"He serves his party best who serves the country best."
-Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893), 19th U.S. president
This November many lifelong Democrats will be casting their vote for President Bush rather than their party's candidate, Senator John Kerry. One of the Dems who will be making this switch is Ed Koch, former New York City mayor. Jeff Jacoby writing for TownHall.com, explains why in a column titled "Why Koch is on Bush's Bandwagon":
"Ed Koch identifies himself with pride as a lifelong Democrat...says his values have always been those of the broad Democratic center--the values of FDR and Harry Truman, of Hubert Humphrey and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He disdains the Republican worldview as cold and unfeeling...No surprise, then, that Koch disagrees with George W. Bush on just about every domestic issue, from taxes to marriage to prescription drugs.
But he's voting for him in November.
'I've never before supported a Republican for president,' Koch told me last week. 'But I'm doing so this time because of the one issue that trumps everything else: international terrorism. In my judgment, the Democratic Party just doesn't have the stomach to stand up to the terrorists. But Bush is a fighter.' "
Koch told Jacoby that he has serious doubts that his party's leadership has the resolve to "press on in what is going to be a long and grinding conflict." He points to the Democratic Convention, where 9 out of 10 delegates wanted to get out of Iraq, as revealing the antiwar mindset that pervades the Democratic Party leadership. He has no faith that Kerry would have the courage to stand up to those who are now in charge of his party:
"But hasn't Kerry pledged to stay in Iraq and to go after the terrorists? 'That's what he says to appeal to moderates and conservatives during the campaign,' Koch replies. But the party activists who nominated him would compel him to back down once he was in office. The people now running the Democratic Party want no part of the war, and 'when the chips are down, Kerry will do what they want.' "
Democrats and Independents who feel as Koch does, that terrorism is the most crucial issue facing our country today, will very likely vote to re-elect the President. Voters who see terrorism as less important than issues like the economy, health care and education will probably vote for Kerry, unless they are Republicans.
With terrorist activity continuing to occur, as it has in the past few days at a school in the Russian town of Beslan where hundreds of innocents have been murdered, Americans will be constantly reminded that this threat remains with us. Bush's resolve with regard to these enemies is a known. Kerry's is not. For that reason, I believe that unless we see a drastic reduction in terrorist attacks throughout the world, we will see a landslide victory for the President this fall.
I think this issue, and this issue alone, will determine who our next president will be. If I'm correct about this, then in order to win Kerry must convince Americans that he will be a better commander-in-chief than Bush. That will be a terrifically hard sell, especially with long-time Democrats such as Koch publicly announcing their support for the President.
4 comments:
No one ever knows how they will react when events larger than life engulf them and it is stupid to try to predict. George Bush had no idea he would be in the middle of a situation such as 9/11. He had the intelligence showing different terrorist activities going on in the world beforehand but was content to let things ride. It was only after the mess got dumped in his lap that he pulled out his guns and went looking for someone to bring to justice. Frankly, I'm still waiting for that to happen. Where is Osama?
Good to have you back Sarah. I've missed your comments. I assume you and Mylam have been traveling and are back home safe and sound. Tell him hello for me. Hope all is well with both of you.
I don't think Kerry has sold himself well.....and I'm worried if he gets voted into office...I think we need four more years of Bush.
I saw your journal listed over at Faces of J-land (mine is there too) and thought I'd stop by!
~jeresygirl
http://journals.aol.com/cneinhorn/WonderGirl
As long as Americans continue to see the war in Iraq as "a war on terrorism" Bush will have the edge over Kerry, but for those of us who have seen the war in Iraq all along as a detour from the war on terrorism, Bush is an unacceptable candidate for President.
I am amazed that people will give Bush credit for this war, when it is clear to me that we have all but abandoned the hunt for Al Qaeda and its allies around the globe in order to attack Iraq -- a country which was not in any way connected to 9/11 or Al Qaeda.
Iran was a better candidate for an attack than Iraq. And what about Afghanistan? The President failed to go after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Osama and many of his people escaped into Pakistan and Iran. And Afghanistan now is sinking back into the anarchy that preceded our invasion, because our feckless President has failed to provide sufficient force to ensure stability (sounds like Iraq to me).
Ed Koch is impressed with George W Bush -- great, so is Zell Miller. Guess no matter how many times Bush screws up, as long as we have Troops in harm's way, he will find people to support him. Lyndon Johnson and Dick Nixon can tell you how long that kind of support remains for a war of mistaken premises.
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