Even George Washington warned our fledgling nation of this pitfall, two-party politics is deeply embedded in our country. There are so many different people with so many different lifestyles and they all rally behind two factions. Both groups then pick the candidate they hope will lead this country into the next four years. A third party rises to fruition every now and again with little or no impact on the political system.
The first George W. may have been right about parties, and this election seems to be centered on our current one. I don’t like Bush.
I disagree with his direction of the country and his values. I’m voting for Kerry. The only thing I know about John Kerry is that he disagrees with Bush’s direction of the country and his values.
There is a certain Web site that has been floating about that involves Kerry with a certain feminine hygiene product which basically conveys this point. Democrats may make remarks on his policies or his vision for America, but how is Kerry any different from any other Democrat? How is he any different from Joe Lieberman, Howard Dean or Al Sharpton? The simple truth is that he is not. Well, not really.
None of them would have gotten far in their quest for party nomination if they held values too dissimilar to Democratic ideals. Kerry arose victorious because he has the best shot of defeating Bush. The above-mentioned were too liberal or too crazy to have a chance of beating an incumbent and were cast aside. Now that John Kerry has the party nomination, he has to placate the whims of undecided voters, never really taking a stance on a subject, and he drops in polls when he takes a stance.
Even before the Democratic delegation had chosen their man, I would hear those saying that they would vote for anyone so long as to get rid of W. But this is what the election has come down to — Bush vs. anti-Bush.
I find it disheartening that I should vote for someone on the simple basis of a lesser evil, and the mere notion of someone voting against an incumbent to oust him or her degrades the election and political system.
Adding a third name on the ballot does not remedy this problem. Those who run for office outside the shell of the Republican or Democratic parties only end up wasting their time and energy and anyone who votes for them is wasting his or her vote.
This seems to be the nature of our political system.
The upcoming debates may help shake Kerry’s current role, but there are others like myself who have already made up their minds on George W. Bush.
It will be those who have not decided about Bush that will determine the elections outcome — the way it should be.
