Posted on 12/27/2005 11:43:51 PM PST by Miss Marple
More bright news!
"NY Slimes has lost 45% of it's market value in last 2 years. --per Tony Snow"
Mwahahahaaa!
For GOODNESS SAKES! The KKK is alive and well in Iowa and is planning a protest of the Iowa Supreme Court.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IA_KLAN_PROTEST_IAOL-?SITE=IAMAS&SECTION=AMERICAS
I don't know if the Mason City Globe is a part of the Gannet organization, so I'm only posting the URL.
Have a great time in Mexico; be careful and Happy New Years.
I have your birthday marked on my calendar today and am assuming it is correct. Happy Birthday, Two Thirds!
Beautiful pics and comments, Dolly: the food sounds luscious and the company sounds wonderful!
Hi Dolly
I so much appreciate that you pinged me to your post. You had a wonderful day with some special people! The food sounds too delicious. :) You look fantastic with your dear friend Paul. Thanks for sharing your day. :)
Boy, I think the Rats are stepping into it with this harping on the NSA. They keep saying "He could have gone to the court AFTER the fact for approval." I am beginning to think that the speculation that there was a leak from the court is exactly right, and pretty soon the Rats are going to be sorry they brought this story up.
Hi Peach! Good morning, and you are one day early....but I thank you for the early wishes! I'm younger than you thought! :)
You're just a youngster then :-)
It's so fun to fantasize!
Perhaps it is not only the Democrat's hatred of our President that is fueling these leaks. I have felt for some time that the civil service, much like the academia tenure, promotes a thriving self-serving mentality that feels (and knows) that they are above it all.
Government, at all levels, is filled with people who cover for each other and truly believe that any defect can be handled with more people and more budget.
I just looked at my calendar again and realized that I thought today WAS Thursday. My entire schedule has changed now and I'm running a bit behind. later....
Hey Hay! I was ROTFLOL reading your post the other day about the Great Surfing Family!
Our heater appears to have gone on holiday today. Fortunately, it isn't too cold at the moment. The workers are supposed to come today.
Do 30 percent of those who register never vote? Why would a third of registered voters not vote. Or is it possible that the thirty percent or so who did not vote in 2000 were not the same 30 percent who did not vote in 2004.
Could the outcome of elections be determined not by the so called swing voters, but more by which group of voters cbose not to vote.
How does one explain that only 88 million people voted in 1988, but 105 million voted in 1992. Perot got 19 million votes in 1992 and 17 million more people voted in 1992 than voted in 1988. Then in 1996 Perot dropped to about 9 million votes and the turn out dropped by 10 million voters. Did 10 million perot voters in 1192 not vote in 1996?
By 2000 we were back up to 105 million voters and 2004 saw some 122 million people voting.
It appears to me that both parties did a good job in getting turnout up in 2004. The Demorcrat turn out was up 16 percent; Republican turn out was up 23 percent. That shows the value of grass roots organization. There was little difference in both free and paid media coverage from 2000 to 2004 but both parties did a lot more grass roots work.
But my main point is it seemst to me there is a lot more room for improvements in turn outs. 70 percent is better than 60 but why can't an 80 percent be achieved with most of that additional turn out being Republican. Increasing turnouts requires a very good grass roots organization. People who think the major media or even local media can increase turn outs are barking up the wrong tree. It takes door to door, and neighbor to neighbor efforts to increase turn outs.
Polls of adults, or registerd voters or even likely voters don't mean much if one side gets out a lot more of its voters. Most polls close to elections use likely voters. And likely voters are those who have a history of voting. Turning out unlikely voters may be the real political game of the future.
There are basically only two motivations for voting.. hope and fear.
Unless the media and democrats stop crying wolf, and stop trying to make people fear Bush more than Osama, I don't see a lot of hope for them in the 2006 and 2008 elections.
The Republicans can play on the hope that they can continue to produce a good economy and a safe citizenry, and that the Democrats would undo Bush's protection and Bush's economy.
The Republican set of hopes and fears will play a lot better. But like 2004 it will take a huge grass roots effort to win.
We all need to think about how we can help improve our parties grass roots efforts. One other lesson can be learned from the Bush campaign in 2004. In the past nearly every party event and every rally I attended gave the big donors access to the president. That was true of both Democratic and Repblican campaigns. That changed in 2004 with the Bush campaign. What happened here in Chillicothe was typical. The one couple who got to personally meet with the president to get pictures and give their views, was Lisa's sister and brother-in-law. Bill and Ellie worked hundreds and hundreds of hours on the Bush Campaign. The people who donated the big bucks just got to sit on the stage. They got personal attention.
After the Presidents speech here in Chillicothe, he did not glad hand those of us on the stage. No .. he went to the front rows of the audience and thanked the precinct workers. It was always the precinct workers that went door to door who got the front row seats and the presidential attention.
That told me Karl Rove knew that money could only buy media spots. But door to door workers get out the votes that win elections. And it was the 23 percent increase in turn out compared to the Democrats 16 percent increase that won the 2004 election.
The question is will the Republican grass roots efforts go back to the pre Karl Rove era or will it build on the very successful recent past.
Take the hot air where you can find it? :-)
We were without working furnace for about 10 days. Mom's room was a balmy 60 at end. The lower level (which I admit was COLD) was 34 the last day. Two dogs & lotsa cats piled in together with me at night.
Hubby is due home soon. He is taking afternoons off this week, as his business is really slow between Christmas and New Year's.
I better see what I can make him for lunch. Back later.
It was a very funny day. Also all females under 60 were wearing those horrid pointy toe shoes with weird heels.
It will be the drudges showing up for the rally. Someone say 'boo' and they would break and run.
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