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tom
Citizen
Username: Tom
Post Number: 4779
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 5:09 pm: | 
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Pop quiz: Which biased media outlet just released a poll showing Bush at an all time low approval rating of 33%? Who said "most Americans rate the current economy negatively, and twice as many say it feels like the economy is getting worse rather than better. "
Click the tiny url to see! http://tinyurl.com/n2rew |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13779
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 5:20 pm: |
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Meanwhile, the denial takes a new twist. Not only are Bush's supporters denying that there are problems with his leadership, they are denying that many former supporters are now dissatisfied, with more people becoming dissatisfied.
And those who acknowledge the shift say it doesn't matter.
What does it take for them to see that there are, uh, like, problems?
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Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 2011
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 6:10 pm: |
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Hear da sound a' dem chickens comin' home to roost!
Buck, buck, buck, bu- gawwwk!
Even the armadillos on the ranch in Crawford are throwing out their Bush '04 campaign memorabilia.
I guess those new "I'm the Decider" baseball caps won't fly off the shelves now. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3180
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 9:02 pm: |
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But... I'm invincible!
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Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13791
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 12:39 pm: |
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April 21, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
The Great Revulsion
By PAUL KRUGMAN
"I have a vision — maybe just a hope — of a great revulsion: a moment in which the American people look at what is happening, realize how their good will and patriotism have been abused, and put a stop to this drive to destroy much of what is best in our country."
I wrote those words three years ago in the introduction to my column collection, "The Great Unraveling." It seemed a remote prospect at the time: Baghdad had just fallen to U.S. troops, and President Bush had a 70 percent approval rating.
Now the great revulsion has arrived. The latest Fox News poll puts Mr. Bush's approval at only 33 percent. According to the polling firm Survey USA, there are only four states in which significantly more people approve of Mr. Bush's performance than disapprove: Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nebraska. If we define red states as states where the public supports Mr. Bush, Red America now has a smaller population than New York City.
The proximate causes of Mr. Bush's plunge in the polls are familiar: the heck of a job he did responding to Katrina, the prescription drug debacle and, above all, the quagmire in Iraq.
But focusing too much on these proximate causes makes Mr. Bush's political fall from grace seem like an accident, or the result of specific missteps. That gets things backward. In fact, Mr. Bush's temporarily sky-high approval ratings were the aberration; the public never supported his real policy agenda.
Remember, in 2000 Mr. Bush got within hanging-chad and felon-purge distance of the White House only by pretending to be a moderate. In 2004 he ran on fear and smear, plus the pretense that victory in Iraq was just around the corner. (I've always thought that the turning point of the 2004 campaign was the September 2004 visit of the Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, a figurehead appointed by the Bush administration who rewarded his sponsors by presenting a falsely optimistic picture of the situation in Iraq.)
The real test of the conservative agenda came after the 2004 election, when Mr. Bush tried to sell the partial privatization of Social Security.
Social Security was for economic conservatives what Iraq was for the neocons, a soft target that they thought would pave the way for bigger conquests. And there couldn't have been a more favorable moment for privatization than the winter of 2004-2005: Mr. Bush loved to assert that he had a "mandate" from the election; Republicans held solid, disciplined majorities in both houses of Congress; and many prominent political pundits were in favor of private accounts.
Yet Mr. Bush's drive on Social Security ran into a solid wall of public opposition, and collapsed within a few months. And if Social Security couldn't be partly privatized under those conditions, the conservative dream of dismantling the welfare state is nothing but a fantasy.
So what's left of the conservative agenda? Not much.
That's not a prediction for the midterm elections. The Democrats will almost surely make gains, but the electoral system is rigged against them. The fewer than eight million residents of what's left of Red America are represented by eight U.S. senators; the more than eight million residents of New York City have to share two senators with the rest of New York State.
Meanwhile, a combination of accident and design has left likely Democratic voters bunched together — I'm tempted to say ghettoized — in a minority of Congressional districts, while likely Republican voters are more widely spread out. As a result, Democrats would need a landslide in the popular vote — something like an advantage of 8 to 10 percentage points over Republicans — to take control of the House of Representatives. That's a real possibility, given the current polls, but by no means a certainty.
And there is also, of course, the real prospect that Mr. Bush will change the subject by bombing Iran.
Still, in the long run it may not matter that much. If the Democrats do gain control of either house of Congress, and with it the ability to issue subpoenas, a succession of scandals will be revealed in the final years of the Bush administration. But even if the Republicans hang on to their ability to stonewall, it's hard to see how they can resurrect their agenda.
In retrospect, then, the 2004 election looks like the high-water mark of a conservative tide that is now receding.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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The Notorious S.L.K.
Citizen
Username: Scrotisloknows
Post Number: 1305
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 12:42 pm: |
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And here comes Reingold with his predictable NYT Op-Ed/Krugman Post...
P-R-E-D-I-C-T-A-B-L-E
-SLK
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Dr. Winston O'Boogie
Citizen
Username: Casey
Post Number: 2045
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 12:42 pm: |
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more of a mystery is how 11% of Democrats can still think Bush is doing a good job. I guess that's the size of the Lieberman wing of the party. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13792
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 12:50 pm: |
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SLK, I enjoyed your posts when you first got here. Did you later learn to criticize the people here on MOL, or were you holding back for your first couple of months here?
Yeah, I post Krugman often, because I think he raises points worth considering. I'm not as partisan as he is, and I think there are flaws in many of his columns. But he's still worth a read. I think he offers food for thought. If you disagree, say why. Pointing out that I post his columns often is very poor proof that Krugman has nothing of value to say. At the very least, he could give you fuel for why your viewpoints have merit. But you don't even bother. Instead, you decline and instead try to insult me. Nice show. Or not.
I liked the old SLK. Bring him back.
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The Notorious S.L.K.
Citizen
Username: Scrotisloknows
Post Number: 1306
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 1:13 pm: |
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Tom-
Your insulted by a truthful observation? You need a thicker skin. 
I read the NYT Op-Ed pages but not as much as I use to. How many times can I read another Herbert/Dowd/Rich/Krugman rant against Bush? They say the same thing every week, disguised a different way.
Maybe the old SLK is gone for good, I don't know. Maybe I need a break. I partially blame the participants on this board that (like the NYT) refuses to raise the bar on any discussion. Same old talking points everyday. But I mostly blame myself for continuing to participate.
Inny constantly accuses me of not using my brain. Quite frankly, I learned long ago that it is useless to do so and glide through the boards in first gear.
As a consolation, I may not agree with everything you say, but you have always proven to be the one of the most fairminded and intelligent posters.
Thanks for looking out...and don't lose faith...I may be back... 
-SLK
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Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13795
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 1:18 pm: |
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OK, "insult" was too strong a word, but by observing my pattern, you decline to address the points in my post. That is declining to use your brain.
I guess it looks like the same old stuff, and maybe it is, but it seems to bear repeating.
Don't get sucked into the me-against-you tussles here. Let's be people of ideas and go from there.
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Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1152
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 1:32 pm: |
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According to his post Southerner may be the only right one on the board. It is unfair that areas with the most population do not hold sway over areas with less population. I thought that the house of representatives was supposed to mirror the population in terms of number of representatives. Is this true no longer? The senate is purposely set forth to be population independent in order to give each state an equal representation.
I have no clue why a factual argument about poll numbers and scandals constitutes 'Bush bashing'. The fact is the administration has had one failure after the other. The best thing Bush can point to as a successful legacy is that he appointed 2 SC judges. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3185
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 1:46 pm: |
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Many of the columns Tom Reingold posts are not available for free. So, he's doing a favor to those of you who are interested in reading them but don't want to pay for it. Is he somehow forcing anyone to read them? No. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13799
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 2:19 pm: |
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...like leading a horse to water.
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themp
Supporter
Username: Themp
Post Number: 2812
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 2:39 pm: |
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Don't you get it? He's against being against Bush. That's his policy position. |
Robert Livingston
Citizen
Username: Rob_livingston
Post Number: 1855
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 - 2:45 pm: |
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Scrote said: "I learned long ago that it is useless [to use my brain]."
That's why you're a Bush-loving Republican, dude. |
Foj
Citizen
Username: Foger
Post Number: 1194
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 11:15 pm: |
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OMG, You cant make crap this up:
SLK: "I learned long ago that it is useless [to use my brain]."
Robert: "That's why you're a Bush-loving Republican, dude."
A jewel. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3196
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 9:04 am: |
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Aaaaand, Dubya's staying in the tank. (Where he belongs.)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/24/bush.poll/index.html |
GOP Man
Citizen
Username: Headsup
Post Number: 324
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 9:45 am: |
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Just goes to show that 70% of Americans are dumbasses. They forget that it was our steadfast president who had the initiative to spread freedom, to fight the terrorists over there so we're not fighting them here. They neglect to remember that as they sleep safely in their beds each night, that it's our president who's there with them, keeping them from harm.
but it doesn't matter anyway. First off, these polls are biased. they always have more Democrats than Republicans. Second, governing is not a popularity contest. The president is right, and he believes he's right, so it doesn't matter if the dumbassses across American approve of him.
if anything, his unpopularity proves his greatness as a leader who won't pander. |
Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 822
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 9:55 am: |
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Extreme Balderdash! |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1172
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 10:04 am: |
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This is perhaps the most grotesque image I have ever heard -
Quote:They neglect to remember that as they sleep safely in their beds each night, that it's our president who's there with them, keeping them from harm.
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tom
Citizen
Username: Tom
Post Number: 4804
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 10:24 am: |
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well how else are they going to make sure there's no unusual sexual activity going on? |
GOP Man
Citizen
Username: Headsup
Post Number: 326
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 11:33 am: |
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typical libs, unable to separate figurative from literal.
But I know what I meant. As I dream peacefully in my bed each night, while the president is not really there in a physical sense, his spirit of steadfastness sustains me. and if you all were honest, you'd admit that if not for him, you'd be spending sleepless nights worrying about what the evildoers have up their sleeves. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3199
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
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And let's remember that it's the prez who makes sure we can put food on our family. He knows, as well as anyone, that families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream. MAKE THE PIE HIGHER!! |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 1783
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 3:38 pm: |
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I'm not kidding, GOP Man is not a right wing nut job. He's a liberal (or maybe someone politically ambivalent but with a sense of humor e.g., Libertarian???) who is making fun of the right wing by posting in their style. Alternately, his goal is to see which left wing nut jobs will take the bait and reply to his over-the-top stereotypical posts. After having replied to them myself once or twice I finally come to realize that everything he types is hilarious for it's sheer ridiculousness. I highly suggest next time you save your breath (and time) and laugh along at his jokes and antics.
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tom
Citizen
Username: Tom
Post Number: 4806
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 5:23 pm: |
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shhhh you'll spoil the fun! |
GOP Man
Citizen
Username: Headsup
Post Number: 332
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 4:23 pm: |
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alley and tom are like all libs, playing the fool instead of responding seriously to the points I make. because they know the facts. we are safe from the terrorists. George W. Bush has waged war on the evildoers. Ifso factso, we all owe our lives to our president.
you have no argument for that except ad homonym attacks on yours truly. your impotent arguments mean nothing to me. |
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