By
Sheila Bapat
It's November 10, 2000. Do you know who your president is?
Nope, sorry. Florida is turning this cliffhanger into a comedy-horror, with America waiting anxiously as Gore and Bush duke it out and the American press continues to freak everybody out. But according to many, the candidates are too close, period-to close in policy, too close in ideology.
Perhaps this misperception is why the race-which ought to be a gimme for Al Gore-is still, two days after the polls opened, too close to call.
Many, particularly Green party members, have gone as far as to say that Al Gore and George W. Bush are exactly the same person.
Well let's assume that the press's first conclusion is right. Let's assume that George W. Bush, GOP fratboy, wins this race. If he wins, hopefully the Green party is right, as well. Hopefully, he will be exactly like Al Gore.
Hopefully Bush, deep down, understands the fundamental right of women to choose what happens to their bodies. Hopefully, Bush understands that business ought not be the center of the entire world. That they do, in fact, have social responsibilities and owe a debt of gratitude-and tax dollars-to the environment and infrastructure that government provides them. Hopefully, Bush knows the dangers of investing Social Security funds in the stock market. If he does not understand the danger in this, and America's stunning economic success hits a glitch, the people who desperately need the services Social Security provides could be in jeopardy.
Hopefully Bush's visit to Bob Jones University was an example of his temporary mental insanity. Hopefully Bush will not only preach the importance of education, but will develop relationships between the federal government and schools that are in dire straits, and will invest resources into the areas of education that need it most. Gore's education plan included this provision. Under Gore's plan, if school districts couldn't do the job, the federal government would step in with the much-needed resources. Gore campaigned on this public policy. Policy might be an unfamiliar concept to the former Texas governor. Hopefully Bush understands that vouchers, which will suck needy schools dry of any public resources they currently have, are a disastrous idea that will help dismantle public schools.
Hopefully Bush will somehow come to understand that homosexuals deserve equal rights; he will push policies like domestic partners benefits and allow them to serve freely in the military. Hopefully, Bush will not only preach the importance of diversity, that he will not merely speak a few lines of Spanish and expect minority populations to love him. Fight for their rights, George W. Bush. Fight for their equal representation within governing bodies.
Fight to help relieve them of their often dire economic conditions. Realize that not everybody is born with the silver spoon and a great last name. And don't leave it up to the free market economy. Give us some policy.
For people who have put their heart and soul into this race because of deeply-rooted beliefs about how this country should be run, Bush and Gore have clear differences. And this cliffhanger-turned-marathon only solidifies how misled the nation is for thinking that they are the same.
For the good of this country, let the Green party be right. If the Texas governor becomes the leader of the free world today, hopefully he will be more than just a famous name and a fat pocketbook.
If he wins today, America should sincerely hope George W. Bush is just like Al Gore.
