Why will George W. Bush be reelected? Why, because the Democratic Party will help him get reelected!

As the Hanging Chad Party prepares to meet for its convention in Boston, no group has done more for the reelection of the President Bush than this party. They have mastered the ability to declare that “the sky is falling.” Time and time again, we hear this in many different venues. Let me give you some examples.

First, there are the social issues. The Administration has gone out its way to ensure that all minority groups and genders have been included in its leadership. This has been accomplished and works quite well. Moreover, more money has been provided to fight the war on HIV/AIDS in Africa than at any other time in the past. The First Lady has represented the US on women’s issues around the world and the President has also repeatedly championed women’s rights. However, should one listen to the articulations of the HCP, this Administration has done little to nothing to help Blacks or Hispanics; not enough has been done to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa; and no one has done anything about women’s rights since Hillary. The rhetoric does not reflect the facts.

Then there are the, “tax cuts for the wealthy.” The reality is, least we forget, that the tax cuts are for everyone. They are to stimulate the economy and they have worked; witness the now steady growth of the economy and the growth of good jobs in this economy. Forget the rhetoric and look at the numbers. If wealthy people benefit more from tax cuts it because they pay more taxes in our socialistic tax system that is already skewed and designed for them to pay more taxes as a result of having to pay a higher percentage of their income towards taxes. It would be fairer were everyone to pay the same tax percentage with no deductions or write-offs for anyone. That would be a very simple system to operate. But that would probably never get written into law because there are too many vested interests who would oppose it, such as tax attorneys and accountants not to mention the wealthy.

When it comes to jobs, more and more are being created in newer, more skilled areas. So workers who have worked in manufacturing for years may need to update their skills to seek work in these higher paying new jobs. Robotics is being used more often in production, replacing humans, and some jobs have gone overseas where labor rates are much lower. Conversely, more and more high tech jobs are coming to the US because of our skilled workforce and because of the innovation of our companies. One thing in life that is certain is that there will be change. “Going back to the way things used to be” may not be possible. We must continue learn and to grow as times change. Skilled American workers can make more money and have a higher standard of living once they develop the skills that companies now need.

Then there have been the statements that, “the President does not listen to or care about African-Americans,” because “he does not want to address the NAACP Convention or speak to Congressional Black Caucus.” Of course, this is a preposterous statement. The NAACP represents extreme, left-wing activists, not main-stream African-Americans. The underlying assumption is that the NAACP and the CBC somehow represent all African-Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth. Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell are perfect examples of that not being the case. Has anyone seen a photo of the Bush cabinet lately? If you take a look, you might think you were in the United Nations. And, President Bush will address the Urban League. There are many good African-Americans who are members of the Republican Party and there are many others who vote for that party from time-to-time. All African-Americans are welcome, always.

That party is also out of touch with the overwhelming number of Americans when it comes to homosexual marriage. As the poles indicate, most people believe that marriage should be only between one woman and one man. The HCP doesn’t seem to understand this. Marriage is not between a man and a boy, a woman and a girl, a human and a beast, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman.  And, polygamy was outlawed years ago. Different social relationships exist, but that does not mean that they should be recognized or approved by society. The party is out of touch with the majority of Americans.

When it comes to gun control the party is out of touch as well. This is a social problem, not a legislative problem. Guns don’t kill people; people kill people. If all guns were outlawed then a black-market would spring up to manufacture and sell illegal guns. Some of us remember the crude, homemade ‘zip guns’ of the 1950s and 1960s that anyone could make. Imagine what could be done using a real machine shop. A ban on handguns would meet the same fate as did the liquor Prohibition that occurred between1920 and 1933; it will fail. Well-intentioned liberals would better serve their cause of eliminating gun violence by addressing the social roots of illegal gun use. Fix those problems and gun violence will disappear. 

And then there is the war in Iraq. Wars never turn out as planned, darn it! Libya surrendered its nuclear weapons program. The chemical and biological weapons stockpiles that Saddam Hussein hid from UN inspectors have not been found. Even when the dictator was threatened with invasion he did not permit the timely, unfettered access by inspectors to all sites that they wanted to visit in order to prevent an invasion. Perhaps he needed time to move to weapons. So, the majority of weapons remain unaccounted for. Perhaps we will see them soon in American cities. That would, indeed, be a tragic.

When it comes to public education, students deserve to have the highest quality education that they can get. Taxpayers deserve high performing schools and teachers so that students can achieve their best results. They deserve viable alternatives to attain these goals. Performance results by schools and teachers are the key. For decades since the 1960s, taxpayers have been pouring billions and billions of dollars into public schools and getting, for the most part, mediocre or poor results. We can do better. Requiring effectiveness and accountability is the key. Public school teachers unions should stop fighting change and, instead, embrace performance-based results. That way schools, teachers, and students will all be benefit. And taxpayers will know that their money is being used for a worthwhile purpose; the perfection of the student.

The 2000 national elections are still an issue in 2004. With all the whining and crying about the 2000 elections; the hanging chads and so forth, we still hear dire predictions in July of 2004 that the same thing will happen again in 2004 elections in Florida and other places. All disputed voting in the Florida election occurred in Democratic districts with Democrats in charge of both counting and recounting votes. So, are they criticizing themselves? Or, will this just become a self-fulfilling prophesy for 2004? How is it that we in the United States have been conducting elections for more than 200 years and it has worked just fine? People were elected. Sure, there have been election problems in the past and there will be, no doubt, problems in the future. If people, including some members of the US House of Representatives, don’t understand how the Electoral College works, then they need to educate themselves.

What can the Democratic Party due to win elections? They need to understand Americans better than they do right now.   More is needed than another Gleam Team hugfest. Substance, not more talk, is what is necessary followed by appropriate action. Positive action is needed so that mainstream Americans can count on those who they elect for responsible, effective leadership. All is not doom and gloom! We should drop all the negativity and embrace other points of view. We need work together for positive change.

© Mount Vernon Institute 2004

 Noel Gibeson is a Senior Fellow at the Mount Vernon Institute.