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Democrats Lose, Here’s Why - By Warren E. Peterson

July 26, 2004

Just beneath the surface, but popping above more frequently of late, is the Democrat undercurrent of irrational hated of George W. Bush. It has permeated the campaign from the precincts to the national candidates. It will be their downfall.

On the floor of the U.S. Senate, the likes of Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd castigate the President calling him the most dangerous president in forty years and equating the humiliation of prisoners at Abu Graib by a handful of U.S. military guards with the death and torture chambers of Saddam’s régime. Outside the Senate, Al Gore accuses Bush of betraying the country and NAACP leader Andrew Young throws Republicans in the same basket as Nazis. Terms like “brown shirts” and “Taliban” as synonyms for Republicans flow easily from the radicals currently in control of the Democrat Party. They undermine American effort in Iraq and the War on Terror for political gain. Not “My country right or wrong” but embarrassment at being an American especially if a Republican is president.

Michael Moore, Whoopie Goldberg, Barbara Streisand and a host of other entertainment types, most of whom ended formal education with high school, insult the President of the United States with crude, rude, untrue and outlandish utterances. They call dumb a man who holds a bachelors degree from Yale and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard, who has attracted a stellar group of people to serve in his virtually scandal free administration and who has managed the nation well in time of economic recession, terrorist attacks and war.

“Bush lied!” they cry. Not satisfied with changing the definition of marriage, “lie” is redefined too. Any statement by Bush, regardless of the basis upon which it is made, is defined as a lie. “He lied about WMD!” If he did, so did Kerry, Clinton, Daschle, Edwards and a host of other Democrats, foreign and domestic intelligence agencies and international leaders all of whom believed Saddam had WMD. That the assumptions regarding Iraqi WMD may have been wrong (we really don’t know yet) does not make Bush’s or anyone else’s belief that they existed a lie. Not good enough for the Bush haters though, the purpose is to bring down Bush even if one has to truly lie, cheat and steal to do it.

“Bush stole the election!” “He was installed by the Supreme Court!” The media recounts said Bush won Florida no matter how you counted the ballots. The Supreme Court merely told the Florida Supreme Court to stop making up new election law from the bench. One other less frequently reported point was in Ann Coulter’s book “Slander”. Networks erroneously declared Gore the winner in Florida before the polls had closed in the Republican leaning panhandle, which is in a different time zone than the rest of the state. Three studies showed that this error and the resulting drop off in voting cost Bush between ten and thirty-seven thousand votes. But never mind studies or facts, “Bush stole the election!” Of course if Al had won his home state of Tennessee or Bill Clinton’s state of Arkansas or Robert Byrd’s state of West Virginia, President Gore would be running for reelection today. Then again, considering Gore’s recent outbursts, maybe not.

“I support Bush but not publicly.” The Bush haters have been successful in one area. There are people in leftist havens like Seattle who are afraid their car will be vandalized if they display a Bush bumper strip. Conservatives who work or volunteer in liberal arenas like education, welfare, or artistic institutions or groups keep silent lest they be ostracized, discriminated against or even forced out. There is little or no tolerance on the Left when it comes to political or religious belief.

Polls show that about 75% of Republicans are firmly for Bush and around 60% of Democrats are sold on Kerry. Come November 2, the rest of the electorate will weigh the candidate’s positions on issues, judge their character but also look at their supporters. The over the top oratory of the Ted Kennedy’s and Whoopie Goldberg’s, the repeated angry accusations that are patently false, the mindless hatred associated with a significant number of Kerry supporters compared to the firm, resolute leadership of George W. Bush will cause the undecided to vote for the President and more than a few Republicans too. Voters are turned off by the hateful rhetoric and until it stops, Democrats will never be entrusted with the security of America.

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Warren E. Peterson graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, served three and a half years in the Navy, one term in the Washington State House of Representatives and is now retired after 34 years with Boeing.