"Voting for Bush is Voting Against Your People"

This is what the husband of one of my best friends told me yesterday, and my friend concurred. The husband also said, "Any black who votes for Bush should be strung up and shot" (I kid you not). Ouch!

This comment was in response to this Washington Times article that I was reading to them. They're hotly opposed to the war in Iraq, and absolutely hate Bush. In fact, awhile back my friend's husband said that he hoped the economy doesn't improve just so it would help Bush lose.

Mind you, I haven't even made up my mind about my vote -- other than it's highly unlikely that Sen. John Kerry will get it. However, I'm vacillating between voting Libertarian or for Bush. I've got several big beefs with Dubya: even though President Clinton was also asleep at the wheel, 9/11 did happen under Bush's watch; the federal deficit where he lowered taxes (good) but jacked up spending (bad) that he's now made Clinton look like a fiscal conservative; illegal immigration (one issue where I depart from traditional libertarian thought); I supported the war but the post-war planning in Iraq sucks, and a few other issues.

However, I do find it troubling that folks want the economy to go sour over presidential politics (and I told my friend's husband so). I also acknowledge some good stuff about Bush (school voucher supporter, he snagged Saddam, he takes the long view re: the War Against Terrorism, he lowered taxes) and believe he is sincerely trying to go after black votes this time. He also has a platform to work from here in getting a piece of that vote, if he actually got the word out through a Republican messenger who black folks actually like (you reading, Colin Powell? How about an ad?). I also resent folks telling me that my political choices can make me a "race traitor" and can't be based on genuine philosophical differences (and I told them so, and brought up some evangelical relatives of mine who plan to vote for Bush mainly due to abortion, gay marriage, and he's taking it to Muslims). I love my friends, but we just don't see eye to eye here.