Is Ideological Purity Worth a Bush Win?

[The Lone Liberal]

Must Kerry totally pass the ideological purity test before a certain segment of the left is willing to support him? Are there some liberals, progressives, ultra-left who are willing to accept a Bush victory because Kerry does not pass their litmus test for ideological purity?

That sort of position was what contributed to the Nixon election back in 68. Will 2004 be a repeat of that lunacy?

[NMDemDist2]

1. NO NO NO did i mention NO! eom

[mmonk]

2. No

this is a fight for the country now and what we may become.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. We have already become that country.

It is too late.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Kerry needs to speak out more strongly ...

...against what numbnuts is doing.

Yes, I expect 2004 to be a repeat of 1968. Nixon ran on a "secret plan to end the war in Vietnam". He escalated the war and sent more troops overseas and thousands more died. He continued the war. It was a clusterfuck.

[LoZoccolo]

5. You can't always get what you want.

You can't always get what you want.
You can't always get what you want.
But if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.
- The Rolling Stones

[nonconformist]

13. That should be the theme song

For all of the people that supported other candidates until Kerry locked it up. Like me, I was for Dean.

[LoZoccolo]

19. Ha I was for Dean too!

I didn't really have a period of grave disappointment toward the end...I was more like OK we've gotta make this Kerry thing work if he's gonna be the one, and he does seem to poll better against Bush* than Dean does. This'll sound really bad, but toward the end I really did start having doubts about Dean. Not about the scream and all that, but just that he had been governor of a real small state and then here he'll be dealing with international incidents...that's a real step up - could he convince people he's up to it? Of course, Bush* had his own problems making that step too, and from everything I gather Dean was way way ahead of where Bush* was on foreign policy when Bush* was running last election, but I started thinking people would give Bush* more credit on that issue just for having been in his position for four years. But for a long time Dean looked like the only one who could win if any of them could, and though I can't say for sure because I don't know how Kerry was before this election, but it seems like he's adopted something of Dean on the way to where he is now.

[Must_B_Free]

6. lets not forget 2000

same thing. The Darth Nader effect.

[benburch]

7. The Right is using that against us.

Some of the very people here who claim to be lovers of Ralph Nader or to be loyal Democrats who think Kerry is an corporate tool are IN FACT operatives right wing think tanks and the RNC.

This is classic GOP dirty tricks stuff, guys. They use their agitprop to turn us against each other and then rub their hands and chuckle with glee when they see us doing so.

We MUST stand together or die separately.

[stevedeshazer]

8. no

[greendog]

9. You're right.....

....Kerry should be subject to no standards at all. His corporatist/imperialist views shouldn't be a problem for anyone. We must defeat Bush no matter the cost.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

14. "corporatist/imperialist views"

stop you're killing me!

Somebody hasn't been paying much attention.

[greendog]

17. "Somebody hasn't been paying much attention"

Obviously.

[benburch]

15. You don't think you are...

but you are speaking the truth here.

This is survival. The only thing that matters is the Kerry is slightly better than Bush. We have no other choices. Nader cannot bet elected. He cannot even be written-in in many states. There is absolutely no way he could, even if he worked miracles, obtain a majority of the electoral vote.

To support any candidate but Kerry now is literally treason.

[mmonk]

18. There's a difference between

not having to be ideological pure and no standards at all.

[OnionPatch]

10. No!

Sorry but if I'm drowning, I'm not going to turn down a rubber raft because I'm waiting for the yacht.

[jtb33]

11. At this point, no. n/t

[bemildred]

12. Yes! Yes! Yes it is.

Protect your precious bodily fluids, keep them pure.
Death before dishonor. Soon we will all be together in
the ship waiting behind the comet.

---

But seriously, the problem in '68, and now, was that
Hubert wasn't opposed to the war. They managed to steer
McCarthy into the ditch, and put in Hubert, and Hubert
ran a lousy campaign and lost because he would not speak
for the anti-war crowd. It's a good analogy, except I
haven't made up my mind about Mr. Kerry yet, whereas with
Hubert it was perfectly clear he was a complete hack.

[qazplm]

16. I dont understand

how people can not see the differences between Bush and Kerry.

But many of us are sometimes willing to make the perfect the enemy of the good.

Not I, I will take half a loaf versus no loaf anyday of the week.

[bemildred]

20. You're right, they are quite different.

Don't even look the same.

[nonconformist]

21. At this point, I would vote for a gorilla in a pantsuit over Bush n/t

[HuskerDem]

22. Not just no but f * ( k NO.

Kerry was not my guy but................. I would die for his election if it means saving my kids. And I believe it does.

[checks-n-balances]

23. A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!! This is THE question for us to answer

As Arianna has creatively pointed out, when your house is on fire, that's not the time to worry about redecorating.

Thanks for asking the question. And we've got to keep asking it over & over until every possible anti-Bush-leaning person understands this!

[West Coast Democrat]

24. No way

and if Nader had ever decided to run as a Democrat in a past primary, I wouldn't have voted for him then either. He may say some of the right things, but he comes off like a jerk.

[Renew Deal]

25. No and Kerry's not that bad.

[Old and In the Way]

26. No, but then again, I'm not wringing my hands that my ideals are

being compromised by Kerry. I think he's going to surprise the critics here. Of course, those that support Bush here aren't going to be too happy when he's elected President in November.