Clearly this administration is a failure to liberals and moderates but also should be considered skeptically by conservatives for its inconsitent trade policies, spending, half baked immigration and stem cell policies and overall secrecy. At the same time for moderates and conservatives the alternative of the Democratic nominee John Kerry is wanting also. John Kerry’s record is littered with switches on position that seem to reflect shifting political winds rather than rational progression of thought. John Kerry’s anti-trade rhetoric is also very worrying while his overall domestic policy seem more of the old tax and spend policies of the past. So voters are left with a quandary of whether to choose the flawed administration of GW Bush or to choose an uncertain and questionable John Kerry. This need not be a choice between the lesser of two evils because there is an easy solution to this. Vote for divided government. As of now Congress is narrowly dominated by Republicans and this situation seems unlikely to change in the next election. A GW Bush victory ensures a continuation of single party domination of all three parts of elected government. Without the check of an opposition Congress the executive is free to initiate an agenda that serves its own interests rather than seek to unify the country. A divided government will provide the necessary check against implementing a policy that is too one sided. For example a Congress dominated by one party will be hesitant to support the president of another party leading the country into a war where the country is divided on the issue. A Congress of another party will not accept radical judicial or other appointees by the executive. An opposition Congress will also likely not sit idly by if an executive unilaterally pulls out or tries to rewrite international treaties such as Kerry has mentioned regarding NAFTA. From the conservative side reasons to support a divided government are that Congressional Republicans who traditionally have been suspicious of centralized power have abrogated their watchdog functions in favor of supporting a president from their own party. It is unlikely that had a Democrat been in office that Congressional Republicans would have gone along with such things as the expanded powers of the Patriot Act and extra-judicial authority to detain, try and even execute American citizens in the name of fighting terrorism or tolerated the secrecy and backroom dealing of this administration. If John Kerry were to become president it is likely that Congressional Republicans will return to their oversight duties and counter balance the executive branch. Now is the time to return balance to the government and return the American tradition of checks and balances. The failures and shortcomings of the GW Bush administration should not be rewarded with another term. At the same time voting out the GW Bush administration doesn’t mean handing a blank check to a Kerry administration. Divided government is a reasonable and logical alternative.
