arisbe: (Default)
arisbe ([personal profile] arisbe) wrote2004-05-25 12:28 pm

No, I Didn't

Vote for Bush. Even though I pulled his lever.

I was voting against the other clown. The one who invented the Internet. The one whose wife wants the government in charge of popular music.

I was wrong.

When the Democrats left office they left behind them at least one strong and effective policy against terrorism. Hijacked aircraft were to be intercepted and forced down. Immediately. No discretion. No exceptions. No excuses. And the world knew it.

On June 1, 2001, Rumsfeld's Pentagon trashed it. Now there would be no interceptions. Except on the order of Donald Rumsfeld. And on September 11 there was no such order. None that we know of. And nobody cares.

So one bright Tuesday morning I stood behind the glass walls of a Manhattan office tower and watched a neighboring tower burn. And then another one.

I don't like Kerry any more than I liked what's his name. But I don't think I'll make the same mistake twice.

[identity profile] kali-ma.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 09:30 am (UTC)(link)
I voted for a third party in the last election just to show my utter contempt for both major parties. (In Louisiana, which had a +60% of voters going for Bush, I figured it didn't really matter anyway.) Now I live in MA and I don't really know what I'll do. I am pretty sure he will win his own state - if he doesn't, he isn't going to win anywhere else anyhow. And the thought of voting for him makes me ill. But the thought of contributing to four more years of this is even worse. So I guess I'm an "undecided".
I didn't know they had trashed that policy. I was confused as to why they didn't implement it that day, since I knew it had been active only a year before. The mind boggles at such a level of incompetent stupidity...

[identity profile] marxist-thug.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 09:34 am (UTC)(link)
Wow.

[identity profile] kyrene.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 09:42 am (UTC)(link)
you and me both, same deal. also won't make same mistake twice.

[identity profile] yechezkiel.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
Incidently, mind if I write you in? ;)

[identity profile] marxist-thug.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 09:58 am (UTC)(link)
Also, where did you hear about Rummy scrapping the interception plan?

[identity profile] muelos.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 10:06 am (UTC)(link)
I realized not that long ago that my voting strategy has always been AGAINST rather than FOR. I always try to craft my vote to keep the worst guy (IMO) out. The candidates that I actually like never, ever make it out of the primaries.

[identity profile] laurieannhaus.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 10:23 am (UTC)(link)
yes I will not vote for Bush either, although I didn't vote for him the first time either.

I, too, am extremely disappointed with the Democrats' choice...

[identity profile] publius-aelius.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 10:28 am (UTC)(link)
...however, I learned, during almost ten years of living outside the United States, that there is a marked difference in the foreign policy of the current Democrats, as opposed to the current Republicans. The current Republicans, in constructing foreign policy--including development programs--demonstrate palpably FOR ALL THIRD WORLD PEOPLE TO SEE--that they're perfecly willing to do without their esteem or respect. Republican foreign policy, as it relates to trade and to affairs in the Muslim World, is a threat to world peace and to environmental stability. Nothing will improve inside the borders of the continental U.S., I agree, but, if you care at all for
your fellow man on this planet, you MUST vote for Kerry, the "douchebag."

[identity profile] supergee.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
Admitting error is a road to wisdom. I learn from my mistakes--that's why I know so much.

[identity profile] amade.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 11:00 am (UTC)(link)
There's a site, I'll see if I can find you the link, that shows how current political candidates and national elected officials voted on ever issue as it's come before congress, etc. It's very non-partisan.

I think you'd be surprised to see how consistant Kerry has been, vs. how the media has portrayed him. No, he's not my favorite candidate, and I think others, like Dean, got railroaded, but then again, my perfect candidate would be a full-on Green, and then none of y'all would vote for him. Or her.

here it is: http://www.issues2000.org/John_Kerry.htm

Read that, then read about some of the other people, like Bush, who we have now. I can point out in a millisecond who *I'M* voting for.

[identity profile] snocat.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
Since I (and most likely anyone else) will never find a candidate that represents all I would like to see. I will continue to vote where the bulk of my ideology is represented. That is with the Republican party. I don't think Bush is that great, but that doesn't mean I will suddenly vote counter to the ideals my party stands for.


In an unrelated note, it sounds as if you wish to hold Bush and/or Rumsfeld responsible for the WTC incident. The only fault I find, is with whomever flew those planes into the buildings...the blame lies with them.

[identity profile] prester-scott.livejournal.com 2004-05-25 11:32 am (UTC)(link)
All I've been hearing this year is that we're really not happy with either of the two major candidates and so we have to [hold our noses and vote for Bush/hold our noses and vote for Kerry/vote third party in protest/stay home in protest].

What the heck is going on here? Somebody must like these insipid company men or else they wouldn't be on the ballot. Who is really steering the boat? Is it some sort of oligarchic conspiracy or is it really just brainless democracy at work?

I repeat: what the heck is going on here?

My regrettable vote in 2000

(Anonymous) 2004-05-26 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
I also voted for Bush in 2000, because I loathed Gore, and because I believed Bush's then-current line about a "humble" foreign policy. (I knew nothing of the PNAC then.)

It was the worst vote I ever made ... even though it did not affect the outcome, since California went for Gore by a huge margin.

Next time, it's back to my usual custom of "vote for what you want, even if you can't get it" .... so I will resume voting for Libertarians.

Lee, the not-anonymous poster
LeePenn at aol dot com

[identity profile] scottso.livejournal.com 2004-05-26 09:59 am (UTC)(link)
I voted for Harry Browne last time around, as I didn't really see any big difference between Bush & Gore, and saw them both as corrupt corporate shills.

Then, Bush went off and started killing thousands of innocent people to get his buddies rich.

I won't be falling for that again. I'll go back to voting for 3rd party candidates when one of the first two isn't the fucking Antichrist.

[identity profile] vajranatha.livejournal.com 2004-05-27 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
You forgot to mention that Senator Al Gore had actually drafted a law, based on the premise that airlines were an imminent terrorist target. This law would have made all passenger airlines have steel reinforced cockpit doors.

Now you know as well as I how often, when a president enters office, he often pushes through legislation of his own liking. It is conceivable that had our popular president actually got into office, rather than the current military/oil complex fascists, 9/11 might never have happened...