After you vote for a Democrat, a polster may stop you and ask both who you voted for, and why. Answer the why question with: Moral Values.
By Moral Values, I don't just mean corruption and pedophilia.
Those are perfectly valid reasons to vote for Democrats and against Republicans. But there's more.
Republicans are immoral when they lie us into an unnecessary war of choice, with bad plans, bad preparation, and bad assumptions. It is immoral to ask good young American men and women to die for no other reason than to preserve Bush's illusions and ego.
It is immoral to ignore the advice and warnings of talented professionals, then blame the people you ignored when their predictions come true.
It is immoral to undermine the Constitution, in violation of your oath of office, in order to preserve and extend your power.
It is immoral to arrest, incarcerate, and torture innocents just so you don't have to admit your mistakes.
It is immoral to seek the destruction of rational science, the education system, the judicial and legal system, the Social Security system, health care, our economy, our security, an independent watchdog press, the separation of church and state, and constitutional checks and balances, in service of their mesianic vision of the way things ought to be.
It is immoral to reduce our politics to lies and mud, which is all the Republicans have to run on.
The Bush regime is not only wrong. It is immoral.
To extend the argument:
-- Lies, hypocrisy, and deception are immoral.
-- Neglecting the duties and responsibilities of government, to the extent that you allow children to starve and die, in order to hand out money to wealthy campaign donors is immoral.
-- Sending our brave soldiers off to die in an unnecessary war of choice that aids and abets the enemies of our country and way of life is immoral.
-- Sponsoring sweetheart deals and no-bid contracts to benefit the profits of companies in which elected officials have financial interests, at the expense of our troops and our security, is immoral.
-- Keeping our country dependent on oil that pollutes the planet, provides financial support to terrorists, and degrades our quality of life, all in order to protect the obscene windfall profits of the oil and energy companies whose interests you serve above the interests of ordinary citizens, is immoral.
-- Failing to support the troops by sending them to fight with substandard equipment under incompetent leadership for no rational reason, and abandoning them when they return home wounded and without jobs is immoral.
-- Violating the Constitution they have sworn to uphold is immoral. The rights granted in the Constitution are not privileges the government doles out at its convenience, but the common heritage of all mankind. The powers granted in the Constitution are not unlimited.
-- Forcing young women in the Northern Marianas into prostitution, and then forcing them to have abortions, is immoral. Putting out press releases claiming to be working to protect children from on-line exploitation while covering up the actions of one of your own soliciting sex from underage boys is beyond immoral, it's disgusting. All forms of cronyism are immoral.
-- Destroying the educational system of this country and attacking science that does not match the interests of your corporate and religious sponsors is immoral. It is immoral to ignore reality and facts because they do not match your preferences or preconceptions. This is especially true when your arrogance and ignorance lead to the deaths of innocent people.
-- Letting big corporations and the wealthy get away with a disproportionate share of the wealth of our economy is not only immoral, it will ultimately destroy the prosperity this country has enjoyed as a result of the growth in security and trust enabled by the New Deal. Trust is an absolutely essential component of a health economy, and under the rule of the Bush regime, it is being destroyed at all levels of our society.
-- And ultimately, it is immoral to claim to be the only moral actors on the political stage, despite their hypocrisy and corruption. It is immoral to deny moral stature to fellow citizens who love their families, honor their country, and treat their neighbors and fellows with decency and respect, just because they do not support their omnivorous grasp on power.
All these and more are the reasons I have voted the way I have. All the policies and statements and actions of the Republican cabal that has stolen our country, are immoral, and should be stopped as soon as possible.
So I've voted for the only moral politicians left any more, because Democrats are the party of life, security, duty, responsibility, and moral values.
And that's why I'm voting to put in place as many people as we can to watch over them, and limit their power. And hope some of them have the courage to do what they ought to do, and impeach Bush and Cheney for their many high crimes and misdemeanors.