July 13, 2004
Kerry Lied
Michael has a nice post which really sums up the major problem with politicians these days - most have forgotten the form of government in which they take part.
The idea behind a Representative Republic is that we the people elect representatives who reflect our values and then they go to Washington and represent us. The idea shouldn't require the electorate to vote on every thing that comes down the pipe, but it does require a bit of diligence on our part. You watch and see if your representative has maintained the same values for which he was chosen or if his votes, in fact, represent something else. And when you get the chance again, you vote accordingly; send back the same one if he's been doing a good job, send someone else if you think they will do better. Beautiful.
As Michael points out, with help from Pardon My English, Kerry has said that even the values he claims to hold won't affect his governing of the country if elected. Huh?!?! Granted, it is hard to nail him down to any particular beliefs - but shouldn't what he believes be part and parcel of why someone would vote for him instead of Bush? Aren't those of us who are voting for Bush doing so because we share his values and beliefs?
And, in case you are still undecided, here is a bit more information. One of the few times Kerry actually picked a side - and it was the wrong one. Visit KerryLied for the scoop.
Many people get confused by the idea of representation, and demand that their elected officials should always vote according to the majority view of their constituents *on every issue.*
In fact, we may not agree with all the beliefs or positions of our representatives, but will vote for those we believe best represent our positions, especially on those subjects we consider most important. We do not expect them to switch positions after election, nor do we expect them to violate their conscience on their professed beliefs. When they do, they deserve to lose our support.
This is one of the reasons Kerry does not deserve to be elected. His public statements and his voting record, taken together, show that he is a liar or a hypocrite, and not a good representative. It is bad enough in the legislative branch, but disaster in the executive.