Election Coverage, Politics, Polls, Worst President Ever
Hapless Dems Watch Tongue-Tied and Hamstrung as America’s Bright Future Appears to Fade to Permanent Darkness Under Bush Regime
Fear and loathing: As the White House political team mapped out its strategy for winning the mid-term elections, Karl Rove, President Bush and the others plotted a campaign of political terror designed to ratchet up the fear among the populace.
In one of the most audaciously cynical political maneuvers ever undertaken by the Bush White House political office — and that is saying a lot — they launched their campaign of fear in conjunction with commemorations of the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
The White House was willing to risk criticism for using the sacred memory of 9/11 to win votes for one reason: They’re desperate. If they lose control of either branch of Congress, the era of unfettered executive power will end.
Sadly, but unsurprisingly, new polls show that the president’s fear-mongering is working. Despite the GOP record — botching the war in Iraq, losing an entire American city and running up the highest deficits in U.S. history — several recent polls, including the new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, show that President Bush and the GOP are gaining popularity, with mid-term elections about six weeks away:
President Bush’s approval rating has reached its highest level since January, helping to boost the Republican Party’s image across a range of domestic and national security issues just seven weeks before this year’s midterm election, a new Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
The survey spotlights a continuing array of Republican vulnerabilities, but it also offers the first evidence in months that the GOP may be gaining momentum before November’s battle for control of Congress.
Democrats hold a lead in the poll, 49 percent to 39 percent, when registered voters are asked which party they intend to support for Congress this year. But that advantage may rest on softening ground: On virtually every comparison between the parties measured in the survey, Republicans have improved their position since early summer.
In particular, Republicans have nearly doubled their advantage when voters are asked which party they trust most to protect the nation against terrorism — the thrust of Bush’s public relations blitz in recent weeks.
Democrats, meanwhile, stand in the hustings wringing their hands, worriedly watching as American democracy and our way of life crumble. They know they are right but they feel helpless to combat the lies with, well, the truth.
The only thing that can stop the GOP from commandeering another election is a bold counter-offensive. But hopes that fearless and decisive leadership will suddenly erupt from the Democrats are starting to fade.
Of course, President Bush’s approval rating and the national polling are only leading indicators of public sentiment. The polls that matter are in the states and in the districts where the battle for Congress will play out.
Republicans have proved, over and over, that while they know how to win elections, they are terrible at governing. There are polls show that majorities of Americans are wising up to this — the GOP gets poor marks for poor performance on the war, healthcare, the environment, education and the rest.
But come on. It ought to be a slamdunk by now to even the dullest among us that the GOP has failed to govern effectively. And yet, when it comes to the so-called war on terror, more than half of us are routinely snookered by what the White House cynically calls its strategy but what is in fact a never-ending campaign of smear, spin and sloganeering that has nothing to do with stopping terroris.m, and everything to do with domestic politics.
Legitimate leaders don’t acquire their power by enflaming fear among their followers. That’s what dictators — what fascists — do.
What we need is a clear alternative to Bush’s cult of terror. We need leadership now that shows us by example that what Americans need in the age of terror is not more fear but less — that, in fact, what we must do as a nation is lose our fear and gather our courage. If we live in fear, the terrorists win but with courage, we will defeat them.
Topics: Election Coverage, Politics, Polls, Worst President Ever
“History shows that societies in peril tend to produce the leaders they need.”
Except when they don’t. Read Diamond’s “Collapse”.
Probably too late for our civilization anyway. The ‘resource wars’ have started. And global warming has unleashed positive feedbacks. Looks like we’re ‘toast’. (pun intended)
I’m not convinced that America is supportinve of the Bush regime in most areas. This bump in the polls for Republicans is due more to our Democratic ineptitude in stating our position or, worse, in coming down on the wrong side of a handful of issues that make us vulnerable. Unless we adopt a realistic position on this stuff, we aren’t likely to win over moderate Republicans.
Exhibit A: illegal immigration — we refuse to accept that illegal immigration is wrong, and we can’t seem to frame the issue to our benefit. The issue is so powerful that it may be enough to sink a Democratic candidate all by itself.
Exhibit B: gay marriage — of course we want everyone to be happy and spend their lives with whomever they choose. This is right and good. But by insisting that we call gay unions “marriage” it leaves us open to attack by the right, which they’ve successfully exploited in the last several elections. Let’s take control of this issue and put the emphasis where it should be, on civil rights and the fact that there is already ample room in the law for people to form partnerships as they like, write wills, indicate hospital visitation preferences, etc.
Exhibit C: dissent is patriotic — Unless we get a grip on this, we’ll get swiftboated again. The point is that dissenters are trying to make America and its policies BETTER, and enhance our nation. We’ve let Republicans finger-point and name-call without challenging them on their kindergarten behavior. We let them get away with stating opinion as fact, rant as debate. Reality is reality, demostrable fact can be documented or reproduced, and we need to call them on this by challenging their take on the truth.
There are lots of other exhibits, obviously, but let’s finally address the ones that sank us in the past and take the ammunition away from the Republicans.
What polls? Bush has averaged a 40% approval rating in the last five or six polls, and 75% of Americans want all of the incumbents thrown out of Congress. That’s the “surge?” I agree that you have to be wary of stupid people voting, and that Democrats, for the most part, only know how to lose, so they have to keep up the pressure. But don’t let the LAS Times tell you what the people are really saying. The Repubs numbers are not winning numbers right now.
if voters do not have to produce a government issued photo idea(harder to do by the poor) in order to vote,if all votes are properly counted and verified,then the REAL winners will win!
Lyndon LaRouche has been doing precisely that for 30-40 years, and look what the right wing did to him.
It is still virtually impossible to get any sense out of people at the mere mention of his name.
America is finished if it does not wake up NOW and implement his economic reform policies.
please forget issues like gay marriage,abortion,bird flu;the REAL issue(s) here is the incompetency of the current administration,and the fact that we have young men and women dying in Iraq for no REAL reason
I just hope people like you stop the fucking constant whining about the democratic leaddership b/c you are contributing to the constant drumbeats Democrats are fucked and hapless. Just stop it. Do you ever see the GOP do that to their leaders? NO fucking NO. Enough already.
If you want to help, call Pelosi and Reid to complain privately. We are getting closer to another election and it is not the time to complain and whine.
Keep in mind, the messages are not being broadcasted broadly b/c the whole media entity is being controlled by the GOP and their friends. Democrats don’t have a Fox 24 hrs constant news stations but the GOP do. NYT and WaPO and other major news orgs are being threatened and/or bought by the whitehouse to comply or they will suffer the consequences.
So just stop the whining, enough.
Most likely the only way to ensure that this, and all elections, cannot be “stolen”, would be for each and every citizen eligible to vote to actually go out and vote! Then, they’ll be forced to “steal” at more than one GOP-controlled area. But, alas, no WAY would this happen.
all the registered voters in the country may vote,but if their vote is not verified and tallied then they just as well may have stayed at home;it’s the vote counters that we have to watch!
This is scary as hell, and I think that Bush is really “psychiatrically disturbed,” as well as actively using drugs! And it is “he” with “his” finger on the “button,” who is controlling “our” lives and the lives of “our” loved ones! It must be stopped, before the situation reaches the “point of no return!”
The polls are up for bush, huh? Yeah, among those mouth breathers who shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce-let alone vote. The Democrats have to ramp up their campaign and batter this regime with the TRUTH, and not hackneyed homilies. The truth is a matter of record, and a dismal one at that. The truth is that the rethugs HAVE NO POSITIVE RECORD TO RUN ON; only a bloody mess to their name, so with no real facts to crow about, they’re left with smearing the Democrats. Just remember, the Democrats are NOT responsible for the mess we’re in;it all falls on the repubs.
THIS IS NOT WATCHING A TEAM SPORT! If you think the Democrats are fading, get off your dead ass, get off the internet, and go volunteer to work phone banks or whatever the hell else they need you to do to help.
We must continue to point out how Bush has been the worst foreign policy president in American history.
9/11 was preventable but Bush’s incompetence allowed it to happen. After 9/11 Bush has refused to go capture the people responsible for the terrorist attacks. Instead, Bush invaded Iraq, a country with no ties to Al Qaeda or 9/11 thus making America less safe, increasing terrorism around the world, helping Osama Bin Laden, and turning our allies into enemies.
That’s the narrative.
All the repukes have to do is get within the “margin of error” and voter fraud and Diebold will do the rest.
It’s over folks. Has been for some time. The day Americans sat on their collective hands and allowed “free speech zones” we were doomed.
The demagogues have already build the detention camps and are ready to test their new crowd control weapons. We’re there, over the brink and the only thing that will bring us out of this nightmare is revolution or death.
During Watergate the method was “Follow the money.”
1) The large amount of money for spot ads is corrupting and invalidating debate, which must be frequent if democracy is to survive.
2) What is known about the finances of our “inept” Democratic “leaders”? Mostly from corporations, right?
What mechanism, if any, do we have to FORCE the Democratic Party to represent Democrats? We need to clean our own house before we can clean up the rest of WA DC.
George
What all this boils down to is how smart or stupid the American voters are. If they are stupid enough to allow this fascist theocracy to continue, then it will. If not, then a wrench will get thrown in the gears. It won’t stop it completely, but it will slow it down. The other possibility is massive Republo-Fascist voter fraud. If that happens, welcome to more fascist theocratic insanity.
and yet the CBS poll, dated 9/20, puts Bush’s approval rating at 37%, which, per CBS, is “about where it’s been all year.” Yes, we need to do something, but we probably shouldn’t hyperventilate.
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!!!
Leadership begins with a well articulated vision. The Democrats have yet to create or project that vision. For example a vision of energy independence, full employment, universal healthcare, governmental accountability and responsibility, reigning in of the military industrial complex, immigration law enforcement, meaningful and documented education reform, world participation and engagement, and withdrawal from a contrived, unwinnable, protracted war in Iraq.
Until the Democrats can jointly agree, create,and communicate this vision and how they will implement it, they like the Republicans are blowing smoke up your _ss!
revolution is in the air(right here at home)-hopefully it’ll be a peaceful one
George W. Bush is the father of modern terrorism. Arafat would be so proud! Because of Iraq, Bush has created a stronger and much worse terrorist than the world has seen before the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. Consider if the other a-hole, Kim Jung Il, invaded the United States. We ALL would become American Insurgents, and Il would be forced to battle the American Insurgency. W is a load that should have been swallowed.
Any one who votes Republican this year in November is saying that it is all right to do the following: lie about wars and send almost 3000 men and women to their deaths; murder innocent Iraqi people in George Bush’s war; illegally wiretap civilians if you are the government; allowing the President of the US to expose a CIA agent to the world; defy the much respected by most other nations the Geneva Convention’s rules on torture; give rich people more tax breaks at the expense of the middle class; continue to give less and less to education; piss on social security; make political hay out of a tragedy-9-11-……I could go on and on and on. This fucking administration has absolutely fucked up everything they have gotten involved in except padding their own pocketbooks. If you vote Republican, you send your flesh and blood to fight this fairy tale war of Bush’s. Because you know damn well his party animal daughters are not going to be sent!!!!!!! George W. Bush is the worst leader ever in the history of any nation!!!!!!!!!!!!! So are those Republican cronies that flock around him like teenagers flock around a pop star!!!
why cant the leaders just bang home these simple mantras:
1) bush failed to protect us on 9/11 -
2)bush has lost two wars in 4 years -
3)bush has increased the debt more in the last five years than in all the time we have been a country combined
4)tax cuts- bush is giving all of the rich companies huge tax cuts, so we can borrow from the chines and our future children
Isn’t Bushworld an ugly vision for the future of our children and grandchildren?
We can do better than this, people. George W. Bush and his ilk are scum of the earth and far from the best that the great land of America has to offer.
Reframing’s the key. Start questioning the courage of Republican supporters. Make them associate support of Bush with cowardice. Which, of course, it obviously is.