I live in the western mountains of North Carolina, where the Smokey Mountains meet the Blue Ridge. It is beautiful here, but not as beautiful as it was last week. The news in our valley is that another plant closed, and our town of 11,000 people lost another 290 core jobs. At the same time, in the New York Times and Washington Journal, there are articles about the re-appearance of boom-times in Wall Street; the use of Lear Jets for travel and of high powered functions that cost in the excess of a year's salary for the average American.
This great divide in America made me think that we have three distinct choices in our upcoming election: Bush, Kerry or Dean.
In the war against Iraq, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. George Bush would have us believe that this was Saddam Hussein's fault, that internationally America has done nothing wrong. Senator John Kerry would have us believe that, although he voted for the war and as much as 70% of the country supported the war, we were tricked by the administration. Howard Dean takes the harder road. He would have us examine our role and our medias role in supporting the war. Michael Massing, wrote in the February 26th edition of the "The New York Review of Books" that the media gave front page attention to administration claims of Saddam Hussein's imminent threat, but buried conflicting reports by analysts deep within the paper. Certainly, the Middle East will breath a sigh of relief of George Bush is not re-elected, but will the Al-Qaida recruitments slow down for a day when they find that Kerry also voted for the war? We cannot pretend that our foreign policy is working, and we cannot pretend that attacking Iraq was just a mistake. We need a leader who will address the fears and jealousy of other nations about the U.S.'s dominant status.
In terms of how our government functions, America is in serious self-denial if it believes that the individual voter still has as much say in policy decisions as special interest groups. George Bush believes it is fine to have Ken Lay, his largest single contributor, sit in with Dick Cheney when the nation's energy policy is prepared. Senator Kerry states he will rid the government of special interest groups, promising to tell them, "Don't' let the door hit you on the way out." But on the same days he makes this fine speech, his fundraisers are bundling contributions from lawyers, media moguls, and Wall Street bankers. Howard Dean has run a campaign where over 65% of his donations come from people giving less than $200. When he needed funds for television advertising in Wisconsin he emailed his supporters and received over $700,000 in one day, in donations averaging less than $100. Probably, the country will have a greater chance of true campaign finance reform with Howard Dean as president. But this is another difficult decision, because it means the American public and the media will have to admit we let our government stray from its democratic roots.
In the 2002 mid-term election, the Democratic Party, by all memory, was lost. The party did no know whether it was for-or-against the war, for-or-against tax cuts, for-or-against the No Child Left Behind policy. A year later, the Democratic Party has suddenly found its voice, by each candidate toning down Howard Dean's angry rhetoric. But Senator Kerry finding his voice is not the same as answering the Democrat's underlying problem: why the party is considered elitist. Howard Dean clumsily asked why, "white men driving pick-trucks with confederate flags hanging on the back don't vote with us." Less clumsily Dean said, "When they say, God, guns and gays, we say jobs, healthcare and education." The Democratic party has not renewed itself, if it is not gaining voters in the South and in rural America. For the Democratic Party to really be the "party of the people" it needs to under go a painful examination of why it is failing to get its message across.
On February 10, the New York Times publish an op-ed by Thomas Friedman, where he describes the disconnect between watching the Superbowl and then visiting the headquarters of the U.S. command for the Iraq War in Florida. He wondered why one percent of America was sacrificing so much, and no one else in the country was. He was asking when America was beginning to do some soul searching and some personal re-evaluations.
In this upcoming election America has three choices. Vote for Bush and pretend the U.S. is on the right track economically, internationally, and morally. Vote for Kerry and place a band-aid over the problems. Vote for Howard Dean and swallow the bitter medicine that he is prescribing. It is a difficult decision and it has some real consequences for our country's future.