Driving around Madison, I have noticed that you cannot go a block without seeing a sign for the Kerry-Edwards, Feingold, Darrow or Baldwin campaigns. Littered among those signs, however, are signs stating that “Regime Change Starts at Home,” which advocate removing President Bush from office.

Along State Street, there are now vendors selling everything from pins to hats to bumper stickers with the slogan, “Anyone But Bush.” They are selling like hot cakes.

While I am proud that we students are becoming more and more involved in politics and the election process, I am concerned about a disturbing trend in this election. The focus of this election is not on choosing the best person for the job; the focus instead is on forcing the Bush administration out of office. Are we electing the best candidate to be the most powerful person in the world, or has the Democratic Party only nominated the person who will most likely beat the incumbent president?

This presidential election is the most important in recent memory. The progress and future of the Global War on Terror is in question, the definition of marriage is being battled in state and local courts and legislatures, and multiple Supreme Court judges may retire during the forthcoming administration. There are numerous concerns and issues that may change the political and social landscape of the United States for the next decade. The 2004 Presidential Election should not be taken lightly.

In addition to the importance of this election, there are numerous questions surrounding the current administration. Issues such as the true motivation of the administration starting the first preemptive war in our history, the scandal in Abu Ghraib Prison, and the White House’s stance on domestic social issues such as abortion and gay marriage have tainted Bush in the eyes of many. The American public is now scrutinizing a myriad of wide-ranging issues of the current presidential term, and many who are angry have mobilized against the president.

While negative politics are nothing new in American politics, the idea of “anyone but” is. Many on the left and even some moderates want President Bush out of office and will vote for anyone over him. As a result, the Democratic Party nominated John Kerry. The concern, though, is who exactly is John Kerry?

The media has described John Kerry as “faceless” on multiple occasions. The major criticism of Kerry during the Democratic primaries is the fact that no one knew who Kerry was. With extreme personalities such as Howard Dean and Al Sharpton, Kerry seemed to be the exact opposite: he had little personality whatsoever. The most the American public seems to know about Kerry is his war record in Vietnam (though some on the right are attempting to question it) and how he bravely tried to save the life of the family hamster.

On the important issues we know very little about where he truly stands. It is incredibly difficult for senators to run for president due to the fact that critics will pick apart their voting records. Keeping that in mind, what Kerry says in his campaign speeches about the major issues — to include the military and the War on Terror — seems to contradict his voting record.

Will the United States have a regime change in November? Possibly. We may get rid of Bush, but who will we have in his place? What will happen after November 2004? We may be voting for a faceless president to face the issues that are so crucial to the future of our great country. The Democrats may win the battle for the White House. The more important question, however, is what will the White House be like after the November election?

We, as the city and nation’s young voters, are mobilizing to vote in the first post-9/11 election, which could be one of the most important elections in our history. While voting at the booths in two months, we have to ask ourselves who is the best candidate to lead our nation, not who is the best candidate to oust the current administration. We may bring regime change home, but what will be the face of the new regime?

Jeff Carnes ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in linguistics.