The Level of Political Discourse In This Country Is Frightening

I'm not sure about this, but if George Bush wants to bring political discourse down to his level, he's doing it. Good vs. bad, black against white, Bush against everyone else, America vs. everyone else, liberal vs. Republican (which, thanks to him, probably brings up the world "evil" in most of the world's minds, or, at least, most people who consider themselves liberal.) And he's winning, and if we do that, then we are letting them win.

I heard someone in my class say, upon learning of Bush's win, that "Everyone who supports Bush is stupid." That's wrong. That's stupid, stupider than even the stupidest redneckest, "Either love America or get out" Bushite out there.

Bushites have different political beliefs. They believe in Bush's vision of America. That's not stupidity - that's a belief. To be stupid would be to not want someone who would do better things for this country. But, they both want better worlds, just different better worlds.

And that's what we elect people on - their beliefs. Bush had a belief in the world as a cowboy action hero, kicking terrorists asses, Kerry saw it as more of a smooth mac daddy backed up by his homeboys. One belief, in and of itself, is not more wrong or less wrong than the other. It is to me, but not to everyone, or even the majority. I agree with John Kerry, but I don't think that someone who disagrees with me about John Kerry is stupid.

But that's the thing about democracy - if everyone starts believing one way, then we can write, and change things to that way. If everyone disagrees with how Bush is running the country, then we can say, "We don't like what you're doing. We believe it's stupid." But to say that they are stupid when they just disagree with us, that's stupid.

I don't believe in George Bush. I don't believe he is a good man. He knowingly or unknowingly lied about WMDs. He's done nothing for education, or pretty much anything. He's turned one so far isolated terror of incident into his whole campaign.

But that does not make him stupid. That is how I feel. I don't think that the way I feel, the way I believe things is completely right. That would be just as arrogant as most liberals perceive Bush to be. And to be that arrogant would be stupid.

So judge their beliefs, not the believers. And thank God that there's a democracy that let's you say that. That's all we have now.

Here's hoping less people die in the next four years than in the previous ones.