Spin-free Presidential Voter's Guide

OCTOBER 13, 2004
by GREGORY J. RUMMO

          AS ELECTION DAY draws closer, and the spin becomes ever more dizzying from frantic “unbiased journalists” who condescend to us each night in our homes by way of the television screen, let me suggest a homework assignment. Don’t believe them. They are counting on two things: The short memories of most voters and an apathetic electorate with time only to read headlines, look at photos and listen to sound bites. The result is that many people have been duped—and they have no one to blame but themselves. Americans owe it to this country to vote intelligently; with their minds not their emotions. By spending a little time researching the major topics of this year’s presidential election, voters can be better informed and capable of making their own, spin-free conclusions. What follows are suggestions where to find answers to some of the important issues in this year’s election.

The War in Iraq and the Disputed Al Qaeda – Saddam Connection

In a column I wrote in September, I mentioned the importance of reading The 9/11 Commission Report, which concluded: “Bin Laden had sent out a number of feelers to the Iraqi regime offering some cooperation. In mid-1998, Iraq took up the initiative, sending a delegation to Afghanistan to meet with the Taliban and then Bin Laden. Additional meetings may have occurred in 1999 between Iraqi officials and Bin Laden at which time Bin Laden was offered a safe haven in Iraq. The report describes the two sides as being “friendly…indicat[ing] some common themes in both sides’ hatred of the United States.” A website called, “9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America,” (911familiesforamerica.org) hammers these points home. It’s where you’ll find “Right War, Right Place, Right Time,” an op-ed written by Debra Burlingame whose brother, Chic Burlingame, was the pilot of American Airlines flight 77, which was crashed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Burlingame’s op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Oct. 2. In addition to this column, the site also features links to other resources and a photo of a mural discovered in Iraq by our soldiers that shows a smiling Saddam next to jetliners crashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Terrorism

Now that John Kerry has expressed interest in returning to the halcyon days when terrorism was merely a “nuisance,” that behooves the rest of us to contemplate exactly what the Senator meant by his choice of words. Was terrorism merely a “nuisance” during the Clinton years when all we had to worry about were attacks such as the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, and the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole? Or maybe we need to look further back in history, when the victims of terrorist attacks were mostly Jews who were being blown up in Jerusalem? To characterize terrorism as merely a “nuisance” is failing to embrace reality. Imagine our world now if the same mindset had been directed at Nazism and the argument posited that Germany didn’t attack us first? A comprehensive list of “nuisance” terrorist attacks against US interests may be found at ArmsControlCenter.org/terrorism/101/timeline.html.

You can read all of the details of the Rummo's adoption journey in his new book, "The View from the Grass Roots - Another Look." It's 536 pages of sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant and almost always provocative commentary on American Culture. $19.95 shipping and handling included. Click here for more information.

Kerry’s Ultra-liberal Senate Record

To hear John Kerry criticize George W. Bush’s record, it’s as though the senator has been an outsider, shut out from the political process, excluded from debate in Washington, D.C. and powerless to effect any change in America. But as a senator and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he has had more than ample opportunity to be engaged in American politics, both domestic and foreign, and to be involved in the decision-making process that led to our military engagements in both Afghanistan and Iraq. If he has squandered that opportunity, it is his fault. You can find his voting record on Vote-smart.org. There’s a liberal trail anyone can follow as well as plenty of “no-shows” when the senator wasn’t present to vote.

The Economy

Listening to Democrats, you’d think the US economy is on the brink of total collapse. “Worst job growth since Hoover,” is one way the Kerry camp has tried to impugn what has been remarkable job growth in the face of the worst attack on US soil in history. But a comprehensive study recently completed by the Heritage Foundation concludes: “The economy has added more than 1.5 million payroll jobs over the past year and nearly 2 million jobs on the household survey. Most indicators point towards continued growth. Output is booming, the manufacturing outlook is positive, business confidence is high, and productivity continues to set records.” You can find “Framing the Economic Debate,” by Tim Kane, Rea Hederman, and Kirk Johnson at Heritage.org.

The Price of Oil and Bush’s Energy Policy

John Kerry says Bush has no energy plan other than to keep the price of oil high so the president’s friends in the oil patch can grow richer from the profits they are making on the backs of hard-working middle-class Americans. One of the first things President Bush did after his election in 2000 was to craft an energy policy in May 2001. The document, over half of which is devoted to conservation and alternate fuels, includes chapters such as, “Using Energy Wisely,” “Nature’s Power,” “Protecting America’s Environment,” and “Energy for a New Century.” The document can be found at WhiteHouse.gov/energy

The Old Testament prophet Hosea declared that his people were destroyed “for lack of knowledge.” Let that not be said of Americans during this presidential election season. n

 Gregory J. Rummo is an author and syndicated columnist. His latest book, “The View from the Grass Roots—Another Look,” was just published. Visit GregRummo.com  for more information.