Press Action ::: Why This Undecided Voter Is for Bush

Monday, August 30, 2004

Why This Undecided Voter Is for Bush

By Micah Holmquist

Undecided voters like me hate politics because it always forces us to make difficult choices. For instance, this year we have to decide between supporting President George W. Bush or backing Senator John Kerry in the race for the Oval Office. The choice is excruciating because the differences are just so great. While the candidates agree on trivial matters like the invasion of Iraq, gay marriage and in the belief that “jobs” are a good thing, they disagree on where exactly in the world this country’s troops should be deployed.

This requires us undecided voters to stand for something or fall for anything. I’m not the type of person who tumbles at the tip of a hat, so when I heard on Thursday, August 12 that President Bush was coming to Traverse City, Michigan to speak at an outdoor rally the following Monday, I knew it was an urgent call for me to rush to the local GOP headquarters and wait all night long to get tickets.

While I could have planned better by bringing food and water, I regret nothing since Friday morning I was able to get a ticket and then begin planning my attendance of President Bush’s speech.

Picking the right pair of khakis and pull-over shirt is no easy matter for my wife to accomplish, but I spent the more than 72 hours that followed waiting in anticipation of what President Bush just might say, since it is impossible to know the content of his speeches if you don’t see them firsthand. Would President Bush praise the local townsfolk? Would he say that things were improving in America? Most importantly, would President Bush say he has been doing a good job in his first term and say he should be reelected?

The anticipation of finally getting an answer to these questions was so great that, by mid-morning on Monday, my head was literally ready to explode. Fortunately I saw a calming sight on the way to the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, where the big event was taking place. A majestic symbol of liberty sent by God in the form of a bald eagle swooped into view and then landed on the very top of a flagpole flying Old Glory. The bald eagle posed and told the Americans that they were heading in the right direction.

“Keep moving,” said the eagle.

I then ran into a group of protesters. Many of them had buttons, shirts and signs that indicated their support for Kerry and, oddly enough given Kerry’s position on invading Iraq, opposition to the war in Iraq. Why anybody would oppose a war that liberated so many Iraqis is beyond me.

I was also puzzled by what these protesters were doing protesting on a Monday afternoon. Don’t they have jobs?

Security was tight at the entrance to the facility, but that is just the price we pay for living the post-September 11 world. Those Americans who complain about it need to grow up and remember that we are at war with terror.

The pre-President Bush entertainment was extraordinary. It included the hot young country act of Trick Pony, who President Bush personally praised in his speech. Then there was pre-recorded music from Brooks & Dunn and a brief introduction by Congressman David Camp.

President Bush’s appearance was met with a thunderous ovation of the kind that should only be reserved for presidents. He spoke in an energetic manner that reflected the best of the American spirit. The president touched upon his environmentalism, fiscal responsibility and economic stewardship. He said these were just some of the reasons to reelect him.

In the most touching moment of the speech, President Bush said, “[t]he world changed on a terrible September morning.” I wondered what September morning he was talking about, before, a few seconds later, he explained he meant “September the 11th.” Something apparently happened that day, some “lessons” were learned and President Bush was thus inspired to protect us from Iraq and Libya, a country that had frightened me daily since the mid-eighties.

The crowd was wonderful and the president showed his appreciation. “[M]y opponent thinks you can find the heart and soul in Hollywood; I think you find it right here in Traverse City, Michigan.”

The fine entertainment, non-patronizing speech and supportive crowd full of people who know that President Bush is a great man and an even greater president would probably have been enough to convince me to support America by voting for President George W. Bush, but the tireless campaigner wasn’t going to leave it to chance. As he left the stage, the heroic leader shouted at me, “I hear you have a question you want to ask.”

“Yes, sir,” I responded with a heart filling with pride. “You won’t let those types in Washington fool you, will you? America loves you President Bush. You are our leader and we will support you no matter what.”

“You got that right,” President Bush said, before being whisked away.

Micah Holmquist, editor of Irregular Thoughts and Links, is a Cadillac, Mich.-based writer.

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