What really matters

I'll come right out and admit it: I am a hardcore political junkie. \nI have been following the presidential campaign of the two candidates since the summer of 2003. I watched last summer on C-SPAN when Vermont Governor Howard Dean announced he was running for the presidency. I watched the debates between the Democratic candidates. I watched as Sen. John Kerry emerged to the front of the pack and eventually won the nomination from the Democratic Party. I watched as the George W. Bush campaign machine made moves across the country. \nTo wrap it all up, I have been paying very close attention to this election race. Even though many issues have been presented between the two candidates and the two parties, the negative tone that I have seen during this election season has been something that in many cases have overshadowed the truly important issues that face the voters during this election season. This is truly sad considering that this is truly the most important election that has faced this country in many years. \nOver the past six to seven months, Bush and Kerry have made every negative claim possible about the other candidate. Kerry has basically built his campaign on the allegation that Bush lied to the American people about the real reason for the war in Iraq. Kerry's supporters have gone even further than that. They claimed that his sole reason for war was to secure oil in the Middle East or to finish something his father didn't do. Some of the harsh domestic talk that has been directed at Bush is the claim that he is only a president for the elite people in America, and that he really doesn't care for the middle class. \nThe Bush campaign and its supporters have fired back with harsh claims on their own. Since the middle of the summer, all around the country, commercials have been attacking Kerry's service in Vietnam. The accusations range from claims that Kerry wasn't actually wounded in battle during Vietnam, to allegations that the senator lied to Congress about the actions that took place during the war. Other harsh slanders about Sen. Kerry include claims that he is the most liberal senator in Congress and that the country will go down the drain if he is elected president. \nWhether you are a Bush supporter or a Kerry supporter, you must acknowledge that the ton of political mud being slung by each camp isn't really helping either candidate, nor is it helping the exposure of the truly important issues.\nNo matter which candidate you support, it must be realized that each candidate has the well being of the country in mind. Both candidates equally love this country and only want what's best for it. I seriously doubt President Bush's only intention with the Iraqi war was to condemn so many Americans to die just for oil. Nor do I feel that once Kerry is president that he will go into office and push for policies that are so left that it will make the American society unrecognizable. \nThe issue is not which candidate is more evil than the other. Rather, the issue is which candidate one feels has the best plan for the future of this country. But because of the negative nature of this campaign, the focus has been shifted from the many issues confronting the country today, to what new claim either candidate can make about the other. \nImportant issues such as the economy, health care, social security, rising prices of tuition, and yes, the Iraqi war and where we go from here are continuing to be overlooked. In the election's closing days, it would be nice if both sides allowed the American voters to make a decision as to which candidate they will vote for based solely on the issues, and not on biased claims.