This will tick DU'ers off, but I have to ask.....

[SeekingTruth]

Anymore, is political likability more important than substance in American politics?

I ask this because I simply cannot believe that Kerry is not ten points-plus ahead of Bush. I cannot believe that the Dems are not sweeping the House and Senate (I realize this is premature and we might just do this).

During the last 20 yrs or so, are we seeing a terrible change in politics where one must be a more media image marketed, rather than the most qualified?

Today fuel is up to 55 bucks a barrel, the Green Zone (the safest place in Baghdad) has now been attacked, the Bush administration has told so many lies that cabinet members are tripping over each other and can't keep the story straight and we are a 50/50 nation. What is going on?

We have just sat through five and half hours of electronic coverage that has shown Bush to be a complete idiot and liar and still people claim to be "undecided."

I'm not really worried about Nov 2 for Kerry and think the polls will take a kick up in about a week or so, but it's just bizarre how the teflon of presidents seems to grow thicker with each new president. (Check out Eric Alterman's article in the new Nation on presidential lying).

[DU9598]

1. Money

I think Money is more important than likeability or substance. The power of incumbency is hard to beat. That is why we must be successful with campaign finance reform if we are ever to truly take our country back.

[Irishladdie]

3. Agreed!!

[rainy]

2. idealism/ some people just think we are a bunch of

liberal socialist and will never vote for us. They would rather die first and that is what it might take.

[Virginian]

7. It was frightening that college age people are for Bush.

I thought they would feel they had the most to lose if Bush is elected, draft, lack of jobs after graduation, a nation in debt, and other things I can't think about right now.

One girl in AZ said the war was good because we had saved so many Iraqi lives by getting rid of Saddam. I guess she doesn't know or doesn't care how many lives Iraqi and others were lost getting rid of Saddam and trying to bring the country to peace afterward.

It makes me think they have a distorted view of the Bush administration.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

25. Those are the dumb college students...

and there are a lot more dumb ones these days. Colleges admit tons of freshmen to get their money. Lots of them never get a degree.

[Melodybe]

4. The polls are fucking bull shit!!!

Talk to people then you will see that we are being lied too.

[troubleinwinter]

9. I think polls are crap, too.

I do not know ONE SINGLE person who is going to vote for The Hunchback of Voter Shame. NOT ONE.

I have a republican family member, who feels that he may be unable to vote for Kerry. But he says there is no way in hell he's going to vote HVS. He will vote Kerry or sit it out. Another Rebub is voting Kerry.

Nope, I can't find a HVS voter.... course, I'm in Northern CA. I don't think they poll us here!

[DrFunkenstein]

5. It's An Emotional Thing, But Not Always Likeability

There's also the ability to inspire confidence and trust, a feeling that the candidate not only knows, but actually cares enough about your problems to make a difference, and someone who will keep them comfortable (which this year also means safe).

I think perhaps the word you are looking for is "genuine," not likeable.

[Unstuck In Time]

15. I think you've nailed it.

And that's why JK has been just on fire ever since the debates. Millions and millions of people have seen him for who he is, free of the GOP smearspin -- a genuinely good man, intelligent, caring and sincere in his commitment to our country.

:)

[Neecy]

6. dunno

I disagree with your premise, though, about political likability. I know the media has pushed the concept of how 'likable' BunnyBoy is, but they never mention how a large portion of the population finds him absolutely repulsive from a personality standpoint. The first debate completely shattered the 'likability' myth, although we'll still have it rammed down our throats between now and election day.

I think the problem is that his base is either Christian evangelicals, who believe in forgiveness through the grace of God for sins, so nothing evil he does will ever shake them. The other part of his base are the wealthy who want to shift the tax burden to the middle class and the individual states - they sure won't change. That's his whole 'likability' in a nutshell - and I don't think it'll be enough to put him over the top this year, not with the problems in the country today as you cited.

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. It's because of Reagan. He exemplified likability over substance.

And every repug since has tried to fashion himself in his image. As much as I detested the man, I often found myself pulled in, laughing at his quips.

When Bush tries the same thing it falls flat, because HE IS NO ACTOR! And that's all that Reagan had. Reagan was just Goldwater, with charm. Still, the Bushites will themselves to believe that Bush has the same qualities, when he obviously doesn't. Willing suspension of disbelief.

[gula]

8. Unfortunately we live in an image over substance world.

I warn you this is truly scary stuff but this article is a must read for anybody wondering how on earth the moron can have such strong support.

[demokatgurrl]

11. link?

[gula]

20. Ooops, sorry

Here it is: The covert kingdom http://www.counterpunch.org/bageant05252004.html

[TheFarseer]

10. How can anyone who watched the debates

think bush is more likeable? He looked frazzled and angry to me. Kerry looked calm and in control.

[pacalo]

12. I don't pay attention to polls.

All I have to do is look at all the masses of hungry Americans attending the Kerry/Edwards rallies to know that Kerry's ahead. Consider, also, the record numbers who are registering to vote this year. People want a change & they want real leadership from a real leader. The GOP figurehead dunce has to go!

[johnnyrocket]

13. The GOP is SO scummy, its incredible they win any election...

I just don't get it.

[KoKo]

14. Media Brainwashing. Turning Elections into Sports/Games. And the

money that's to be made from Repug Aministrations and the weakening of the Democratic Party by Lobbyists and insiders who reap the same rewards as the Repugs.

[cmf]

16. The media decides for us

plain and simple. People assume that just because we're guaranteed freedom of speech that somehow the press isn't controlled tightly. It may not be controlled by the government, but it is controlled by very powerful men who have an interest in how elections turn out.

[many a good man]

17. Its more than that

I think a lot of Americans have this weird concept of loyalty where they think as Americans they must hold allegiance to the commander-in-chief in a time of war. They think the only appropriate time to voice their opinion is on election day. That's why Kerry's overwhelming landslide will shock pollsters...

[Strawman]

19. Anti-intellectualism plays a role too

Some "folks" who either can't grasp the issues or are too lazy to try view the choice as an opportunity to either affirm or reject the personality types of each candidate. Many are mistrustful or even resentful of intellectuals like Kerry. They want to put him in his place for thinking he is so goddamn smart. They think all his talking is just a bunch of hot air. They prefer a man of thoughtless action. Someone who reacts from the gut like a toddler and only thinks to justify that gut reaction after the fact. They love the simplicity of Bush's logic. By their thinking, the Middle East is fucked up, Arabs hate us, we can dick around and try to do all this alliance crap or inspections or sanctions that Kerry is talking about, or we could just get on with it and bomb the shit out of the motherfuckers, send a message not to mess with Texas, and be done with it. Who cares if Iraq did it or Al Queda? They all look the same on the news when they're jumping up and down in the street chanting that they hate America. We don't have to be nice to them. They'd kill us in a heartbeat if they could, so they deserve it. Plus it's for their own good because we'll make them like us which deep down is what they want, even if they don't know it yet. Nice simple answer for nice simple muricans.

Some people will choose even the most senseless killing over cognitive dissonance. And the fucked up thing is that it's often the same guy that gives you a freindly wave when you drive down your street or the same guy who thoughtfully shovels an old lady's snow in the winter who thinks that way. Good people ignorantly affirming evil. I'll never understand it. It's sad and it depresses the fuck out of me to really think about it quite frankly.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

21. Repugs beleive

Chimpy won the third debate on substance. WTF ?

[Commendatori]

22. I think it's important - not that Bush is likeable, but

Kerry is not at all. I don't like the guy at all and simply cringed when he said "I don't fall down, the son of a bitch knocked me down" about his Secret Service agent.

I still think Kerry will win, but if Edwards or Clark had gotten the nomination, this race would already be over.

[HFishbine]

23. "we are a 50/50 nation"

Are we? So we are lead to believe but I'm very much looking forward to finding out for certain.

[tom_paine]

24. The most powerful propaganda machine in human history

Goebbels v2.0 extends it's tentacles in many directions. It was allowed 20 years to incubate and metastasize unopposed.

Hell, many in the German Social Democratic Leadership...errr...Democratic Leadership STILL don;t realize what is happening.

[liberal N proud]

26. It is the brain washing that the RW has done to people like

The Christians and the Military.

[yellowcanine]

27. In 1980 Reagan was not significantly ahead of Carter at this point.

And he won by how many electoral votes?