We Could Hire Our Own Midget, Even Shorter Than His

Thank god those are over. While ED enjoyed the first debate (probably b/c Kerry had a good showing) the final two presidential debates and the vice presidential debate accomplished absolutely nothing. Both candidates are taking quotes completely out of context, exaggerating claims and are accusing the other of charges that are just not accurate.

The one positive is that if a person is able to dedicate enough time to reading a wide variety of media outlets, along with listening to the candidates’ rhetoric, a picture can be derived of what exactly the differences are between the two candidates.

Bush believes that the only way to rid the world of terrorism is to forcefully push democratic ideals on those in predominantly Muslim nations, with Iraq being the first such encounter. Kerry believes that the use of force will only stand to further agitate the Muslim world, so we need to secure the nation domestically while searching for less aggressive means to reduce the risk of terrorism. That’s not to say Bush isn’t securing the domestic front as well, but a fairly solid argument could be made that the $120 billion spent in Iraq to date could have been much more wisely used securing our ports, energy facilities, bridges, tunnels, etc.

Bush believes that providing large tax breaks to corporate America and the wealthy will result in those entities and individuals spending more money, which will eventually lead to growth. Kerry believes in a nation that has a smaller margin between the nation’s richest and poorest and that America’s middle class has enough spending power to charge the economy. Bush has no concern for the deficit and believes that we can spend our way out of it by increasing revenues and thus increasing tax dollars. Kerry believes that growth can be better managed by cutting the deficit and reducing the highs and lows in the economy by maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Bush believes in an “ownership society” in which every American is fully responsible for managing their own healthcare, retirement, etc. Kerry believes that’s a recipe for disaster because large chunks of society would be left at risk in the case of a stock market correction, such as that which happened early in this century, or for the millions of Americans which have not had access to adequate education or economic means.

To ED, when you boil it all down, Bush is for aggressive actions that have the potential for big gains, but also have the potential for catastrophe. Kerry is for moderation, with a view that our nation has been highly successful and that small modifications should be made to existing programs, not complete transformations.

Headline Quote Movie of Origin: Oh Brother Where Art Thou
Character: Pappy O’Daniel campaign staff member
Setting: Pappy O’Daniel, the incumbent governor of Mississippi, is getting trounced in the polls at the hands of a populist candidate whose utilizing a midget to sweep away the corruption of the current regime. Pappy’s staff, running out of ideas, suggests that they get their own midget, but this one shorter than the competition… “We could hire our own midget, even shorter than his.”
The quote is relevant to this story how?: The campaign from both parties has turned in to which candidate can demonstrate the shorter midget. No longer is policy the central theme (although it probably was never the central theme), but instead who can succeed best at one-upping the opponent with a sound bite that’s not relevant or accurate.

Contact El Duderino at jaipf@hotmail.com.