Why do we suppose that this fiasco will damage bush, let alone the GOP?

[0rganism]

I keep seeing stuff here and elsewhere about "impeachment" and "indictment" and "popular groundswells of anti-bush sentiment," etcetera. OK, fine. Color me skeptical.

Bush already won re-election (legitimately or not), and miraculously increased GOP margins in both houses of Congress. His lame-duck ass has nothing to lose now. He doesn't even have to pretend to care, lucky for him, cos he's a lousy liar. Low as his approval numbers may be, is there any indication this will reflect on the republicans come November 2006? Will Democrats look any better by comparison?

Bush's buddies own the media. Eventually, they will come up with a spin that not only exonerates bush for his mishandling of FEMA but tags this as some kind of great success for his legacy, and brands all critics as sadistic callous victimizers.

For all the attacks rightfully leveled at his administration, I don't see how any of it will affect the 2006 elections. Bush's buddies own the voting machines. This has not changed. Between the media slurs and the stuffed ballot "boxes", where are the Democrats going to get any mileage out of this?

Name for me three GOP incumbent reps who will absolutely lose their House seats to Democrats in 2006. Just three. Can you do it? Can you name 10?

I can't.

Right now bush looks as careless and stupid as ever, as incompetent and clueless as he always was, and completely untouchable. Convince me I'm wrong.

[mmonk]

1. I can't

[William769]

2. Bush may be untouchable

But he is going to be baggage for the upcoming elections on 06 for Congress.

[0rganism]

3. Which races do you suppose bush's unpopularity will affect?

At best, I imagine the GOP reps in swing districts will have to tout their "independent streak" (whatever the fuck that is) and talk a lot about reform, tax relief, and putting God back in the public schools.

[William769]

5. With any luck, could be acroos the whole U.S.

There are alot of pissed off people right now & the price of gas isn't helping either.

[0rganism]

11. Can you name any GOP reps who are more vulnerable today?

I asked for three, you said the whole U.S., so I'd like to know about 1.

1 house race. 1 congressional district where an incumbent GOP rep is going to be knocked off by a Democrat. As in, the pol was vulnerable before, and now he's going to get his ass handed to him come election time because of NOLA disaster mismanagement and the price of gas and Plamegate and the unpopular war in Iraq and every other damn issue we love to discuss on this forum.

Give me something to check out. "Look at this guy, 0rganism, he's going down because the people in the __th district of the great state of __ have had enough GOP bullshit."

[William769]

13. Just an educated guess at this point.

I don't know which districts are in play, I am just saying the the State of the Union right now, many will be in jepordy that shouldn't.

[0rganism]

23. I posted this question in GD:P and so far have ONE reply

One DUer is willing to assert that Pete King of NY will be shut out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2068896&mesg_id=2068896

[Erika]

6. But 10,000 bodies says a lot

From the second a leak in the walls/levees was suspected, the feds had jurisdiction. That's why the Coast Guard was in there. Why didn't he move more military in there? He is CIC, and national security was involved as soon as the leaks were even suspected. People need to be educated. Yes, the state and local officials have the right of first responders but the feds have the responsibility of control.

Bush will be known as the death president. Bushbots don't like admitting they were wrong in voting for this guy and they'll fight it to the end.

[longship]

7. Gawd, they're talking 40,000 now.

:cry:

[judgegina]

4. Bush isn't going anywhere...

and as long as the godly Republicans see to it that those filthy fags can't get married...well, they'll do just fine too.

Sad, but true.

[intheflow]

8. Other Republicans are turning on them.

The south was a solid Bush base, but there are plenty of people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are NOT happy with this response. People in Texas are already getting burned out from volunteering, their cities being innundated by a giant influx of people, the sheer stress of dealing with people who've been through a traumatic situation. On economic levels, we're shipping the survivors to cities throughout the country,whose school and social services budgets are already strained to breaking. All this and more will come back to haunt this administration.

[elfin]

10. Yes - the South

And Howard Dean is comfortable in the region and I hope concentrates on it. I have little hope for 2008 - but 2006 could change Congress - as long as it isn't close enough for Diebold to steal.

[ThoughtCriminal]

9. Get off the computer, get out of the house and listen

They are in big trouble. BIG.

It really is down to the loud-mouth bedrock base. And they're finding out people are sick of them too.

[0rganism]

22. I don't see anything changing

The loud-mouth bedrock base will still vote in droves.

The disaffected moderates will still shun the polls from boredom, apathy, or outright disdain for all things political.

The poor and minorities will still be treated like crap at understaffed polling precincts.

And I will bet you money that we will still have a republican-controlled congress in 2007.

[Nay]

12. A lot of people are pissed at *, but I fear that won't translate into a

general dislike for Republicans across the board. I can see plenty of Repubs easily divorcing the two. In 2008, they will be glad * is out, and gleefully vote in . . . a different Republican.

I truly don't know how the 2006 races will go. I just don't see this rubbing off on any more Repubs than Bush.

[Kansas Wyatt]

17. Well that is the whole problem.

The Democratic Party needs to blame BUSH and his REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED GOVERNMENT. After all, the Republicans in Congress are Bush's enablers, and rubber stamp anything he wants and champion him for it. They are just as much to blame as Bush himself, and they deserve to get just as much credit for this total government failure.

Until the Democratic Party figures out that they need attack his enablers as well, then they will stand back, act like an impartial judge, and accept no responsibility in enabling and granting Bush the authority to do as he pleases.

[barb162]

20. I see it the same way. Many people vote their pocketbook

and that's all they care about and oh, tax cuts too.

[Erika]

21. Heard about Santorum's plan to fine those who don't evacuate?

Many of those who stayed did so because they did not have the $ to evacuate. That is the GOP mindset and it is not attractive to reasonable and compassionate Americans. In my view, it is UnGodly.

[stevedeshazer]

14. Keep your flameproof suit handy.

I've been saying much the same for days. Posters almost always tell me I'm full of crap.

The House won't change. The Senate won't change.

I agree with your unpopular view.

Folks here get outraged and think things will change. They won't.

[0rganism]

18. I've been outraged since November 2000. Things have just gotten worse.

I was going to apply a colorful metaphor, but I guess I'll just leave it at this: the level of outrage in me, on this message board, in the blogosphere, hell, even in the nation at large, is no indication of the voting population's willingness to reconsider its fascist alignment.

[electron_blue]

15. I am afraid of the same thing

I have yet to encounter first-hand a Bush supporter who is fed up with how this was handled. I know they exist, they must, if the reports here and on the news are right, but what I'm seeing is righties defending Bush harder than ever. We really don't want them to dig in their heels.

Just a thought - the old revered text on how to wage battle, the Art of War, says never corner an enemy, for they will fight 10x harder. Encroach on them, but leave them an 'out' for retreating into. Food for thought.

[Erika]

19. I've ran into many Bushbots with consciences not buying his story

Remember, Christ said you will be judged by how you treat the least of you.

They are not comfortable with the fact it was basically the poor and black who were abandoned.

[electron_blue]

25. and the sick and the young....

Maybe I'll feel better if I meet some of these 'bushbots with conscience' soon, but so far I'm just running into bushbots who are defending Bush as if their life depended on it. WTF? Two of these people live on the east coast of Florida. I dunno, maybe they feel safer because they live in a Bush state. They ought to be more sensible than they are. After all this, they are still convinced Bush is better for the country bcs of his morals. He as just misled, his hands were tied, the local govt failed, what can he do, poor guy.

[LittleClarkie]

16. 'Cause we got... high hope... We got... high hope. We got... high apple

pie in the sky...hope.

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant.

[artemisia1]

24. If it doesn't, this country is fucked. Anyone who can see what happened in

NOLA and isn't disgusted is either a moron, a racist, a sociopath, or all three. However, the Democrats HAVE to have good alternatives and fight campaigns based at least as much upon their MERITS as upon the Republican's defects.