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Believe it or not, I used to not be interested in politics. As a university student in the late 80s, I believed whole-heartedly in the voting process, but I was so disillusioned by the political bickering that frequently occurred on campus and on the Sunday morning programs, that I didn’t really give much thought to who I voted for, or should vote for. I saw all politicians as the same and scoffed at people who followed a party line. Even as I grew more interested in politics and as I understood the process more -- had more at stake, in other words -- I tried to maintain an independent voter attitude. I voted for Ross Perot, the Reform Party candidate in ’92 and Ann Richards, a Democrat, for governor of Texas in ’94.
Most of you know, if you’ve ever seen my cartoons, which side of the fence I lean on, and why. But cartoons aside, before the 2000 election I would have never been one to send out e-mails with political rants. This note in and of itself demonstrates how hacked off I am. In case you were planning on voting for a Democrat this election, DON’T DO IT! I know "balance" in a democracy is usually a good thing, but this ain't 1920s Soviet Union, either. Need some good reasons?
1. Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords. A Senator elected as a Republican, instead of waiting until the end of his term to switch horses, changes parties one month after the 2001 session opens, thus insulting his electorate and putting control of the Senate in Tom Daschle’s hands. It doesn't take much perceptiveness to see that Daschle speaks with forkéd tongue. I'm trying really hard to think of a Republican who's as big or a bigger weenie than "Blocky." I have to go back to Spiro Agnew to find a weenie as big as Daschle. Dan Quayle may have lacked the brain capacity to lead, but he sure wasn't a cheap-shot liar.
2. The Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee’s party-line axing of perfectly good judges. W has made a record number of recommendations, yet chairman Leahy has continued to drag his heels, perhaps waiting until the next Democratic president comes along to make recommendations he likes. In the meantime, justice grinds to a near halt as many judicial positions remain vacant.
3. The lame tax refund. Many of you may not know this, but in times of economic slowdown, it’s perfectly normal to run up a debt, and thus offer a tax break. I'm somewhat of the mind that taxes are a necessary evil, but the things that Dems want to tax us for border on the socialistic. I suscribe to the Keynesian theory that the more we are taxed, further down the road, the more likely the economy will suffer. The economy doesn't concern me as much as the attempt by Dems to call it "The Bush Economy."
4. The arrogance of Democrats over Iraq policy. They say they need "more evidence." How much more evidence do you need? Saddam Hussein has consistently broken 16 U.N. resolutions over the last 11 years. He’s harboring al-Qaeda. If we want our operatives to be able to go into Iran to wipe out al-Qeada facilities there, we have to take out Saddam’s missile capability. Does Daschle want to wait until a chemical-laden missile lands in South Dakota and kills every living thing in Sioux Falls? Even then, will that convince him?
5. Democrats refuse to pass a Homeland Security bill because they want federal workers unionized. Unions are fine for things like assembly line workers and coal miners, but for emergency matters like homeland security...Why? Can you imagine the annoyance a federal union would bring? "I’m sorry, I can’t put out this deadly fire because it’s not in my union contract." We're trying to prevent 9/11 from ever happening again, not make it easier for terrorists to do their job.
6. Al Gore and the whole 2000 election-related debacle. How many more times were we going to count the votes until the Dems got a result they wanted? Why did the Republicans have to go to the Supreme Court to make the Dems behave and follow the law? Now Gore’s acting like a spoiled child, which is very unbecoming of a former "statesman."
7. The moral terpitude of many members of the Democratic Party. Laws apparently do not apply to them, as is evidenced by the actions of Gary Condit, James Traficant, Bob Toricelli, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and even "no controlling authority" Al Gore...it’s as if none of them ever heard of the Constitution, or think it doesn't apply to them. The sickening part is the rest of the party refuses to distance itself from the bad apples! I know that there are bad Republicans, too, as people like Eleanor Clift are quick to point out. But the difference is that Republicans pay the piper for their mistakes, usually by resigning (i.e., Bob Livingston, and yes, because of the last ten years of Democratic smarminess, I have new respect for R.M. Nixon!). Democrats, when they get in hot water, just act like nothing ever happened, refuse to atone for their sins, and continue to make poor decisions for the course of their political terms.
8. Read Ann Coulter’s Slander, Bernard Goldberg’s Bias, and anything by Bill Bennett. They’ll give you about 1,000 more reasons to despise the Democratic Party and to doubt everything that the media reports to us.
I would rather vote for a dysenteric amoeba than a Democrat. They both turn my stomach the same way.
