Real Kato Blog: Upcoming Elections

Our last chance to put a leash on George W. Bush.

I thought the 2002 elections were important. I thought the 2004 elections were even more important. And while a mid-term election doesn't have the same impact as one that has a presidential race, I'd say the 2006 elections are a big deal because this is our last chance to make sure Bush doesn't completely ruin our country for eternity.

I've been carefully studying the local candidates and I'm preparing a voter guide. When I look through this stuff, I am mindful of my liberal bias and I deliberately try to find reasons to pick a Republican candidate over a Democrat. But when someone says that gay marriage is the single most important issue facing us today, I simply can't take him seriously.

Besides that, this year in particular, we've got an election that's about more than just the local candidates. In this election, there's an opportunity to undo some of Karl Rove's efforts to build up generations of conservative power in this country. We need to put Democrats into as many offices as we can, because for the last 12 years, Republicans have grown to dominate politics at nearly every level. We need to restore the balance.

So, while I ordinarily wouldn't endorse straight-ticket Democratic voting, I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for doing it this year. (Some of the county commissioner elections have woefully inexperienced Democratic candidates, but otherwise, it's not hard to pick Democrats in all of the races I've looked at.)

It's all about sending a message to the Republican party. We want to send a message about Mark Foley, not because Democrats are morally superior, but because we're tired of the Republicans' holier-than-thou claims that they are the party of morality and values. We want to send a message about Jack Abramoff, not because Democrats are immune from money-based influence peddling, but because it's so pervasive within the Republican party. We want to send a message about Iraq, not because Democrats have demonstrated a better plan, but because we're tired of an administration that keeps telling us everything is going just as we planned it, despite clear evidence to the contrary.

We'd like some Democratic issues to come back to the front burner. We want to show that we do care about the environment, and that we'd like to see the U.S. become a responsible global citizen when it comes to things like pollution. We want to show that we do care about the civil rights that are enshrined in our Constitution, and that no terrorist can scare us into giving up our essential freedoms. We want to show that we do have a moral obligation to take care of our poor, our elderly, and our children, especially when it comes to health care and education.

This year, unlike during the Clinton years, Republicans are trying to deflect the attention given to Foley and Abramoff by saying this is an election about issues, not character. Fine, let's talk issues. Talk to me about the state of health care in this country, and how we lead the world in health care spending but not quality or availability. Talk to me about the economy, and how wages have stagnated over the last several years. Talk to me about terrorism, and whether the world is a safer place than it was a few years ago. Talk to me about whether a nuclear-armed Iran with a radical Islamic leader is any better than what we faced with Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Talk to me about how well our policy with North Korea is working.

Now tell me what the Republicans have accomplished recently. Tell me how the color-coded alert system has made me safer. Tell me how not bringing eye drops and lip balm on airplanes has made me safer. Tell me why a ban on online gambling (that excluded certain casinos with powerful lobbyists) was attached to a bill on port security. Tell me how it was better to spend billions on missile defense systems instead of better airport screening equipment. Tell me how it's a good idea to spend billions on a 700-mile "virtual fence" to defend a 2000-mile border with Mexico. And convince me that all those billions of dollars didn't go to corporations that have Republican congressmen in their pockets.

Issues. Character. Take your pick. I'm still voting Democratic.

Election day is November 7th.

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