reasonablenut

It surprises me this election season that so many conservatives are torn about pulling the lever for Bush. Spoons has a post up that really exposes the amount of wrestling some people are doing with this choice.

First off, in the interest of full disclosure, let me state that I have already voted absentee and that Bush fell in the "aye" column. Also, I voted straight Republican. This does not mean that I am a party-loyalist, it's just that the New Mexico Democratic Party is one of the most corrupt in the country and they field candidates who are beyond caricature (for example, this is the clown they are running against Heather Wilson in my district, and I'm no Heather Wilson fan.) This also doesn't preclude the reality that my absentee ballot is floating somewhere in the Rio Grande River.

Secondly, let's try to agree that Badnarik and post-9/11 Big-L Libertarians are all moonbats. Deaniacs had more common sense. Also, Nader...well, he's Nader.

That leaves us with two major parties and two major candidates. Bush is no genius and, as I've said before, they should have put Cheney at the top of the ticket in 2000. His pusillanimous non-use of the veto pen has driven me nuts while campaign finance, farm subsidies, more goodies for old geezers, and a bunch of other crap have made it into law. This is partly the responsiblilty of the Republican non-leadership in the Senate, but for God's sake man, not one veto?

Bush is probably not the ideal for many pro-2A types, either.

So let's glance at the other candidate.

I think one of the larger issues in this election (read the largest) is the war. I still have not been able to put my finger on a solid position this man has regarding this enterprise. Yes, he said he'd "kill the terrorists" about a million times during the 3 debates, but that doesn't mean he has any clue how he would go about executing the duties of Commander-in-Chief. And the thought of an ambulance-chasing shyster like Edwards being one heartbeat away from the presidency, scares the holy hell out of me.

Whereas, Bush is not so hot on the gun issue, Kerry would be a disaster.

The bigger concern most conservatives have is the stunning lack of fiscal conservatism this administration has displayed. What I think a lot of wobblers may be ignoring is that this will be Bush's final term in office. First term you have to worry about re-election and tacking to the center and all of that BS. I think if W is reelected, all of this uniting not dividing crap will be right out the window.

Also, if he even begins to privitize Social Security or reform tort law, that will be a major step in the right direction on domestic issues.

So, in conclusion, I think the contrast between the candidates is pretty stark and there really shouldn't be any question if your politics are somwhere to the right of Teddy Kennedy's.