The debates have come and gone. Most Main Stream Media articles are focusing on Kerry's performance in the debates and how well he presented himself. Many liked the way we spoke. They liked the way he had facts and figures at his finger tips. They thought he looked presidential. He was a good looking, smooth talking candidate. Curiously absent from the articles and the commentary is the substance of what he actually said.
One item that got him immediate into immediate trouble was his reference to Mary Cheney and her sexuality. That was a clear mistake and has been discussed around the alternative media extensively. He tried to smooth it over with some comments that not even his supporters could believe, but he never apologized. An explanation with an apology would have appeared magnanimous and more genuine, but his refusal of an apology made him look petty.
Something else that was particularly unnerving was his call for a "Global Test" when it comes to any international (perhaps domestic as well?) action the United States feels fit to do. Of course we all know that what he means by a "Global Test" is approval by France and Germany since most of our other staunchest allies are standing beside us in the Iraqi front of the War on Terror. We don't need to pander to nations that do not have our best interests at heart before we can think about what we need to do to protect ourselves.
Kerry exploited the fear of seniors by charging Bush with trying to kill Social Security in order to enrich his friends. This of course is absolutely not true. Social Security is at risk and Bush has a plan to try and shore it up, but he has always vowed that the current benefits will not go down. What's Kerry's alternative plan? Do nothing. He criticizes with no alternative.
Kerry wants to create a federal health care service option for the American people. He tries and flowers it up by saying it is just an option that people can take part in at will. He tries to make it not sound as all-encompassing as Hillary-Care in the early 90's. Here's the dirty little secret, though. The federal health care will be paid for by each and every one of us whether we use it or not. What incentive will an employer have to provide health insurance to an employee when the employer can simply save the money and tell the employees to go to the federal plan? Sure, a person could pay for their own, but why would they shell out the extra money for an independent plan when their tax dollars are already going towards the federal plan? As more and more people will have to go on the federal plan, taxes will have to go up and up to cover it. And like all socialized services, efficiency will go down, quality will go down, costs will go up, and there won't be a thing most people will be able to do about it. In the end, most everyone will be forced to be on socialized medicine while the very rich that can afford private insurance premiums on top of their increased taxes will be the only ones that have the option of private quality health care. This of course, at some point, will be considered unfair and the rich will be forced on the same program as the rest of us. Then, WHAMO, Socialized Medicine. Kerry hopes to bring what Hillary Clinton tried to do through the back door. The American people, who obviously don't know what we really need, will have to have socialized medicine snuck in on us, thus, saving us from our own ignorance.
Is this what we want in a president? Someone who plays dirty tricks and exploits the children of the candidates in order to embarrass them? Someone who wants to give away our sovereignty to other nations? Someone who uses scare techniques on Social Security in order to criticize the alternative plan but do nothing for the problem? Someone who will sneak socialized medicine when it is obviously not wanted by the majority of the American people?
Get past the smooth answers, nice hair, spray-on tan, botox, and statistics of a questionable origin, and you have an ultra-liberal extremist.
