The President gave his State of the Union Address this past Tuesday. On most fronts he had only good things to say about the state of things in America. According to Bush, America has allies, the economy and employment rates are both strong and schools are improving thanks to his No Child Left Behind Act. If you hear a speech from any Democratic candidate, you’ll hear contrasts to Bush’s suspicious pep rally. I saw both Howard Dean and General Wesley Clark in New Hampshire, and both said the same things about our country’s current status. Both stated that most other countries hate us now, our economy and job situation are both crap, and that the No Child Left Behind Act was leaving more children behind due to insufficient funding.
Both outlooks–A) that all is well and B) that America is falling apart–cannot be true. Who do you trust?
Bush?
*Bush is the only President in recent times to have his official documents sealed off from the public (usually seen as only done by those with something to hide).
*John Ashcroft’s Patriot Act has yet to be disclosed in full detail.
*Much of what Bush said he believed and said that he would do as president is the opposite of what he has done since taking office. (For more on that, search for the “Bush vs. Bush” clip from the Daily Show at www.comedycentral.com).
*Bush and his cabinet haven’t been honest with the American people.
What further lowers Bush’s credibility is that not even all his peers stand behind him anymore. Senator John McCain, who’d supported Bush after losing to him in the 2000 primary, is now bashing Bush at every opportunity, having appeared recently to critique Bush on both The Daily Show and CNN.
Perhaps most shocking is that even the ridiculously conservative New Hampshire Senator John Sununu, champion for the corrupt cause of moving Businesses to Bermuda for tax breaks, has come out against Bush’s requests for more money for his private war. When a Republican President can’t depend on extreme conservatives like Sununu, something is wrong.
So, who do you trust?
The Democrats?
Imminent doom is thinking Democratic candidates all have clear records and have earned the respect of their peers.
*Howard Dean calls himself an avenger for the everyman, and indeed he has provided affordable healthcare to most of the needy people in Vermont.
*General Clark is famous for achieving high military rank regardless of the fact that he’s always spoken his mind, something that can get many in the army or government into hot water. Clark also has Michael Moore behind him, and Moore has proven time and again to be an expert when it comes to exposing the hypocrisy of politicians. Dean’s record speaks for itself, while Clark’s credibility is verified by the people who support him.
These Democratic candidates are unquestionably much more trustworthy than the President. Unfortunately, siding with the Democrats here shatters Bush’s pleasant illusion that America is now a nice place. Coming over to the Democrat side shows you that there is still an enormous amount of work to be done to make America as prosperous as Bush endlessly insists it already is.
If you vote for Bush, this work will not even begin for at least another four years, by which point its enormity could become so large as to defy description. The Democrats won’t select their candidate for a while, but I can say this much about what the only sensible thing to do come November is: pass over Bush and vote for “the other guy.” He can be trusted.
Dan Goldstein can be contacted at [email protected]