I’m excited today. I’ve been in a great mood. Tomorrow John Kerry will be elected President of the United States, and today I’m already celebrating.
This morning, with my iPod mainlining party tunes directly into my brain, I filled out my absentee ballot in my jammies, one of the great perks of voting in Washington State. I filled in the bubble for John Kerry & John Edwards and was still grinning as I dropped the ballot in the mailbox this afternoon. I don’t think I’ve been so happy to vote since… ever.
I’m not sure what I want to say here, aside from sharing my thoughts on this night. It’s not an endorsement, per se, and it’s probably too late to really affect anyone’s vote. I just want to try to put my feelings into words for you.
John Kerry will win tomorrow, and it’s likely to be something of a landslide. Bush has woken the sleeping giant. He and his operatives, those cynical manipulators working in secrecy and shadows, have shaken the mass of Americans out of their complacency and reminded them of the words that are etched into the American soul,
...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
There is much to believe in about John Kerry, much that he offers us to vote for, but there is no doubt in my mind that this election is—and should be—about ridding ourselves of an incompetent and wrong-headed administration. This election is about reclaiming our American values.
Over the past four years, this government has eroded our good name, our reputation, our treasury, and the very foundations of our society, proving itself to be more dedicated to gaining power than to securing equal rights for all men.
Like a blind rhinoceros on a rampage, this administration has trampled the Geneva Conventions and our own laws and traditions in the zealous pursuit of an unjust war. It has tortured logic and decency in order to justify the unconscionable torture of prisoners. it has denied those in its custody due process, with the effect that innocent people have been held in appalling conditions for years with no recourse.
Like a drunken gambler, this administration squandered both the largest fiscal surplus in decades and the largest outpouring of international good will this country has ever enjoyed. Like a petulant 8-year-old runaway, it has refused to acknowledge that it is dependent on its friends in the international community for its health and security.
While celebrating the accomplishments of its hero, Ronald Reagan, this administration has worked to undermine the benefits of what they consider his singular accomplishment: the fall of communism. This administration has instituted draconian, fascist policies unbecoming of a nation that threw a generation of soldiers into the cause of stopping the advance of fascism in Europe.
This administration has preferred to conduct its business in secret. It has refused to acknowledge or admit mistakes, even in the face of evidence. It has quashed dissent and sought to discredit and destroy its dissenters. It has endangered the lives of its own agents and the security of the United States by revealing the name of a CIA agent to the press.
John Kerry will be elected tomorrow by a clear and unmistakable majority of American voters, and our message to the world will be clear: We reaffirm the values that have made this country great; we reject the politics of divisiveness and manipulation.
Electing Kerry will not show weakness to our enemies. This administration claims to be strong on defense, but it was weak at precisely the time we needed it to be strong. Though the system was “blinking red,” this administration was asleep at the switch when the terrible attack occurred on 9/11. Even this might be a forgivable mistake, but this administration compounded its error by allowing the masterminds of that criminal act to escape when it could have captured them. It stonewalled the commission charged with investigating the causes behind the tragedy. Thinking that our enemy was attacking us because of our freedoms, this administration rushed to suppress those freedoms, and to destroy this country’s reputation for decency, humanity, and compassion. We cannot allow this to continue. We will not allow this to continue.
I believe that John Kerry will be a good president, and more than that I know that he is our only hope for bringing sweeping changes to the executive branch. I believe he will bring decent, caring people back into government. I believe he will put all available resources into solving the challenges that face us in the years ahead. He won’t be perfect, nor are any of us, but I believe his heart is in the right place and his head is in the game. I believe that Kerry is more likely than Bush to secure the blessings of liberty for all of us and forever.
Kerry will win, and America’s soul will be restored. There is no place in my world for the alternative.
