This is it. Tomorrow is the day we've all been waiting for. It's Bush vs. Kerry - no more polls, no more commercials, no more debates, no more campaigning. Just one day of voting. If you're one of American University's many political junkies, you probably won't be getting much sleep tonight.
How will it end? Who will turn out? When will we know the winner?
Fortunately, the AU College Republicans can go into Election Day knowing that we laid it all on the line. No matter what the results may be, we gave it everything we have. We made the phone calls, we knocked on the doors, we put up the yard signs, and we passed out the literature.
We came into this semester as 350 excited students at a meeting. Now we're closing this election season having put in more total man-hours on the campaign trail than ever before. With trips to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia, the AU College Republicans have worked exactly 1,252 total man-hours toward re-electing President Bush.
And there is nothing else we would rather do with that time. We understand that this election is the most important of our lifetime and that Bush must be re-elected.
We know and understand that the future of our country hangs in the balance. Put simply, this election is a referendum on the great task America has undertaken - bringing freedom to a part of the world beset by hatred and religious zealots.
In class, many AU students scoff at the thought of "imposing our values" on other countries. These students like to think that America's only real contribution to the world is McDonald's. Of course, they are greatly underestimating (or completely ignoring) the power of freedom and liberty.
Freedom, unlike any dictator, terrorist organization or even government-run program, has the unsurpassed ability to empower people. Freedom removes the threats of torture, execution and censorship. Freedom makes possible the exchange of ideas, open debate and representative government. Freedom gives economic prosperity and personal fulfillment a chance. Freedom promotes competition and the motivation to succeed. Freedom makes the world a safer, stronger and more peaceful place.
President Bush, in his address to the National Endowment for Democracy, communicated this point when he stated: "Working for the spread of freedom can be hard. Yet, America has accomplished hard tasks before. Our nation is strong; we're strong of heart. And we're not alone. Freedom is finding allies in every country; freedom finds allies in every culture. And as we meet the terror and violence of the world, we can be certain the author of freedom is not indifferent to the fate of freedom."
In the face of such a powerful force, it is difficult to understand why and how some people can reject the virtues of freedom. Some in society are more comfortable sitting on their hands and watching as corrupt societies, hateful ideologies and failed states ban any semblance of freedom and liberty. They somehow justify their indifference by arguing that "imposing these American values" on other countries would be imperialistic or aggressive.
Fortunately, many more Americans understand that their freedom should not be exclusive. Bush argues forcefully that freedom is not America's gift to the world, but God's gift to humanity. And ensuring that freedom trumps oppression in every instance around the world is the great challenge of this American generation.
Of course it is our own freedom that can make the challenge more difficult at times. Faced with a polarized electorate, critical media and fierce political opposition, leaders with such bold vision must work extra hard to get their message out.
In this election, we've seen that The New York Times and CBS are truly hell-bent on derailing Bush's re-election. It's plain to see that segments of the electorate, so enraged by Bush himself, are blind to any good that is the foundation of American policy - foreign and domestic. We are faced with an opposition so motivated, so mad and so willing to do whatever it takes to win, that we must be equally passionate and doubly rational.
Fortunately for our country, there is a growing majority of Americans to whom such anger does not appeal. These Americans don't throw out the terms "Nazi," "fascist" and "racist" in the midst of day-to-day political disagreements. These Americans do not buy the conspiracies of Michael Moore and Howard Dean. These Americans do not have 22 bumper stickers on their cars. These Americans don't rip down political signs, shoot bullets into campaign offices or attempt to run over members of Congress. These Americans do not come home from a hard day's work smelling like tear gas.
These Americans are the ones who are going to re-elect President Bush. Their political passions may not be as deep or extreme as the fringe left, yet their collective votes on Tuesday will ensure that a bold, hopeful vision for America will stay on its course. On Tuesday, the silent majority will speak.
Mike Inganamort is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and president of the AU College Republicans.
