My DNA

We never get away from the things our parents modeled for us, no matter how hard we try.

That's why now, at 29 years old, I am still spending hours on end tracking election results for the presidential primaries. I remember vaguely staying up in 1980 watching the horror (in my family's eyes) of President Carter being defeated by Ronald Reagan. In 1984 I was actively recruiting support from my fellow 10 year old colleagues for the candidacy of Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. They would bring an end to the suffering of all the little people under the tyrannical regime of Reagan/Bush. In 1988, as a very mature eighth grader, I became a New Englander, cheering on Michael Dukakis and good ol' Texas boy Lloyd Bentsen. That'd help us little people, finally. '92, I took pride at the time my parents chose to conceive me, making me one of the oldest kids in my senior class, which afforded me the sole opportunity, out of all my classmates, to cast a vote for the great hope of the underdog, Bill Clinton. Oh the joy I felt at electing a president. When I went to college I discovered Christian zeal and conservative consciousness, and cursed all the things my parents imbred within me. In 1996 I had the opportunity correct all the evils of my upbringing and vote for Bod Dole, to no avail.

Chris Matthews says in his book "Hardball," that we always vote the same way our parents do. We may not always vote for the same person our parents vote for, but the things we take into consideration are the same things our parents take into consideration.

My parents always spoke about candidates who can relate to the little people. What they were really saying underneath that was that they wanted to be able to relate to the candidate.

Which is why I support George W. Bush. I know he's not the brightest guy in the room (although I do believe he isn't dumb.) I know that he's had a life of privelige. I know I probably don't agree with him on a few, very important issues.

But I'm a Bush apologist because I like the guy. He shares many of the same sentiments I hold to. Even though he was rich growing up, he disdained the arrogance that went with privilege that was evident among his classmates at Andover. This cool, almost European tendency, that so many people I know are in love with, that turns it's nose on anything considered simple, is a turnoff to him, as it is to me.

That's something I want to rant about a little. I adored the small amount of time that I had to spend in Europe, and was endeared to many wonderful people. But the thing I hate about Europeans is their smugness, their arrogance.... and I think that's also why Bush hasn't gone out of his way to accomodate to the Europeans. He gets accused of being the arrogant American. That's the easy thing to say when you disagree with him.... he's arrogant. But what most of these people are really pissed at is that he disagrees with them, and chooses to do things without them-- and therefore he gets the arrogant label.

Case in point. I work with a Finnish lady who is still very European in her outlook. In other words, she can't stand Bush. She said the thing that really did it for her was when Bush was asked what should happen to Saddam Hussein, and he replied that he should be executed.

Now I watched the exact interview she was speaking of, and Bush did not say he should be executed. He said that he has in his own mind what he thinks should hapen, but that the ultimate decision would be up to the Iraqi people.

I didn't bother to argue with this lady, because no matter what I said, no matter how much proof I came up with, she still heard what she wanted to hear.

Man, I'm really on a tirade with this post.

Anyway, I love politics. This should be a great year.