the return of the undecided -- an exchange

Remember last week I mentioned a student who dropped by and told me, among other things, that she was still undecided? Well, we have been carrying on a spirited email exchange since then, which she has generously allowed me to share with you. I am going to post our discussion in parts over the next several days, editing only for typos etc., and resisting the temptation to make changes to make me look smart. Feel free, folks, to jump in in the comments section.

on 9/9/04 I wrote,

Cathy, very nice to see you.

here is my blog: http://superannuatedpedagogue.blogspot.com/

also: I urge you to see Fahrenheit 9/11 for yourself. You are right to be skeptical of Michael Moore, but you should be equally skeptical of those who denounce him. It is an incredibly powerful film. Most important, where I give him credit is because he raised issues that no one in the mainstream media would touch. You will not agree with everything he presents, but you will be better able to make an informed choice in the election after having seen the film. It comes out on dvd on october 5th.

stop by again on a thursday afternoon. I am usually here.

later that night Cathy replied:

I enjoyed our discussion also and I will consider seeing the movie. I would also like to clarify a few of my views. First, I have not decided who I will vote for yet. There are many things that I don't agree with Bush about, (education and the environment to name two) but what I would like most is for Kerry to give me reasons why I should vote for him and not why I shouldn't vote for Bush. Also, I would like to see a third party that produced a candidate who didn't need to take a poll to decide where her or she stood on an issue and one who also treated the American public like they had a brain. You are right though, we need to arm ourselves with as much information as possible, both in support of our opinions and against.

Thanks again,
Cathy

p.s. Am I the undecided student?

I replied that night:

yes, you are the undecided student. I hope I didnt caricature what you said to me; I wasnt trying to be dismissive. I also would like Kerry to give us stronger reasons to vote for him, and I would love to see a politician speak the truth etc. Unfortunately, that politician would not last very long. Just look at McCain. For every sensible sentence he utters he has to pay fealty to the masters by joining in the clown show.

But there is a contradiction in the way you approach this. You condemn Kerry for not making his message more clear, but that is really a question of style, not substance; and it is not really in his control as the media decide what they will present and how. Have you gone to Johnkerry.com and read his proposals and policy statements? If not then what you are really uncomfortable with his how he does or does not perform the role of potential President. Bush does that much better, sure. But unless we think that is really the job of the President, unless we think that what he does doesnt really matter and doesnt really effect us in any literal way, then we need to see beyond that.

In 2000 I was sympathetic to the Nader position that there is no difference between the two parties. I didn't agree with him or support him, but I think he was raising a valid point about how both parties are in the pocket of big business and not really interested in the well-being of the American people. And Clinton and Gore had pushed the Dems farther toward the right, so that on economic policy they were better Republicans than the Republicans. And to a large degree what Nader was talking about in 2000 is still true. But the past four years have shown how different the parties really are -- in what they stand for, in how they relate to the American people, in how they govern.

I think Kerry is playing the "not-Bush" because his political operatives have calculated that as the best message; whether it will work or not I don't know. But he is also the "not-Bush" because, in my opinion, EVERYTHING the Bush administration has done has hurt the American people. I know that sounds extreme, but can you name me one thing?

More later.