"I get the feeling these New Yorker liberals just don't understand how 9-11 changed things. It's like they don't even remember it."Those voters not so blinded by partisanship (and there are many who claim to be thus) should consider this statement. Rather, they should consider why it is that New York City is very decidedly going for John Kerry. This city is a long-standing Democratic bastion in presidential politics, but one should consider that if anything were to have shaken the Dems' grip on the city, it would have been 9/11. Indeed, there were many who postulated in the aftermath that Bush had been so brilliant in his response to the attacks that New York may very well be a swing state in 2004. We here in the city are on the front lines of the war on terror. It is our homes and our businesses and our infratstructure that are the most prime targets of terrorists seeking to damage the US. There are few of us here that did not have friends or loved ones that died in the WTC and I would wager none of us did not know someone who was in (or should have been in) the towers that morning. And we expect that when another attack comes, it will again take place (in whole or in part) here in the city. It being the case that as individuals we expect we might be a victim of the next strike, our collective vehemence in opposition to Bush should send a message. We who are condemned to die do not think George Bush can keep us safe. This is not partisanship (there are no partisans in foxholes), but rather a careful recognition that 9/11 did change things and Bush has failed to recognize this and react in kind. Far from not remembering it, 9/11 will be foremost in our minds on election day. That Bush doesn't stand a chance of being competitive in the city should tell those who consider security the number one issue this fall a lot about the candidate we, who are most in danger, consider most fit to defend their lives and livelihoods. We on the front lines consider George Bush unfit for that command.
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