Missourians echoing views from Bush ads

[NeoConsSuck]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-04-04-missouri-bush-ads_x.htm

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Bill Hoskins is a Democrat who plans to vote for John Kerry. But ask the 42-year-old truck driver the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about his party's presidential candidate, and out pops "flip-flopper."

"Wearing his badge of valor as far as being a veteran," says Laura Scoville, 47, a middle school teacher and undecided voter who tends to vote Republican. "But I'm worried about taxes."

"I do know he's voted to raise gas taxes several times," says Brian Nikkel, 25, an insurance claims adjuster. "I know that from the Bush commercials."

[sadiesworld]

1. The voters settle into their warm, woolly coats.

[Catfight]

2. Middle school teacher who doesn't think?

Our children our being taught by these idiots who can't research and form a true opinion? She's 47 years old and persuaded by a commercial? Look at the "tends to vote Republican," she's a brain dead "moran."

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. this is so sad

People really should pass some sort of political IQ test before they're allowed to vote.

I mean, if they have to pass a drivers test in order to get on the road they should at least know politics if they want to step into a voting booth.

[ablbodyed]

5. Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe if all the freepers were allowed to compare answers, then we could allow one of them to vote. But he/she/it would need someone to help with the complicated task of actually doing the dirty deed.

[Stuckinthebush]

4. This is important

We can shurg it off as brain dead Republican voters or we can realize that most voters don't think that Bush or Kerry would deliberately lie so what they see in an advertisement must be true. Kerry needs to hit back hard with the truth and use the word "lie". That is a powerful word that these voters will remember.

The other thing at work here is that many people have the TV on in the background at home or work. They hear the voice over guy say, "...Kerry wants to raise gas tax..." and that is all they remember. They are not aware enough to critically analyze the ad because other things are going on in their lives and they don't have time to think about it. So, they echo, "I know that John Kerry wants to raise the gas tax.." without remembering where they heard it.

The way to combat this is to hit back hard with adds accusing the Bush campaign of lying - not "distorting the truth" - but lying. Voters will wake up out of their stupor when they hear "The President lied when he said Kerry wanted to raise gas tax." That will negate the effect of the ad.

[sadiesworld]

6. I think an effecive commercial would outline a few of *'s lies followed

by the statement "If * lied to you about these things, what makes you think he would be truthful about John Kerry?". Howard Dean used a similar aproach on CNN yesterday and it was quite effective.

[Stuckinthebush]

9. I like that!

Very nice.

[catmandu57]

7. Not this Missourian

Nor anyone who comes in contact with me. They may believe this down in springfield, or, the burbs of KC and St. Louis. This is painting all of us with a pretty broad brush.

[Fovea]

21. Earth CIty?

It is not a community, it is Trammel Crow's industrial park.
Does anyone live there?

[ikojo]

29. No, there is no residential area in Earth City

It is home to Riverport Amphitheatre (now known as the UMB Bank Pavilion) as well as many office parks, hotels, restaurants, delivery companies and a casino.

[Fovea]

35. As someone who was there in 71

when the earth city levee caused St. Charles to lose a mile of the MKT levee north of town (I was sandbagging at the time)and nearly lost the historical district itself. I have no love lost for Earth City, or Crow. I spent almost a week sandbagging in that flood.

I remember some serious discussion involving dynamite at the time.

Here I am in Kansas City 30 years later, dealing with much of the same crap.

[leQ]

8. as i've stated millions of times lately

bring back the CREDIBILITY GAP campaign, and this time make it count.

[Catfight]

11. true, then substantiate it with how Bush supports tax breaks on gas guzzler

Bush attacks, Kerry counter-attacks. People will eventually stop tuning in, but if people go to the polls without confidence that Bush is forthright and credible, they won't vote for him. That's the ticket!

This weekend, I visited by parents, my father is a staunch Republican (he's not a smart man, honestly, highly successful and rich, but not smart-which is why he identifies with Bush). However, mom is middle of the road voter and I was asking both of them, "don't you want to know the truth about 911?" My father was sort of like, what would it matter, if he lied then he should be hung by the highest tree, but he'd only accept some sort of trial to prove Bush is a liar. Now my mom, she wants Bush to testify in public and under oath...so there you have it...if Kerry keeps harping on Bush hiding the truth about 911 and not testifying under oath, I think we have a case to sway people when they vote, will they feel confident Bush is really an honest guy who won't go under oath to demonstrate his honesty? HUMMMM? I think not. Both my parents are very mid-west, humble, uneducated beyond high school voters, so I use them as a barometer of the average repug voter.

[PeanutOne]

14. I agree that Kerry needs to "hit back hard"

Gore ignored the lies, partly because they were so absurd. All that did was allow the Bush campaign (liars) to succeed in creating the "Gore is a serial liar" image in voters' minds.

Kerry needs to be forceful, direct, and relentless in giving it back to the Bush campaign. Bush will either be forced on the defensive or the message (true in this case) that Bush is a liar will work its way into voters' minds.

Sporadic rebuttals and denials from Kerry won't cut it. He needs to be relentless. After all, as Al Franken says, the truth is on our side.

Don't be afraid to call lying liars what they are!

[Catfight]

15. Bush is a serial Liar!!!!

That needs to be stressed all day long!

[Chitown_Dem]

17. "...Kerry wants to raise gas tax..."

and the irony is... gas has already gone up more than 50 cents a gallon in the meantime!

This is from March 3:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/03/earlyshow/living/money/main603731.shtml
Kloza explains the increase to co-anchor Rene Syler. He says, “Number one, you had the price of crude probably $5 or $6 a barrel higher than it’s been in most previous years, last year being the exception with the war. But secondly, the price of gasoline, because of not enough refining capacity in the United States, is trading at a huge, huge, huge differential versus the price of crude oil. So you’ve had the wholesale prices essentially going up since about November, about four months. They’ve gone up about 50 cents to 60 cents across the country.”

Since then, gas prices in Chicago hit and passed the $2/gallon mark. Bush's campaign ads are such BS, for so many reasons.

[Tippy]

18. Stuckinthebush.....You got it

If people hear over and over how bad Kerry is they will believe...We can't just ignor...I write letters to the Editor of our local paper and even though it leans strongly republican they are printing them...and no one is arguing with the letters...

[Zerex71]

25. Idiotic

That's all I can say about people who look to a Bush political ad as their sole source of information.

[newyawker99]

33. Hi Zerex71!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[samsingh]

10. stupid - how can anyone rely on an opponents ad and

think its the truth.

hello - what has happened to the price of gasoline under Bush? Hello???????

[ikojo]

12. Some background about Earth City, Missouri

This area is comprised SOLEY of office parks (insurance companies, finance companies, SBC), UPS and FEDEX hubs, hotels and a casino (Harrah's) as well as restaurants. There is no residential development in Earth City It is across the Missouri River from conservative St Charles County which went for * in 2000. It is also off Highway 270. Given Earth City's location right off a major highway, I would not assume all the people quoted are Missourians.

It does not surprise me in the least that the people responded as they did. I work in Earth City (well not today...home with a cold..sniffle...sniffle..hack and cough). Most of the folks I work and talk with will vote Dem however. There are many Bushies out there though.

[keithyboy]

13. Ask the person concerned about gas taxes if the taxes were in fact raised

I bet he thinks they were.

[RandomKoolzip]

16. Jesus H. Kee-ryst!

Are taxes the only fucking issue to people?!?

My gawd, it is so fucking sad to realize that Americans vote solely based on who plans on "cutting" taxes. Fer crissakes, people, there are lots of other important issues here.

I just can't believe people are that pathetic. And Bush only cut taxes for the RICH, not these typical middle class people! (And, incidentally, raised fees on all sorts of services....just don't call extra fees "taxes" and we'll be fine and dandy!)


WAKE UP AMERICA! YOU ARE GETTING SCREWED UP THE ASS ON ALL OTHER SORTS OF ISSUES WHILE YOU DAWDLE OVER YOUR W-2's!!!

[happyending]

19. election decided by COMMERCIALS?

This is the sort of thing that just drives me crazy.
Are we Americans really and truly so stupid that we are going to let our votes be influenced by some stupid one-sided commercials on TV? Gak!

Doesn't anyone read the newspaper anymore?

Is this it? Is this really all there is to winning the White House,
some commercials on TV !?!?

Sorry to rant. Like I said, this is the kind of thing that just
drives me crazy. I would like to think that there was more to
American political discourse than sound bites and drivel.


(edited for spelling)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

20. Let the NeoCons fire off as many of their shots early as they want...

...because most people will forget them within a couple of months. When the rubber meets the road after the conventions, that's the time to come out swinging.

[phantom power]

31. I disagree

The whole message of this news article is that people remember what they hear.

It is 10x harder to get a meme out of a person's head than it is to put it there.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

34. It's been my experience that most people remember what they heard last...

...particularly when two pieces of information are heard over a fairly lengthy period of time.

And yes, I did read the article. And yes, I do understand what they're trying to say even though I disagree 100%.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

22. Has Kerry started his commercials yet?

I don't have cable and I don't watch too much TV, so I don't know if he is runninig his ads.

If he hasn't, well then that explains a lot. If he has, well...
:shrug:

M.

[schultzee]

23. Kerry needs to run ads Liar Liar Liar about Bu$h...Donate

[loudsue]

24. Kerry needs to get the repukes OUT of his campaign....

He's got all these now-or-"former" (??) repukes in his campaign, plus he's listening to the DLC "extreme make-over" team. HE'S GONNA LOSE EVERYTHING, if he doesn't charge up his base like Dean did. How can people in congress be so friggin' insulated from reality? Even a little common sense would help Kerry see through what's going on. Al Gore & Governor Dean need to take him aside, methinks!

:kick::kick:

[MadHound]

26. Don't freak on this too much people

Earth City is nothing but a LARGE industrial park. FedEx, UPS and other shipping plants, along with light manufacturing, truck stops and very little residential. Also, they are in the area just outside St. Charles, which is quite conservative.

Generally there is about a fifty fifty split between 'Pugs and Dems in this state. St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia areas typically run liberal, while Springfield and the rest of the state run conservative.

But an interesting phenomenon I've notice lately is that many otherwise conservative voters are fed up with Bush and his policies the past three years. Even my staunch upstanding 'Pug father in law is not going to vote for Bush this time. Most of the conservatives in this state are old fashioned, Eisenhower era 'Pugs, and Bush's new con, corporatist brand of conservatism strikes them wrong. Whether they will vote for Kerry or third party remains to be seen, but at least they won't be voting for Bush.

Should be another close election in this state this fall. And generally as Missouri goes, so goes the nation.

Oh, and as a Missourian, I would like to apologize for our state producing a :puke: like Ashcroft. We were trying to get rid of him, we even voted in a corpse instead of him, but damnit, there's always those appointment positions.:puke:

[PATRICK]

28. Typical and changeable

especially with the truth coming out. The hard negatives of the enlightened anti-Bush is the slow slog to an iron core against Bush. Kerry's task among the rest remains the same. He has no hard negatives despite frustration at the rain of tar. Dampening of enthusiasm at best can only dampen turnout not the fact that Bush is losing sharply in public opinion with each revelation and failure.

Fear that Kerry will limply lie down and drown in tar is kind of a weak fear.

Our fear, their pimping for the fake "Champ" chimp, two sides of the same unreality. So while bemoaning the normal dumb voter and the misinformed, realize that only stupid things work for Bush and if ALL of humanity is dominated by stupidity, well then this too shall pass.

[mot78]

27. The Sheeple taking orders from the idiot box!

[scottxyz]

30. People know what they hear

They don't have any... LEFT WING TALK RADIO in Missouri.

If they did, these people would vote to protect their own best interests.

[BabsSong]

32. psst--here's the trick

if they are believing what they hear on da' teevee, then we probably should start begin by opening our mouths and speaking instead of sitting around 'planning the campaign', don't you think??? You got to first get up on that horse, John, if you are going to lead the charge..........

[GaryL]

36. Another GOPToday puff piece.

Let's hunt down a town full of mush minds and pen an article. No wonder this rag has to use color photos so it "readers" can look at the pretty pictures.
:puffpiece: