which is worse?
by John at 8/19/2004 02:54:00 PM
I'm thinking of not voting for Kerry.
Why? Well, it's obviously not because I think that George Bush has done a good job as President or that he would somehow manage to turn around the botched work he has already begun, and it's not that I think he is in any way good for our nation. Nor is it because I fear the bogeyman of John Kerry's immoral liberalism or his exaggerated (if not imaginary) ethical difficulties. It is, rather, because I've started to ask myself a brand new question. It is a variation on the problem of choosing the lesser-of-two-evils.
The Question
Which is worse for the United States of America:
four more years of Bush-Cheney and their wrong-headed policies and unaccountable cohorts
-or-
four more years of the right-wing slime machine's* endless innuendo, obfuscation, and calumny about President John Kerry as it attempts to derail and disable the already limited democracy we practice?
A vote for Bush is a vote for not having to listen to these vile reprobates until 2007*!
_____
* This is, not coincidently, the same reason I didn't feel too badly for Al Gore when he lost in 2000. At least, I thought, he and his family would be able to live the rest of their lives with a modicum of peace, and we would all get a hiatus from the fecal storm until the next election cycle.
But perhaps this very response is why the Republicans keep winning. Maybe the unquestioning faithful don rain gear and turn out to vote in full force, while the otherwise thoughtful either stay indoors or arrive with their hands over their mouths and noses, tired of the taste and smell of shit, and are unable or unwilling to pull the lever for the better candidate.
Whatever. It still stinks.
* Update: There are, of course, left-wing slimers as well. At times I have been one. And while the difference between the right- and left-wing slimers may not be black and white, it is at least dark gray and light gray. If you can't tell the difference, I suggest a visit your optometrist.
Why? Well, it's obviously not because I think that George Bush has done a good job as President or that he would somehow manage to turn around the botched work he has already begun, and it's not that I think he is in any way good for our nation. Nor is it because I fear the bogeyman of John Kerry's immoral liberalism or his exaggerated (if not imaginary) ethical difficulties. It is, rather, because I've started to ask myself a brand new question. It is a variation on the problem of choosing the lesser-of-two-evils.
The Question
Which is worse for the United States of America:
four more years of Bush-Cheney and their wrong-headed policies and unaccountable cohorts
-or-
four more years of the right-wing slime machine's* endless innuendo, obfuscation, and calumny about President John Kerry as it attempts to derail and disable the already limited democracy we practice?
A vote for Bush is a vote for not having to listen to these vile reprobates until 2007*!
_____
* This is, not coincidently, the same reason I didn't feel too badly for Al Gore when he lost in 2000. At least, I thought, he and his family would be able to live the rest of their lives with a modicum of peace, and we would all get a hiatus from the fecal storm until the next election cycle.
But perhaps this very response is why the Republicans keep winning. Maybe the unquestioning faithful don rain gear and turn out to vote in full force, while the otherwise thoughtful either stay indoors or arrive with their hands over their mouths and noses, tired of the taste and smell of shit, and are unable or unwilling to pull the lever for the better candidate.
Whatever. It still stinks.
* Update: There are, of course, left-wing slimers as well. At times I have been one. And while the difference between the right- and left-wing slimers may not be black and white, it is at least dark gray and light gray. If you can't tell the difference, I suggest a visit your optometrist.
“… when Hillary Clinton decided to run for the Senate, (Eve) Weinstein decided to join the fray. "I'll do anything to get Hillary into office," she told the Washington Post.
During the last election cycle, Weinstein and her husband Harvey, co-founder of Miramax Films, donated more than $300,000 to Democratic committees that supported candidates like Clinton. In September 1999, the Hollywood couple also held a fundraiser for the First Lady in their home in Westport, Connecticut. With guests like Paul Newman and Martha Stewart, the event easily exceeded its goal of $100,000…..The Weinsteins derive their considerable fortune from Miramax, which Harvey co-chairs….A Democratic loyalist, Harvey participated in a weeklong flurry of fundraising last September that generated $5 million for the party.” http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/mojo_400/87_weinstein.html
Harvey Weinstein (and brother Robert), as you probably know, personally funded the distribution of Fahrenheit 9-11, when Disney (parent company of Miramax) refused to distribute it in an election year. Why is this relevant? I guess I need my eyes checked.
For those who are tired of dirty politics, let me say I know exactly how you feel. I’m as tired of dirty politics as I am dirty diapers. Unfortunately, the Poop is here to stay, despite the outcome of this election, so long as people put up with 527s of any kind.
Swift Boat Vets are being dismissed out of hand because the person providing it with seed money is Bob Perry, a supporter of George Bush. I’m glad to see Democrats finally waking up to the idea of soft money and its inherent bad smell. I think they’ve been largely blind (who needs the eye check here?) to it up to this point. So let me just say, you can’t get rid of Poop you don’t see: Those who contribute large sums to 527s also tend to contribute directly to campaigns.
Shedding some light on shit:
Stephen Bing, Shangri-La Entertainment gave:
- $7M to Joint Victory Campaign 2004
- $1M to Moveon.org
- $9.5M during 2000-2004 election cycles to Democratic Natl Committee, DSCC, DCCC and various Democratic candidates including John Kerry
George Soros, Soros Mgmt Fund
- $5M to America Coming Together
- $4.5M to Joint Victory Campaign 2004
- $2.5M to Moveon.org
- $280K to DNC, DSCC, DCCC, etc. and individual candidates, including John Kerry
Peter Lewis, Progressive Insurance
- $8M Joint Victory Campaign 2004
- $3M America Coming Together
- $2.5M Moveon.org
- $102K DNC, DCCC, DSCC, etc. and individual candidates including Howard Dean, but not John Kerry yet
Harvey and Eve Weinstein, Robert Weinstein
- Funded distribution of Fahrenheit 9-11
- $275K to DNC, etc. and individual candidates including John Kerry
Bob Perry, Perry Homes (smear merchant funding Swift Boat Vets for Truth)
- $100K to Swift Boat Vets for Truth
- $67K to RNC, and individual Republican candidates including George Bush
(All the numbers found at opensecrets.org)
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