IT is cheap and easy to say that Bush is favored by the wealthy because he advocates tax cuts and "traditional values". It is cheap, easy and, probably, accurate but it doesn't explain why he has enough general support to be reelected. There are not enough rich votes to elect a president. He must have a hell of a lot of middle class and lower class votes too. Saying that the Republicans are the party of the privilaged hasn't helped the Democrats very much. Unless and until the Democrats are willing to offer a truly substinative alternative, they will continue to be the minority party with a registered majority.
The utter failure of the left to sell their programs to the American public is appaling. We cringe and cower and hide behind the "anyone but Bush" banner and expect that this pathetic substitute for policy will sway the populace. It is time to recognise that we were betrayed, as usual, by the Party "mavens" who trotted out the usual acceptable, indefinable and malable list of candidates and offered us our choice of faceless faces. You may be sure that, no matter who wins in November, progressive ideas will be brushed aside and status will be quo.
Those of us who indentify ourselves as liberals should have insisted that the Democrats nominate a candidate who represented our positions or we would withhold our support. And don't tell me that anyone would be better than Bush. That's not the point. We are not served by replacing one establishment syncophant with another and another and another.
We know why the rich favor the Republicans. That's not the problem.
We had better think about why so many others vote with them. We have to give them a real and vibrant choice. We have to say that the war in Iraq is senseless and should be ended immediately. (Kerry's 4 year plan makes his critisism empty and hypocritical. If it is wrong, why the hell should we keep doing it for another 4 years?) We have to insist on single payer national health care, not some subsidised hybrid. We have to define our core values and work for their realizations instead of allowing ourselves to be idealogically balkanized.

    Mike Miller