US News: Bush Is Said to Have No Plan if GOP Loses (Repugs complaining)

[grytpype]

Yeah, just wait until after November 7. I predict Bush will resign within a year.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061013/13bush.htm

Bush Is Said to Have No Plan if GOP Loses

By Kenneth T. Walsh

Some Republican strategists are increasingly upset with what they consider the overconfidence of President Bush and his senior advisers about the midterm elections November 7–a concern aggravated by the president's news conference this week.

"They aren't even planning for if they lose," says a GOP insider who informally counsels the West Wing. If Democrats win control of the House, as many analysts expect, Republicans predict that Bush's final two years in office will be marked by multiple congressional investigations and gridlock.

"The Bush White House has had no relationship with Congress," said a Bush ally. "Beyond the Democrats, wait till they see how the Republicans–the ones that survive–treat them if they lose next month." GOP insiders are upset by Bush's seeming inability to come up with new ideas or fresh approaches. There is even a heightened sensitivity to the way Bush talks about advisers who served his father

At the president's news conference on Wednesday, allies of his father complained that the president seemed dismissive of former Secretary of State James Baker, who remains close to his dad and is cochairman of a bipartisan panel studying the war in Iraq

Well, this is what happens when you choose a dimwit to be your party's leader. Suck it, Repugs.

[Demobrat]

1. Why would he have a plan?

Diebold's got it all under control.

[mirandapriestly]

6. Exactly, this is a bad sign...eom

[elehhhhna]

32. nah -- it's typical seato'the pants crap. THEY WERE NEVER about Governance

...but about politics. Now that they've also arrogantly fucked that up they are going to console themselves with their stolen trillions.

BOO FRICKEDY HOO.

[Dulcinea]

117. He's never had a plan.

Why change now? Besides, he's only the PR guy. It's Cheney, Rummy & Rove's job to come up with plans.

[niceypoo]

41. Bush is "staying the course"

No plans have gotten him this far, why change now?

[MsMagnificent]

48. Many states have little or no Diebold

What are some other dangers/danger spots, viewing all 50 states?

Let's say they can do 0Hio again -- even Florida again... those individual states will suffer, sadly, in their honest, actual election results but what of the others?
And especially as a whole, when it comes down to Dem. majorities taking over the Senate & the House? *knock-on-wood*

[tavalon]

68. Diebold optical scanners are the problem

It doesn't matter what form of ballot you have when the optical readers that scan those ballots are Diebold scanners.

[llmart]

71. Question...

Many on DU have recommended voting via absentee ballot. So, I requested and received mine yesterday. Will it be read by a Diebold scanner? If so, then why would voting absentee be recommended to insure my vote is counted?

[tavalon]

72. I'm afraid I can't answer that question

because I have the same one.

[keepCAblue]

83. Absentee ballots are read by scanners, too.

Absentee ballots will be read by whatever manufacturer scanner your county uses. It doesn't matter if it is Diebold, ES&S or Sequoia--they have all been implicated in vote counting "anomalies"--so casting an absentee ballot does not prevent election fraud. The one and only advantage casting an absentee ballot DOES provide is a paper trail; thus if the election is contested, absentee ballots will provide an actual hard-copy record of your vote which could be hand counted if push comes to shove. So voting absentee is still better than casting a vaporizable vote on a paperless voting machine.

[llmart]

121. I would guess............

it only leaves a paper trail if they save the paper ballot. Haven't there been instances of these paper ballots being "disappeared"?

Now I'm thinking that the only advantage to voting absentee is that it gives you more time to fill out your ballot and make sure you got it right and that you don't have to stand in line.

[Ms. Toad]

84. You should be able to find out

what kind of voting machines your county uses by calling the board of elections and asking.

[MsMagnificent]

86. How widespread are they?

[FighttheFuture]

102. Don't forget the central tabulators! These criminals are always a

step ahead of the next way to steal the country.

[Up2Late]

138. DIEbold optical scanners are NOT a big problem, problem yes, but...

...they still have a paper trail and a manual recount is still possible.

The BIG problem are the paperless touch screen voting machines and the DIEbold Central Vote tabulators.

The tabulators are where the final vote counts come from and combined them with any paperless e-Voting machine that are very easy to hack, no vote count that comes out of a system like that is reliably accurate, and such totals are almost imposable to challenge.

[silverweb]

49. My first thought, too.

He figures they've gamed the system effectively enough to call it their way no matter what.

We must have a large enough landslide to make it absolutely clear, so there is NO doubt.

All the polls say we'll do it, but reTHUG fraudmeisters are already scheming.

[CanonRay]

53. They're gonna steal it...AGAIN

[Tellurian]

95. NO! They're Going to SAY: DEMS STOLE THE ELECTION..

Because they were desperate to WIN..

Sour grapes and any other hooey you can think of!

Remember the principle in Occam Razor!

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/OCCAMRAZ.html

[Exiled in America]

111. Umm..that's not Occam's Razor.

The simplest explanation (following Occam's Razor) is that they so over-confident and out of touch with America that they are not sufficiently worried. This wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

The second simplest explanation is that they are worried because they intend to steal the election as they have done in 2000 and 2004.

The idea that they are going to say dems. stole the election is ridiculous. All polls already show dems. with a significant lead, and dems. are not in power. The administration would look like idiots trying to claim that, and it would gain them nothing.

[Tellurian]

119. Your explanations are the antithesis of Occam's Razor.

and the exact description of what Occam's Razor IS not!

You've provided 2 theories each of which are not different from the model (of stealing the election) and are diametrically opposed to Occam's Razor which is the logical elimination of alternate theories; ending with one conclusion.

Accusing the Dems of Stealing the election is a mirror image (reverse) of empirical evidence (provided by former investigations of election fraud) providing a single line between 2 points of stealing the election effectively eliminating the curved lines provided by your descriptions as possibilities.

"Only Occam's razor would in this case guide you in choosing the "straight" (i.e. linear) relation as best candidate model.

[Exiled in America]

129. Hmm..not really, no.

First as an aside, since this is a pet peeve of mine:

Though I very clearly understand your post, since this is what my degree is in, I am unimpressed with the need to make an issue "sound" more complicated than it is. I am also unimpressed with the use of deliberately opaque language when it is unnecessary for the sole purpose of trying to "sound" smart. Wise people want to be clear, and chose the most straight forward way they can possibly find to communicate. Reverting to technical speak is the mistake of youth, that someone makes when they care more about showing off how much they know than they care about doing anything that matters with their knowledge, like actually communicating with other people. As I look at your post, there is not a single sentence there that could not have been said in much simpler and clear language. So why not do so - you'll end up sounding smarter to smart people if you do. :)

Now, Occam's razor, as it is called doesn't need the lengthy description of its historical connection to reductionist philosophy or anything else. In its common modern usage, it is simply a heuristical tool which claims that all things being equal, the simplest explanation (i.e. the one that takes the least number of steps from proposition to conclusion) is usually the correct one.

First we should note that technically the Razor really doesn't apply to this context at all. Occam's razor is referring to logic argumentation and scientific investigation - deductive argumentation. Abstract questions like "why do I like the color blue so much" don't fit into the context where Occam applies.

But, Occam's razor in modern times is used as a kind of simple heuristic - a "good rule of thumb" kind of thing, so to speak. So in this case, when asking "why don't republicans have a plan for if the lose" - the claim that "because they will just say that democrats stole the election" has a huge amount of extra steps to it.

First, saying that really isn't a "plan" for losing, unless you mean republicans are going to say it and also attempt to go to court over it and win. That would take a huge amount of steps, especially if they were lying. It is also more difficult to fake a loss and the fake a win, and there's no logical reason why republicans with the ability to fake a loss wouldn't just fake a win instead.

Second, Republicans would have to do a lot of extra work to make this an effective claim. Polls aren't even close now. Democrats have a double digit lead over republicans in Congress when people are polled bout who should be in charge.

Third, you also have to explain how saying the republicans will say democrats stole the election becomes the reason they have no plan for losing. These are a few examples of all the added and unnecessary cumbersomeness of that particular idea.

Now, we already have historical example after historical example after historical example after historical example of this administration being so arrogant and overconfident and later looking bad because of it. It requires no complicated rationalizations, subsequent explanations, or additional steps to suggest that the administration doesn't have a plan because it is out of touch with reality and overconfident. We've already proved that to be a very likely choice with this administration. It is, by essence, the simplest explanation. It makes sense, it has been proved to be true in the past, it requires no extra work to make it plausible. It's a simpler explanation pure and simple.

I believe that the idea that the administration isn't worried because it intends to steal the election is also a simpler explanation, since we have historical evidence of that as well, and it makes more sense that an administration wouldn't be worried if they were already sure they were going to win. Makes a lot more sense and seems to be a much more effective answer than saying they are just planning to claim dem. stole the election - because that really gets them nothing, and short of evidence doesn't accomplish anything for them at all.

[Tellurian]

132. Well, thanks..for admitting the error of your misguided thinking..

otherwise, your point IS? :hi:

[Pharaoh]

133. Damn your hurting my head

Daddy needs his medicine............:toast:

[Exiled in America]

136. No shit hahahaa! :)

Have a beer for me. I get to have drinks and relax with my very dear friends here in a just a few hours. Just what the doctor ordered after a long, long week. :)

[jazzjunkysue]

120. And this time the voters will have to admit it. They're already pissed.

I think the electorate has to learn everything the hardest way possible, and that means this theft may or may not be enough.

The stats say there are more pissed off voters who intend to go to the polls than in 94. So, if they're actually voting, and watching the news and reading the polls, they'll finally watch their vote get hacked, right before their eyes, and have to believe it.

And then we'll finally get some traction. This may or may not get fixed in time for 08.

[KingFlorez]

54. Not that again

[TheWatcher]

140. Living In Denial will not change things.

Wake Up.

[twaddler01]

80. My thoughts exactly (and probably most of us DUers). n/t

[Prophet 451]

124. My thoughts exactly n/t

[HeeBGBz]

126. Sure sounds like that is THE plan

Creepy.

[babsbunny]

130. AMEN!

[olddad56]

147. Ed Zachary

[Ignacio Upton]

2. I can't wait to hear what Condi has to say on the morning of November 8th

"Nobody could have anticipated the Democrats winning back the House!"

[rodeodance]

10. BINGO

[tomreedtoon]

115. No, she'll say "Up against the wall, m**********'s!"

You guys have insults all planned for Ann Coulter, but none for the Leather Queen of the Bush Administration. Especially after the election is stolen, and she and her male buddies walk into Congress with AK-47's and start blasting away at the Democratic benches.

[rodeodance]

3. what a bunch of whinners!----yet they did not whin about no plan for post-

Saddam!

[EST]

4. Unfortunately--suck it, America

[rodeodance]

5. "The Bush White House has had no relationship with Congress,"

"The Bush White House has had no relationship with Congress," said a Bush ally. "Beyond the Democrats, wait till they see how the Republicans–the ones that survive–treat them if they lose next month." GOP insiders are upset by Bush's seeming inability to come up with new ideas or fresh approaches. There is even a heightened sensitivity to the way Bush talks about advisers who served his father

[katinmn]

7. Duh. Does he have a plan for anything?

[VegasWolf]

14. Cheers! That was my thought exactly. The clown is not mentally

capable for having a plan to get to the bathroom .

[PinkyisBlue]

101. Yes he does, he asks Condi for permission to take a bathroom break.

Remember he scribbled her a note during a meeting? I wonder what he would do if she said "No, you can't go right now, you have to wait." Maybe he's not so prepared, after all.

[Tesha]

35. Wellll, there's this beer he's been eyein'... (NT)

[ClintonTyree]

76. He's got a plan for clearing brush in Crawford.

A very cohesive plan, "strategerized" to clear maximum amounts of brush from that god-forsaken pig farm he bought as a prop for his presidential bid. Remember, he's the "decider" and "deciders" don't need a whole lot of planning, they just "decide" and that's it. A lot of people "misunderestimate" his "deciding" prowess. There's no need for a plan when you can "decide" like bush does. :puke:
Other than that, no, he has no plans for anything.

[momzno1]

99. part of the brush clearing activity

is to practice for when he is on the prison road crew after being tried and convicted of TREASON against this country

wishful thinking...

[beltanefauve]

106. Nope.

They've never been about policy. It's all marketing for these guys. And now the marketing department is running out of spin.

[neoblues]

8. Those Republicans just don't know "the fix is in..."; but Shrub does...

He and Rove are probably quite confident of their power to, ahem, "adjust" the potentially "misguided" results of any American Electoral Process--at least in all the key races.

Then again, I hope not. The point being that even if there was a solid fix, electoral fraud capability, probably less than a handful of leading Repugs would know; thus we see them uncomfortable at their prospects of losing...

[OnyxCollie]

100. Maybe "the fix is in", just not in the way Chimpy thinks it is.

Remember how shocked Silvio Berlosconi was when he lost the election?

"Wha Wha WHAT?!?!?! That wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to WIN!"

[BootinUp]

9. Karma baby!

I guess Georgie ain't much of a uniter eh?

[oldboy101]

11. Just like Iraq, Bush has no plan for any political defeat.

The next president can deal with it he says. "It's hard werk bein' president!" he exclaimed during the debates with Kerry in 2004. It sure is if you are George Bush and screw everything up!

[tandot]

12. Well, he didn't have a plan for Iraq. It seems that he doesn't have

a plan for anything.

Bush is the no-clue and no-plan man...the greatest disaster ever to hit the US and the World.

[Webster Green]

13. He's your boy, repukes!

That's what you get when you stop the vote counting and get the Supreme Court to appoint a fucking moron!

[grytpype]

15. I think Bush will be under huge pressure to step aside after Nov. 7.

The Repugs are losing their "permanent majority" mostly because of Bush's screwups. Yes, Congressional corruption and pederasty will bear part of the blame. But if those were the only problems, the losses would be confined to the crooks and kid-f*ckers directly involved. Instead there is a tsunami of revulsion that is going to wipe the Repug majority off the face of the map. Which was supposed to be impossible thanks to gerrymandering and the Repug campaign warchest. Bush blew it all. And they are going to want his head on a silver platter.

How it is going to happen, is the Baker report will recommend giving up on the Iraqi "democracy" and withdrawing. Bush will refuse. Then the calls for his abdication will start. They will want to make Cheney President and Rice Vice President.

Mark my words.

[rodeodance]

20. Jr will bring down the whole party before he resigns. Besides it would

look bad to Poppy Bush -which Jr would never do.

[Eurobabe]

27. Never, this fuckwit would trigger martial law B4 resigning

just my gut.

[Megahurtz]

61. I know what you mean. n/t

[frogcycle]

66. You got that right

I agree 1000%

Cheney was always the power. He is "their" man. Bush is a puppet who has gotten out of control. The line about not leaving if he was down to just Laura and Barney supporting him was telling. He is getting it from them in private, and stonewalling. And they are not happy. They want to "get busy" invading the next country.

THE MACHINE behind the coup we are witnessing will NOT take a defeat lying down. They were so pissed when Clinton upset their plans they almost overplayed their hands with whitewater, but Bill threw them a life preserver with monica (I still thing they helped maneuver her into place).

They grudgingly waited out the 8 years until their puppet-apparent could be inserted into the big chair, with cheney, wolfie, rummy, et al as the "real" insiders to call the shots. Why the HELL do you think he won't fire rummy? He CAN'T!!

Nixon got a "dutch uncle" lecture from Goldwater and other party leaders; was pretty much ordered to "do the right thing". I don't know that any of the people visible to us in the current rep party have that much clout. They are all pawns, being moved around by the real power brokers in the corporate boardrooms, or wherever the hell they are. But somebody has that clout.

If bush resigns, we need to have impeachment papers ready to move on cheney so fast it makes their heads spin. Refuse to confirm whomever he appoints as veep, and get him out of there and the democratic Speaker of the House into succession within days. This is a fricking war, whether we believe it or not. The threat to the Republic is as great as it was in 1860.

This sound drastic? Who ever thought we'd have a VP appointed to replace one who resigned in disgrace, and then have him succeed to the Presidency when the pres in turn had to resign?
What we have now makes watergate a walk in the park.

The reason the Constitution spells out these complex scenarios is because out forefathers (damn they were smart!) left no stone unturned, understanding that it is Machiavellian world.
That crap about Nostradamus is bs, but those guys? wow! too bad they could not have dealt with true equality covering all races and sexes, and they'd really have been heroic.

[The Brethren]

82. very well said.

I've always believed that Cheney, as well as Rove, are ones running the show. One of the arguments by bush supporters: is if he's such a moron as we insist, then how did he to become President? Aside from the obvious corruption involved, if the truth be told, he's playing the role of President because Barbara Bush didn't believe in birth control. If he weren't born into that family, he'd be lucky to be making minimum wage in a blue-collar job. He's an embarrassment as our leader. Beside the fact that he can barely speak and understand English, he couldn't even run 2 separate businesses before politics. However, somehow he has what it takes to run our country?

His lack of concern over whether the GOP looses the midterm elections doesn't surprise me. His arrogance alone won't let him even consider failure. But I truly believe it also has to do with Cheney and Roves' larger plans. Given what they've done since 2000 to alter, weaken, and incases, destroy our individual rights and the intent of our Constitution., it is no surprise they've subsequently used Congress to legalize their actions. I really think they don't care what happens to Congress including their fellow repug legislators. They use them like everyone else - for their own agenda of money and power. And if they can succeed in disregarding our rights altogether through new laws, then one further hurdle for them is do away with Congress' power in addition - which was meant to be a balance for we the people. I don't think they'll outright try to remove Congress per say...that would be too obvious. Instead, after the current elections, regardless who wins, I believe they'll continue more of their underhanded, fascist politics and ignore anyone, including legislators, who try and stop them. In other words, if they get away with what I believe they're trying to do, they'll make Congress so ineffective, they will become completely useless and an empty formality. I also think the new "Military Commissions Act of 2006" will be used as part of their way to control Congress members for that purpose.

I wish their supporters realized that they've been lied to like all of us and used for Bush and cronies' "better good" - not our country's. Agreed, Watergate pales in comparison with what has been allowed to happen under this Presidency.

[NEOBuckeye]

98. This is why the Presidency must be abolished

Too much power concentrated into the hands of too few individuals. The potential for good will is tremendous (as with FDR) but the horrific damage done by the Bush-Cheney-Rove axis cancels out almost everything positive that the Executive Branch accomplished.

I say abolish it, and reform Congress into a Parliamentary system that best represents the interests of the people.

[ManWroteTheBible]

78. "They will want to make Cheney President and Rice Vice President."

I think the reason Bush hasn't been impeached yet is the fear of a Cheney presidency. Everyone - including the Repukes in Congress know Cheney's running the show. My biggest fear is after they're gone, either by impeachment or 2008 election that Kinda-sleezy will run and divide the African-American and female votes - 2 groups to which she belongs but certainly does not represent well!

[mcking]

90. THIS female would never vote for Condi ...

unless she kidnapped my daughter and held her for ransom.

As I once told a pollster unwise enough to ask me, "What would make you vote for (some conservative asshole)."

[TankLV]

94. Never happen...

never happen in a million years if he fucked a little boy on stage...

[NEOBuckeye]

97. Cheney will never be tolerated as President

If Baker's report gets any traction, it will drive Cheney out of office as well.

[wiley]

113. The Reason Hastert will not Resign

is obvious, no?

[RC]

122. And then cheney's heart seizes because they forgot to check the oil and

kindasleezy rice becomes the first woman to be in the president's chair: Then what will happen to the conservative base? That should be fun to watch.

[Janice325]

16. He's too stupid and overconfident in his own ability, IMO.

Besides, he prolly figures the Diebold fix is in (which, I hope won't work this time).
k&r

[bamacrat]

17. We have to win, then the next two years will be interesting.

Cant wait to see what is dug up.

[w4rma]

18. Good. (nt)

[liberal N proud]

19. BU$H HAS NO PLAN - Period

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Well, aint't that a surprise? But I'll bet he's lining up lawyers.

[CraigHinTenn]

22. I wonder if he knows something we don't for an October suprise??

I guess he'll start defrosting Bin Laden...

[tavalon]

70. Or nuking Iran

[Nite Owl]

23. Why are they upset with him?

They are the ones who followed his every damned wish, the ones who gave up congressional oversight. It's not just about * it's about the whole Republican party.

[Cosmocat]

29. BINGO ...

They have NO one to blame, other than themselves if/when they lose ... This has been the most feckless, spineless congress we have seen in our lives, and it is not even close ... They have provided ZERO ... NO checks and balances on this clown, and have rolled over to his EVERY demand for the simple minded purpose of staying in power ... If they had even the FIRST interest in running this country, in DOING THEIR GALL DARN JOBS, they would have LONG ago laid the wood to the white house ...

They rolled over ... They all walked lockstep, goose step to the very demand of Rove incorporated ... They ALL, every single stinking one of them, with few exceptions, should be thrown out of congress for deriliection (sp) of duty ...

[Nite Owl]

40. This is just so great

because we have to break the whole damned Republican rule. It's the party, the whole philosophy that has to be dismantled. Being a conservative (in their sense of the word) and a Republican have to become shameful. Much as I would rather it have been over the war and other more important things I think the whole Foley mess got people to understand what they are better than all we have tried in six years.

[hippiechick]

30. ding ding ding!

We have a winner! :applause:

[Beetwasher]

24. One Of Two Things: 1. Typical Incompetence, or 2. They're Not Losing

And when I say "They're Not Losing", you know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Raster]

114. i think dumbya believes they're not losing. I don't believe his handlers

are as confident. This will be the most scrutinized election in US history. kkkarl and the boys only thought they had it covered. Now they're sweating bullets. Seats they assumed were safe and didn't bother to fix are now contested--in a stunning reversal only a bush* could appreciate--for a multitude of reasons. They just can't cover all the bases. Stealing an election--especially this election--requires the numbers to be close enough to BELIEVABLY fudge. They're not, and getting worse every day. Selling another one of those miraculous bush*/diebold 10-point come-from-behind electoral swings is going to be brutal. At least HALF of the country already has serious issues with bush* electoral legitimacy. And fully two-thirds of this country are flat-out NOT HAPPY. Every poll proves it fact. And boy, when it rains, it pours. kkkarl is about to get some serious push-back from his favorite "nuts," the conservative, Evangelical Christian voting block. The Christians aren't very happy with bushco* already. Sunday's 60 Minutes ought to stir that pot. Abramoff, Foley, Hastert, Rove... the hits just keep coming. It is no coincidence that a karmic shitstorm raineth down on bushco*. They've too many enemies and it's too long overdue.

Maybe that almost-smirky poker face comes from knowing family "fixer" James Baker is once again working to save his butt. Unfortunately this time it isn't just documents to doctor or witnesses to suicide, or simple elections to fix. This is serious shit and requires a bit more than cheap gas and piles of Saudi money.

George W. Bush appearing cool and collected is not courage, confidence or conviction. And it's certainly not competence. That's a given. I suspect it's deer in the headlights.

[Beetwasher]

123. Well, I'm Not Gonna Argue W/ You

Because I like what you're saying too much! I hope you're right! :thumbsup:

[Eurobabe]

25. What's a plan for anyhow? Just gums things up

[Alizaryn]

26. Why does this scare me?

""They aren't even planning for if they lose," says a GOP insider..."

Diebold?

[Az_lefty]

28. bush-rove & Co have no plan? Sounds like the setup to me...

for another major event.

"We had no plan, we had nothing to do with it. Just blind luck I guess".
:shrug:

[Drifter]

31. It'll be a cake walk ...

The voters will greet us with flowers
The Domcratic party is in their last throes if you will

Bring'em on.

Cheers
Drifter

[civildisoBDence]

55. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

Dick, DUHbya, and Dumsfailed--

three stooges.

Newsprism--News and commentary, left to right

[robinlynne]

33. remember, they count the votes. They are not gonna lose.

[EC]

34. Junior's MO is to run the business into the ground and walk

away, while Daddy and pals clean it up...this will be the same...

[Jack Rabbit]

36. He doesn't think Congress is a co-equal branch anyway

The tyrant will govern as he has for the last six years, with one additional weapon (one that he actually has constitutional authority to use, surprise, surprise):

1. He will claim inherent powers in super secret clauses of the Contitution that only Alberto Gonzales and Dick Cheney can find;
2. He will file signing statements effectively gutting any part of any law he doesn't like;
3. He will start vetoing legislation.

Let's just hope he doesn't start joiling the opposition as enemy combatants. That is not beyond him.

[BadGimp]

37. The reason :"They aren't even planning for if they lose,"...

The reason :"They aren't even planning for if they lose,"...

.. is because THEY know they will not loose. The election is fixed via the voting machines.

End of story.

[GrantDem]

38. Bush has no plan????

There's a fucking shocker :sarcasm:

He doesn't have a clue either....

[Coes]

118. stay the course

that's his *cough* plan *cough*.

What can he do? Beyond moving the deckchairs of the Titanic, he has no skills at all.

[stubtoe]

39. Looks familiar: "Don't worry, be happy"

got it from Poppy

[MGKrebs]

42. So who is going to be our rebel leader when they win again?

I nominate Rev. Tim McDonald of Atlanta.

[Hepburn]

43. Like this is a surprise???

When has Bush EVER had a plan about anything??? He just fucks up and waits for someone to bail him out. How stupid for any of the Repubs to think they could count on him.

[AllexxisF1]

44. I am dreadfully worried.

I know there are some out there that feel the way I do that electronic voting machines will be fixing these elections. If we Democrats do not come out is an overwhelming margin I fear we will not pick up either house.

I am seriously contemplating after I place in my vote I will stand there and not move until I recieve a paper reciept showing my selections. I will sit down in place until they can verify my selections. I am a network engineer by trade and believe ne last thing I trust is a computer or the Developers behind them.

[Jack Rabbit]

110. Welcome to DU

As once upon a time in my previous life one of those developers you don't trust, I can tell you (as I have told others here) that any person who has ever received a passing grade in a programming class would have the necessary skills to rig an election in an environment where there is no paper audit of each vote or where the source code is legally beyond public scrutiny.

The only reason I don't agree with those here who are predicting a Republican "victory" manufactured by Diebold is that the election now looks beyond fixing.

[catmandu57]

45. Maybe darthrummy threatened to fire anyone with a plan

We give these bastards too much credit diefuckingbold or not, when has anything this moran* ever touched that hasn't turned to shit? I give you the last six years as proof, America fucked up Iraq fucked up, terror fucked up every goddamn thing has been fucked up.

[MidwestTransplant]

46. Faith based planning....or lack thereof

[yellowcanine]

47. Apparently the so-called "Bush Loyalty" doesn't extend to Baker. Does

Bush forget that Baker saved his bacon in Florida (with a little help from Katherine Harris) in 2000? I think that the "Bush Loyalty" meme is exaggerated anyway. He is loyal as long as he thinks a subordinate is still on board and is helping him politically ("heckava job Brownie"). He is loyal as long as having someone at his side is less threatening than throwing him under the train (Rove, Rummy). But he will dump anyone if hanging on to them is not in his interest. (Lott, DeLay, "Kenny Boy" Lay, Powell). Some loyalty.

[Bitwit1234]

50. Election Machines already hacked

Maybe that is because he knows that the machines are already programmed to give the republicans another win. After all it worked two times before.

[Sad4world]

51. Shrubs plan

Blow up some frogs

[Canuckistanian]

52. Don't tell me

He'll fire anyone who brings contingency plans to him, right?

[Supersedeas]

56. the arrogant lip of the boy in the bubble is getting old

[Kablooie]

57. Goddamn I hope the Dems win big.

Otherwise we'll all be heading down deeper into hell for the next two years.

[buddysmellgood]

58. AWWWW. DAT is just too bad. POOOOr Pukicans

[CreekDog]

59. He had no plan if we lost in Iraq

And wasn't that more important?

[buddysmellgood]

93. He had no plan going in, has no plan now, why should it be any different

when he cuts and runs.

[Crunchy Frog]

60. "Nobody could have anticipated..."

that the Repugs could lose the Congress. That's what he'll be saying to his supporters. Failing to plan for anything is his modus operandi. In this particular instance, I think it will work in our favor. I can see where the Repiggies would be unhappy about it though.

[54anickel]

62. He had nothing to say during the 63 minute press conference?

snip>

...There is also considerable criticism of Bush for making little or no news in his 63-minute encounter with the press.

"He had nothing to say at the press conference," says a prominent GOP insider. "My question is, why call it?"


Oh that's rich, then again why has he called ANY of his past press conferences? Just what news would the like him to make this time?

[connecticut yankee]

63. I think his plan

will be to veto every Democratic-sponsored legislation.

[frogcycle]

69. that's a given

[Gman]

64. The USS Eisenhauer reaches the Iranian coast on October 21

No wonder they're not worried. The October surprise will commence October 21.

People don't really, REALLY get it that these MF's are f'ing nuts. They'll do ANYTHING that you cannot imagine anyone even thinking of doing. They are sociopathic and they know if the Democrats win they're asses are in jail and maybe on the way to the Hague for trial. They know they are as f'ed as they could possibly be if the Democrats win the House so they will even start bombing Iran and maybe will even expose a carrier or destroyer or two to being sunk by Iran's Chinese made missles.

[frogcycle]

74. Nothing would surprise me

the cornered rat fights back

and it's not bush - he's just a dumb drooling puppet. the REAL power probably DOES have the ability to trigger something. Another Tonkin Gulf. Might be Iran, might be North Korea, or something else entirely.

you know what? listening to Wes Clark's talk from a few days ago (which I've done about six times) I start to wonder whether senior military people might have contingency plans. They are sworn to uphold the Constitution. If it is under attack from within, would they not consider it their duty to be ready? Clearly they have followed orders and respected the constitutional civilian rule to date, speaking out only when they retire. But as patriotic Americans, they HAVE to be at least speculating while lying awake at night as to what circumstances would dictate when duty calls for disobedience. As hard as it is for us to endure whats going on, it must be hellish for senior military who have to publicly appear to be drinking the koolaid.

Maybe the leak about planning to stay until 2010 was an attempt to tip the scales??

These are scary times.

[Gman]

85. I've wondered too about a military mutiny

and hope and pray they have the internal support and the intestinal fortitude to do it if necessary.

[kimmerspixelated]

135. What is your reference?

How did you learn about Oct 21st and the big ship?

[Rex]

65. That means one of two things;

The fix is already in.

War with Iran before November.

[Dangerously Amused]

75. Yep. Or another "terrorist" attack before November.

See y'all, we can't stop now... the terraists are still out there attacking us because they hate our freedom! The Dems will just bring our troops home to protect us here when we really need them invading oil rich terraist foreign countries. We may be corrupt, but goddam at least we're violent stupid getting rich protecting the country! Y'all either vote Republican or you're with the terraists!

[tavalon]

67. Here's another nervous nellie

reporting in.

Why would they have a plan for losing when Diebold has the fix in already?

[disndat]

79. All of the above

Diebold fix in November 7, October Surprise, Iran attack, "Terrorist" attack. Why does * need a plan? BushCo's cashed the $$trillion dollar$$, Congressional blank checks.

[lanlady]

73. jesus h. christ

How stupid can Republicans be? I just want to make like a Munch painting and scream at these pathetic idiots!

[Demeter]

77. Bush Hasn't Got a Clue, Let Alone a Plan

and Rove has lost the spin cycle, and the rank and file are melting away, either as deserters, or as convicts.


"I'm melting, I'm melting!" WW of the W.

[rocktivity]

128. DING DING DING! Demeter, you're our grand prize winner!

Bush hasn't got a clue, let alone a plan...

Bush is the decider; Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld are the planners. Bush is just adhering to his policy he's of continuing to not acknowledge what doesn't benefit him and his backers. It's standard procedure for people in his mental state to ignore bad news and negative consequences--the medical term is "living in the moment." He says he's confident the GOP will prevail, but you can't tell if that's a pep talk, blind loyalty or his pretending that there's no reason why they should lose.

:headbang:
rocknation

[rudy23]

81. They're gonna make such a mess of these elections it'll be '08

by the time anyone gets it untangled. Who knows what the world will look like by the time we challenge all those results that show obvious signs of fraud?

[D23MIURG23]

87. Dont know what to make of this.

On one hand it worries me because it seems to suggest that Bush knows something I dont about the election. On the other hand, it may just mean that he is now as out of touch with politics as he is with the rest of reality, or in denial. I don't know which I feel is more plausable. I get the feeling that this election would be tougher to steal discreetly than the last few. Too many people are pissed off this time around, and consequently paying attention. My feeling is that if it is stolen we can probably expect them to start jailing dissent and moving to repeal term limits shortly after the election.

[requiem99]

88. I'm sick and tired of seeing "The fix is in" on all of these posts.

But the fix really is in.

[superconnected]

89. guess the whole gop isn't aware of the voting machines.

[Oak2004]

91. He had no plan for counterterrorism, no plan for Afghanistan, no plan for

Iraq, no plan for Katrina...

Why would you think they'd have a plan for anything else?

The GOP has spent decades cultivating some very high order propaganda, manipulation, and political organizing skills in its members. It has spent almost no time cultivating genuine policy or leadership skills (I say this as an ex-CR who was in the cult-- er, among the cultivated).

When your people don't know how to do anything but sell an image, you can't expect anything as silly as a "plan", now can you?

[mattclearing]

108. Wrong on all counts.

The plan on counterterrorism was to encourage more terrorism by using codewords like "crusade," indiscriminately imprison people of arab descent, and use terrorism as a pretext to fight more wars in the middle east, which equals, more terrorism.

The plan for Iraq was to bomb the shit out of it, depose Saddam, set up a puppet government that would up the oil, and give away ungodly amounts of money to Bechtel, Halliburton, et al, without even requiring much if any evidence of work done.

The plan for Katrina was to wait it out, let the black neighborhoods flood, and then scatter the survivors to the winds...instant red state.

Believe it.

[requiem99]

109. Yeah, because LA was heavily democratic before Katrina.

[mattclearing]

141. It was purple. n/t

[Oak2004]

127. I think there's a difference between "plan" and "urge"

And I don't think what we're seeing from them always rises to the level of "plan". What we're seeing is their crass, murderous, elitist urges that come through, loud and clear, on the real issues, while they dedicate their real planning skills to what they really think is important: projecting an image.

Unfortunately I was a Republican, and I know (more like knew) some of the people who are in power in this monstrosity called the GOP. They don't *want* to kill blacks (actually they've had delusions of capturing the black vote) -- they just don't *care* if blacks die or lose their homes and are put through hell, and when it happens all they can see is a money making opportunity for their cronies (which, in their blindness, they don't understand utterly destroys their chances to win the black votes they so covet, and which merely exacerbates the Crime against Humanity (Katrina) I'd like to see added to their charges at the Hague). The PNACers do want eternal war (it's a Straussian thing) but they were thinking of it as invading country after country one after the other in a string of successes, not as stirring up the hornet's nest anyone who spent even a moment thinking about it from the perspective of genuine policymaking would realize it would be. And it goes on and on.

The have ideology (lots of bad, blinding ideology), they have propaganda, they have bigotry, impulses, urges, and a sense of themselves as a superior few. But they don't really have planning, aside from the matter of manipulating the public to keep themselves in power.

The course of this administration so very much reminds me of Hitler's, although they are not so good at it as Hitler: come to power through political maneuverings and the judicious use of thuggery. Produce lots of propaganda and lie a lot to get the people behind you. Go start a war of conquest after throwing out the basic principles of international law. When the war of conquest turns on you (as anyone could have predicted who wasn't one of you or wasn't blinded by your propaganda), and you are facing defeat, go into denial, because denial is all you have left. I imagine Bush and Rove in the White House basement, poring over a big map, maneuvering imaginary voting blocs and issuing impossible political orders to horrified political hacks.

BTW I am not discounting the likelyhood of election fraud. The ethics of the Republicans are "win any way you can". I'm just not sure that they can win through fraud this time. The Diebold meme is out there (congratulations and thank you, my fellow DUers), the press is beginning to act in ways that indicate they smell blood, and the level of sheer hatred towards this Administration is far worse than I remember even as Watergate was reaching its climax (when, pray tell, did the South poll as majority anti-war and anti-Nixon during Nixon's terms of office???). They may not even have the support of the local party hacks they'll need to help them pull off some of what they'll need to do to commit widespread fraud, because those people will be seeing the writing on the wall and won't want to stick their neck out and then end up in prison for it. Either they "only" shave a few seats off their losses (something which is still too much, I know) or it will be so flagrant a defiance of the national will that the country will be plunged into a national crisis, with a favorable outcome for the fraudsters very far from certain.

[UTUSN]

92. Has the boy EVER had a plan?????? n/t

[think4yourself]

96. It's just false bravado

Bombastic bravado. Kinda like asking both teams before the SuperBowl what they're going to do when they lose. Remember a few weeks ago the headline about * beefing up his legal counsel in preparation for 2007. Just get out and vote. and take your friends. They can't cheat if we all want change, TIME magazine says it's over, every poll has us ahead, etc. People are watching and prepared.

Now pulling Osama out of The Box or Iran, North Korea, NOTHING can help these motherfuckers now and they know it. They are done.

[grytpype]

103. I think he really doesn't have a clue.

In his weird world, he can't lose. Ever.

[Clarkie1]

104. The NEVER plan for if they lose...actually, they never have a plan. nt

[dooner]

105. Maybe because impeachment and war crimes tribunals

will require their complete concentration?

[beltanefauve]

107. "Republicans predict

that Bush's final two years in office will be marked by multiple congressional investigations and gridlock."

We wouldn't be having investigations if there was nothing to investigate, now would we? :evilgrin:

[Exiled in America]

112. Uh yes, we would.

Well by "we" you probably mean democrats. But speaking of congress in general, there have been plently of times where purely partisan investigations have been held when there was nothing to investigate.

And by the way, Democrat though I may be, I'm not naieve enough to believe that a democratically controlled congress wouldn't open investigations for purely political reasons if they had the chance. The only thing is that in this instance, there really is criminality to investigate, so I happy welcome a democratic majority.

[Raine]

116. WHY would he have a plan now

he hasn't had a plan for anything in the 6 years he's been squatting in the WH. Chimp just flies by the seat of his pants and let's it all just happen. :silly:

[DWilliamsamh]

125. BIG surprise... no plan for something he doesn't agree w/

Why would he suddenly, after 6 years as President (not to mention his entire adult history), start doing contingency planning? This guy is an ego-centric megalomaniacal dominionist. Their IS no reality outside his opinion and desires. His ONE true consistency is the notion that reality will bend to his will no matter WHAT the facts are.

Buck Fush.

[matthewf]

131. rut roh

yeah, either they got it rigged or he's an idiot
or they got it rigged AND he's an idiot

[mnhtnbb]

134. Who needs a plan when God appointed you President?

If not sociopathic, the guy certainly has narcissistic personality disorder. It's beyond him to imagine the machine that put him into office failing at this point. And it might not. They count the votes.

[kimmerspixelated]

137. It's probably like this:

The Boy in the Bubble lives by: "Failure is not an Option", he is also guided by God, so he claims, so that cuts off all reasoning, he only deals with Congress in a limited way, only allows those that agree with him to be around him, and is probably insulated by Rove telling him not to worry, that there is something they can hold over the DEMS heads, or the worse scenario- another war or attack, to make it flag rallying time.

There's all that, then there's the real good chance that the Chimp has had enuf himself, and actually has a plan of escape of some kind...not just to Crawford...maybe everyone will believe he is dead. Something might happen....That's a win-win for the Jesus inclined. If he really gets killed, well then he gets to go to heaven(or so he thinks), if he "disappears" like the Enron guy did ,then he has a chance of being seen as somewhat heroic, and in this scenario there is a bed and a swiss account awaiting him somewhere remote. A neat and tidy escape.

But it is curious that the Gop, maybe the ones that aren't the neocons, are worried about " a plan", in that it makes it seem as if maybe the election isn't necessarily going to be rigged, as if they don't really see that happening. Perhaps they are just posing the question to cover their asses in some way??

[Up2Late]

139. Why does this not suprise me?

What suprises me is that some are still suprised by this.:crazy:

[leesa]

142. Funny. These two sources say he has a plan...

http://www.politicalcortex.com/print/2006/10/14/11926/843

No idea of the validity of the sources, but it was funny to think the war criminal would head to Paraguay.

[Pillager]

143. He has no plan because........

The GOP is going to steal the election again through electronic voting boxes made by their supporters. The only way to fight this is to have massive voter turnout on election day. The only way we can scare the GOP into having a fair election is to have a huge Democrat turn out. And if a massive display of support still does not stop them, "then we have to go MEXICAN on them!" to quote Mark Crispin Miller

[rodeodance]

144. plans?---take the money for yourself and your cronies

[BreweryYardRat]

145. WOOHOO!!!

Good news, for once!

Although, the cynic in me asks, "And this news differs from everything in the past 6 years how?"

[greeneyedboy]

146. he can't wait to chill out in TX. and i fully support him in that goal.

GWB for commissioner of baseball, 2007.

[drb]

148. REmember: Bush is a nitwit, but Rove ain't. Here's why he ain't worried:

The day before the elections, he'll declare all Democratic candidates "enemies of the state," and send them to Guantanamo!

Voila!