Boosh gets bad news
Democracy in action. Maybe not in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but certainly across the nation the people have decided to "throw the bums out." The House is now the domain of Nancy Pelosi (aka the Poisonous Dwarf) and even the Senate is at risk.
So what happened? In Mass., an apparently nice guy was elected largely because the Healey campaign decided to use attack ads. In retrospect (and even last month) it was clear that people don't want to hear bad things about someone that they WANT to like. It was a turn-off. And Healey really didn't have much a record to run on either. Healey's turning her back on Mihos and (who was the Green candidate, again?) to focus on Dooval during the debates was graceless, and ugly. The results show it.
Nationally, it is clear that the left succeeded in focusing attention on Iraq as the key issue for the vote. It proves that if you bombard the people with negative information and make it clear who is to blame, you can drum up the sentiment to oust the party and people responsible -- and Boosh is not a likeable character like Dooval, not even close.
Democrats are loudly proclaiming a "mandate" ... but it must be asked "to do what?" Nowhere have the Democrats put up a plan to do anything. You cannot claim that this election was won on "the issues" because that implies of necessity that there are differences in approach to given problems. The Democrats have failed to come up with ANY new approaches with which to create "issues." Look for the "solutions" to illegal immigration or the war on Iraq ... you can't find them.
Thus, the election was won by pointing out the bad -- and Boosh's handling of Iraq is inexcuseable -- and avoiding answering questions that might be inconvenient, such as: "what would you do if you were in power?" We shall see what that is starting now. Also note that control of the press was key in this regard: the press did not report or expose the fact that the Democrats have no solutions either -- instead they managed to make this a spite election. Not a good omen for the next two years.
Also, the timing of the various scandals has been masterful on the part of the DNC strategists: a constant parade of new allegations, bad news from Iraq and new "scandals" -- I heard one gleeful DNC operative last night crowing about the emotional impact on voters of "Foleygate" ... Foleygate? Are we ever going to be able to drop the "gate" suffix? Or is it to be reserved forever for GOP problems? For goodness sake, Foley (R) never had sex with any of his aides -- but Studds (D) bragged about it. But the press is not even handed.
It should be interesting to see how Katie Couric reports on the elections tonight: if we remember in 2004, she cried on the Today show in anger and frustration at Boosh's re-election. She should be happier than than a junkie in the police evidence lock-up tonight.
As a registered independent, I am ambivalent about the results, really. I abhor that Pelosi is speaker of the house, I detest that the Commonwealth has become a one-party state, and I am furious that voters have been emotionally manipulated by the press. But it does provide a golden opportunity for the system to cleanse itself. We will see (again -- we apparently need periodic reminding) what a one party state will mean to Massachusetts. It will be ugly. And it will take years after Dooval is gone to repair.
Nationally, Boosh needed a (excuse the term, but it seems apt) "bitch-slapping" to perhaps induce him to remove his head from his rectum. For the GOP, it also presents an once-in-a-generation opportunity to rehab from the lurch to the right that put them in this mess. You see, the Democrats won this election while taking a huge step to the left in the process. Iraq and Boosh's arrogance and ineptitude permitted it -- or even invited it -- and the left took the chance. The GOP, IF THERE IS ANYONE AWAKE OVER THERE, has the opening to move back to the center and fill the space left by the Clintons when Dean and Pelosi took over the DNC. While I would prefer to see the rise of a third party -- the Lieberman Party? -- if I can't get that, perhaps the GOP might find a way to include me and people like me once again.
First, the GOP needs to do some house-cleaning: (1) fire Rumsfeld; (2) force Cheney to retire; (3) sack Karl Rove; (4) dump the far right from all positions of influence and power ... they will still vote GOP because they have no place to go anyway; (5) save the DNC scandals for the run-up year to the election; (6) purge twisted bastards like Foley from the party; (7) get rid of the Santorum-like liabilities; (8) turn inwards from foreign adventurism (let the Iraqis kill themselves, don't commit troops, let the Europeans step up to their ambitions, extend an olive branch to Latin America); (9) get a grip on our trade deficit; (10) fight pork in the House; and (11) create a new medium for getting its message to the people. Oh, shut Boosh the f@@@ up.
For the next election the GOP needs to present intelligent people, articulate people ... and hopefully someone with a minority background. Condi for president?
So what happened? In Mass., an apparently nice guy was elected largely because the Healey campaign decided to use attack ads. In retrospect (and even last month) it was clear that people don't want to hear bad things about someone that they WANT to like. It was a turn-off. And Healey really didn't have much a record to run on either. Healey's turning her back on Mihos and (who was the Green candidate, again?) to focus on Dooval during the debates was graceless, and ugly. The results show it.
Nationally, it is clear that the left succeeded in focusing attention on Iraq as the key issue for the vote. It proves that if you bombard the people with negative information and make it clear who is to blame, you can drum up the sentiment to oust the party and people responsible -- and Boosh is not a likeable character like Dooval, not even close.
Democrats are loudly proclaiming a "mandate" ... but it must be asked "to do what?" Nowhere have the Democrats put up a plan to do anything. You cannot claim that this election was won on "the issues" because that implies of necessity that there are differences in approach to given problems. The Democrats have failed to come up with ANY new approaches with which to create "issues." Look for the "solutions" to illegal immigration or the war on Iraq ... you can't find them.
Thus, the election was won by pointing out the bad -- and Boosh's handling of Iraq is inexcuseable -- and avoiding answering questions that might be inconvenient, such as: "what would you do if you were in power?" We shall see what that is starting now. Also note that control of the press was key in this regard: the press did not report or expose the fact that the Democrats have no solutions either -- instead they managed to make this a spite election. Not a good omen for the next two years.
Also, the timing of the various scandals has been masterful on the part of the DNC strategists: a constant parade of new allegations, bad news from Iraq and new "scandals" -- I heard one gleeful DNC operative last night crowing about the emotional impact on voters of "Foleygate" ... Foleygate? Are we ever going to be able to drop the "gate" suffix? Or is it to be reserved forever for GOP problems? For goodness sake, Foley (R) never had sex with any of his aides -- but Studds (D) bragged about it. But the press is not even handed.
It should be interesting to see how Katie Couric reports on the elections tonight: if we remember in 2004, she cried on the Today show in anger and frustration at Boosh's re-election. She should be happier than than a junkie in the police evidence lock-up tonight.
As a registered independent, I am ambivalent about the results, really. I abhor that Pelosi is speaker of the house, I detest that the Commonwealth has become a one-party state, and I am furious that voters have been emotionally manipulated by the press. But it does provide a golden opportunity for the system to cleanse itself. We will see (again -- we apparently need periodic reminding) what a one party state will mean to Massachusetts. It will be ugly. And it will take years after Dooval is gone to repair.
Nationally, Boosh needed a (excuse the term, but it seems apt) "bitch-slapping" to perhaps induce him to remove his head from his rectum. For the GOP, it also presents an once-in-a-generation opportunity to rehab from the lurch to the right that put them in this mess. You see, the Democrats won this election while taking a huge step to the left in the process. Iraq and Boosh's arrogance and ineptitude permitted it -- or even invited it -- and the left took the chance. The GOP, IF THERE IS ANYONE AWAKE OVER THERE, has the opening to move back to the center and fill the space left by the Clintons when Dean and Pelosi took over the DNC. While I would prefer to see the rise of a third party -- the Lieberman Party? -- if I can't get that, perhaps the GOP might find a way to include me and people like me once again.
First, the GOP needs to do some house-cleaning: (1) fire Rumsfeld; (2) force Cheney to retire; (3) sack Karl Rove; (4) dump the far right from all positions of influence and power ... they will still vote GOP because they have no place to go anyway; (5) save the DNC scandals for the run-up year to the election; (6) purge twisted bastards like Foley from the party; (7) get rid of the Santorum-like liabilities; (8) turn inwards from foreign adventurism (let the Iraqis kill themselves, don't commit troops, let the Europeans step up to their ambitions, extend an olive branch to Latin America); (9) get a grip on our trade deficit; (10) fight pork in the House; and (11) create a new medium for getting its message to the people. Oh, shut Boosh the f@@@ up.
For the next election the GOP needs to present intelligent people, articulate people ... and hopefully someone with a minority background. Condi for president?
posted by Zaphod at Wednesday, November 08, 2006
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