Samuel Prescott Bush House (Delmar, NY): "I was named after my great grandfather, Samuel Prescott Bush, who has been described to me as a very fine man.  Beyond that description, I know little about my namesake, other than what I have read in recent books and conversations with my own father.  SP Bush was also George W. Bush’s great grandfather.  Like many of my fellow Bush relatives, I too am voting for John Kerry in this election.  I am ardently and unapologetically progressive in my beliefs, but I hold many of the same views that many of my more conservative relatives also hold. 

I am often disheartened when liberals, conservatives and the media alike look for ways to pigeon hole people according to a perceived set of political beliefs.  If, for example, I am in favor of environmental regulation, I am a “Liberal”.  If I am in favor of welfare reform, I am a “Conservative”.  George W. Bush, my second cousin, labels others in this way, regularly and consistently.  This kind of behavior is both simplistic and offensive to me.  When we hold this kind of perspective, it forces us to to see others in black and white hues and further polarizes us as we consider the “liberal” or “conservative” person across from us. 

George W. Bush labels John Kerry as a “Liberal”, and venomously spews remarks about him as if he has shamefully contracted a sexually-transmitted disease.  Similarly, in strong labeling fashion, our president and his supporters have tried to shape the label of a “patriot” as someone who does not question the policies or practices of his administration when the country is at war.  As someone who considers himself a patriot, I do not know how to understand the “patriotism” of our president.  I find it difficult to understand the patriotism behind giving tax breaks to corporations that export jobs overseas, leaving well-meaning and hard-working folks at home without a solid chance to support themselves.  I find it incomprehensible that patriotism of the brand our president practices, includes ravaging our environmental policies, resulting in an immediate and lasting degradation of the environment for the foreseeable future, hurting my children and their children, the future patriots of this country. 

I do not understand the “patriotism” that goes along with resisting the formation of the 9/11 commission for months, and then dragging our heels at implementing the recommendations of this blue-ribbon bi-partisan commission.  I am completely puzzled by the notion of it being patriotic to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the heart of terrorist activity that led to 9/11, and throw them into an adventure in Iraq, where there has never been evidence of a link to Al Qaida or to terrorism. 

How is it patriotic to give a series of tax breaks to the very wealthiest of individuals at a time of war?  How is it patriotic to create a monstrous deficit and then add to our national debt when, at the time that our president assumed office, we were well on our way to being solvent as a country?  How is it “patriotic” to create the No Child Left Behind Act and then withhold the money set aside for its implementation, educationally neglecting our own children?

Many of my relatives and forbears are staunch Republicans and conservative in their politics.  As a particular  brand of “conservatives”, they believe, as I do, that we must CONSERVE our natural resources and show a nurturing approach to the environment in which our children and grandchildren grow up.  These conservative relatives believe that we, as a nation, must be fiscally responsible, pay our bills fully and on time, expect that everyone contribute to the economy, and leave our country in better shape than it was for our own generations.  Many of these conservative relatives, living and dead, have believed that we must be actively involved, as citizens, in our government, and that it is our responsibility to speak out--forcefully, if necessary--when we disagree with something that our government is doing.  Doing so is the very act of patriotism, in that it contributes to and fosters a flourishing democratic process.

Many of these relatives, though we probably disagree on many things, would, I believe, support the notion that the citizens of this country should make sacrifices to support the efforts of our troops abroad, during a time of war.  As such, many of my conservative relatives would be appalled that, in some cases, as members of the high-income tax brackets, they are receiving large tax breaks while people of less means are being asked to pay more, as the government’s coffers spiral downward from a huge surplus to unimaginable debt and deficit during war-time. 

I think some of my conservative relatives may be quietly saddened to learn that, according to their own political orientation, many of their values would be unwelcome by the likes of my cousin, our president who, like them, labels himself a “conservative”.   This may be going out on a limb, but I nonetheless believe that some of these relatives even privately, grudgingly feel that they have no choice but to vote for John Kerry, due to the hypocrisy demonstrated by this “conservative” president.  They may not like having to choose John Kerry, simply because of their own honorable loyalty to the Republican party but, faced with the outrageous positions and choices taken by this president, I believe that many of them will be choosing according to their values over their political party.

I disagree with these relatives on many issues, especially those related to the social agenda of the Republican party.  However, I stand proudly with them on the issues that they have always identified as being genuinely “conservative”--toward the environment and toward fiscal constraint--and which George W. Bush disdains and ignores with cavalier disregard.  So, what label are we to have?   Would we be considered “liberal” or “conservative”, given our similarities and our differences?  Despite whatever labels we receive, it appears by everything that I can tell, we would be considered to be on the “wrong” side by George W. Bush.  For this reason, I cannot, given this president’s stand, support his candidacy.  I urge others to consider what this president’s interests truly are.  I urge the vast majority of Americans who are not among the richest, most privileged in this country, to examine whether this president’s “patriotism” and “conservatism” is aligned with their own interests.

FYI: This is the President's cousin. He and most of his relatives are voting for John Kerry because they know better than anyone just what Bush is. Go to their webside and check it out for yourself.

http://www.bushrelativesforkerry.com/pages/1/index.htm