Politics w/ a stranger
So I just met this girl on Instant Messenger--she's the roommate of one of my friends from back home. We talked for a while, and then we got onto politics. She likes Kerry......O boy. Since she didn't have time to stick around for a long political conversation, she gave me her email address (there's a way to get a girl's number/email: "Hey, give me it so I can tell you about my political views." There's a chick magnet if there ever wasn't one.) . Anyways, here's what I sent her--all off the top of my head.
Hey [name], it was cool talking to ya tonight. It's not very often I meet someone our age who likes politics. Here's a basic overview of what I'm thinking when it comes to this election. Tell me what you think.
1. THE IRAQ WAR. It was justified, it was for our protection, and it was not for oil. People tend to forget today that everybody believed that Saddam had WMDs: Congress (including John Kerry), Clinton, the U.N., and other nations. Saddam also had definite ties to al Qaeda, he was harboring a high ranker of that group, he had tried to buy uranium, he had billions of dollars available to him to either be a direct threat himself or fund others to be, he had tortured and killed his own people, he was a source of instability in an already tense Middle East (he invaded a neighboring country), he paid the families of suicide bombers. And these are just off the top of my head. Everyone saw a threat, and President Bush, in the wake of 9/11, decided that we could not afford to let the threat that was Saddam materialize any further, or else it would be too late. We do not want another 9/11. Even John Kerry supported the war, and then refused to fund the war, which supplied the troops with ammo and amour, among other things. John Kerry said that, should his version of the bill not get passed (which it didn't) it would irresponsible to vote against the other bill (which did pass). John Kerry is not fit to lead the country in the war on terror.
2. THE ECONOMY. President Bush inherited a recession from Clinton. Combine that with 9/11, which rocked our economy, you cannot possibly blame bush for the economy. The Bush tax cuts, no matter how much liberals harp on "tax cuts for the rich," are good for every single American, regardless of income level. For more on that, check out a post on my blog.
3. SOCIAL ISSUES. President Bush is pro-life and pro-marriage. John Kerry is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. Do I need to say anything else on those issues? On health care: this is something that is not a right to be provided by the federal government. I don't want to be heartless, but universal healthcare is not Constitutional. Also, it's not practical. Canada has it, and it's lowering the healthcare standard and draining their economy. National healthcare is one step closer to Socialism--Hillary Clinton's specialty. One reason why medical costs are so high: trial lawyers like John Edwards who abuse the system with junk science and frivolous lawsuits, which raises the cost of malpractice insurance for doctors, which then gets passed on to you and me. Many doctors are even refusing to perform certain procedures because the risk of a lawsuit is too great.
4. LEGAL ISSUES. There are two kinds of judges: those who interpret and uphold the law according to the Constitution, and those who legislate their own ideas from the bench. John Kerry would appoint the latter kind, judges who advance their own agenda through the courts because it would never happen in a legislative body responsible to the electorate. President Bush, on the other hand, would appoint Justices who would simply follow the Constitution. These judges would never see abortion as protected under personal privacy law; they would never consider convenience the trump card over human life.
5. JOHN KERRY. Apart from what you think of Bush, how in the world can you like John Kerry. He has taken no stand on any issue other than to be against Bush. Just go read the Kerry Spot on National Review Online; for a complete description of all his flip-flops, go here. Then there's his Vietnam record. Regardless of whether you think his record's bogus or not, consider this: John Kerry has made his 4 month war record the centerpiece of his campaign. Not his 20 years in the senate. His 4 months. That should tell us something right there. Then, the Swift Boat Vets for Truth have made a strong argument against Kerry's record. And guess what? The Kerry campaign has done nothing but a) avoid the issue, b) call it nonsense and make no effort to answer the charges (which would be easy to do if they were false), or c) try to smear the opposition. John Kerry made sweeping accusations against all his fellow veterans. He has admitted himself to committing war crimes and violating the Geneva convention. If he's telling the truth, I don't trust him in office. If he's lying, I still don't trust him in office. This guy gives me absolutely no reason for me to vote for him. For a very powerful indictment of John Kerry's flip-flops on the Iraq War--using his very own words--watch this video here.
And still, I pose the question to you: What specifically do you like about John Kerry. Hatred for Bush is not an answer. I'm curious to see what you have to say. Thanks for the discussion!
Response pending.....
UPDATE
Hey Seth-
Thanks for the email, it made me think about who I really want in office.....and the answer is Kerry!!! I bet you thought I was leading up to the answer you want. Anyways, to answer your question about what I like about Kerry here it is.....I don't believe in what Bush tells the country, and am worried about where this country is going.....I like the fact that w/ Kerry you don't have as many boundries, where as w/ Bush you have more. Anyways, I have to study but email me anytime.
Hey [name], it was cool talking to ya tonight. It's not very often I meet someone our age who likes politics. Here's a basic overview of what I'm thinking when it comes to this election. Tell me what you think.
1. THE IRAQ WAR. It was justified, it was for our protection, and it was not for oil. People tend to forget today that everybody believed that Saddam had WMDs: Congress (including John Kerry), Clinton, the U.N., and other nations. Saddam also had definite ties to al Qaeda, he was harboring a high ranker of that group, he had tried to buy uranium, he had billions of dollars available to him to either be a direct threat himself or fund others to be, he had tortured and killed his own people, he was a source of instability in an already tense Middle East (he invaded a neighboring country), he paid the families of suicide bombers. And these are just off the top of my head. Everyone saw a threat, and President Bush, in the wake of 9/11, decided that we could not afford to let the threat that was Saddam materialize any further, or else it would be too late. We do not want another 9/11. Even John Kerry supported the war, and then refused to fund the war, which supplied the troops with ammo and amour, among other things. John Kerry said that, should his version of the bill not get passed (which it didn't) it would irresponsible to vote against the other bill (which did pass). John Kerry is not fit to lead the country in the war on terror.
2. THE ECONOMY. President Bush inherited a recession from Clinton. Combine that with 9/11, which rocked our economy, you cannot possibly blame bush for the economy. The Bush tax cuts, no matter how much liberals harp on "tax cuts for the rich," are good for every single American, regardless of income level. For more on that, check out a post on my blog.
3. SOCIAL ISSUES. President Bush is pro-life and pro-marriage. John Kerry is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. Do I need to say anything else on those issues? On health care: this is something that is not a right to be provided by the federal government. I don't want to be heartless, but universal healthcare is not Constitutional. Also, it's not practical. Canada has it, and it's lowering the healthcare standard and draining their economy. National healthcare is one step closer to Socialism--Hillary Clinton's specialty. One reason why medical costs are so high: trial lawyers like John Edwards who abuse the system with junk science and frivolous lawsuits, which raises the cost of malpractice insurance for doctors, which then gets passed on to you and me. Many doctors are even refusing to perform certain procedures because the risk of a lawsuit is too great.
4. LEGAL ISSUES. There are two kinds of judges: those who interpret and uphold the law according to the Constitution, and those who legislate their own ideas from the bench. John Kerry would appoint the latter kind, judges who advance their own agenda through the courts because it would never happen in a legislative body responsible to the electorate. President Bush, on the other hand, would appoint Justices who would simply follow the Constitution. These judges would never see abortion as protected under personal privacy law; they would never consider convenience the trump card over human life.
5. JOHN KERRY. Apart from what you think of Bush, how in the world can you like John Kerry. He has taken no stand on any issue other than to be against Bush. Just go read the Kerry Spot on National Review Online; for a complete description of all his flip-flops, go here. Then there's his Vietnam record. Regardless of whether you think his record's bogus or not, consider this: John Kerry has made his 4 month war record the centerpiece of his campaign. Not his 20 years in the senate. His 4 months. That should tell us something right there. Then, the Swift Boat Vets for Truth have made a strong argument against Kerry's record. And guess what? The Kerry campaign has done nothing but a) avoid the issue, b) call it nonsense and make no effort to answer the charges (which would be easy to do if they were false), or c) try to smear the opposition. John Kerry made sweeping accusations against all his fellow veterans. He has admitted himself to committing war crimes and violating the Geneva convention. If he's telling the truth, I don't trust him in office. If he's lying, I still don't trust him in office. This guy gives me absolutely no reason for me to vote for him. For a very powerful indictment of John Kerry's flip-flops on the Iraq War--using his very own words--watch this video here.
And still, I pose the question to you: What specifically do you like about John Kerry. Hatred for Bush is not an answer. I'm curious to see what you have to say. Thanks for the discussion!
Response pending.....
UPDATE
Hey Seth-
Thanks for the email, it made me think about who I really want in office.....and the answer is Kerry!!! I bet you thought I was leading up to the answer you want. Anyways, to answer your question about what I like about Kerry here it is.....I don't believe in what Bush tells the country, and am worried about where this country is going.....I like the fact that w/ Kerry you don't have as many boundries, where as w/ Bush you have more. Anyways, I have to study but email me anytime.
posted by Seth at 4:01 AM
3 Comments:
Well, she's still young, so cut her some slack.
Actually, that's no excuse, she's grasping at straws! She doesn't believe in what Bush is telling the country?
UHHHH!?!?!? I think she's watched one too many Michael Moore "documentaries".
Actually, one of the first things she asked me when we got onto politics was whether I'd seen Fahrenheit 9/11. I decided not to answer that one, and spare her a lecture on the absolute stupidity and worthlessness of a completely discredited "disengenuous filmmaker." (that's a phrase from John McCain's convention speech)
Disengenuous doesn't even really describe it completely. I've read tons of stuff debunking both F9/11 and BFC. And yet when I try to point out to people the distortions, they choose not to listen. One of the hardest things about living in Canada is that people just LOVE to hear anything anti-American. And since Moore often spouts on about the Canadian paradise to the North, it merely feeds the egos of my fellow countrymen.
I love seeing Canada beat the US in sporting events, but that's pretty much the extent of my US bashing.
I hope you post on your blog any further conversations you have with her.
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