Politics and Cynicism - my thoughts as a Clark supporter

[PatGund]

I'm really beginning to understand why people don't vote......

In 2000, I saw someone running for office that had appeal from both parties, who had served his country honourably and well, had suffered for it, who would have made a fine president.

That person was Sen. John McCain. Even though he wasn't in my party, I could respect him as someone honourable and worthy, someone who could rescue his party from the Religious zealots and NeoCons that captured it. He was a republican that I, and many others, could respect, and trust to do right by this country.

Problem was that the media ignored him, with this attitude of "don't worry your pretty little head about choices, this is who you want to vote for". And I saw the lies and tales that his own party spead about him. The crazy story. The "black baby" story. The doubts about his stability. His own party punished him for daring to run against the person *they* decided they wanted to run. And, like good little lap dogs, the media went along with it.

Now it's 2004. Late 2003 I saw a person with all the things I liked about McCain - and more. Someone who had served his country well, who had suffered for it. Someone with wide diplomatic and economic experience. Someone who would have made, IMHO, one of the finest presidents this country had ever seen. And someone who was, like me, a Democrat to boot.

So I threw my support to General Wesley Clark.

And I saw the same thing happen to him. The media ignored him and annointed who they wanted to have run. Clark's own party went against him, and spead many of the same lies. He's unstable. He's crazy. He's really a *gasp* Republican. etc., etc., etc. And, again, like good little lap dogs, the media went with that as well. Even though he was doing as well as Edwards, the media chose to ignore him at best.

`For five months, Clark went against people who had been running for two years. And, considering that small amount of time and the near-total media blackout on him, he did really quite well. But there's only so long one can tilt at windmills, and any general worth his stars knows when it's tactically time to retreat.

So now the media paints this as a race between Sen. Kerry, who may be decent but acts, IMHO, like he has the personality of NyQuil, and Sen. Edwards, who, IMHO, is a lying sack of crud who proves that many law schools require a ritual sacrifice of ethics to graduate. The media keeps Dean around as "comic relief", but I hope Dean's supporters continue to give Kerry - and especially Edwards - hell.

Jan. of 2005, we'll have a newly elected president. Either the democratic choice will win, or Bush will actually win this time, rather than be selected. I don't think Bush will do the country any good, but I'm not overly impressed with many of the remaining choices. Most would be better than Bush, but that's damming with faint praise.

As for me, let me say this. The day of the California primary is my 38th birthday. And also the first election that the county of San Diego gets to use their neato-keen-nifty-gee-whiz-high-tech Diebold touch-screen systems. I was planning to vote via absentee ballot, because I have my doubts about the security and accuracy of the touch screen, (and especially Diebold) systems. Now, I'll more than likely vote via touch-screen after all.

It's not like my vote counts for much anymore anyway.

[BurtWorm]

1. Please consider writing in Clark.

Please! Don't let the DNC take your precious vote away.

PS: I'm for Dean, and I appreciate what you said about him.

[PatGund]

2. It would be tempting....

....but I suspect, futile. Here's hoping Clark and Dean's campaigns have served as a wake-up call with the DNC.