Hillary in 08

I was listening to NPR on Sunday morning, specifically Prairie Home Companion. This has to be the most overrated program ever on any media outlet. There is a great Simpsons where Homer finds himself watching PHC and the host is talking like Garrison Keillor or maybe it was him, but he was saying all gibberish nonsense and the audience is laughing hysterically. Homer did not get it and neither do I. But people like PHC including my in-laws so it must have some redeeming value. So Garrison Keillor is a good liberal and I remember reading an article he wrote in Time Magazine about his views and stuff and I liked how he was able to push his own agenda without being a total jerk to the other side of the political isle. It really does not seem that hard to not be a jerk but many people can't do it. Just tell me where President Bush or Republicans are wrong without calling the President a terrorist, a Nazi, or even a liar and I will listen to what you have to say, even if you really do think Bush lied with which I totally disagree. This is why I can't stand Cindy Sheehan and the Sarandons. It is all hate speech with them and most other "liberals" I hear in the media. Are most Democrats like that? Probably not, but the ones I hear talking are.

I guess what makes a great president or administration is subjective but even I can see the problems the Bush Administration has in leadership and constant scandal. Yet I am still amazed that we have not been attacked again like 9-11 on our soil. Does Bush get credit for that? Or the great economy we have right now, the low unemployment rate? He probably should not get all of the credit but he should not get all of the blame either for things like Katrina response, that is crazy delicious... I mean ridiculous.

So I decided in the shower Sunday morning thinking about this that I just hope a Democrat wins the next presidential election. I am really voting democrat no matter who it is. I am so tired of the criticism of George Bush and have been beat down so far that I just want a Dem to win. We will all be better off without the constant barrage of criticism from the left. Now I know what you are thinking, won't we just get it on the right as well if a Dem is in power? I guess we probably will but it won't be thrown in our face so much. It won't come from every TV show, every magazine article, every radio program. Okay, it will come from the radio programs, but I don't really like Rush or Hannity. Pres Clinton jabs were all in fun from the media except for radio talk shows. President Bush jabs are totally full of hate. If Bush has done such a terrible job then let's let whatever Democrat that is thrown up there win in 08.

I sometimes wonder if I am meant to be a card carrying Democrat. What do Dems believe, they are pro-environment, universal healthcare, they are for the "little guy"? I can get behind those democratic causes but not so much abortion or full on gun control or gay marriage. I could be swayed to be fiscally liberal, to raise taxes for the right reasons. So what is keeping me saying I am a conservative? Right now in my life it is the way I percieve that the democrats get out their message. To yell and stomp and scream and demean, it is the Howard Dean effect. I am much more conservative than I was wired to be because of the current state of the democratic party.

My friend Brady is a Democrat and as LDS as a person can get, at least the last time I talked to him. It is just a matter of time before Democratic LDS members leave the church, right? Just kidding Brady. I asked him how he reconciles that Utah is the most Republican State in the Union (as it says on the Utah GOP website) yet he is a Democrat. He explained to me that Utah Republicans are misinformed and frankly just not very smart when it comes to politics and he had a whole conspiracy theory about Reagan or someone stealing the religious right from the Democrats years ago. I can believe that people are not smart, I see that everyday, but I think there is another reason that most Utahns or most LDS members are Republicans and that is I think everyone defines themselves politically by that one major issue. I mean, in the current system you have to be either a Democrat or Republican I guess, you have to vote one of those ways for your vote to even matter. I don't like this system but that is the one that we have right now. So people decide the most important issue and go that way. For many it is "family values" or traditional family values as their key issue and Republicans have that market cornered at this time. So I am trying to be open minded about other liberal issues but the Democrats sure make it hard. Michael Moore has to have done more damage than good when it comes to Democratic causes. He has almost single handedly made Democrat a dirty word. I also read Doonesbury on Sundays and get more conservative by the minute. I heard Ted Kennedy talk bad about the marriage amendment which the LDS Church Presidency has come out in favor of, so this pushed me further right too.

I actually hate talking about politics so this is as far as I can go. So let's all do ourselves a favor and vote for Hillary or whoever. We will feel bad about it but it needs to be done. The democrats are not smart enough to put forward a candidate like Joe Lieberman or someone I can get behind without feeling bad about it. I mean John Kerry? That is who you come up with, John Kerry? Bush has less than a 50% approval rating and he still beats John Kerry? Amazing. See you in 08.