If the RNC was a disaster, why did Bush get a bounce?

[coloradodem2005]

From what I heard, his speech was nothing to swoon over, unlike Kerry's speech. It seemed to be the standard crap that the Republicans have been saying since 9/11. Then Zell Miller and Dick Cheney were horribly hateful. So, why did Bush get a bounce? Besides the fact that candidates usually get a bounce after their convention.

[w13rd0]

1. corpowhore media...

...unbalanced coverage.

DNC - cut away at every speech to GOP talking heads
RNC - complete coverage with GOP boosters

[Old and In the Way]

3. Exactly.

Corporate media filters the conventions to promote their political interests, commissions polls that use methodologies that deliver the results they want, which, in turn, validates their script. The old propagandists that ran Pravda for the Communist bureaucrats would be very impressed and envious with sucess of the new American corporate media.

[soothsayer]

2. That's just what happens. And...who knows if it's ever even true?

Polls are stoopid.

[mark0rama]

11. Bush 41 got a bounce from Hate-Spew '92 (tm)

...and look how that turned out.

It took awhile for the pure unadulterated venom of Buchanan et al to sink in.

[annabanana]

4. poll "numbers" came out WAY too quickly

to have anything to do with the convention.......all bs.

[Meshuga]

5. Bounce?

It's more like media hype!

[w13rd0]

14. What's interesting is that when Kerry had the same kind of lead...

...the networks were still referring to it as a tie, or not referencing it at all. Now they trumpet Bush's "lead" all over. It's blatant and offensive.

[TeacherCreature]

6. Hopefully it is hype. But it may be self-fulfilling hype.

The campaign has to fight this, and fight it hard.

[BillZBubb]

7. The RNC was NOT a disaster.

People like us at DU who actually know the relevant facts, can watch the Repugs and laugh at them. We know they are lying hypocrits. We see through the phony baloney. But, we continue to delude ourselves about the effectiveness of the relentless Repug attacks.

Unfortunately, 90% of the population is not as well informed. Many buy into the propaganda. Too many TRUST Bush*. A carefully orchestrated propaganda extravaganza works wonders. Fear, fear, and more fear, while all the while pointing out the "danger" of Kerry. Very effective.

They have softened up Kerry for six months, culminating with the Swiftscum Liars. The convention delivered the finishing blows. It was effective, because people have been preconditioned to believe the worst of Kerry. Repetition and slander work.

Now more people are ready to go with the "devil they know". That was the success of the Repug convention.

[lancdem]

10. I agree

[coloradodem2005]

16. If the bottom line of what you say is true, then fuck humanity.

My cynicism has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. The people who have suffered under Bush don't even seem to care. The people who have had problems finding jobs, the people without health insurance. The people who are slipping into poverty. Even the people who are in danger in Iraq and their families don't care. They give into hatred. I have had it. If they actually let Bush have a term this year, then I am done caring about anybody else but me. Because they don't care about themselves and each other. All they do is hate

[BillZBubb]

20. I'm as cynical as the next cynic, but

the problem isn't entirely with the people who have suffered. They are not well informed and are thus easy pickings for a well financed and well planned propaganda effort.

Fear is a powerful motivator and the Repugs have used it masterfully recently.

Our task, and more specifically, Kerry's task, is to get these people to put things into perspective and understand why Bush* is (and will continue to be) a total failure in so many areas.

[pretzel4gore]

22. yep. it's like watching hateful neighbor kids chasing ball

onto busy freeway!
lol
If it weren't for the sacred trust, we should throw the election...haha. kerry should say 'america loves geebush so much, i better quit ...good luck!' lol

[Nay]

25. I also agree.

The RNC was no disaster. I heard people laughing gleefully about Zell's speech the next day at work. It seems to be all about who got the latest sound-bite hits against the other guy. And you never hear from the other guy (Kerry).

The truth matters not at all, and people here who think that "getting the truth out" is all we have to do are deluding themselves. We have to run a ruthless, scorched-earth campaign, or we probably won't win.

When that jerk Arnold won the CA governorship, fer chrissakes, on the utterance of a few goddam MOVIE lines, the writing was on the wall. I was naive enough to think he didn't have a chance in hell.

As others have said, most people believe ALL politicians are liars, so getting people to agree that Bush has lied about this or that is useless. They KNOW he's a liar, but they like the cheap shots he takes at Dems, because people have been conditioned by ads, movies, and sound bites to appreciate only the bitch slap, the cool putdown comment, the smartass remark. These modern techniques appeal straight to their reptilian brains, and they love the boost it gives them emotionally.

Having said all that, I am still registering Dem voters (mostly my son's friends, who are scared to death of a draft) and hope against hope that there are more sane than damaged people in the country.

[seabeyond]

8. my guess, we are a nation of ugly

go figure. i really thought we were a better people. i guess this is truly what we are

[pretzel4gore]

23. we are better!

something like a lucifer lives in mankind....it's a constant battle. if one person in a hundred is a DUer, then we fight fight fight.
look upon bush supporters with icy contempt. they know in their hearts they deserve it.

[stopbush]

9. "Give in to your hatred, Luke..."

[suegeo]

12. The press is our enemy

So called journalists are nothing but rightwing whores or scared little bunnies.

Voters get their propaganda from the journalists, and voters believe that right-wing propaganda is actually news.

Voters have been brain washed over many years.

Voters are afraid, and don't realize that Bush was complicit in the 2001 attacks. Rather they believe that Bush can protect them. They also are not smart enough to see that they are being lied to badly by the petro fascists.

Republicans have used fear to stifle the opposition.

Republicans (I believe) have issued death threats to Democratic leaders, via the anthrax and god knows what else. This thuggish behavior keeps the opposition in check.

Polls, like elections, are rigged to favor the fascists.

But the biggest reason is that the American press is our enemy.

[Snotcicles]

13. The bounce was fabricated

by the media because they want Bush to win so he can shove through his FCC changes so all of them will get a bigger payday from Murdoch.

[wurzel]

15. The poll was taken in Madison Square Gardens.

[fujiyama]

17. The RNC was successful.

Bush got decent sized bounce, but more importantly they have have been able to put the race back on THEIR terms and played this to their percieved strength which is terrorism and national security.

Several people made the point that their message was "Vote for Kerry and you will die". It was made repeatedly and they pounded that message.

According to one of the polls terrorism and national security is the most important issue for most voters (I think it was 28%). That's why I think it's strange for Kerry not to be pounding away at Iraq. He made one statement and left it at that. It's also strange that Kerry hasn't made the point that the war on Iraq ITSELF, and NOT just the WAY it was conducted has been a distraction to the supposed "war on terror".

Kerry and the 527s have to come out with some hard hitting ads this month. They have to expose Bush's flip flops (like that about Bush's statement on winning the war on terrorism) and other disasterous policies - namely Iraq.

Kerry hasn't lost this yet, but it's slipping away. Other events have come into the scene that will help Bush like the Russian hostage crisis.

[West Coast Democrat]

18. Bush got a bounce in Newsweek, but so did Kerry--hea was 10pts ahead!

Our convention was not a failure. Shrub's wasn't either...but time will tell whether his "lead" will continue.

[stray cat]

19. Americans are sheep and don't known they'll be slaughtered

nt

[pretzel4gore]

21. the stock market rises at news of war

falls when peace threatens. The newscasters seemed embarrassed when this became clear just b4 iraq invasion. There's some connection here.

[bigtree]

24. Same reason Kerry did after his convention

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x746609