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Acceptable reasons to vote Republican.

In reading political blogs, one thing I have picked up is that most communities I associate with have been accused of intolerance. Far from it! I always try to empathize with and get inside the heads of people who disagree with me. There's no point in talking to them otherwise! On that note, I've come up with some reasons that I think can justify a vote for George W. Bush.

1. I am a partisan Republican and will always vote for my candidate, with the exception of flagrantly unacceptable candidates like David Duke.

At first glance, it is hard to sympathize with this point of view. It seems simplistic and amoral, and it removes almost all individual sentience from the equation. But the Bob Dole and Geoffrey Fieger campaigns prove that this sentiment is held by at least 40% of the population at both ends of the spectrum, so it must be accepted and respected as part of American politics. I've considered this position myself in the past.

By the way, I know the David Duke disclaimer is just for show and you'd vote for him anyway. It must be; Duke did as well as Dole and much better than Fieger. It's understandable--not admirable, but understandable--if you're reasonably certain he's going to lose anyway and the opponent is bad enough.

2. I believe that abortion is evil and will vote solely based on that factor.

No doubt, Bush has kept his promises to his supporters on this issue through the only means available to him. The judges he has named to the bench share an uncompromising view on abortion and can be counted on to place many creative obstacles on the path to the clinic until they succeed in overturning Roe. Whatever my own personal views, Bush has done well by the anti-abortion movement and has earned their support.

3. I think the invasion of Iraq was a wonderful act of humanity, but I'm not sure I want us to go doing stuff like that again.

I'm not a pacifist. I'm not even opposed to pre-emptive wars. I think I share with many Jewish people in America the sense that our country can't stand by and let atrocities take place if we have the ability to stop them. I was appalled by Bosnia's Kitty Genovese treatment in the early 1990s and applauded Clinton's (late) move against Serbia then and his (well-timed) actions over Kosovo. If I thought Bush had ever showed any follow-through at all in any initiative he had undertaken in his presidency--hell, his life--I might have accepted an invasion of Iraq.

But his administration screwed up the preparations, pushed the wrong schedule, lied to too many people, and then didn't plan for the aftermath, and it's not going well. So I could have supported a war against Iraq under better conditions, but not these.

I'm getting off-subject. There are people who think the cost in American lives and diplomatic credibility has been worth it so Iraqis can live in desperate hope, and God bless them, they've got the right to set their own calculus. You can be reasonably well-informed about the situation in Iraq and still be hopeful about the outcome, and at this stage in history, I'm not prepared to make my own judgment about your call.

That said, the conservatives who think Bush's invasion of Iraq signals a new moral calling for America are fooling themselves. Look, give it up. Anyone who took Shakespeare in high school knows why Iraq was target number 1, and I'm not making any simplistic bullcrap "blood for oil" arguments. If we're fortunate, Robert Mugabe will insult Barbara Bush's parentage and the world will luck into a desperately-needed intervention. I wouldn't bet on it. Anyone who votes for Bush based on projections of his own philosophy and morality onto this particular blank slate is failing himself. We know how this man operates. If you can recognize his tunnel vision and peculiar limitations, and fit it with your view of foreign policy, congratulations! You've earned the right to vote for him with a clean conscience. Because we won't be liberating other countries any time soon.

4. I don't like environmental laws, OSHA restrictions, and overtime requirements.

This is a shout-out to my Dad, who's a small businessman in a particularly pollutant-driven part of the economy. To his credit, he pays his men extremely well and completely above-board, and this despite having to compete with a lot of subcontractors who don't. He's never said anything to me about overtime or OSHA, but I know how he feels about the EPA, and I'm in no position to debate his stories. Again, it's not about agreement, just internal coherence. Bush has made these issues a priority.

More later as my mind clears. There are some deliberate exclusions from the list; they belong on the "flawed reasons to vote for Bush" and "stop shitting me and yourself" lists, either of which may come later if I think they're worthwhile.

Posted by Mark at March 26, 2004 12:24 PM