Potentially good news from the capitalist crowd--if the vote is counted.

[Talismom]

APRIL 24, 2006

NEWS: ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

Flight Of The Investor Class
Defections are endangering the GOP's hold on power


The investor class is souring on George W. Bush and the Republicans. People who call themselves investors (and they aren't all rich) are part of the reason Bush's approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low. Hitoshi Tada has voted for the President twice, but the 27-year-old St. Louis resident and mutual fund investor says he's disappointed by Bush's "seeming lack of direction or progress on any front." Tada, who describes himself as "conservative across the board," isn't impressed by the management skills of America's first MBA President. "He certainly delegates and lets others screw up," Tada says. He calls the scandal- ridden Republican Congress "a hapless, self-serving mess."

(snip)

The President, who received the votes of 61% of investors in 2004, now gets favorable job approval ratings from just 43%, according to Zogby International Inc., a nonpartisan polling firm. Investors' complaints include the Administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Dubai Ports deal, the management of the Iraq war, the $8.2 trillion national debt, soaring gasoline prices, and immigration policy. "A comfortable investor class votes its values and favors Republicans," says pollster Thomas H. Riehle of RT Strategies. "A nervous investor class votes its fears and punishes Republican incumbents."

That's what Republicans worry about most in 2006. Defections among this group could hugely affect midterm elections. Even if Republicans win a bare majority of investors by holding half of those who have soured on Bush, the decline from past levels would amount to a 3.5 percentage point shift in the national vote toward Democrats. "It could make the difference between winning and losing in a number of congressional districts," says GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio.

(snip)

For Bush, the fall has been swift. Pollster John Zogby says the President's decline started with the bungled reaction to Katrina. Two years ago investors were 20 percentage points more likely to vote for Bush than were noninvestors. Now investors' views of Bush more closely mirror national norms. "To investors, Katrina turned out to be more of a defining moment than 9/11," says Zogby.

http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/06_17/b3981044.htm?chan=gl

[ShortnFiery]

1. Now if we can only convince the "investor class" that HUMAN RIGHTS

are to be valued with a little less zeal for outsourcing American jobs?

Gee, would it hurt the CEOs to retire with 100 vice 400 million given that a few WORKERS' RIGHTS laws were established and adhered too?

How do you get the ULTRA-GREEDY to settle for just plain GREEDY?

A true win-win situation for all of humanity.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Oh, but think of the shareholders!

Everything is done in the name of the almighty shareholder, supposedly. Of, course, if the CEO can make few bucks along the way...

[Kolesar]

3. 43% favorable job approval ratings--stupid investors

I oughtta, gotta find a way to fleece those dumb-fucks.

[Talismom]

4. LOL! I like yer attitude! n/t