 2004 Presidential Election
The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff is urging the nation to hire George W. Bush for another four years [October 16, 2004, "George W. Bush for president"]. From the editorial, "Like many Americans, we have serious misgivings about some aspects of the president's performance. It is strange that no one in his administration was forced to walk the plank soon after 9/11, especially CIA director George Tenet. It is outrageous that several U.S.-born terror suspects have had their constitutional rights consistently abridged. It is mystifying that the president failed to veto a single spending bill, and that he sometimes acts as if Congress inhabits a parallel universe where he is not allowed to intervene. It is disturbing that planning for Iraq after the invasion so badly missed the mark."
"Nor are we hopeful the president will successfully push some elements of his domestic agenda far in a second term given the likely makeup of Congress. Yet at least his agenda remains attractive as a goal. The president's ideal of an 'ownership society' is no mere slogan. It is reflected in his embrace of health-savings accounts and self-directed pension investments for younger workers, as well as in his support of tax, regulatory and (usually) trade policies that promote growth and an entrepreneurial culture."
Electoral-vote.com: "The race is starting to tighten as the effects of the third debate are now kicking in. Kerry has regained his lead in New Jersey albeit by only 2% according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. More important, we now have Florida as an exact tie. A strategic Vision (R) poll taken Oct. 12-14, puts Bush ahead by 4%, 49% to 45%. But an Insider Advantage poll, also taken Oct 12-14 puts Kerry ahead by 4%, 48% to 44%. I guess we could use the Oct. 4-10 Washington Post poll of Florida to break the tie, but unfortunately it says Florida is 47% to 47%. It will probably be a real squeaker again in Florida. The results could depend on the turnout and in which counties the most voting machines fail."
"Theresa 'Butterfly Ballot' LePore, the outgoing Palm Beach County, FL Supervisor of Elections, is in the news again. Her test of the new electronic voting machines to be used on Nov. 2 had to be postponed because the server crashed. She blamed it on the the hurricanes that have lashed Florida this season. Still, it is troubling to know that just over two weeks from election day, some of the Florida voting equipment has not even been tested yet. Far more worrisome is that these machines have no way to do recounts in close elections, as required by Florida law. What happens when the law requires something that is impossible? When in doubt, ask SCOTUS. Somebody probably will."
Former FCC chairman, Reed Hundt, quoted by Josh Marshall, "No broadcast group in the history of America has ever committed an hour to smearing a presidential candidate, and no FCC chairman before this one would have reacted with equanimity to this radical step down in broadcasting ethics." The article is in reaction to this documentary from the Swift Boat kids being aired on the Sinclair network.
Lawrence Lessig: "Technology will soon give us more power to erase the future, or so technologists such as Bill Joy worry. And one body in particular - government - has become efficient at using technology to burden the future."
"Think about our behavior over the past four years. We have cut taxes but increased spending, benefiting us but burdening our kids. We have relaxed the control of greenhouse emissions, creating cheaper energy for us but astronomically higher costs for our kids, if they are to avoid catastrophic climatic change. We have waged an effectively unilateral war against Iraq, giving some a feeling of resolve but engendering three generations of angry souls focused upon a single act of revenge: killing Americans. And we have suffocated stem cell research through absurdly restrictive policies, giving the sanctimonious ground upon which to rally, while guaranteeing that kids with curable diseases will suffer unnecessary deaths. In each case, we have burdened children - that one group that can't complain - so as to supposedly benefit those of us who do."
"This is the shameful application of a simple political truth: The future doesn't vote. And when tomorrow's generations get their turn at the polls, they won't be able to punish those who failed to consider their interests. The cost of shifting burdens to the future is thus quite small to us, even if it is quite large to them. And we, or the politicians representing us, happily follow this calculus."
Wired: "Undecided voter? Try this quiz."
Update: Taegan Goddard: "According to a new Time magazine poll, President Bush has a slight lead over Sen. John Kerry, 48% to 46%, among likely voters. The most important finding: 'Almost 1 in 3 voters (30%) said the debates made them more likely to vote for Kerry, compared to only 17% more likely to vote for Bush.' However, there's better news for Bush in the new Newsweek poll, which shows the president's lead growing from last week to 50% to 45%, among likely voters. However, among swing voters Kerry still leads 39% to 33%, with 28% still undecided. Here are some notable recent state polls: Florida - Kerry 48, Bush 44 (Insider Advantage); Florida - Kerry 47, Bush 47 (Washington Post); Florida - Bush 49, Kerry 46 (Rasmussen); New Jersey - Kerry 44, Bush 42 (Fairleigh Dickinson)."
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