BuzzFlash
presents Southern Style
by Rebecca Knight
A Defining Moment
Southern
Style
by Rebecca Knight
There is no question that the votes cast next Tuesday will determine the direction this great nation takes for a significant period of time. We are on the brink of a defining moment that will impact generations to come as significantly as any election in our history. Anyone who doubts that premise should reflect on the changes we have experienced in the past two years since George W. Bush obtained the White House.
Those who are satisfied with the direction of our nation will probably cast votes for Republican candidates. Those who are not satisfied will undoubtedly cast votes for Democratic or Independent candidates. Where the outcome will take us is anyone's guess. The pundits and pollsters are having a difficult time predicting many races that are too close to call.
The big question remains, how can anyone be satisfied with the direction of this nation? That question haunts many of us who search for answers daily in the words of the current administration that so vastly differ from the results their actions cause.
Are you satisfied with the "compassionate conservatism" demonstrated by the right wing of the Republican Party? Can anyone define what "compassionate conservatism" actually means? It seems to be empty rhetoric designed to dupe Americans into believing that they care about the average citizen. If you doubt this, please take a moment to read the speech given by George W. Bush in Cleveland, Ohio on July 1, 2002 found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020701-1.html The speech, entitled "Policy In Focus: Compassionate Conservatism," is long on words, but short on details. Most of what Bush says follows that pattern.
Now, in looking at the details of what has taken place over the last two years, it is difficult to find "compassion" for the average American in anything the Bush administration has done. In fact, their record on "compassion" is nothing short of disgusting. It is hard to fathom how they get away with the things they do, much less claim to be "compassionate."
Campaign 2000 and the debacle of the Florida recount were certainly void of any compassion. After all, Bush kept secret from the American voters that he had been arrested for drunk driving until forced to admit the truth. Then he attempted to hide behind a scenario in which he had not wanted his daughters to know about his failing. Yeah, right. And where was the "compassion" for the voters of Florida who felt disenfranchised? Bush and his minions made fun of elderly Florida voters, many of them veterans, for their difficulty in voting correctly with the punch card ballot. Then they worked to shut down the recount process, knowing full well that it was being conducted according to the Florida law. Now we know that Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris conspired to disenfranchise African-American voters by having them wrongly stripped of their voting rights through an outrageously flawed felon list. This list, still in existence, will accomplish the same task in the Florida governor's race at a great benefit to Jeb Bush.
Is it "compassionate" to lie to the American people? Bush and the Republicans in Congress have filled the political discussion with lies. Remember the "Trifecta" line used by Bush? It was a lie. Remember the claim the Ken Lay supported Ann Richards in the Texas governor's race? It was a lie. Remember the claim that Iraq had developed unmanned aircraft capable of reaching the United States? It was a lie. Remember the claim that a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that the Iraqis were six months away from having nuclear weapons? It was a lie. No such report existed. Remember the claim that Bush was unaware of the crisis at Harken Energy prior to the sale of his stock? He lied. Can this man and the Republican Party be trusted?
Is it "compassionate" to use the events of 9/11 to make a raw grasp for power and squelching of dissent? Remember military tribunals, the Patriot Act, Ashcroft's denial of legal rights to suspects, First Amendment Zones for protestors, fighting against an open investigation of 9/11, and labeling dissenters as "un-American" or "traitorous?"
Is it "compassionate" to stand against raising the minimum wage, a woman's right to choose, the patient's bill of rights in favor of big insurance companies, campaign finance reform, tobacco regulation, affirmative action, and anti-discrimination laws? Is it "compassionate" to cut taxes for the wealthy and spend more on defense, while cutting social programs benefiting the needy? Is it "compassionate" to support vouchers that will siphon money from public schools and divert it to private religious institutions, unaffordable by the lower class? Is it "compassionate" to oppose healthcare reform designed to benefit the uninsured? Is it "compassionate" to fight sensible environmental policies for the benefit of corporate interests? Is it "compassionate" to stand by your political cronies when their hypocrisy and lies detrimental to the American people are exposed? Is it "compassionate" to put profit before people? Is it "compassionate" to spend the nation further into debt, leaving a massive economic burden to our children and grandchildren?
Of course the answer to all of those questions is a resounding NO! But still the American people buy into the rhetoric with their votes. Why? Because the Bush administration through the direction of Karl Rove, a vile master manipulator, is much more adept at getting out a dishonest message to sway voters than the Democratic Party is at getting the truth to the American people.
Last week the Democratic Party lost a true liberal voice in Senator Paul Wellstone. He was a distinguished man of character who stood on principle, sometimes alone with his dissenting voice. He will be sorely missed. Many watched the memorial tribute to Senator Wellstone on C-Span. It was a moving event, reminiscent of the determination of Wellstone. Yes, it was political, as the Senator would have wanted it to be. His surviving family members made that choice, knowing him better than anyone.
Then the whining by the right wing began. Complaints about the politicization of a memorial service being unfair to them ring hollow. Senator Trent Lott and Governor and Mrs. Jesse Ventura walked out. Was that action "compassionate?" No, Senator Wellstone's memory deserved better treatment, regardless of how uncomfortable they may have felt.
Republicans denigrated the Wellstone family and the Democratic Party for the political tones in the speeches of remembrance. They complained that the highly partisan crowd booed Trent Lott. Where were their complaints when Hillary Clinton was booed at an event in New York following 9/11? Did they "compassionately" stand up for her? No, they gleefully relished the fact that she had been booed.
Hypocrisy rears its ugly head in almost every action taken and word spoken by the Republican Party. Never forget that.
Now, Walter Mondale has agreed to take Senator Wellstone's place in Tuesday's election. The Republican Party in the person of Newt Gingrich began attacking Mondale before the memorial service had taken place and he did so by lying. Gingrich accused Mondale of supporting privatization of Social Security. There were two problems with that. First, Gingrich supports it. Second, Mondale does not. Gingrich was wrong about Mondale's position.
Interestingly, Mondale enters the race days before the election with a lead in the polls. Perhaps that is sentimental support for Senator Wellstone, but it also reflects a rejection of Coleman, who appears to have problems with his basic philosophies. Coleman is a former Democrat who changed to the Republican Party.
Also, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey entered the race for Senator due to the withdrawal of Toricelli and immediately took the lead in the polls. Republicans have cried foul in that race and attempted to get the Supreme Court involved. They refused and have not taken an election case since the debacle of 2000. Perhaps they learned a lesson about staying out of cases involving state election law. They should have learned it prior to their ridiculous partisan decision of 2000.
So, here we are standing at the precipice of an historic election. Which way will the nation take us? Understanding the disingenuousness of the Republican Party, its faulty "compassionate conservatism," and its hypocrisy is a key to realizing the importance of each and every vote.
This is truly a defining moment. We will all be watching the results with great anticipation, hoping that America makes the right choice.
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Rebecca Knight is a native Tennessean, who grew up in Nashville, and currently resides in a small town near Nashville. Ms. Knight's political awareness evolved through the civil rights movement, the Vietnam era, the Watergate era, and the cold war. The debacle of the 2000 election increased her sense of responsibility for political activism. You may contact Rebecca Knight via e-mail at tennessee_gal655@yahoo.com.
© 2002 by Rebecca Knight
