by Paul Fallon

Let’s cut the bullshit. Bush is a fucking disaster. Only morons are going to vote for Bush. Only greedy bastards are going to vote for Bush. Only religious wackos are going to vote for Bush. All the sane folk out there are going to vote for the Democratic nominee no matter who he is, and we’re going to get our country back. Right? Buzzzzzz! WRONG!

It’s a trick question. Choosing the puppet on the left because he is not as bad as the puppet on the right is what got us into this mess in the first place. George W. Bush is a horrible President, but he is exactly the President we deserve. It’s not that we deserve him because the sane people in this country didn’t have the guts or common sense to assassinate Ralph Nader before he wrecked it for Gore; we deserve him because that’s exactly what happens when you let the system become so corrupt that your only choice is the less malevolent despot. When Richard Nixon is the last President to openly advocate for a war on poverty, how bereft of principles has the Democratic Party become? The Democrats are so blind to their malaise that they have the gall to blame Nader for taking Gore’s votes. Who can claim they own someone’s vote? How many Clinton-lovers out there bemoan the fact that Ross Perot took votes from Daddy Bush, thus handing the election to Bubbah?

Let’s not kid ourselves: Our democracy is in trouble precisely because there is no viable opposition. This country is about as democratic as the Soviet Union was communist. Unless, of course, you define democracy as it has always operated in the real world, a small segment of a society, i.e. millionaires and up, deciding what is best for them and tolerable for the rest of us. They use their wealth and power to perpetuate the charade, buying the allegiance of an educated class of sycophant strivers. These worshippers of the powerful dutifully and shamelessly justify the actions of their masters, thereby convincing the deluded public that it is best to keep the haves having and the have-nots, well, having not. Money runs the politics, the politics runs the country and voila, the money runs the country. Pretty simple, but it’s not democracy. It’s certainly not the fairytale democracy about working for the common good that they placated you with in school. So who in the Democratic Party is trying to change this? I’ll tell you.

In yesterday’s New York State Democratic Primary, I voted for Dennis Kucinich. I did this knowing he’ll be the Democratic Presidential candidate, as "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart pointed out, "when monkeys fly out of my butt." I voted for him because he is the best Democratic candidate on the issues. The electability pundits wrote Kucinich off early. He’s too liberal, which means he actually wants health care for everyone, decent schools, better jobs and an end to wars of intervention. But issues don’t matter here; he doesn’t have the archetypal Presidential Look. His focus group ratings don’t fit the brand name "President." This was also Dean’s problem. It was more than the scream. He was also a little pudgy.

There is a sinister motive behind the mainstream, fitting-the-presidential-mold bullshit. The looking-and-acting-Presidential charade conceals the stickier and much more malevolent quagmire of Democratic politics. These were unelectable candidates because they didn’t toe the Democratic Leadership Council line; in other words, they’re not beholden to big, mostly corporate, campaign donors. If Howard Dean represented the democratic wing of the Democratic Party, then the DLC represents the Republican wing. This is why the Democrat Party deserves to lose this and every other election until they ditch the DLC servitude.

So now that too many idiots in this country have been duped into believing that 9/11 changed everything, we can’t afford to let Bush keep doing what he’s doing. Everyone that cares about this country needs to rally behind the putative Democratic nominee John Forbes Kerry. He’s even got initials that we can gush nostalgic about.

Then there is that son-of-a-bitch Ralph Nader getting in on the action and possibly spoiling our rightful Democratic ascendance to the thrown. The egomaniac!!!! And as local blowhard UB Professor Bruce Jackson called him a "religious fanatic" that "does not live in our world." The demagoguery that has spewed forth against Nader is incredible and farcical. Nader is one of the few people in this country that has been fighting the tough battles in support of the public forever. To call him an egomaniac and a religious fanatic doesn’t just belittle Nader but everyone that has supported his efforts over the years. Nader is running because we deserve to have a decent candidate in the election. If you don’t favor his candidacy then don’t vote for him. To say he shouldn’t run is exactly the kind of thinking that calls for censorship. We have to allow each and every person that goes to the voting booth to make their own decision based on what they believe is best for the country.

You’re brain-dead if you don’t believe Al Gore would have been a better ruler than Bush. I’m not as sure as others that he would not have done many of the things Bush has done. He would have invaded Afghanistan. The Patriot Act? I’m pretty sure he would have gone for that. Look what he and Clinton did after Oklahoma City. Iraq? Who knows? It’s always a lot easier to make decisions in hindsight. As far as the failed war on drugs, disastrous trade policy and the corporate crime wave, Gore would have sucked real bad. Would he have done anything differently in Haiti today, or Colombia or Venezuela, or any of the other governments in South and Latin America that are trying to free themselves of America’s oppressive influence, for that matter? Not a fucking chance.

You think John Fucking Kerry is going to get this country headed in the right direction? Don’t fall for it, it’s a fake. The guy will do what it takes to stay in office; what that means is money and politics continuing to be for the haves and the have-nots continuing to eat each other to survive. So don’t get pissed off at Ralph Nader, and don’t act like your precious vote matters. You’re going to lose, no matter which puppet gets elected this year. The only difference will be the scenery as the country spirals down to oblivion.

The lesser of two evils is the problem, and until we stop being suckers for it we’re doomed. If the monkey scenario doesn’t pan out, Kucinich will not be on the ballot in November, unless he’s Nader’s running mate, so I’ll be voting for the best candidate on the ballot, Ralph Nader.