I'm somewhat heartened by the eventual awakening of America to the fallacies of the Dubya Dynasty. My frustration is that it doesn't translate to better turnout at the polls. Even without the GOP's maneuvers to disenfranchise minorities and the elderly, there are still many Demos/Liberals who don't make the time and effort to vote. I can't quote the poll I studied from 5 years back, but there is evidence Joe Conservative will make more of a point to cast a ballot than Joe Liberal.
While I'm on a mild vent, it also still amazes me the number of folks who fall for the culture war du juor (gay marriage, abortion) and ignore things like the war in Iraq, the economy, and healthcare....maybe because those latter items are way too complicated? And it's much easier to chant a jingoistic slogan than engage in a thorough debate? I think of all the time and expense spent on the whole flag-burning debate, at a time when I think I've seen a flag burned, oh...maybe once in my nearly 40 years on earth.
Anyway, I digress....here's hoping for a stronger Democratic platform, and a more civic-minded (and yes, left-leaning) crowd at the November polls.
Thanks for stopping by, loco_toro. Yes, the poise of the disaffected, "Yeah, I'm liberal, but all politicians are corrupt and it doesn't really matter." WRONG. It matters enormously.
I sympathize with your vent about falling for the culture war du jour. It is frustrating. Flag burning is a classic example of a non-problem. Very few people do it.
I do think the Democrats can do a better job of inspiring people, though. And I think the progosphere's influence should help clear some of the deadwood. That's what "Crashing the Gate" is about. Example: Bob Shrum, a top-tier Dem consultant is apparently 0-8 in presidential campaigns he's worked on. Why hasn't he been thrown over?
Anyway, I bet we both could go on. Once again, thanks for dropping by.
8:04 AM, June 20, 2006
[Note: “Joementum can refer both to Josheph Lieberman himself, or to any claim of political momentum that turns out to be embarrassingly false. In this case, it is the latter definition to which I am referring.]
OK, let’s put what we’ve learned from the previous post to use in inoculating our minds from the powerful wingnut meme machine. False meme virus: Bush is due for a bounce in the polls, a comeback; his presidency is turning around and he will triumph over the recent spate of adversity. I don’t know if this meme has been put out there by a coordinated push of the vast, right-wing conspiracy (VRWC), or its just because folks in the media are getting bored with the “Bush is tanking” story and want to shift to something new to entertain themselves or capture more eyeballs (=$$$).). But it’s there, and so far, it is false.
This story on AmericaBlog talks about how in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll Bush’s approval rating moving up one percentage point from 36% to 37%, and that “Matt Lauer [of MSNBC’s Today] was incredulous that the numbers for Bush haven't spiked.” You see, Matt Lauer is ready to believe in a spike, ready to blow the trumpet to sound the second coming of George W. Bush’s popularity. But it’s just not there. Bush’s approval ratings have been dropping historically. (Take a look at that graph, it’s rather dramatic.)
Sometimes I’m frustrated with the American public for not taking issues I care about more seriously. But sometimes we really get it. Despite all the media frenzy about Bill Clinton and the Lewinsky affair and all those papers calling for his resignation, the American public ignored it and decided it liked him. And despite a groveling, fawning media (where John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the toughest interviews around), the American public has decided it doesn’t like Bush. You can’t fool all the people all the time.
posted by Zachary Drake at 10:43 PM on Jun 15, 2006
"Bush's Joementum"
2 Comments -
I'm somewhat heartened by the eventual awakening of America to the fallacies of the Dubya Dynasty. My frustration is that it doesn't translate to better turnout at the polls. Even without the GOP's maneuvers to disenfranchise minorities and the elderly, there are still many Demos/Liberals who don't make the time and effort to vote. I can't quote the poll I studied from 5 years back, but there is evidence Joe Conservative will make more of a point to cast a ballot than Joe Liberal.
While I'm on a mild vent, it also still amazes me the number of folks who fall for the culture war du juor (gay marriage, abortion) and ignore things like the war in Iraq, the economy, and healthcare....maybe because those latter items are way too complicated? And it's much easier to chant a jingoistic slogan than engage in a thorough debate? I think of all the time and expense spent on the whole flag-burning debate, at a time when I think I've seen a flag burned, oh...maybe once in my nearly 40 years on earth.
Anyway, I digress....here's hoping for a stronger Democratic platform, and a more civic-minded (and yes, left-leaning) crowd at the November polls.
5:48 AM, June 17, 2006
Thanks for stopping by, loco_toro. Yes, the poise of the disaffected, "Yeah, I'm liberal, but all politicians are corrupt and it doesn't really matter." WRONG. It matters enormously.
I sympathize with your vent about falling for the culture war du jour. It is frustrating. Flag burning is a classic example of a non-problem. Very few people do it.
I do think the Democrats can do a better job of inspiring people, though. And I think the progosphere's influence should help clear some of the deadwood. That's what "Crashing the Gate" is about. Example: Bob Shrum, a top-tier Dem consultant is apparently 0-8 in presidential campaigns he's worked on. Why hasn't he been thrown over?
Anyway, I bet we both could go on. Once again, thanks for dropping by.
8:04 AM, June 20, 2006