Vice-Presidential Debates

Much better than the presidential debates. I was working at the library and had to unforunately watch the debates on my laptop. I also have the personal misfortune of having to listen to one of the most vile men in politics, McAuliffe, ramble on about how Cheney looked like an "angry" old man.

::sigh:: Terry just needs to admit that the Kerry-Edwards administration is headed in many wrong directions simulteanously. Whereas the Bush-Cheney administration has been a disaster and an embarrasment for America and the world, Edward's poor grasp of the relevant issues: how No Child Left Behind Works, the liberation of Afghanistan, tax cuts for small business owners, and the continuing importance of supporting globalization (including outsourcing "our" jobs) amazed me. While both of the potential vice-presidents were much more articulate and knowledgeable than their bosses whose lines they must support, Edwards (one of the best lawyers in America) was incapable of defending Kerry's plan.

That being said Cheney dropped the ball on the issue of a non-discriminatory marriage laws. Edwards eloquently articulated an acceptable seperate-but-equal clause, and, correctly, accused the Bush Administration of threatning to manipulate the Constitution for political purposes. (Cheney is too ashamed of his own daughter to embrace her, and her identity, in public. His daughter is running his campaign.) Cheney merely thanked Edwards for his kind words about his family.

Unsuprisingly, both candidates are wrong on this issue. Gays and lesbians should not be forced to live under a seperate but equal social regime in the United States. All unions, with the aim of staying together for life, possess equal moral worth and should be accorded the same levels of recognition and rights. As such, similar to the issue of voting and civil rights for blacks where discrimination at the state and local levels had become instituionalized to the point of seeming normal and ubiquitous, equal marriage should be a federal issue. Because no other states will recognize the couples who are married in Masschusetts, the federal government owes these unions equal respect and should nationalize the civil ideal of equality and recognition. Persons who don't believe that this should be a federal issue, or don't believe in the importance of access to civil marriage being open to all consenting adults monogamous unions, are wrong and have missed the boat.

However, in the course of two years (of watching the two year dominance of the GOP on the hill), I've swung from genuinely curious about what Republicans can do for America to genuinely afraid that the GOP was losing any hopes of liberalizing and forgetting its tenuous, and silly, alliance with social conservatives. The Democratic primaries frightened me with megalomaniacs like Dean running against confused protectionists like , but I did have options as I was able to cast my vote for Kucinich. (It boggles my mind the idea that anyone would have supported these persons at anytime.) Two weeks ago, due to lack of paying attention really, I fervently was a Kerry-supporter, and, having been asked about my domestic political leanings by some 08s and attempting to talk some Republican supporters out of voting for Bush-Cheney 04, I decided to due some research on Kerry-Edwards. This research has not only led to a much less fervent support of Mr.. Kerry, but the most intense bout of political/personal depression since the aftermath of election 2000 and the decision in 2003 to invade Iraq. How could both major political parties of the US be committed to its destruction through an awful combination of naiveté, ignorance, and wrong ideas? Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, we have to wait 16 years before the Dartmouth takeover of Washington will commence.


Posted by John Stevenson at 8:09 PM |