Do You Sense Any Bush "Comeback" Going On??

[Starpass]

Okay, these people always give me the creeps because they are always up to something. When they came back from vacation I really expected more "take charge" by Bush because Rove knows each day now builds to election '04. He would be planning 12 months of ebb and flow with Bush peaking at the right time. It seems like they are kind of reverting back to his first days in office where they don't bring him out much and just operate in secret. The strategy seems to be that maybe we will just all forget about Iraq and 87 big ones like we have forgotten about Afghanistan. But then there's the UN speech coming up.

He's still done nothing but insult these people so he's sure to get kicked in the ass again. Is that the plan?? Think of how people piled on in their hatred of the UN and France/Germany, et al after his last pitch. Is that what they will try to ignite again; and, thus, the Americans saying "fuck them--we'll go it alone and pay for it all by ourselves"?? Anyway, Rove isn't going to let things drift like they are. He has to "make news" for the boy. I know they planned on dropping the Kay bomb during Dem primaries and apparently that turned out to be a dud just like it's subject matter. Rove isn't going to stay quiet very long because of the Dems on the attack. God I wish I knew what they are going to do----and I hope the Dems are one step ahead of it. Actually, I think the Dems need to get flamed up again and keep attacking like crazy. Don't let this dog rest. Start so many fires that they can't respond to them all.

[Brucey]

1. Cycles.

They will be back.

[ryharrin]

14. Bush doesn't work in cycles.

His approval is a long steady decline occasionally boosted by people dying. He's not coming back without a disaster. Another way might not do it.

[Beetwasher]

2. Rove is not nearly the "genius" people give him credit for

He LOST the 2,000 election, remember? They stole the whitehouse through thuggery. He's a ham fisted goon and and a bully and all he knows is how to clobber people over the head. That doesn't always work, which is why he's failing miserably now. Bullies collapse when confronted, and you're witnessing that happen to Rove. It's out of his control and he's in way over his head. People have always given him too much credit. A real genius with his resources (the sycophantic media) would never have let it detoriate this far...

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. Exactly right

I think the connection they tried to make between Saddam Iraq and 9/11 will squash any "comeback". 70% believe there was a connection between the aforementioned and now the WH is saying there was never any evidence, that they never said there was, even tho' they strongly impLIED it at every turn. I can't help but think that most of that 70% are going to feel like they were manipulated to believe the connection, which they were, and won't trust Bushco* ever again.

[Beetwasher]

10. EMOTION Vs. LOGIC

The admin. relied on an emotional reaction to the Iraq-9/11 implications and boy did they get it. This was an EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT on their part to sell the war. Now the want to backtrack and use a LOGICAL argument to save their asses. It doesn't compute and it won't work. It will only make people angry and confused. The difference is way too subtle for people to grasp, especially for people who were forced fed raw, powerful emotions over the affair. There's no going back to logic after that. This is why Rove is a FAILURE. He doesn't understand this type of situation.

[kodi]

17. i dont think so, already they are re-casting that meme.

and the press will help them do it. not all of the press, but enough to muddy the waters about this.

realistically, i am shocked that bush has maintained a 50-55% approval for his performance. that indicates to me that unless bush is caught fucking a sheep on the lawn of the white house, he will have a solid base of 45% of the electorate come november 2004.

[bambo53]

6. Beetwasher,

That is probably the most astute observation I have read lately.

Thank you.

[Beetwasher]

11. Why thank you!

n/t

[creativelcro]

8. Rove a genius ?... Gimme a break

Look, he's as much as a genius as the star fund managers of the 90s. You know, stocks go up and down, largely depending on the sum of illicit manipulations going on and on other natural fluctuations. Suppose there are 100 stocks, and 1 of them is going to do really well, just by chance. Suppose that 1000 managers bet on the stocks, randomly. By chance, 10 of them will bet on the winning stock. Not because they are geniuses, but because they were lucky. It won't happen again, however (although, occasionally, somebody can be superlucky and get another hit the next year).
Same thing with Rove. he got a few things right. Or at least he was able to convince many people he did. But I seriuously doubt he has things under control more than anybody else.
-CV

[kcwayne]

9. I don't see it

Of all the republicans I know who were wildly supportive of Bush and the war, none of them talk about the war anymore, and they all grumble about the economy, economy, economy.

Even the ditto heads I know are worried that Bush will lose the election because of the economy.

[grytpype]

3. I don't see a comeback.

The public is starting to realize they have been conned. That's why Bush can't lie and smarm his way out of the fix he's in.

The only way Bush could bounce back is to show some real results. But he can't. Iraq is not going to get better. The economy might grow a little, but there's no way it's going to add 3 million jobs by the election. The budget is screwed for decades.

By the election, only the hardcore nutters, basically the lower 25% of the IQ bell curve, will support Bush. Not enough to win, not even close.

[samsingh]

16. agreed, but

the media will support shrub and lie for him. that's the real danger. if the media was doing their job shrub would be at 25% or less right now.

[PAMod]

4. Good post; your last line is dead on!

I hope we all have a ton of energy for the next 14 months, 'cause we're gonna need it.

One thing we must do - it won't be easy - is remind all Americans that dissent is necessary, not harmful. If we can win that battle, nothing they do will insulate them from the wrath of the electorate.

O'Reilly was attacking President Clinton the other night for speaking out, saying that his dissent was comforting our adversaries abroad - I believe that will be their line of defense in the critical months ahead, setting the table for another approval rating-spiking disaster.

[Starpass]

7. As a footenote. I noted CNN today saying that 76% of the people

are saying that in '04 they will vote "economy", not the war. I think it important that the Dems link the rising deficit, and Bush spending with the money drain in Iraq. I think that is a very powerful connection. It pisses people off and repukes cannot stand it when comparisions are made with what we could fix at home if we weren't spending on a bogus war. In other words, we DO have to also keep their minds on this debacle 'over there' and not let them forget about it like they have Afghanistan. They have to see that Bush's lying rotten policies are eating their nation to death.

[PAMod]

13. I can't get the number 87,000,000,000 out of my head.

When I think of what could be done with that amount of money (and I don't have my head in the sand - I know that Iraq is going to cost a lot of jack), when I think of the programs that have been cut or abolished and those programs that are in danger, it makes me physically sick.

The Bushies have to be sh**ting themselves right about now - and if they can't spin it the way they want to, look out.

[Booberdawg]

15. I think they always intended on starving those programs anyway

regardless of recent 87 Billion and other costs of the war. Although, I suspect the war costs may be far greater than they anticipated. It's always been part of their long term strategy to cut Medicare, Social Security, Education, Welfare, other Social Services, etc., by using the tax cuts to force a deficit and thereby starve the budget for these programs.

Here's an excellent article by Krugman explaining how they are accomplishing this through the tax cuts. It's a pretty long article, but well worth the read.

The Tax-Cut Con
By PAUL KRUGMAN

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/magazine/14TAXES.html?pagewanted=1

[PAMod]

18. I told a Republican I work with that the Bushies are TRYING to

put the federal goverment in a ditch - to justify the elimination of programs, and he said "good, it needs to happen".

[Wednesdays]

12. There's no comeback now,

But there always can be a
:nuke:
in our future.

:scared:

[Buns_of_Fire]

19. Repositioning, repositioning, repositioning

Now that they happily trotted off to the far-right to kiss the neocons' asses, they're trying the "contrition" bit (as much as their diseased egos will allow) to try to crawl back to the center before the election. Remember, "the secret of success in politics is sincerity -- once you can fake that, you've got it made."

The Grand Sneer either didn't get the memo, or he figures he won't be on the ticket next year anyway, so it doesn't matter.