Ask yourself this...

the reason why the country is so divided is because its citizens oppose change.

its just human nature. we know bush, we are used to him, kerry is an unknown component, etc.

but at the same time, lets face it, bush is a liar. his not-so-secret oil agenda is his top priority.

the latest provisions of tax cuts will only make corporations richer, not us.

so people know this. many i talk to who will vote for bush thinks its a mistake to change leadership now because many of the "good" things that bush is trying to do havent taken effect yet. if that is the best endorsement that a pro-bush man can give me then i feel that my vote for kerry is all that more justified.

i cant help but feel that we do not know all the facts concerning bush's military service. it wouldnt surprise me in the least to find out that bush is also a coward.

 

Anyone who thinks voting Kerry into office is going to result in some big scary wholesale change might want to notice that the house and senate are (at least currently) Republican majority. Even if THAT were to change Tuesday, the split would still require compromise to get anything passed.

Bush has already shown that he is right about everything, once he makes up his mind, he won't change it regardless of the facts.

I'm hoping that if Kerry gets the office, HE will notice that close to half the voters didn't vote for him. It was something I expected Bush to do 4 years ago and was sorely mistaken.

 

With all due respect to John, I think national unity is far less common than national division. The R's hate the D's and the D's hate the R's. They both hate the Communists, and the media pretends that the Green party does not even exist except when its nominee is already a high-profile public figure like Ralph Nader. Other candidates can't even get their names into the papers unless they are multu-billionaires like Ross Perot.

The division may be a little greater this year because the current president is a total moron who got into office by more-than-usually-obvious electoral fraud and lost the popular vote. But electoral venom is far more the rule than the exception. We are a fearful, violent, and belligerent country, and we carry our national character into our politics.

 

well said John

that is why i am voting for Kerry. he is more adventuresome and willing to try something new.

bush's move to fuel cell technology AFTER the big 3 had working models of hybrids was an obvious stall tactic designed to insure the future for his children by maximizing his oil profits

bush's politics smack of the middle ages. unwilling to change. following 1000 year old religious dogma and not willing to change when the call for change is screaming in his face.

he is not a strong leader as he claims. he is a closed minded, narrow visioned puppet of big business.

 

Dave and John put my thoughts into words better than I could have done so myself. Hope I dont have to pack and move come Wednesday. I just cannot imagine what the country will be like if Dubya remains in office. His environmental record is obscene and gets next to no media coverage. Guess it is not a hot button issue this election...

 

That's the advantage of declaring the country "at war". All other issues can be swept under the carpet in the war fervour. Great for profiteering.

 

Why is the country so divided?...um...well it started in the 1960s...after LBJs New Deal...this division stuff was also seen in the election of 1860...be that as it may...the press has been the culprit in maintaining the division...they feed on it...the press itself, the big networks...CBS, ABC, and NBC have had political agendas since 1968,if not before...the divisions in this country are only amplifide by the press frenzy...ever ask yourself why a news conference ,regardless of whose in, looks like a pack of wolves surrounding raw meat...basically, the divisions in this country are now being based on ideology,( ie...religion, economics, environment and the role of the federal govt in peoples lives.) The last time the Federal govt overstepped its bounds was in 1861...the states decided to secede...today the federal govt is not what the founding fathers had in mind...regardless, of who wins the election, the divisions of thought will continue...until such a time parity amongst the population exists.

 

In any transition, such as an election, or the beginning of a paradigm shift, it can be said that "the old myths have not yet died and the new myths are not yet fully accepted." We must keep in mind that even "the best steel has to go through the fire."

We are a strong nation because we trust the established process. Individuals and groups will always try to position themselves to come out on top. We are a nation approaching 300 million people. The perspectives of 1780 are not the same in 2004.

Bush and like-minded individuals think and act short-term - the "tragedy of the commons," where everyone derives benefits but no one has responsibility. In order to be sustainable, and with 6.4 billion people, we each individually need to take more responsiblity. As a short-term thinker, Bush, et al., is in denial of long-term consequences. The cowhand says, "not enough grass? Just go get more." We are reaching the carrying capacity limits of Earth - socially, economically and environmentally.

We need more civil discourse and exchange of information, not less. Bush has made focused efforts to dismantle over 100 years of sustainable environmental efforts for short-term gain of a few - while keeping public disclosure to an absolute minimum, and in many cases, keeping information secret or after the fact. The environment is not an "issue" and has not "come up" in the current election process. Regardless of who is elected, we are responsible for and will endure the consequences. We are a nation who thrives on individual choice.

I chose my bicycle, a prius and Kerry.

 

Why is our country so divided?

When you go to war, you find that you pick up the worst of your enemy. The middle east has been a divided land population for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

When my 2005 Prius is delivered I will stay out of the middle east.

 

This may, or may not apply, to the USA but I'm convinced it applies to Canada. We are a country divided and becoming more so as each year progresses. Somewhere along the line we became confused with what we perceived as leadership vs popularity, the latter being purchased by money and outright lies. I'm quite certain very few of you follow Canadian politics but we have for many years suffered under some of the most dishonest politicians of all parties. The promises made during elections, have, for the most part, been ignored or distorted once in "power". We don't use the term "the buck stops here" because all the bucks stop in the pockets of many of our so called representatives.
I dearly love the people of Canada and the people of the US but it's time we all woke up and smelled the roses. Vote out the rotten stock from our stable of politicians and find a way to reshape our politics so that we can return to the road of a progressive civilization. The alternative is to go the way of all precious corrupt civilizations and ,if we do, we deserve it.
Now back to watch the run-up to the US elections which have prompted this sudden rush of mental bile. :mrgreen:

 

Wow. Based on news coverage and websites like this, I was beginning that I was one of the only people in the US that supported Bush. Glad to see that I was in the 3 million plus majority.

Now if I can just convince all my brethren to get a Prius...

Madcat647
Quiet Republican and Prius Owner

 

Perhaps you can convice your president to get one too. Maybe he'll see the light regarding the future of automotive technology and air quality.

 

Well, if they can't be convinced of the obvious stuff like not voting for Bush, not much chance on the Prius, I suspect.

I suspect there's something in the Bible about it somewhere - "the electric motor and the petrol engine shalt not power-split together".

 

I wish we would have elected Kerry as President and kept the republican control of Congress. It is times when a single party controls the legislative and executive branches that things seem to get too far "out of whack"

I think I prefer my government deadlocked, I guess...