this criterion in your editorial. You have listed at least ten, possibly eleven issues that you have with the current President, 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 Dispatch has erred in this endorsement. The Dispatch has not put forth any worthwhile reasons for reelecting President Bush.
If the Dispatch did not feel comfortable endorsing Senator Kerry, which is its right, the Dispatch should have not endorsed any presidential candidate.
Signed…
0 comments
Links to this post
