|
 |
Welcome to Backyard Blog, our group online journal for this election season. We've asked a broad array of people with deep ties to the region to share their views on politics during the 2004 campaign.
Send your comments to bbcomments@seattletimes.com. |
October 26, 2004
| One week to go |
| Posted by William Thomas Mari at 05:21 PM |
With less than a full week to go, this particular young Republican is pretty confident.
John Kerry has given up on making Missouri a “battleground state” , and even the BBC shows Mr. Bush has a decided Electoral College edge over Kerry, with 274 for Bush and 264 for Kerry.
Plus, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll from over this past weekend puts Bush ahead, again. So, despite the protests and valiant efforts of Kerry fans everywhere, I do honestly believe my man will handily win the election.
In more local news, I was pleasantly surprised by the Seattle Times’ recent endorsement of Dino Rossi for governor, as well as Rob McKenna for state attorney general. Both men will bring a fresh approach to Washington politics, and will clear some of the stale political air that’s lingered over Olympia since before I was born. I applaud the Times for making a bold statement on the direction it wants our state to take.
In closing, here’s a quick note in response to my fellow blogger Sierra: I appreciate your opinion, and wanted to see what you meant, exactly, by your post. However, I can’t relate to “…most of my friends await the upcoming election with indescribable fear.” That sounds pretty bad. Even if my guy loses, I won’t be quivering in dread.
I’ll be proud that we choose a leader without bloodshed, violence, or destruction. My friends and I might be disappointed, but we refuse to be terrified. That’s part of what being an American is…not being scared when the rest of the world is. Next week we all get to decide, to choose who we want in charge of our state and country. I agree with Snoop Dogg : let’s go vote.
Respond
|
| Listen to those who've served |
| Posted by Stephanie Sanguinet at 11:29 AM |
The realms of politics go well beyond appropriate borders and politically correct venues. My weekend was an example of this.
I met an ex-Army Ranger on Friday night in the midst of a DJ and rowdy-alcohol-drinking 20-somethings, mingling amongst a crowd of strange faces. He spoke of friends lost, the impact of the presidential election to those serving in the military, and of his time served. The passion that was so clearly conveyed even in the midst of a crowd left me awestruck and reflecting on our conversation since.
The passion most of us feel right now in the midst of the election is that of discouragement and confusion. How many of us have the same genuine pride for our country that most service men and women radiate when speaking?
These men and women are government officials in their own right and daily are the first contact that some foreigners have with our country. And their general attitude is not that of “me” but “we”. Rarely do you hear one speak of their individual accomplishments, but that of their specific unit and the accomplishments of the country in general.
As this year’s election approaches, I find myself torn between political and social lines with the more people that I speak to. I’m disappointed by our lack of concern for others and more concerned that we have continued to become a self-serving society.
I challenge each of us to sit down and hear the stories of someone serving in our military; and reflect on our own lives and decisions that are to be made on November 2.
Respond
|
| Notes from the road |
| Posted by Shalini Gujavarty at 09:20 AM |
Two weeks ago, I took part in a negotiations class. The instructor was a Harvard Law School graduate and told us that he had voted for Bush in 2000 but didn't intend to vote for him in 2004. Therefore, he said, he agreed with everyone in the class.
Last week, I traveled to New York and Toronto. Neither of these were battleground areas - Toronto for obvious reasons and New York is to Kerry what Texas is to Bush - namely, comfort food.
Though Canadians cannot vote in our elections, the major papers are covering the race on a daily basis. Haroon Siddiqui, a columnist with the Toronto Star neatly summed up the state of things here when he questioned, "Given the monumental mistakes made by this incumbent [President], why has Senator John Kerry failed to sew up this election, as he should have long ago?" Mr. Siddiqui's answer is, "Practising risk-averse politics, Kerry has failed to rise to this historic moment to provide the leadership many Americans have been desperately seeking."
On the way to New York, my Seattle cabdriver asked me if I had seen Fahrenheit 911 - he had just seen the DVD version. He thought it was a good film, but dashing Michael Moore's hopes, the cabbie disputed that the film would change anyone's mind. I had seen the film in the movie theatres and predictably, I thought it was an entertaining and thought-provoking film.
I received my absentee ballott last week in the mail and am looking forward to setting some time aside to vote - maybe during the next Sox/Cardinals matchup. This was one of the highlights on my trip. On Tuesday night, I went to a sports bar in New York with some colleagues and we watched Shilling's brilliant and apparently sanctified performance. As a Mets fan, I did enjoy seeing the Yanks crumble. If the Red Sox, one of history's true underdogs can triumph this year - maybe there is a chance for Kerry.
As to the election, though nearly every national poll has Bush leading Kerry, focusing on the 10 battleground states presents a different picture. According to RealClearPolitics.com, for example, Bush was definitively ahead in Ohio and Wsconsin before the debates and was leading by the margin of error or better, in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Now Kerry is narrowly ahead in all 4.
Respond |
|
|
|
|
|
October 2004
|
|
|
|
Back to top