Michael and I went out for sushi tonight and ended up seated at the bar next to a couple who were deeply engaged in a very earnest discussion of John Kerry and George Bush. I could not hear most of the details, but I did hear the man's very earnest and droning, let-me-explain-it-to-you-little-lady voice, and the occasional sentence fragment ("Kerry played his card first." "He should have talked about his record more," etc. etc.) I didn't hear as much from the woman, perhaps because she could barely get a word in edgewise. She was clearly supporting Kerry, Michael managed to pick up, and she was clearly not loving this conversation.
When we left the restaurant, Michael exclaimed, "I couldn't stand another minute. He was so pompous and kept speaking in catchphrases. 'We have to stay the course.'"
So I told him about the man I heard on NPR the other day who claimed that his support for Bush was justified by business priniciples.
And it made me think. A female friend of mine told me that "you vote with your gut." I find that notion somewhat appalling, since, personally, my gut has been known to be absolutely wrong about important things, such as my choice of boyfriends. (My mother frequently criticizes the common practice of picking a candidate based on his or her personality — she's got a point, particularly if you're not good at reading someone's true personality!)
In any case, though, at least my friend was honest about her gut factor. I think a lot of people are like that. But these men, the one tonight and the one from the other day, aren't comfortable with admitting that. So they have to come up with elaborate intellectual rationalizations for their positions.
"Bush makes me feel less helpless" doesn't sound good to them. "It's better to fight the terrorists in Iraq than here at home," does.
