Six days shy of Election Day, Surfette is experiencing, third-hand, the angst of dear friends who find their conjugal union--how shall we put it?--less than blissful. The cause: Presidential politics.
In other words, Maria Shriver isn't a crowd of one.
Surfette is amazed by the number of friends she has who know how they're voting, but are tortured because their honeys haven't decided (or haven't admitted) who gets their vote Nov. 2--George W. Bush or John Kerry.
It's a touchy subject.
"I just don't have the stomach for the hours of conversation that would entail," said a San Francisco friend, when asked who her husband was supporting. "With his family--they're all voting for [Sen.] Kerry--he plays devil's advocate, but I just don't know. Our conversations right now are more along the lines of, 'Did you take out the trash? Okay, I'll bathe the kids.' "
Another friend fantasized aloud about what she could do to keep her husband trapped at home in Maryland so that his vote doesn't cancel hers out. A third woman, a Coloradan campaigning for Mr. Kerry, spat, "After last time? I'll never ask him again."
Thank goodness: Americans finally care enough about an election that they're not only registering to vote in record numbers, they're tying themselves into conjugal knots. So if you're hitched with a Jane Galt and you're willing to take up the challenge, Surfette recommends you cut through the last-gasp campaign rhetoric and try this approach:
1. Sit down with your darling, or your best friend, or whoever, and open a bottle. Unless you're lactating, drink up, both of you.
2. Open the question: Do you want four more years of the current administration's policies on national spending, national security, and civil liberties? Or do you want a different direction?
NOTE: If your beloved or buddy or even you cannot answer a firm yes or no, propose that you two examine the record of (and the best commentary on) the only one of these two guys who has been president--George W. Bush. Why? Because Americans already have a great deal more data on Sen. John Kerry's legislative agenda in 2004 than we ever had about Gov. Bush in 2000, yet half of Americans had faith in his bid for president. This time around we have data on President Bush, too. We have watched George W. Bush lead the United States in a specific direction over the past four years, and, like it or not, Nov. 2 is a referendum on his presidency.
NEXT: Try the questions below.
PART I: NATIONAL SECURITY
- Were we right to go to war against Iraq?
Don't miss what Factcheck.org says about what Mr. Bush says, and what Mr. Kerry says.
Bloggerdom: Wesley Clark says no via Atrios, The Centrist Coalition says America has helped an international jihadist movement coalesce at the price of straining our own resources and capabilities, and Chuck of You Big Mouth You! says we are doing the right thing.
- How well-executed is our military strategy in Iraq?
Case study: Al Qaqaa (timeline).
Here's what the commander on-site at al Qaqaa, Col. Joseph Anderson, of the Second Brigade of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, says. Updated as of Oct. 28: Here's what an embedded ABCNews affiliate camera crew saw, courtesy of DailyKos.
Here's what Mr. Bush says and what Mr. Kerry says.
Don't miss what Talking Points Memo and NRO's Kerry Spot have to say on the subject.
- Are we adequately funding and supporting American troops?
Here's what Factcheck.org says about the statements both presidential candidates made in their first debate. The site also sheds light on Mr. Kerry's Senate votes on funding for troops. The Questing Cat has an opinion on Kerry's vote against body armor, based on his experience in Iraq. (WARNING: Graphic description of live combat). Hat tip to the Mudville Gazette.
COMING THURSDAY: PART II - SPENDING AND TAXES
Warning: You may not like your partner's or pal's answer at the end of all this, but rest assured that (s)he has chosen the right candidate for their vote, whether they 'go with the gut or study' the data (Hat tip: Atrios).
And don't worry -- you can always make up your mind about your partner on (or around) Nov. 3...
An invaluable how-to guide for anyone who suspects that his or her beloved is (gasp!) going to punch out the chad for W next week.
Posted by: Sally | October 27, 2004 at 05:54 PM