A fine line between lousy approval numbers and walking the walk?

[HughBeaumont]

Ever notice how DURING the Bewsh administration's reign of error (you know, except when NYC and DC were attacked and the "president", whose watch (and arguably, foreknowledge) it happened on, jumps on a pile of rubble and bodies, mutters something about resolve and justice and the useful idiots applaud droolingly), the president's approval numbers have been on an almost consistently steep decline? Many don't agree with his policies or the direction this country's going in general; the economy sucks, I can't save because things cost too much, this war is wrong, blah blah blah blah BLAH.

Approval ratings in the past 4 years prove this point. Bewsh has even lower approval numbers than Nixon did.

http://users.pop.umn.edu/~ruggles/2004.htm

Even in 2004, his approval ratings in many polls showed him hovering in the sub-47% range for the middle half of the year.

Yet . . . why is it in the election cycles of 2004 and 2008, Americans, as if almost magically, seem to forget all the scandal, all the war, all the hard times they're experiencing? They seem to, out of the blue, forget that Republicans in the past 28 years, through endless borrowing and risk/loss shifting policy, have done ass-all to help anyone but their robber baron cronies, their DC cigar club buddies and the upper 5% of this country. War? What war? We're at war? There's soldiers dying? What recession? There's been 8 straight MONTHS of job losses?

Just as in 2004, all that just gets swept right the hell under the bed come election time and polls seem to be indicating that Americans, once again, don't really dislike Republicans as much as we thought they did.

I know the two candidates have yet to debate. I know that Barack hasn't even begun to fight. I know that McCane will ride his negative horse all the way to November, as any candidate who has nothing going for him and has no previous administration as a proving ground for the success on which his policies and positions are based will. Rest assured, that's only going to carry him so far.

What I'm completely disgusted at is why this is even close to begin with.

What's America's logic here? "Our country's in terrible shape, so the sensible thing to do is vote for a guy who has the exact same policies of ruination as his predecessors did, because I just KNOW he'll be better."?


"Thank you sir, may I have another?"

Why is it that Americans simply cannot kick their addiction to Republicans?

Why is it that America has so much trouble walking the walk when it comes to "throwing the bums out"? We've only had two Democratic presidents in 40 years. They hate Republicans, make fun of them, build whole comedy routines and skit shows about them . . . except when it comes time to say "no more" to them. They cannot do it. There are a great deal of stupid people out there, granted. But it's the ones that are somewhat reasonably intelligent and still adamantly refuse to take that first step that give me the facepalms every time.

Are we just THAT cowardly and lily-livered? "Better the devil you know?" Is it because they're conditioned to think "all politicians are crooks anyway?" or my favorite: "It's not like we really have a choice"? Is it taxophobia? Hard-ons for invasion? Could really be that we're still not that racially tolerant of a nation as we think we are. Then there's the media-fueled demonization of anything Democratic and liberal.

Or is it that many of us are just like our "president", in that they don't see America as having problems?

Either way, it's painfully frustrating to see that there are still more than enough people, through cowardice or stupidity or both, that steadfastly embrace and enable these bastards when it comes time to doing something about them. This shouldn't even be a contest. In fact, given that McCain demonstrates traits of senility and snapcase temperment and has the enthrallment and excitability level of a plant stand, one has to wonder how the RNC thought he was the best candidate on their side. This should be one of, if not THE, most winnable elections in history.

So what's the scoop America? Are you going to free us or screw us? Are ALL of you 72%-ers going to finally emerge and vote these assholes out once and for all, or are you going to crawl back under the refrigerator with your 28%-er brethren and hope for the best?

[Taverner]

1. The GOP has the message of "Save the Rich, Screw the Poor"

And they spend all election convincing the average American that they are rich

[HughBeaumont]

2. kick

:kick:

[KharmaTrain]

3. But He's Got A 99% Approval Rating In the "Village"

This regime has made sure its toadie media "partners" are well taken care of. There was more "de-regulation" as well as launching a war for profit that they benefitted from (big ratings = revenues) and some even benefited from being "contractors" in the "rebuilding" of Iraq. If you remember Nick Berg, who lost his head, he was hired to rebuild radio and cellphone antennas...a contractor for a company that was a subsidiary of Cheap Channel. They also got money to help start up television stations to "win hearts and minds" that put lots of coin in their pockets and did little else.

Also, this regime has made personal careers...selective leaking and playing favors with access became a tool in their arsenal as they know the media types got big time bylines and face time by using "administration sources" without having to attribute where that came from. They were useful tools in a game that also meant big time speaking fees and book sales...in short, this regime took care of its own.