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Bands Gather to Stump Against Bush
So, what's the problem?

Bruce Springsteen, John Mellenkamp and other "artists" plan to put on a concert tour to rally support against George Bush (they aren't "for" John Kerry as near as I can tell) reports the AP. Why are they doing this? Well, there are only three quotes which give the reasons, and all three are essentially the same. First quote:

The money generated will go to America Coming Together, which promises on its Web site to "derail the right-wing Republican agenda by defeating George W. Bush."
Second quote:

"A change is in order," [Dixie Chick] Maines said in an AP interview. "There's never been a political climate like this, which is so the polar opposite of me as a person and what I believe in."
Third quote:

"There's a vote coming up, and a chance to have a regime change at home," Vedder told AP. "I'm feeling the same way, there's a need for change."
The America Coming Together website gives the most cogent statement for the opposition to George W. Bush and it comes from noted intellect Dave Matthews:

"A vote for change is a vote for a stronger, safer, healthier America. A vote for Bush is a vote for a divided, unstable, paranoid America."
(It is interesting to note that Matthews points out "Bush" as the person who needs to be voted against, but does not identify John Kerry as the person to vote for--only a vote "for change.")

I have long believed that the absolute hatred that is heaped upon George W. Bush is unfounded and irrational. While I certainly see reasons to say that he hasn't been perfect as president, there is no reason for the vitriol against him. And in light of my belief that the hatred against him is generated mostly by the fact that he stands strongly for values antithetical to the left (anti-abortion, against gay marriage, etc.) which are part of the larger culture wars in this country, I am always interested in reading the reasons that I should vote against Bush. Yet, time and time again I am thwarted in my efforts to find well-reasoned statements to say why I should vote against George W. Bush. The quotes from these "artists" are further examples. How does a vote for Bush create a "divided, unstable, paranoid*(!?!)" America? Equally important, how does a vote for "change" result in a less divided, unstable or less paranoid America? What exactly has Bush done that is so "polar opposite of [Dixie Chick Manes] as a person and what [she] believe[s] in" (and equally important, why should I care that Bush's policies are such polar opposites?).

I guess that I would like to see better reasoned statements as to what it is, exactly, that these people hate so much about George Bush. I strongly suspect that the things they hate so much are things that I would find completely unobjectionable, and this opposition to Bush is, in part, simply another attempt to repress Christian values in societal debate.

Comments

The Dawn Treader said…
"So, what's the problem?" ... sounds like a good Columbo question to me ;-)
8/06/2004 05:56:00 AM
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