July 16, 2003
Koch for Bush
Ed Koch, former Democratic mayor of New York City (and the quintessential mayor for many of us) writes why he supports Bush for re-election in 2004:
Posted by Deleted User at July 16, 2003 03:06 PMI am a proud Democrat who generally supports Democratic candidates for office. I have never voted for anyone other than a Democrat for president. I believe that the Democratic Party's philosophy is overall far better for our country than the Republican Party's.
At the core of the Democratic ideology is a belief in helping the less fortunate among us. The Republican mantra, on the other hand, is "I made it on my own, and you will have to do the same."
Although I am a Democrat, I am no ideologue. In some local and state elections, I have proudly crossed party lines for candidates I thought were appreciably better. I believe that the most important issue facing the world is international terrorism, and it is my current intention to vote for George W. Bush for re-election.
I do not agree with him on many domestic issues, ranging from privatizing Social Security to tax reductions favoring the wealthy. However, because of his leadership and successes in the war against international terrorism, he is my current choice in 2004.
Koch is off his meds.
Koch’s reasoning is so typical of many people. It’s the “I don’t care what kind of mess Bush makes as long as he makes us safe”, kind of thinking that blinds us to the real issues and problems facing our nation and the world.
We’ll never be safe! No matter how many times Bush tells us he will make us secure. The world was insecure before 9/11 and it will continue to be insecure no matter how much money we waste on a military strategy. Presidential threats will not change that fact.
What matters most to people is the economy, jobs, health care, housing, education, the environment, their families, friends and communities. THESE are the issues of national security we must focus on. We will never be secure as a nation until we solve our own very real and serious problems first!
NO amount of military might will cure cancer or put someone through college. No amount of homeland security preparedness will keep kids from killing kids or stop homelessness. All Bush and his administration have done is scare the bejeezus out of us to ensure his re-selection! All the while ignoring the real problems that affect our lives everyday!
Wake up and smell the friggin’ coffee! Get your priorities straight! See the BIG picture! Bush’s talk of homeland security is just talk!
I’m tired of sleeping with the night light on and don’t need Daddy Bush to keep me from the boogeyman.
Posted by: Rick at July 16, 2003 03:59 PMDomestic (I refuse to call it “homeland”) security IS important, and fighting terrorism is too. The problem is that the Bush administration has created the appearance of being strong on these issues… but what’s the reality? September 11 was nearly two years ago, and despite warnings from security experts, we’re just now getting around to tightening security at our ports, we have no plans to equip aircraft with anti-missile defense systems, we’ve wasted a lot of time cracking down on immigrants who may be here illegally, but have NOTHING to do with terrorist plots, and so on and so on. These problems need to be addressed, and soon.
Posted by: Katherine at July 17, 2003 12:48 PMHOLD THE PHONE!
Okay, but let’s take what Koch said in it’s entirety. He said he would vote for Bush under certain conditions:
“The lines have been drawn. Let’s find out the truth. Congress should hold public hearings on this issue.
I also am in favor of public hearings conducted by an independent commission on the performance of the FBI, CIA and all other national security agencies pre- and post-9/11.”
Okay, let’s do that! Ready to roll! Let’s have the PUBLIC hearings on the SOTU speech, the intelligence failures, the war in Iraq and the 9/11 intelligence failures.
We do that, and Bush comes out clean, and even I’LL vote for him.
Always nice to look at things in context, eh?
Posted by: Jeremy Villano at July 18, 2003 10:48 AMKoch is senile. He probably thought they were talking about Bush Sr. Besides New York voted for Gore and they voted for Clinton twice.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at July 21, 2003 09:36 PMJake is technicly right about NY (except for the senile thing) it doesnt really matter what Koch thinks. NY is all tied up anyway and Koch is sort of a non-player.
Posted by: pete at July 23, 2003 03:58 PMKoch is a sellout. First, Bloomberg, then Pataki and now Bush.
And he still calls himself a Democrat?
Posted by: ByronUT at August 2, 2003 03:33 PMI applaud Mr. Koch’s courageous stand, his courage made resoundingly apparent by the type of comments posted here.
It’s obvious that Mr. Koch is a free-thinker, unlike so many on the Left. If Leftists could open their minds (which apparently they cannot), they would see the strengths of the Bush presidency.
And shame on those of you whose only argument against Mr. Koch’s stand is to call him senile, a sellout, off his meds, etc. This is such a Leftist ploy, used by those who have no good argument against those with whom they disagree: calling them names.
Shame on you, and I’m so glad that I am no longer in your ranks.
Posted by: Martha Wayles at March 4, 2004 04:54 PM
