The uneasy Republicans

[ASsman]

"The US presidential candidates have been arguing about it. The American media talk constantly about it. And the opinion polls have been asking voters about it.
But just how much will the war in Iraq affect the November elections? Hugh Sykes found evidence that, with mounting US casualties, the answer could be "quite a lot"."


"The war and its aftermath is costing billions of dollars to a nation with huge trade and budget deficits.

And it's costing lives.

The American death toll is clocking steadily up towards 1,000 and the number of seriously injured is about 7,000 - a figure scarcely reported here.

That cartoon appearing in a newspaper in Fayetteville is significant. Fayetteville is the small, heartland American town alongside Fort Bragg, the largest military base on this continent. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3562470.stm

[ASsman]

"One army wife, Jessie Bigby, summed up her unease when she told me:

"There was an attack on America on 9/11. We knew who did it. We went after him.

"But then we lost our focus and went after Saddam Hussein who had nothing to do with it. And they tried to tell us that he did.

"And we know that he didn't. So now we can't trust the president any more." "

She figured it out... WHY CAN'T YOU!

[travesty]

Fayetteville is the small, heartland American town alongside Fort Bragg, the largest military base on this continent. "


Actually, more affectionately know to those in NC as "Fayette-Nam" this is not a small, heartland town at all. It is the armpit of the East Coast and the third most populus city in NC behind Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham. It is a DUMP. One of the largest Air Foce bases (Pope) is there also. Johnston County has led the state in violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, sexual assault) for more than a decade. It really got bad after Clinton's military consolidation plan when Ft. Bragg exploded in numbers. The problems that most military base towns have are exponentially worse there. A poorly paid, uneducated, high turnover populus is not a good recipe for strong civics.

Anyhow, just a side note on Fayetteville, NC.

[Ace42]

Actually, more affectionately know to those in NC as "Fayette-Nam" this is not a small, heartland town at all. It is the armpit of the East Coast and the third most populus city in NC behind Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham. It is a DUMP. One of the largest Air Foce bases (Pope) is there also. Johnston County has led the state in violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, sexual assault) for more than a decade. It really got bad after Clinton's military consolidation plan when Ft. Bragg exploded in numbers. The problems that most military base towns have are exponentially worse there. A poorly paid, uneducated, high turnover populus is not a good recipe for strong civics.

Anyhow, just a side note on Fayetteville, NC.

Very interesting, as I think that supports a lot of what I was saying in the "who cares if Bush" thread.

[sam i am]

Thought it would be interesting to resuscitate this thread since it proved to be wrong.

[DroppinScience]

Thought it would be interesting to resuscitate this thread since it proved to be wrong.

Maybe so, but you should be planning for this November (which will be COSTLY for the GOP) instead of retreating to the nostalgia of when Bush had "political capital."

Guess what? It's spent now. :rolleyes:

[sam i am]

Maybe so, but you should be planning for this November (which will be COSTLY for the GOP) instead of retreating to the nostalgia of when Bush had "political capital."

Guess what? It's spent now. :rolleyes:

I'm semi-worried about 2006, but I stick by my previous prediction that the GOP will retain control of both houses of Congress and that Bush will NOT be impeached.

Also, Alito will be confirmed.

Book it.

[DroppinScience]

I'm semi-worried about 2006, but I stick by my previous prediction that the GOP will retain control of both houses of Congress and that Bush will NOT be impeached.

That will be because he resigns before any impeachment trials commence. Then President Cheney will pardon him and then he'll lose the 2008 election for this reason.

...and then I woke up. ;)

[DroppinScience]

I'm semi-worried about 2006, but I stick by my previous prediction that the GOP will retain control of both houses of Congress and that Bush will NOT be impeached.

Also, Alito will be confirmed.

Book it.

Anyways, to be semi-serious for a moment, how do you think the GOP will be able to withstand all the bad shit that's happening to them (i.e. all these corruption investigations, especially in light of this Abramoff affair). It strikes me these guys are too busy getting indicted to campaign for their seats...

[sam i am]

Anyways, to be semi-serious for a moment, how do you think the GOP will be able to withstand all the bad shit that's happening to them (i.e. all these corruption investigations, especially in light of this Abramoff affair). It strikes me these guys are too busy getting indicted to campaign for their seats...

It all comes back to demographics and the way districts have been gerrymanderred by BOTH parties over the past 20 years or so.

There are few, if any, truly competitive seats out there anymore because there's been agreement by both major parties to draw lines that exclude competition.

Until we either have independent redrawing of districts or a major sea-change in electoral involvement by the mass of the American people comes about, the likelihood of major shifts in the current configuration of Congress is well-nigh nil.