If you REALLY want to win this election then you have to do one

[Blue_Roses]

thing--fight for what YOU'RE passionate about in this election.

I don't mean "fight," just for the sake of fighting, I mean by speaking up for issues that make you want to give Bush the pink slip so bad you dream about it.

For those who think they have to "fall in love," with John Kerry in order to vote for him, then you are missing the boat. This election isn't about being enamored with the candidate, it's about being "in love with democracy." John Kerry wasn't my first, nor my second, or even my third choice. I hadn't even much heard of him until this election and I sure never thought he would be our nominee. Watching the primary process early on, I didn't focus in on Kerry 'cause I looked for the "southern guy" who would make me feel all "fuzzy" inside, so when he didn't make the cut, I felt, "that's it, were're doomed."

But then I ran across something from 1988 when Micheal Dukakis was running for President, that I had forgotten. During the time he was running for President, I was working as a counselor with women and girls facing unplanned pregnancies in their life. Bush Sr. was looked at as the conservative who would abolish Roe v. Wade. I was never "passionate" about Dukakis, but I was "passionate" for women having the right to choose. It gave me the fire to get behind him and fight for a cause that I held dear to my heart. Obviously, he didn't win, but it still taught me that you can get fired up for the "cause" even if you're not "passionate" about the candidate.

Alot has changed since '88, and even though I'm still for a woman's right to choose, my list of "passionate" issues has gotten longer. For one, will we have Social Security when I retire. With Bush, probably not. Will the deficit have to be paid by my children, straining this economy more--with Bush yes. Will I continue to have trouble affording health care--with Bush yes. The list is endless.

At least with Kerry there is hope. With Bush...well, you've seen what's happened the last 3 years. All I have to do to feel my "passion" about winning this year is to look at the fear on my 84 year-old mother's face when she talks about losing her Social Security benefits.

What issues motivate you? Fight for the right to have that President you "feel fuzzy" about down the road. With Bush you may not have the choice. It's crazy to think we can ALL agree on ONE candidate, but we can agree on what makes us want to oust Bush.

[Gasolinedream]

1. I agree---ABB

Anybody But Bush.

Any idiot A-Hole who wants to shove his personal agenda and his peronal "morality" down our throats deserves to be ousted and choke on pretzels.

This is America--Not Saudi Arabia.

i am looking for ways to help get rid of Bush. I hope there are a lot of us out there.

[demnan]

2. Thanks for a very thoughtful post

I agree with you that what makes a person a Democrat is more important than the individual charisma of the candidates. Also there are many, many candidates on the national, state and local area that you can get "passionate" about along the way.

I've been a Democrat all my life. I knew when I worked for Clinton that he was that one of a kind candidate, perhaps in my lifetime, that would inspire me beyond the normal, who would make me feel like this particular guy should be President.

It's time to work for the Democrats to put as many as we can back in power.

[phillybri]

3. Good job...great post...

:kick:

[bryant69]

4. Agrees

Senator Kerry wasn't my first choice, but I thought he, like all of our candidates, had a lot to offer and was a good person. I guess that makes it easier; i never gave my heart to any candidate (I did give $200 to on of those who lost, however). I can understand the sinking feeling those who really committed have; but agree that we need to focus on the big picture.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[mikehiggins]

5. Kerry will never win

unless Bush totally screws up between now and November. Given half a measure of success, Dubya will take this one and it won't matter if its by a hair or a country mile. Four more years of BushCo will be a total disaster for this country.

That is why people turned to Dean and Clark, et al, in the first place. The same-old/same-old Washington insider candidates are not what we need to beat the Bush, but as expected, that's what we're left with, thanks to the DNC and the media.

Not that I have anything in particular AGAINST Kerry but he is what he is, and while I will support ABB we could have done a whole lot better.

[NicoleM]

7. Do you have a time machine?

A crystal ball? Are you that John Titor guy?

[mikehiggins]

14. Nope. No time machine. I also think it'll snow next winter and I don't

need a time machine to foretell that one either.

Can you see anyway John Kerry can win on the basis of his own strongly held positions without Bush screwing up? Can you even list Kerry's strongly held positions clearly and without footnotes?

What we need is a leader and what we got is a Senator. Maybe it'll work out but I'm allowed to have my doubts, even here on DU.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

16. On which days will it snow? How deep? Will it snow in Little Rock?

Will there be enough snow to turn the drought around here in Montana? Will the ski resorts in Colorado all be open for Thanksgiving? Will there be enough precipitation to cause mudslides in California? Where will they be? How many snowdays will the schools in Baltimore have? How about Philadelphia?

:eyes:

[Blue_Roses]

9. Come on

Mike--let's be the "little engine that could.":)

With ANY candidate we face an uphill battle beating Bush and his rightwing, money-driven propaganda machine.

[MurikanDemocrat]

15. Apparently not. If Dean and Clark could not win with primary voters,

they weren't likely to do any better with voters in the general election.

Your logic that Dean and Clark were the ONLY ones that could win in November, when someone else CLEARLY got far more support and votes than they did, simply doesn't wash. The majority have spoken

[Vladimir]

6. Now that is a constructive

get-onboard post!

You sum up the point very well: A hope of better times is better than the certainty of worse times.

V

[Blue_Roses]

12. that would make a good bumper sticker

"A hope of better times is better than the certainty of worse times.":)

[H2O Man]

8. What motivates me:

Many things motivate me, but I'll stick to two simple ones. I know that the first law of life is Clean Water. Clean water is connected with life; polluted water = disease/death. If we put a clean and a filthy glass of water before a thirsty person, they instinctively select the clean water. Kerry represents clean(er) water, and bush represents filthy water.
#2: "Selective Services fills local board" The Daily Star, Oneonta NY January 12, 2004. The draft board for Delaware, Chenango, and Otsego Counties is now full, and prepared to draft young men for military consumption. I have sons ages 16 & 20. I have nephews in their 20s. I do not want them to fight, kill, or die for Halliburton.
Conclusion: I believe that the bush administration represents the filth and violence that equals the death/dark force. I do not think that Kerry alone is the answer, but his camaign does represent an opportunity for us to filter the death force out of our daily water.

[Blue_Roses]

10. I've been reading about

Kerry and his stance on the environment and he really does have a good record on this. You don't have to look far to see how "important" the environment is to Bush. Just go to Texas--and then try living there. What a pollutant state.

[NoPasaran]

11. One issue that works for me...

...Is Busholini's unilateralism. If you've read much history you've probably observed that nations which set themselves against the world end up being humbled. These days, being humbled includes being turned into piles of rubble. As a homeowner I worry about the effect that may have on my property values.

[Blue_Roses]

13. I'm

:kick: this one today, because we need it