George Bush, President.

The election of November 2000 between George W. Bush (Republican), and Al Gore, the sitting Democratic Vice President of the past eight years, was the second time in the history of the country where the winner received less popular votes than the loser. Mr. Gore collected almost six hundred thousand votes more than Mr. Bush, BUT in the Electoral College, George W. Bush, in another repeat of history, become the second son to share the Presidency with his Father (you remember the Adams family, John and John Quincy Adams from Mass.).

The swing state to give Mr. Bush the election was Florida, where his younger brother, Jeb, was Governor AND many voting, shall we say irregularities, were noted. I think it probably was just the closeness of this election that caused so much attention to be paid to any one state. Unfortunately, Florida was called for Mr. Gore by the media early election eve, then reversed by the media, then re-called again, then reversed, and, well, you get the message. Most notably the aged voters of Palm Beach County, where this “butterfly” ballot was used (something you have to have both eyesight and manual dexterity to use successfully) seem to have had thousands of votes either not counted, because the little holes they were suppose to poke out didn’t poke out, or for some reason hundreds, if not thousands, had voted for Pat Buchanan (a right wing columnist and television personality) by accident.

There were recounts done, and tribes of lawyers from the Democratic party, headed by folks like the former Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, were engaged by tribes of lawyers from the Republican party, headed up by George Herbert Walker Bush’s (the former President and Father of the candidate) friend, and former Secretary of State and Campaign Manager, Mr. James Baker. After weeks and weeks of legal haggling and arguments, the “cases” now went through the Florida legal system, through the Courts of Appeal for those who had lost a previous decision, and ended up in the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled, five to four, that the results of the Florida election, and the associated electoral votes would stand and belonged to George W. Bush, the winner.

George W. Bush was inaugurated forty-fifth President of the United States of America in January 2001.

And bye, a year later the United States had been attacked with 3500 or so “casualties” in New York City, thrown out the illegal Islamic fundamentalist from Afghanistan, thrown out the government of Iraq for having (allegedly, as it turned out) weapons of mass destruction, and occupied Iraq with about 150,000 or so troops. At home, and during the election year of 2004, an election year where international terrorism was, rightfully so, a major topic of debate, George Bush took the side of continued force, worldwide, with limited resources and partners, to continue, while his opponent the liberal Senator from Mass. wants to go back and expand our list of involved (INVOLVED) allies to better share the burden(s). They both vow to fight, and kill “the terrorists” and the question seems to be, “Which, of the two, can do the better job?”

At home the stock market went down, down three of the four years while economists and “stock players” argued, a result I’d assumed of the continued outsourcing of high paying jobs to countries where salary and benefits are considerably smaller in a business mans budget. It was the continued, gradual change from an industrial giant to a soft services world. The alleged budget surplus of almost four years ago had been replaced with an even larger, shall we say overrun, such that we now had, allegedly, a three TRILLION (Is a trillion a thousand billion?”) dollar deficit and I, maybe just for one, began to wonder why the prosperity of the 1990’s had been a fact and it’s dismal counter-point of the 2000’s was argued about by economists and “stock players”, the ladder two groups by the way were firmly against any repeal of the tax breaks given to those whom make over $200,000 per season, err I mean year, which I, for sure, includes most of them.

There were probably hundreds of thousands of people who needed a flu shot while half the outsourced production of flu vaccine was discarded due to possible contamination. Members of Congress had flu shots because, and I hope it wasn’t any type of official Congressional spokesperson said, “They shake hands with a lot of people”. George Bush said “Don’t get a flu shot if you don’t need one, I didn’t”, which didn’t hurt those who were OK but did hurt those whom felt, after years of being advised to take a flu shot if you were within guidelines (the young, the old and those predisposed) were, once again placed in need without help. Mr. Kerry says “Everyone shall have health care and I’ll eliminate the deficit by reversing the tax cut for those above $200,000” and he looks into the camera and smiles.

Its ten days to Election Day 2004 and it’s, the race, about another dead heat. Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio hold the keys to the White House, and each party (party?) has a few thousand lawyers available to handle, and I mean immediately, ANY election funny business. I don’t know whose going to win but it is, at the very least, a significant choice.

By 4AM Wednesday, November 3^rd, “the networks” having taken, shall we say, a more conservative approach after the debacle of 2000, had NOT appointed either of the candidates President Elect. John Edwards, the Democratic candidate for Vice President had told a Copley Square crowd to go home, and in the cold rain of Boston they had done so. It looks as if George W. Bush will win re-election, capturing the popular vote and securing enough electoral votes for another four-year stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Rumor has it he’s on his way to the Regan Office Building in D.C. to “address” the crowd.

Should this come to pass, another four years with Mr. Bush, it looks as if the country has, indeed, moved to the right as it approves, slightly, of the handling of events that have occurred on his watch.

November 5^th, 2004

Turns out Mr. Bush won the election, hands down, by over 3 million popular votes and sufficient electoral votes as to avoid any controversy. Mr. Kerry conceded, Mr. Bush accepted, and “things” go on. In his first news conference the re-elected President promised a continued fight against terrorists (I hope they finally catch that fucking Bin Laden), simplification of the tax laws (yea, right) and a beginning to straightening out Social Security. All these agenda items I’d agree with, and with a newer level of control in both houses of congress and three possible Supreme Court appointments it should be an interesting four years. I wish Mr. Bush good luck and God Bless America, the finest country in the world.