We're being played by Corporate Media

[Atman]

Another thread mentioned the building drumbeat to the capture of OBL. We are being set up; every network and paper is running the "we're about to get him" stories.

But it isn't just the OBL story. Listen to your on-air reporters, read the news stories about the election. By all rights, 04 should be a complete, utter blow-out for dems. Not one demographic outside of crazy right-wing religious nuts and defense contractors supports Bush any longer. Really, name one group supporting Bush. EVERYONE is pissed at him. Everyone. And he LOST in 00 by over 500,000 votes, as we all know.

So what do we STILL hear regularly, now more than ever, from the Corporate Media? Listen, it is being used more and more, not less and less as one might think, judging from reality. What, you ask?

"This is going to be a close race."

Absolute and total bullshit. It cannot possibly be a close race, a simple application of logic should confirm that. But still, the "close race" mantra is being chanted to use...hypnotized...you are getting sleepy...it will be a close race...

To what end, you might ask? Why should we care about such seemingly innocuous comments about a close race? Because if the race is perceived as being "close," it will be much easier to steal via Diebold. This is crucial. It is extremely important. We know many republicans now say they'll stay home instead of voting for Bush or a dem. Bush supporters have fled in droves, and it will only get worse. Yet, if on election day the press is still telling us it will be a squeaker, Diebold can steal just enough votes to tip the count in Bush's favor, and the press will simply say "Well, we told you it was close!" and we'll have absolutely NO RECOURSE, as the votes cannot be recounted. We'll be forced to rely on "polls" and the popular notion that everyone knew it would be close. It will go back to the courts, who this time will have NOTHING but anecdotal evidence on which to base their decision...hmmm...all the poll SAID it would be close. The news said so. So what if exit polling shows only 20% support for Bush, those are innaccurate!

Bush's family friends in the court will get to re-annoint him.

This is not far-fetched. It is playing out with alarming consistency...no matter how badly Bush is doing, the news continues to tell us "it is going to be a close race" with absolutely nothing of substance to justify such an outlandish claim. It is all about prepping us...so we won't be shocked when they steal it.

After all, they said it would be close.

[leftchick]

1. and he is strong on defense and a

very popular war time president... :eyes:

[ithacan]

2. but it might be a good thing

because if people REALLY want Bush out, and if they believe it's a close race, they'll be MUCH more motivated to actually get out the vote. This could be an unintended consquence of their BS propaganda.

The Diebold thing is definitely a major concern. But the trend toward requiring paper trail is at least one sign that things might not go so smoothly on that front for the Bush regime.

[shance]

14. If the vote doesn't COUNT, it doesnt MATTER if you vote.

Get it?

Thats the reality that we are dealing with here.

With electronic voting along with Republican conflicts of interest, or ANYONE having control over the counting of the votes, your vote is under the power of people with vested interests who can easily cancel out your vote, gerry-rig bogus results and you would never know.

[Atman]

17. America wil know.

When we start talking around the water coolers and find out that no one we know voted for Bush; when the exit polls show he lost by a big margin in precincts Diebold says he "won." The GA election should have been a wake-up call. They will pull this crap in little places that won't be watched closely.

The only hope is MASSIVE democratic voter turnout which cannot be denied. Bush can still steal it with Diebold, but it won't play with the American voters if they know better. I think serious, serious trouble is coming. Revolution-style trouble, if he steals it in such a blatant manner.

[ithacan]

18. umm, did you read my whole post?

in particular the second paragraph?

I am very aware of the electronic voting scam. But as Atman points out, if the numbers get too overwhelming, it's harder. Plus the paper trail requirement is spreading.

[bryant69]

3. Yeah

But Even discounting the media it might very well be a close race.

Last week I might have followed your logic; but this week, it seems clear that Rove still has a few tricks up his sleave. One aspect of their campaign will be "A vote against Bush is a vote against God." Now that slogan's not going to swing around here, but it will be compelling to a lot of the middle class, unless they overplay their hand. Which they may.

More to the point; do you have any proof that the race won't be close? I mean to me this sound a bit like Magic thinking. We just have to know that the race won't be close, and then if anybody tells us that the race was close, well, we'll know it wasn't so.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Atman]

4. Do I have proof?

This seems to be a "common sense" thing. I have several Republican friends...not one, not ONE, says they will vote for Bush. Not one, including a couple who've never voted dem in their lives. Anecdotal, for sure. But pile it on with the other "evidence." No matter what horrible thing Bush does, his poll numbers are ALWAYS hovering at a 50/50 split. Aggregate, generic polls, that is. Look at specific polling of specific demographics, though, and you won't find one, except for "registered republicans" that show Bush doing well. So, basically, we're being told "yes, no one likes him individually, but it is a close race if you ask everybody." It is bullshit. It makes no sense.

[terryg11]

7. but will they vote democrat?

sure they may not vote for Bush but if they don't vote then it may not help.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Any vote not cast for Bush helps.

Two Repugs not voting for Bush has as much net effect as one Pug actively switching to the Dem column. Consider a universe with only two voters, one R & 1 D.

Case 1: R votes Bush & D votes for candidate K. Result=Tie.

Case 2: Repug switches to K & Dem also votes for K. Result=K 2, Bush 0.

Case 3: Repug stays home, Dem votes for Candidate K. Result--Bush 0, K 1.

[bryant69]

15. Well, yes

but once you factor in an opposing candidate the numbers get more tight. Particularly when you factor in the Republican ability to slime out candidate. They might think that Bush is kind of crummy, but if they think our guy is about the same or worse or some kind of Mass out of touch egghead, or gay or an adulterer or a flip-flopper or whatever else Rove and co. can come up with, well, than the race gets closer.

Bryant

[bowens43]

5. IMO there is no doubt that it will be a close race.

Despite the horrendous lies , distortions and crimes of this administration, the country is still very polarized, maybe even more so then in 2000. It will be close, very close. I think your perception is wrong. Not everyone is pissed at him. Support for the war on terror and the war in Iraq is still strong, support for the tax cuts is stronger now then before the legislation was passed.

Name one group that supports bush? Ok, Republicans (a very large group), the wealthy, small business owners, the military industrial complex, most military families, fundamentalist Christians, homophobes, xenophobes, racists, the frightened, the revengeful etc.
When they show up with bin laden the chances of a Repug win Will increase exponentially.

I don't buy the idea that repugs will stay home in significant numbers. Our real hope is that Dems turn out in significant numbers.

Make no mistake , it WILL be close and you are right about Diebold.

[terryg11]

8. if everyone you mentionned supports Bush then he has won

that's quite a large number of supporters you gathered together there, so unless some of the small business owners, some of the wealthy and military families frightened and etc. vote as one big bloc then maybe we do have a chance?

[BillZBubb]

16. Absolutely, this WILL be a close race

The media have their problems, but reporting this is not one of them.
Even Democratic leaning polsters agree with this and they don't have a big incentive to lie.

The Repugs have a virtual lock on nearly 2/3 of the electoral votes needed to win the presidency. I don't think, despite anecdotal stories, that anyone can deny this. That in itself means a close election.

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking no one who voted for Gore in 2000 will vote for Bush* this time. That is wrong. Many people will support Bush* because they (foolishly) believe the war on terror is the most important issue facing this country and Bush* is a strong leader. Believe me, I've talked to a few of these types, so it's real. After the Repug convention, I'll bet this group rises in number. It will put the Nuremburg rallies to shame.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

6. kick

!

[Skittles]

9. YOU KNOW IT ATMAN

they used the same tactic in the 2002 elections and it worked.

[cybildisobedience]

10. I agree with you, Atman

One more thing to watch for:
EVEN if the polls show a Dem blowout, they can still steal it via electronic voting, and the "expert analysis" will be that Bush turned out his base of die-hard psycho evangelistic freaks. We'll be hearing things like, "In retrospect, Bush's desire to push the gay marriage issue really fired up his base, which turned out in droves."
Bottom line is this:
Bush and co. must be SO certain that they have this thing rigged that they're not even pretendingt to be part of a democracy now. If he were really concerned about a close election in such as divided country, he'd be tacking toward the center right now. The fact that he is not, and he is defiant about his extreme postitions, should be a warning call to all of us that this thing is already rigged.
Between now and the election, we HAVE to make this a mainstream issue, and we have to fight electronic voting all over the country. And, we have to come up with some kind of an exit polling operation that will offer up real data -- not this post-Florida, media consortium bullshit we had to contend with in 2002. In fact, I STILL haven't seen any real polling data from 2002 elections.

[Atman]

12. It hasn't gotten any better

since I started this thread, so I'm gonna kick it.

[shance]

13. THANK YOU***Great points and great insight.

So now we have to come together to figure out how to stop this runaway train.

[tom_paine]

19. Sadly, I tend to agree. However...

we have to accept that some of this is voluntariyl performed because of the growing laziness and weakness of the the remnanats of the Formerly Free Press (with a few notable exceptions) and the Party-Loyal Right-Wing Sub-Media's existance (among other things) as a toll to beat, bludgeon, and bully the Corporate "Free" Press into "behaving themselves".

"Gleitschlaung" or "bringing into line" is what the Nazis called it when they did it to THEIR Free Press (they also used a Party-Loyal Sub-Media which programmed it's audience to receive information ONLY from Party-Approved sources like Faux).

We are being set up. But I think you would be amazed at how little actual deception and coercion is required to do this.

The beauty of this New Totalitarianism (at least in it's early stage) is that everyone already knows what to do. A wink and nod is more than enough...most don't even required that, but just to follow the trendsetters, the herd.