Clarification/Follow-up by ETWolverine on 09/21/04 11:45 am:
Excon,

>>>No, it's not hard, but I'm afraid this election will be decided by dufus's.<<<

EVERY election is decided by dufuses too busy or too bored or too stupid to research the issue... or even to read a newspaper. MOST voters (from all sides of the political spectrum) don't vote on the issues at hand, because they aren't really all that well educated about the issues at hand, and have no interest in becoming educated. Most people vote on the rhetoric, not on the issues. In what way is this election different?

Most people will be voting on the rhetoric... whether it is left-wing rhetoric of "vote for Kerry because he's not Bush" or right-wing rhetoric of "vote for Bush because Kerry won't protect the country from terrorism". Most people don't know WHY they espouse the rhetoric they do, because most people don't keep up with current events. They just hear whispers and attach themselves to the whispers that they like.

So in what way will this election be different than any other election in the past 30 years?

The people on this board are the exception to the rule, Excon... we're informed individuals who get a kick out of politics and current events. Most people see politics and current events as one step below root canal... boring and somewhat painful. So they just don't give a damn.

And people who don't give a damn about what directly effects their futures (and this election will set a foreign policy tone for the next two decades, make no mistake about it) can indeed best be described as dufuses.

But it could be worse... they could be dufuses who refused to live up to their civic responsibilities at all. And I see apathy as a MUCH greater threat to our freedom than simple lack of political or current events education. You can fix ignorance pretty easily. But fixing apathy and irresponsbility is MUCH harder.

Elliot