[x]

The 50/50 nation of the 2000 election is gone.

This is true. This week, it's become more likely that President Bush will be reelected. Howard Dean showed contempt for a large group of voters when he asked them to cave on the social and cultural issues that they cared about to support his economic agenda. If he wasn't able to make any concessions to win their votes -- if he couldn't even stop himself from caricaturing them -- why should they drop their beliefs to support programs that are of uncertain value to them or to the country? The other Democrat candidates made things even worse for their party. And they don't seem to learn. When they write up this campaign, liberal journalists will blame poor Southern Whites for not voting their "true interests" rather than the Democrats for not doing anything to win their votes.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[LibertarianLiz]

Hubby & I were just having a conversation about the "Clinton Effect" the other day. It was after I had read the story about the Seattle Hebrew Academy having a fund raiser, paying Clinton to come to it as a pull, and losing money on the deal. I opined that it really is hard, the media being what it is, to actually know if Clinton is the "big draw" that they are all yammering about; but, this incident tends to tell me he's not.

Could there have been a more perfect format for him: ultra-liberal Seattle, Jewish voters in ultra-liberal Seattle, young, impressionable school age children. He should have had a packed house. Instead, they lose money. (And, honestly, he takes money from a school fundraiser?)

Whenever I hear that Bubba is campaigning for someone, I just laugh. They consistently lose wherever he shows up.

[cookcounty]

Mark's a marksman. Can you get him to write something again tomorrow?

[jaime1959]

ping for later read

[not-an-ostrich]

Hey Mark! Shhhh!

[MeekOneGOP]

ROFL !!

Well, it's true even Democrats can find good news if they know where to look. In my town in New Hampshire, a Democrat neighbour recently got elected cemetery commissioner, which may prove useful experience, the way things are going for her party.

[MeekOneGOP]

For those that haven't seen this, a great Mark Steyn article:

Mark Steyn: America's liberal media bias does
their darling Democrats no favours whatsoever

Excerpt:

As for Bush merely solidifying his base, Kentucky hasn't elected a Republican governor since 1967 and Missouri has elected only two in the past 125 years. In the swing states, the change in voter identification since September 11 is all in one direction - Florida: Republicans up six points; Minnesota: Republicans up eight points; Michigan: Republicans up nine points; Iowa: Republicans up 12 points; Arkansas (home of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library): Republicans up 15 points.

Doesn't sound that polarised to me. But, driving around the other day, I heard a radio reporter taking refuge in a favourite recent formulation: "Despite polls showing increasing public unhappiness over Iraq, the President continues to insist."

That crazy Bush, eh? Flying in the face of what some guy told some pollster over the telephone! Why not try the same formulation with some actual votes?

"Despite losing three governorships in the past month, Democrats continue to insist that their strategy of running every election as a referendum on Bush is working." Even if it costs them a fourth governorship in Louisiana this week.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[FlyVet]

Who are these voters? They seem to be young, hitherto natural Democrats who aren't as hung up as their wrinkly parents on Vietnam nostalgia.

Um, bingo. A lot of my "wrinkly" relatives are still sitting in front of the boob tube in the evening, listening to Dan Rather while reading the local lib rag newspaper, and since it's "in the news", it's true. After all, they wouldn't LIE, or TELL HALF-TRUTHS, would they? Their children, and now their grandchildren, are a little more skeptical of what they hear on TV. Add the Internet and talk radio into the equation. It's seems to be having an effect.

[Brian Allen]

<< Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe - because in the long run "stability" cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. >>

Thus, as Mr Steyne so artfully -- and as subtly -- notes, has United States of America's President and Armed-Forces Commander-In-Chief, George Walker Bush, declared total war on Our Nation's most loathsome, fearsome, persistent, efficatious and far and away most insidious enemy -- EVER! -- the United States Department of State!

Way to go, President Bush!

God save our President.

God save Our Beloved FRaternal Republic!

Blessings to all y'all -- Brian

Bump/Ping

[GOPJ]

And if it's not "local" it's angry voters -- voters who will turn out anyone. Yeah, more democrat wishful thinking bolstered by the press...

But not to worry. Just as your rattled Democratic supporter is beginning to feel a harsh jab of reality in what Slate's Mickey Kaus calls the "liberal cocoon", the media rush to lull him back to the land of make-believe, assuring us that the Democrat defeat is attributable to strictly local factors and is definitely not part of a trend.

[SkyPilot]

But, driving around the other day, I heard a radio reporter taking refuge in a favourite recent formulation: "Despite polls showing increasing public unhappiness over Iraq, the President continues to insist." That crazy Bush, eh? Flying in the face of what some guy told some pollster over the telephone! Why not try the same formulation with some actual votes? "Despite losing three governorships in the past month, Democrats continue to insist

The best part of Steyn's brilliant article is right here. It is now altogher too easy to mock the Democrats. The KICK ME! sign on their collective arse is now a lighted rolling marquee.

[neverdem]

I think Steyn should be posted on the *bang_list regularly.

[Huck]

bttt

[Qwinn]

I linked to this on another site, and in doing so I noticed that they have fixed the Missouri/Mississippi error at the source.

Qwinn

[M Kehoe]

With all of their defeats, why is Mc Auffle still the head of the dnc?

Not that I'm complaining.

5.56mm

[Grit]

Florida: Republicans up six points;

2000 Results:
Bush by 537 Votes (25 E.V.)

Minnesota: Republicans up eight points;

2000 Results:
Gore by 2% (10 E.V.)


Michigan: Republicans up nine points;
2000 Results:
Gore by 5% (18 E.V.)

Iowa: Republicans up 12 points;
2000 Results:
Gore by 1% (7 E.V.)

Arkansas (home of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library): Republicans up 15 points.

2000 Results:
Bush by 5% (6 E.V.)

[Rummyfan]

Thanks Pokey! A great Steyn.

[Spok]

During the California wildfires, the newspaper quoted a woman who lost her home, when talking about the fires being started by arsonists, who said she was against capital punishment-until now. 9/11 had the same effect on national politics. The veneer of liberalism is paper thin, and quickly ripped away when reality visits a little hardship.

[Zack Nguyen]

The 50/50 nation of the 2000 election is gone. A small but significant sliver of the electorate shifted Right after September 11...

I wonder if this is true. We'll find out. The 2000 election was so close because America was divided, primarily by culture. The best indicator to discover how someone will vote today is no longer income, but how often they attend church (if ever.)

Perhaps just enough people have made the switch to make it a 51% nation.