Even I’m undecided

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Drudge reported today that part of the agenda for a second Bush term is getting rid of the IRS and replacing the income tax with a national sales tax or a VAT. If the president does indeed unveil such a campaign promise, I might have to reconsider the “Anyone But Bush” pin I keep on this site.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating. My opposition to President Bush stems not from any excitement about John Kerry, but simply from a belief that Bush’s foreign policy and domestic spending needs to be punished with an electoral defeat. Maybe then the Republican Party will retreat from the neoconservative path it has embarked on.

But what are the odds that, even if proposed, Bush would eliminate the IRS? About as good as privatizing Social Security—something about which he has completely forgotten.

Under a President Kerry, colossal spending begun under Bush will surely increase, if only not for faith-based programs. And then there’s the Supreme Court. From the new Atlantic Monthly:

No new justices have been appointed for a decade (the second longest such period in history); given the age of the incumbents, the next President may appoint as many as four–an opportunity no President has had since Richard Nixon’s first term. Justices appointed by the next President could remain on the Court through the 2030s….“

A lot of good Richard Nixon’s appointments did us. Nevertheless, I would probably feel much better if Bush was doing the appointing. While abortion rights will remain available even under Bush, Kerry nominees could do real damage to the Second Amendment, federalism generally, and much else.

So, although I still would like to see Bush defeated, I am very depressed about the prospects of a Kerry victory. It is difficult having a consistent ideology these days.

Aug 3, 2004 | Comments

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One comment posted

  1. Posted by Lance Jonn Romanoff - 08/10/2004

    Jerry, I think you should definitely remove the ABB as it’s simply a poor argument even if one is anti-Bush. The most adamant, provided they are rational, Bush critic would not genuinely want “anyone” but Bush in office. Virginia Postrel said of the 2000 race that “Bush is a mixed bag. But I think Al Gore is the devil.” I think that also applies to Bush v. Kerry. There is nothing Kerry offers libertarians (aside from being pro-choice, a position not all libertarians share) in comparison to Bush. Maybe in Bush’s second term there will be a push to replace the income tax with a VAT - or not. Maybe there will be an attempt to allow some measure of privatization of Social Security - or not. But neither of those things will even be considered with Kerry in office. I’d take a maybe over a definitely no chance.

    Of course, I live in a state that voted more heavily for Gore than any other in 2000, which means whichever way I vote will have no chance of having any impact on the outcome of the election anyway, so for me this is all a mere parlor debate.

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