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STOP BY A BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD (It's in the Breaking News sidebar!)
Some, like the departed TLBSHOW, go completely bonkers, and have to be kicked off the island.
I'm pretty new too, but I'm not sure there has been a "sharp decline." It seems the anti-Bush types were always that way, except lately they've just gotten louder.
Those with a gripe or a bone to pick are always the loudest. I'd say most here still have a high level of confidence in W. I know I do.
Interesting read, thanks for posting it.
Trace
I briefly spoke with several people at a community gathering two weekends ago. All of them said they would vote for Dean simply because "anyone is better than Bush."
Then, I asked them if they were aware that Dean wants taxpayers to give back their refunds.
They stood in disbelief. "Are you willing to give back your refund?," I asked.
Dead silence.
I trotted off, "Watch the f*cking news once in a while, people".
Pretty unlikely IMO. I think they'd have to get up to at least 58 seats for a filibuster-proof Senate. They don't seem to have strong candidates in several Democrat held states that tend to vote Republican for Pres. As for the more Democratic states, apparently there will be only a token challenge to Shumer in NY. Winning Boxer's seat in CA is a pipe dream.
For a pickup of 7 net seats, Bush probably has to run a more ideologically defined campaign where he goes on the attack. That might sacrifice the chance to pick up seats in the more Democratic states which the GOP probably won't get anyway, but increase the chances in the more conservative states. The indications are that he (actually Karl Rove) will instead repeat Reagan's mistake where he ran an issueless campaign in 84, won in a landslide and picked up next to nothing in Congress.
Doubt it.
I would be happy if it were true, but I doubt it.
The dems seem to forget their own words on this issue...
Gore repeats that Saddam MUST GO - June 2000
Following Gore's meeting with the Iraqi opposition groups, the two sides released a joint statement reiterating the U.S. commitment to removing Saddam Husseyn from power and arguing that Saddam's removal "is the key to the positive transformation of Iraq's relationship to the international community." ---- "U.S. Vice President Al Gore told Iraqi opposition leaders that Saddam Husseyn "must be removed from power,"
The Democrats' Case Against Saddam Hussein (Dems nailed, yet again)
Senator Kerry: "Mr. President, we have every reason to believe that Saddam Hussein will continue to do everything in his power to further develop weapons of mass destruction and the ability to deliver those weapons, and that he will use those weapons without concern or pangs of conscience if ever and whenever his own calculations persuade him it is in his interests to do so. . . . I have spoken before this chamber on several occasions to state my belief that the United States must take every feasible step to lead the world to remove this unacceptable threat.
Headline Rundown and links on Iraq - Things the democrats have conviently forgot...
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: However, as you all know from the recent crisis that we had, that we are sensing more and more that Saddam Hussein only wants sanctions lifted and does not want to comply with what is absolutely essential, that is, that he not reacquire or redevelop his ability to have weapons of mass destruction, or threaten his neighbors, or threaten our forces in the region. And therefore, we have added to our policy, and are now at containment plus regime change.
Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton -clear and present danger to safety of people everywhere 1998
Clinton: "Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons," Clinton said. The Iraqi dictator has used these weapons against his neighbors and his own people, he said, and "left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again."
What the democrats want you to forget
Clinton: Clinton detailed Hussein's lies and evasions since the end of the Gulf War. Under the agreement ending the war, Hussein had 15 days to report about his nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal. "Iraq has repeatedly made false declarations about the weapons that it had left in its possession after the Gulf War," Clinton said.
U.N. inspectors have found proof time and again that Iraq lied about its nuclear program, Clinton said. The Iraqis simply amended their declaration to incorporate the discoveries.
"[Iraq] has submitted six different biological warfare declarations, each of which has been rejected by [the U.N. Special Commission]," he said.
Iraq is a Regional Threat, capable of as much as 200 tons of VX nerve agent (1999 Clinton report)
Clinton, Gore rally domestic support for strike at Iraq, "unholy axis" (1998 Must read)
Clinton admitted that the potential military strikes, which have met with widespread international opposition, would not destroy Iraq's capacity to create weapons of mass destruction, they would, "seriously reduce his [Saddam Hussein's] capacity to threaten his neighbors." Clinton said the strikes would leave Saddam Hussein "worse off" than he is now.
US Vice-President Al Gore said the US is "working around the clock to pursue a possible diplomatic solution to the crisis," but warned "When it comes to protecting our vital national interests, Americans will stand as one."
Clinton said Iraq had repeatedly submitted evaluations of its weapons that were refused by UNSCOM, including six declarations on biological weapons and four on nuclear weapons. He said that when Iraqi reports of weapons capacities were disproven, the Iraqis simply amended the old reports in light of the new evidence.
Bush would give a speech, support for going to war would go up into the mid-60's, and the media would promptly begin sanding it down. We all heard the litany a dozen times: it'll be a quagmire, the Arab street will explode, millions will die, yada yada. After some months of this, the media would have a chest-beating orgasm as they announced that support for the war had dropped below 50%. "Majority opposes Bush. Yeah us!" [Pretend the previous two paragraphs have now been repeated four or five times] Around the time we're heading into the media orgasm, people around here start getting antsy. "Why won't he say anything? Why does he let this crap go unanswered? The sheeple are falling for it!" Well no, the "sheeple," who aren't sheeple at all, aren't falling for a damned thing. The American public learned a long time ago how to jerk pollsters around by telling them what they want to hear. There's a reason that two consecutive newspaper headlines in 1980 were "Too Close To Call" and "Reagan Landslide". That was twenty years ago, and people have gotten better at it since. I agree that this is the best Republican Administration I have ever seen — better than Reagan's — for twisting the media's panties into knots and making them look like arrogant twits. Some of those Rumsfeld press conferences could go into re-runs on pay-per-view. I don't know if they're about to logroll them on the WMD's or not, but they sure did set them up on "Uraniumgate." The presses were already rolling on Time magazine's covers when Tenet popped the balloon at COB Friday. Then they hit the talk shows on Sunday to push the remaining little pieces of rubber down their throats, and Time hits the newsstand on Monday with a cover that makes them look like a DNC mouthpiece that didn't get the memo. Ya gotta love it. |
You raise a good point. We saw this same thing all through the 12-month "headlong rush to war" in Iraq.