Ford for Kerry?

[muon2]

Wow.

Let me start by saying that like NewFeddy I've seen quite a few elections. I don't go back to 1960, but I've been watching late night returns since 1968. For a long time I watched it all as a game, and I played with protest votes and third parties.

By 1990 I realized that there was more to it than watching returns every four years, and I got involved in the process. What I've learned about the inside has been fascinating. MarkDel speaks with great authority on his view at the national level, but the parties and politicians go all the way down to the local levels, and the leader at the top makes a difference.

I'm in a state where it is easy to complain about the Republican Party leadership. Between the George Ryan
and Jack Ryan cases, the party is a mess. Yet I also see that I can continue to work for positive change, to get the party on the right direction. And it isn't by throwing all the Republicans out of office who aren't "doing enough". I've learned that you don't throw the baby out with the bath water, and I can't vote to create a worse condition with any conscience.

Scientists like myself were supposed to sit in the ivory tower, but I chose to serve my community as well. What I found out is that in thousands of communities, there are a great number of hard-working, well-meaning citizens who devote a great deal of time away from their families. They do it to work together to make their community and the whole country a better place.

NewFeddy is right that the republic goes on after each election. But with each election the nation is tugged in a slightly different direction. Institutions like government have a great deal of inertia, and with each tug it gets hard to pull it back to the direction it needs to go. To some degree, large or small, every unit of government takes some measure of direction from Washington. If Washington heads on the wrong path, all those who work locally have their job made more difficult.

Three years ago, I was given the chance to pull my community in a new direction. I've been working all hours and got a lot done so far. But, even one city government has inertia, and I can't get all the action on my agenda done in one term. If I pushed that hard, I would probably have gotten nowhere.

I can respect the job Bush has done these last three and a half years, even as I respect the limitations of any executive in office. There are a lot of priorities I'd like to see addressed nationally from the President that don't seem to be out there today.

Let's take Social Security that you mention: I've been complaining about this to politicians at my door and friends in my living room since I lived in MA when Kerry was Lt. Gov. Knowing his position then and now, I know that there is far less that will be done in a Kerry administration to stabilize the SSA for my retirement in 20 years, than could happen with Bush as President.

No politician will ever match up 100% with your ideals. And when ideals are thwarted, its easy to paint the whole picture black. But, you must think for the long run, and look at all the issues. Even though the Republic will survive, it will change. Through your vote you can help set that direction of change.

[muon2]

Muon and Supersoulty have brought me back in line.  They were very persuasive, and plus I watched a Kerry speech today, and I realized something important.

Thanks for the confidence in my post. I'd been away for about a day, and after reading all the depression, I couldn't keep my fingers still.

I spent today at a fine bipartisan forum on education reform in IL. It reinforces what I said in my post about doing things for the right reasons, and working to bring sound ideas to government, even if the process is painfully slow at times.