Goldwater Republicans Next?

We reported here that the Eisenhower Republicans and the Bull Moose Republicans have left the Bush camp. It now appears that, in spite of John McCains politically motivated endorsement of Bush, the Goldwater Republicans may not be far behind. The Arizona Daily Star has endorsed John Kerry.

Four years ago, George W. Bush became president of a thriving America. Not only had his predecessor eliminated the national deficit, he had left the new president a $236 billion budget surplus. Unemployment was at a record low of 4 percent. The nation was not at war. The current president's policies have had a negative impact on each of these areas. We believe John Kerry can reverse that trend, and we endorse him for president.

In less than four years, President Bush, the avowed conservative, turned a record surplus into a record deficit, now estimated at $422 billion. During the same period, the unemployment rate rose to 6 percent and then improved a bit, but this summer, 5.4 percent of the work force was still unemployed.

The peace and prosperity of the Clinton administration evolved, under President Bush, to a falsely justified war and an economy that declined sharply and is barely staggering back to solvency - though even that faltering solvency is seriously jeopardized by impractical tax cuts for which our children will pay dearly.

Economist Milton Friedman has observed, with considerable wisdom, "A tax cut that adds to the deficit today is just a tax hike on future taxpayers."

It is clear that a change is needed. We believe the policies and management style that Kerry represents offer more hope than the current administration's stubborn allegiance to isolationist rhetoric, the unjustified use of military force and economic policies that provide instant gratification to some and long-term danger to the nation as a whole.
.....snip.....
Come January, either Bush or Kerry will have to address the deteriorating mess in Iraq as well as the deficit and the approaching drain on the Social Security trust from baby boomers reaching retirement age.

And just as there is no evidence that Bush ever accepted the predictions of his intelligence and security experts with respect to Iraq, there is nothing to suggest that he will reverse his politically opportunistic tax cuts.

Kerry would deal with taxes more realistically, increasing rates but only for those earning at least $200,000 a year.

President Bush had four years to prove himself and did poorly. It is time to elect a president with a broader understanding of international affairs and a greater concern for the welfare of those living on slender incomes. Elect John Kerry.