As much as I want to stay in cynical mode and disregard the polls since every time I get my hopes up they are dashed, there is reason to be optimistic here.
sorta.
The dust hasn't begun to settle and if this is the feeling of the country, then we have the upper hand in guiding the rest of the country towards voting against the GOP next year. The most crucial thing is taking back the house AND senate, the house has the power to impeach and the senate the power to remove. And make no mistake, THEY MUST BE REMOVED. They are dangerous people and have put the people of the planet in harms way, this just cannot be tolerated.
What asshat has yet to deal with:
1}The blow back of Brownie. if he doesn't fire that guy this week -- arrogant incompetent people never do the right thing -- then that's a sure agitation for those affected from Katrina. That will be next weeks talking point since he pulled this shit on a Friday afternoon.
2]A massive protest two weeks from today in front of his house, although I will bet everything I own he will "tour" the affected areas of Katrina as his lame excuse to avoid the PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
3]Cleaning up NOLA. The death toll. The rebuilding. The cost. The plan to pay. He doesn't think long term, these are the most shortsighted people in the history of the world.
There are over half a million displaced people.
They are not his base.When they get wind of the fact that Halliburton has contracts to rebuild AND when the nation learns that a 1932 law was repealed by Bush last week that guarantees a living wage to the folks rebuilding, you are going to see the black community blow such a gasket, they may dry up the Mississppi altogether.. The very people who lost their homes due in part to the criminal negligence of Bush may be the ones rebuilding, and they may be paid as little as minimum wage for that work. That's like slavery all over again. It's going to be ugly.
4]the reaction to upcoming estate tax cuts for the rich: the repurcussions on that one is going to be substantial. I say it's a done deal because I'm not convinced that any repubs are breaking with the party lines. They signed their allegiance to Norquist the guy who drowns governments, but really he just drowns the people.
5]the news cycle returning to the coverage of the war once things settle a bit here in the states. More news of dead soldiers and dead innocent Iraqi's on TV will not sit well
with voters. No freedom, no democracy, no exit strategy, no real constitution and no end in sight. It will feel like waking up from one nightmare only to be reminded of the other one that has lasted almost three years.
6]the bankruptcy bill. That takes effect in October. These people have sold their souls to the devil, they cannot renege on this. Conyers' idea to postpone the bill till next year won't fly. He's black, he's their enemy. They can't help but shoot themselves in the foot. To use the phrase "kick a man when he's down" would be an understatement. But that's what these people do best.
7]the hike in credit card minimum payments. (Included in the bankruptcy bill)That starts in October too. Creditors may now require up to 4 percent of the balance as a minimum payment. So if your min. payment. on your visa was 50, come Nov. it may be 75-100. The middle class may finally think about calling their reps on this one. Thus far, the average American is lazy as all get out, nothing like a swift kick in the family budget to get folks on the phone. Unfortunately, they were supposed to be calling their reps before the bill was passed.
8]Patrick Fitzgerald. The grand jury is dismissed the end of October and by then he should have indictments. Karl Rove may be indicted, and if he is, that will bode horribly for asshat. Word now is Miller may be ready to talk, and remarkably so may George Tenet wrt taking the blame for 911. That
should be our slam dunk, but it doesn't have to be. Our slam dunk is actually something else..(last item)
9]An unreported but significant rule which is about to be instituted:FASB-required expensing of employee stock options, which will become mandatory for all public companies later this year. What will that mean, you ask? I'll tell you what it means. It means that "this new accounting rule will have the effect of making the stock of many companies that are profitable appear far more expensive from a price to earnings ratio perspective, and those companies that have no earnings at all--many of which are tech companies--will become even more unattractive" (from the cunning realist
http://cunningrealist.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_cunningrealist_archive.html) That's why there is such a desperate push for the privatization of SS. Wall street wants that "dumb public money" -- they want to transfer the risk onto the unsuspecting taxpayer. Note here how Rove is pushing to slip the privatization into a procedural vote within the next few weeks also. See here:
http://susiemadrak.com /
What all this tells me is that the stock market aint gonna be so hot anymore. The street will have no clothes on. The illusion of wealth will disintergrate into thin air, right along with the value of homes when the bubbles burst around the hot spots in the country.
10]But the slam dunk will be this: the cost of gas, and the 30-75 percent increase in natural gas and heating fuel this winter. The trickle up effect will seal the fate of the evil empire called Bushco.
Folks who can barely afford to get to work and heat their homes are NOT going to be ringing up the credit cards at Christmas. The holiday season is the bread and butter of every small business in this country, not to mention the big ones too. And what do businesses do when business is slow? They lay off labor. Unemployment levels will climb, and we will be in official recession mode, if not depression.
By then, I would not be surprised if every single "W" or "Bush/Cheney" bumper sticker has been ripped off of every supporter's car in the country. By then, I think the phrase "Impeach Bush" will be commonplace. The media can only spin so much so far, you can only fool some of the people for so long. By then it won't matter about Diebold or ES and S. They can steal elections PROVIDED there is a close race, an even divide. If the numbers are 40/60 or worse against the piece of shit in a bubble and all his cronies, then we should be ok.
However we all may be displaced and living in shelters. Better stock up the booze and the smokes. :hi: