It's great that kos is making the
http://username.dailykos.com bit a workable URL. I may start posting a political journal here for the hell of it. I guess the first thing to do is to post where I am on things and what I think of the upcoming election.
First off, I'm a registered Republican. I've been trying to get registered to vote Democrat so I can participate in the primaries, but apparently the Cook County party folks don't need any more Democrats. Whatever.
Politically, I'm one of the fiscally conservative / socially liberal folks. I'm a fan of pushing political power from the federal level to the state levels as I feel that our current arrangement doesn't treat citizens as stakeholders in the gov't and it doesn't seem to treat citizens as being responsible parties in our republic. I'm a fan of more decentralized power as I think that it would encourage broader citizen participation in the gov't and actually get people to involved.
Some of my positions on issues that have come up recently:
Iraq - I supported the US overthrowing Hussein, but I've been very disappointed with the aftermath. I think Bush was a good person at the time to cut past the bullshit and do something about Hussein, but I think that he and his administration lack the ability to deal with the aftermath.
Gay Rights - I'm all for them. I don't see any reasons why homosexuals should not enjoy the same rights and hold the same responsibilities as their heterosexual counterparts.
Affirmative Action - I really don't care one way or the other about affirmative action.
Health Care - I support some revamped regulation to bring health care costs back to a reasonable level. This might be a change in how the industry is regulated, but I don't support a welfare-like national health care program. (I think states are free to fund them if they choose.)
Economy - The largest disappointment I have with the Bush administration is its fiscal irresponsibility. I voted for Bush over Gore partly as I thought that he would be more responsible fiscally, but I am probably wrong. I was very pleased that Clinton balanced the budget. Regarding the Bush tax cuts, I don't have much opinion on them other than I don't like the negative impact that they have on the federal budget. However, I would like to see lower federal taxes and states take more responsibility in providing some of the services the federal gov't currently does.
Gov't - I'm dismayed at the amount the Bush administration has grown the federal gov't. It runs position on federal v. state power.
Patriot Act - Repeal it.
Candidates in the next election -- I'll be voting ABB, since Bush combines the worst of big gov't tendencies with lunatic right wing moral views. The candidate that most interests me at the moment is Dean as he seems to be a break from the traditional molds and seems to be the most "federalism-friendly" of the bunch. People keep talking about Clark, but I haven't seen much in his favor than being a Clinton clone. I could give a rat's ass if he is a general and all that. From what I've read, he was a shitty general at that. I think it's telling when one cannot rouse the support of his fellow officers when running for office. I'm also not a fan of the entitlement aura coming from his campaign that says he should get the nomination because of his military credentials.
I'm enjoying seeing how this all plays out.