Selection 2000
by Bradford Shaw

I guess it's about time that I made some kind of comment on the 2000 election, or if you prefer, selection process.

It was of course a mess. It made previous elections seem timid by comparison. The biggest surprise to me was the enthusiasm that was generated in the Republican Party.

I never would have imagined all of these right wing conservatives backing a candidate as flawed as GW. It has been rumored that he was or may still be a drunk; was a draft evader during the Vietnam war by his entry into the Texas National Guard which could never be called into active duty during war; he has an arrest record, and may have done more than his fair share of cocaine during the disco era.

So why did they back him with their hard-earned millions?

My guess is hatred. Hatred for Bill Clinton and the Democrats. Yes, I do believe that the malice that most conservatives felt starting in 1992 has generated into an obsession, clouding their judgement and decision making capabilities. They hated Clinton so much, and wanted the Presidency back at any cost, that they found the closest thing in the Republican Party to Clinton and ran with him.

They poured money into his campaign as if it was a house on fire, making sure not to be out spent and out maneuvered like they were in 1996. Granted that maybe they should have flooded the Dole campaign with funding that year, but I believe most higher placed party officials thought that Dole didn't have much of a chance. Why waste money on a failing cause when you can save up and really trounce the opposition the next time?

So they did the smart thing and waited out the clock, making sure to turn the Clinton presidency into a living Hell for the second term he was in office.

The Republicans thought (and cleverly so) that by ripping Clinton a new anus he couldn't effectively campaign for his VP in the next election. Actually, I first heard this idea exposed in public by Rod Steiger on Politically Incorrect in the late 90's. I of course agreed with that thought as I had conceived it myself even earlier in 1992, when I saw the first "Impeach Clinton" bumper sticker on the back of a new Mercedes.

So their plan worked. It stopped the most effective politician that we have seen in modern times from insuring a Democratic successor to his presidency. It stopped the modernization of the supreme court by practically insuring at least three conservative appointments in the next four years. It stopped the forward movement of our country to a more inclusive society, and it brought several old Bush the first cronies out of forced political retirement.

Now I suppose the first questions are, "How long will it take shrub to spend us into another recession?" and "How much military spending can we afford in peacetime?"

If he is anything like his father, like the republican spin doctors told us he was, he will do lots of favors for his rich buddies and tank our healthy economy.

How can he help it with the cabinet that he picked? I read back in 1998 that Bush had his cabinet picked out even in those early days. The guy realized even then that he needed help in a big way.

Bradford Shaw
Registered Voter Since 1975

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