In early October my friend Scott Rinehart (you can visit his blog here), suggested that I start a blog because he sensed that I had a lot of pinned up energy. He was right to suggest it. I did have a lot of pinned up energy, and still do. All of this energy is largely due to my daily frustrations with this administration, and how they choose ideology over reason 9 times out of 10. It seems that everyday something new comes out of the Bush administration that drives me crazy. So, I began this blog with one goal in mind: to do my part to keep Bush from another term in office.
I want to make clear that I am not, strictly speaking, a Democrat. I often vote for Republicans in local elections, and always try to gauge a candidate on a person to person basis as opposed to what party they belong to. There is no doubt that I consider myself a progressive, and take no offense to being called a liberal. However, I do not like to be painted with a party color.
The reason I say all this is because I do not want people to think that my dislike for Bush is simply because he is a Republican, because that is just not true. The truth is, even though I describe myself as a progressive, I also am happy to call myself conservative. Too often these terms get thrown around as staples of a particular political party. A Bush Republican is anything but conservative. They are radicals.
Think about it: massive tax cuts are reckless, not conservative. The conservative thing to do with our projected surpluses in 2000 would have been modest tax cuts and aid to help states keep up with their budgets.
Think about this administration’s environmental record: easing and erasing rules for industry on clean air that have been on the books since the 70’s, attempts to put arsenic in our drinking water, initiatives that call for the destruction of forests while calling it the Healthy Forests Initiative.
Think about the Patriot Act: secret seach and seizures, peeking in our library records, arresting 'enemy combatants' without telling them or their families why they have been detained, or for how long. Not to mention the fact that it is called the Patriot Act. What does that make you if you don't support it?
Think about the doctrine of Preemption.
Think about Bush and his cronies thumbing their noses at the United Nations and then marching, unilaterally, into Baghdad.
These are just a few examples of why this administration is radical.
I am so tired of people saying that the left in this country hates Bush. Even though, I wouldn't object to be placed in the Bush-hater category, I would rather not use the word 'hate'. That just sounds too irrational. I am not a radical, acting on irrationality. I am a progressive looking to get the radicals out of office.
I urge anyone who comes across this blog to get involved in the process of removing the radicals from the White House.
Register to vote.
Get involved in progressive organizations.
Here are a few great organizations: MoveOn.org (Read a great article about the increasing power of MoveOn.org at Salon.com), TrueMajority.org, and America Coming Together.
We have to stand up against the abuses of this administration on our democracy. Don't let Fox News and other right-wing puppets convince you that they are being reasonable, they are not. The Bush Republicans in this country, and a significant portion of the media, are driven by a virtual madhouse of idealogues that will do whatever it takes to convince you that their radical views are reasonable, don't believe them.
Vote conservatively, vote against Bush in 2004.