STH Newsletter

Occasional updates, plus bonus idiotic ramblings. (We've never sent more than one e-mail per month.)

Official 2004 Presidential Endorsement, Second Revised Edition

by Jason Roth

If you read my first Official 2004 Presidential Endorsement, you'll know that my candidate of choice was "Fuck You". Emotionally, not much has changed. Deep down, I'd really like to give these two guys the finger. But the more I think about it, the more I think I cannot in good conscience abstain from voicing an opinion one way or the other.

I have intentionally started writing this before the President delivers his convention acceptance speech tonight. One reason for this is the potential entertainment value that might arise should my opinion change immediately upon hearing his speech. The other reason is that the particulars of his speech are not relevant to the fundamental issues. Or rather: the fundamental issue. I was nearly certain of this before the Republican convention, and now after hearing and reading several of the speeches, I am nearly convinced of it. (Hey, going from "nearly certain" to "nearly convinced" is a long way.)

The fundamental issue of this election is the war against terrorism, and George Bush is the only candidate who will take it seriously. I was very impressed that the Republicans came out so strongly in favor of the war; specifically: Governor Schwarzenegger; Mayor Giuliani; Vice President Cheney; Senator McCain; and especially Senator Miller (and he's a Democrat). The convention that was rumored to be another pussified "Please like us, we also feel your pain" convention turned out to be a surprisingly principled pro-war convention. I actually heard speeches that were both well-reasoned and emotional calls to self-defense.