Reply #17: There are many republicans who cannot vote for Bush.

[Crachet2004]

I am back in the workforce again, and talking to some real diehards, that I have known most of my life.

My best talking points are: Bush lied about WMD (this is the big one), and now look at the death toll in Iraq-and they are going to bring back the draft, to defend Dick Cheney and Halliburton's right to rape Iraq; look at the price of gas-with Texas oilmen running the show, what did you expect? They are going to do to Social Security what they did to Welfare; healthcare is a mess and they don't give a damn about you and your kids-their family values only concern their own families.

To be honest, their best comeback is that republicans and democrats are 'the same'. To call for forty thousound 'fresh, new' troops in Iraq as I guess John Kerry has, does'nt differentiate us from the republicans. Instead, it smells like he supports a draft, which is in no way better than what the republicans are doing. John Kerry better tighten up on some of his rhetoric, and make his positions clearly different from the GOP ones, and by different, I do not mean worse.

Goddamnit, show some vision! Stop hinting and mumbling. Take stands, and then don't take one step backwards.

On the war, say: 'It is clear Bushco manipulated and obfuscated what intelligence we had, because he was pursuing his own private agenda-and not surprisingly, the war in Iraq is turning out badly...I will get us out of there as quickly as I can, with help from the appropriate international organizations'.

On everything else, say this: 'All of us are free in this country, yet we have a system of laws and accepted behavior that limits our actions, because the freedom of others must also be guaranteed...except for the GOP and their corporate sponsors. There is a myth, perpetuated by them, that it is good for society if corporations and their political hacks don't have to abide by the same rules the rest of us do...that any, tiniest restriction on THEM is bad for the economy and, therefore, bad for America. They will lie, cheat, steal, give unlimited tax-breaks to themselves, and even take us to war to achieve their ends...then wrap themselves in the flag and a holier-than-thou attitude, and presume to tell the rest of us how to run OUR lives! The mantra of those who would hold the well-being of the 'bottom line' to be the highest aspiration of this nation, is 'free markets'. They believe nothing is more important than this souless concept...not honor, nor compassion, or human dignity.

Everywhere we look, we find evidence of the ruin, or impending ruin, caused by this single-minded adherence of the GOP to the myth of 'free-market infallibility'.

Healthcare is a mess in this country. What we are seeing is a failure of the free market system. We see it with the outsourcing of our jobs, with the hiring of 'contractors' in Iraq (the deaths of four of whom, I would remind everyone, sparked the current ongoing unrest in that country-what the hell were they doing over there, anyway?), and in the very governance of our nation. The presidency of the US should not go to the Party willing to stoop the lowest to pick up a dollar, or who is the highest bidder. Free markets are powerful tools, but no one tool can accomplish every job.

When free markets meet compassion, we have our current crisis in healthcare. When free markets meet honor, we have mercenaries running wild, in our name, in Iraq. When free markets meet slave labor, we have outsourcing. When free markets meet politics, we have George Bush and the Republican Party.'