To the Editor:
As far as I’m concerned, this presidential campaign has been a disappointment. Anyone looking for a real, factual discussion of ideas and policies has been greatly frustrated by Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush’s insistence on picking the most trivial of situations. (“I voted for the $86 billion before I voted against it,” or “I don’t think you can win the war on terror”… Take your pick.)
Going into the Democratic primary, I was open to change. Today, however, it could not be more clear to me that the primary process failed to produce a candidate who could better lead the country than Bush. Kerry has done everything possible to custom fit his speeches and positions to what the American people want to hear. Ten million new jobs, healthcare for everyone, no new taxes on the middle class, deficit reduction, and consistent leadership in the face of global terrorism have been just a few of his many optimistic proclamations.
His budgeting plans are the latest incarnation of voodoo economics. Though I applaud his optimism, I shun his fantasy. Additionally, it’s one thing for him to say that the evidence now shows that we should not have attacked Iraq (I think that the president might be better off admitting this point as well), or even that we shouldn’t have rushed so quickly to war. It’s entirely different for him to attack the president’s justification for war when he himself voted for the Congressional authorization for military action.
I’m also sick and tired of hearing Democrats complain about the president using his handling of September 11, 2001, in his platform for a second term. The events surrounding that day launched the country into a completely different military, political, and economic environment. Bush’s handling of that day and the months after are essential to understanding his presidency. Democrats want to forget that because they realize that taking September 11 and the dot-com bust out of the equation makes Bush appear to be the worst president of the past 100 years. Such a determination shows an extreme case of tunnel vision on the part of the Democrats.
Additionally, the Kerry camp and Democrats alike have accused Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney of “scare tactics” and “fear mongering.” To these accusations I ask, which individual was it who recently said that a vote for the President was a vote for a potential draft?
I have my differences with Bush as well, especially over his social and environmental policies. These failures, however, don’t even approach my concerns about Kerry, who underestimates the challenges facing this country, and in his efforts to present an optimistic face to the American people, has created a platform which belongs in the fiction section in the Folsom Library.
If you haven’t already cast your ballot, I would recommend voting for the individual with a realistic view of the future, with the determination to keep America safe from terror, and with the strength of character to make the important decisions with conviction based on the best possible information. I would vote for four more years for President George W. Bush.
I do hope, however, that in those four years, the GOP will come back to reality and work to unite this country, which it has spent four years effectively dividing.
Matthew Ezovski
ELEC ’06
