The major newspapers have begun their endorsements this week and none of them have surprised me. The liberally slanted journals endorse Gore, and the conservative ones give their nod to Bush. Why they continue to do this is beyond me, as I can recognize who they are backing even before the primaries.
Because I have never endorsed a losing candidate, I feel that my endorsement carries much more weight than the newspapers and print journals. I have carefully weighed each of the candidates (Gore tipped the scale at 190lbs.) and have developed a clear vision on who the best choice is.
The Choices:
Albert Gore, Jr. - Democrat
George W. Bush - Republican
Harry Browne - Libertarian
Howard Phillips - Constitution Party
Ralph Nader - Green Party
Pat Buchanan - Reform Party
Who is Not getting my endorsement:
Looking at the candidates, I have to immediately eliminate Ralph Nader. Far too big government for this country. We have not had a well defined leftist as our President since FDR, and we're still digging out of his mess. We are not in a mood to make that mistake again. He would be much more suited for office in Sweden or Canada.
The next elimination is Howard Phillips. There isn't much news about him, and there is probably a very good reason for that. The Constitution party seems to be filled with disenfranchised Republicans and I am not sure they are organized enough to be effective.
Mr. Buchanan, you're next. It's the border thing. We do not serve ourselves well as isolationists. I know that his "America first" rhetoric gets some of you out there all warm and fuzzy, but it is not good policy in this age of technological advancement. I know it hurts, Pat, to see factories close and textile type jobs disappear, but we are reaching the end of the industrial age. We have to prepare ourselves for the global marketplace. It's coming no matter what, and locking ourselves in the closet and hoping it will go away is not good leadership.
Albert Gore, I'm going to miss you. Once the heir to the throne, soon to be in the private sector for the first time in your life. I liked having you around, as you typified the word politician and were an easy target to pick on. You cannot expect the country to elect someone who has consistently divided the classes, the races and the sexes. We are
in need of a national love-in at this point in time and you are not the man to make that happen.
My next elimination really hurts. Sorry, Harry Browne. You embody everything I believe in. Your small government solutions are exactly what this country needs, but now is not your time. Your brand of government would be a shock to the public. We have people that are completely dependent on the government for survival and they will need to be weaned from it before someone of your ilk could be elected. I hope to see it happen in my lifetime.
The Winner Is...
George W. Bush is not a perfect candidate. He is not another Jefferson or Roosevelt (Teddy, of course). He has a bad habit of slaughtering the English language. His smirk can easily be misidentified as smugness. He's inexperienced. That being said, why he deserves my endorsement can be summed up in two words: Social Security. His Social Security plan is the starting block for what I predict will be a whole new system for us younger workers. We need to privatize the system in order to assure ourselves of a stable retirement. Most of all, his plan allows us to make the decisions on our future and not the federal government. If I have a complaint, it would have to be that it is only 2%.
I still plan to vote for Browne if my state (Illinois) seems out of play. He needs to know that some of us care and want libertarian representation in the future. I am endorsing Bush because he is what the country requires, not what I would prefer. That and I would hate to not be able to say "I have never endorsed a losing candidate."
Did I mention that this is my first endorsement?
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