Posted on 09/03/2004 5:39:27 PM PDT by IndieKid
Hey, as you can probably tell im new here. I am 18, not sure who to vote for, and in need of some help. I will partly base my vote on what both Kerry and Bush will do in the future. Not based on anything else. Not Swift Boats, not Senate Records, not the economy. The past is the past. A true leader leads the country to the future, not dwell on the past, like both Republicans and Democrats have done recently. What are Bush's plans for the future, in concrete examples? Not just "Fight War on Terror!" Are there any good sites?
If you base your vote on what candidates say they are going to do then you are a fool. If you won't consider their past records you'll never know what the will do in the future until it's too late.
Have you posted under any other screen names? Your style is very familiar.
Then I would suggest you read John Kerrys speech at the Democrat convention. Pay close attention to this quote:
"Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response." (John Kerry)
Then consider President Bushs current policy of preemption.
Now, which man should you vote for?
I will be voting for the man who prevents the murder of children by pigs, not for the man who waits for the pigs to strike and then responds.
John Kerry has laid out his agenda in general. When asked specifically how he would do all the things he has promised he says he will tell us after he's elected.
When Terry McAuliffe was asked for specifics on Kerry's promises, he said he didn't know.
When John Edwards was asked for specifics on Kerry's promises, he didn't have an answer either.
One candidate laid out his agenda with specific details. The other says vote for me and I'll tell you later.
No brainer.
If you do not take into account Kerry's Senate voting record--or any of Bush's accomplishments and failures, for that matter--you are not making an informed vote. How these men have conducted their careers in the past is entirely indicative of how they will lead the country if they are elected. I would go so far as to say that how they have conducted their personal lives is open for voter speculation. Pretend you are a head honcho of a Fortune 500 company and you need to fill an extremely high-ranking position--one which could change the destiny of your company. Would you hire a job candidate on speculation alone? Of course you wouldn't. You're a smart kid. You must be, or you wouldn't have come to FReepers for advice.
Know the candidates as well as you possibly can; only then will you be able to decide if they will follow through with their promises.
Welcome to FR, kid!
You need to read. You found this site, you have to be interested, or you're a clever troll just saying your 18. Doesn't matter, the mods will know soon enough. Read, read, read. You seem fairly educated. Read, read, read. We post facts and back up our facts with facts.
You are right. It seems I need to read a lot more. I was just trying to move beyond Vietnam, which has very little relevancy to me. I hardly remember the Gulf War. I was trying to move beyond the economy which I know has hurt some people. I was trying to think ahead. I don't doubt neither Bush or Kery's sincerity in wanting to do the best job for America. Where can I go, ask my questions, reservations, or confusions about things and not be called a troll or a fool? Maybe I am too naive or gullible in the field of politics.
We must vote for John Kerry. He is the best man for the job. It is obvious that Bush is blowing the war on terrorism. Bush is weak. We must put John Kerry in office so he can get France on the inside of this war on terrorism.
We need France's strength, honesty and their willing to act swift and percise on fighting terrorism. We can trust Kerry to say what he means and mean what he says. Bush flip flops on every issue. Bush is a draft dodger. Bush lied to his people to get them to kill Iraqies. You just can't trust Bush. Kerry is a war hero!
Sincerely,
Osama Bin Ladin
It doesn't matter that you don't know a lot about the gulf war. I was a kid during Viet nam, yet, I was able to learn about it. Read and learn. If you see something that interests you, ask a question, don't post an opinion, unless you have verifible facts to back you up. You are young and green, you have a LOT of learning ahead of you. Read and absorb, you'll know the best course of action for you if you have the facts stored in your brain.
Vote for Bush and your country or vote for Kerry and against your country.
ConstitutionParty.com Do a Google if you have to. Check them out. Also check out the America First Party.
Read the platforms of the parties. Read what the candidates have to say about the issues. In Kerry and Bush's case, they both have checkable records. You have had four years of the Bush record and 20-years of the Kerry Senate record.
Don't listen to speeches. They'll literally say anything to get elected. Check what they do, not what they say they do. Actions speak louder than words.
Happy hunting.
It's so sad to see the public schools turning out kids who don't have the initiative to find the obvious.
*sigh*
Honest soldiers, and former soldiers, will tell you that John Kerry is not worth a vote because of how he backstabbed the military on April 23 1971, and continued to do so throughout his political career.
John Kerry voted against every weapon system currently in use.
He voted against funding military action.
(The Dems claim that Kerry 'actually' voted for alternative funding.. but failed to provide proof.)
Kerry also commited treason, as a member of the Naval reserve he negotiated with the North Vietnamese communists in Paris.
Kerry's 'medals/awards' have a hint of dishonesty about them.
At least one purple heart is for a self-inflicted injury.
(Purple hearts are not given for self-inflicetd injury.)
He also put himself in for purple hearts, which is contrary to standard procedure.
His Silver Star has an unauthorized 'v' device on it.
(The "V" means the award was given with 'valor'. Odd since the Silver Star has never been given with a V device on it, since that would be redundant. Silver Star means 'valor' all by itself.)
To members of the military, these acts are consistently repugnant, odious, and smacking of self-serving 'me-ism'.
This is my view as a former soldier.
You, of course, will have a differing view and will have your own opinions on things, as you should.
I was born in '75.
But a person's past behavior is a good indicator of a person's future actions.
If you don't care where our leaders have come from, then you clearly don't care where they are going. Wake up, kid, this is serious business.
Were you watching the convention this week? If so your questions should be answered. You mentioned "partly" - what is the other part of "partly"?
Well, you've put yourself in a real guessing game with that criteria. In order to attempt to predict future behavior, you must evaluate past behavior. Any politician can go out and promise you the moon, but what have they delivered in the past? I realise the Swift boat stuff seems like it happened 100 years before you were born but his Vietnam record is really all kerry has brought to the table. that's why it has received so much attention. You might look up both mens acceptance speeches. that might be a good place to start.
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