Ok, are people starting to get pissed off at Bush, or is this a bad indicator for results like in 2004?
Update [2005-1-9 16:50:51 by pdc90dem]:
2008 Presidential Preference
Democrat 48
Republican 44
Maybe this is pointless, but then again maybe not.
Okay, maybe that headline is an exageration(hopefully), however that is what I thought when I heard about this. The Bush administration is firing a very large number of CIA operatives. Now don't we need to have a big shake-up at the CIA after 9-11? Bush's specific critieria for his purge is operatives in opposition to his administration and his agenda. Yes, that's right, Bush is kicking out all of the sane people in the government, and replacing them with radicals who are loyal to him above the American people. This is what is characteristic of many democratically(although for Bush that's still in some doubt) elected leaders who want to take control as a dictator. It may be and extreme theory, but there are very few other explanations. Original Story
WASHINGTON -- The White House has ordered the new CIA director, Porter Goss, to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President George W. Bush or of leaking damaging information to the media about the conduct of the Iraq war and the hunt for Osama bin Laden, according to knowledgeable sources. "The agency is being purged on instructions from the White House," said a former senior CIA official who maintains close ties to both the agency and to the White House. "Goss was given instructions ... to get rid of those soft leakers and liberal Democrats. The CIA is looked on by the White House as a hotbed of liberals and people who have been obstructing the president's agenda."
Call your congressman. Call your senator. Write your newspaper. Do something. This may seem a paranoid rant, but I can't take anymore radical moves and violations of civil liberties from Bush and the Republicans. Be looking for PATRIOT Act III. I may eat crow later, but I think its coming. If it happens...well, pray it dosen't.
For what ever it's worth......
McLaughlin & Associates (R)
Nov. 2, 2004. N=1,000 Nov. 2004 general election voters nationwide.
2008 Republican Primary
Among Republicans and Independents
Rudy Giuliani 30
John McCain 18
Jeb Bush 5
Bill Frist 2
George Pataki 2
Mitt Romney 1
Bill Owens 1
Unsure 40
2008 Democratic Primary
Among Democrats and Independents
Hillary Clinton 27
John Kerry 16
John Edwards 7
Al Gore 4
Howard Dean 4
Evan Bayh 3
Wesley Clark 2
Barack Obama 2
Harold Ford Jr. 1
Mark Warner 1
Unsure 35
The Senate passed a $137 billion tax bill that, by the time lawmakers on both sides got done with it, was loaded with special interest tax breaks. I have to admit, however, that the bill does contain many parts that will allow our companies to be more competitive in the global economy and reward them for producing goods inside the U.S. Still, this bill has been overloaded with unnecessary spending and tax breaks.
These include:
$10 billion buyout program for tobacco farmers. ("What," You say "Shouldn't we producing less tobacco?" Actually the same bill denies the right for the FDA to regulate tobacco products. The spending is really about lawmakers trying to impress their constintuents with a large load of pork in an election year.)
$231 million in tax breaks for special "green bonds" to finance four big shopping malls. One of those malls is Destiny USA, a $2.2 billion project planned for Syracuse.(The reason one of the ones who pushed this amendment through is Sen. Chuck Schumer, from New York.)
$495 million in tax breaks for shipbuilders over a ten-year period.(chief supporter, Sen. Olympia Snowe, of Maine)
$336 million in tax breaks for Movie Studios
Senator John McCain calls it "the worst example of the influence of special-interest groups I have ever seen." A horrendous part of this bill is that while Politicians are able to push through billions of special interest spending, despite a $2 trillion deficit, they are unable to spare a penny for our soldiers, who are risking their lives to protect America. The house republicans dropped a provision that would give tax breaks to businesses that continue to pay the salaries of military reservists who are called up to active duty. Senator Mary Landrieu had this to say: "There is $137 billion in this bill, and the only people who aren't in here are the men and women taking bullets on the front lines. What is someone going to tell me? That we don't have enough money? What is this?" It is sad that so many politicians let politics come before the good of the country.
asterik=within MoE
Kerry wins Arkansas*, Flordia*, Iowa*, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada*, New Hampshire*, New Mexico, , Ohio*, Oregon, Pennsylvannia, Washington, and Wisconsin*, plus other Gore States for 322 Electoral Votes.
Bush wins Missouri*, Tennessee*, and West Virginia*, plus other Bush states for 216 Electoral Votes.
It's 250 to 189 outside of the margin of error.
Very good news for Kerry
I'm sorry, I don't subscribe to Zogby, so I can't tell you what the numbers for Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Arizona are, however, If there are any subscribers I think we would all appreciate it if you post those numbers.
The republican party recently distributed flyers in Arkansas, my home state, claiming that Liberals want to "ban the bible." They were hoping to rally religious voters for President Bush. You know, I'm not saying that there isn't anyone that is that radical, but to say Liberals in general believe in that is absurd.
The mailings include images of the Bible labeled "banned" and of a gay marriage proposal labeled "allowed." A mailing to Arkansas residents warns: "This will be Arkansas if you don't vote." A similar mailing was sent to West Virginians.
This kind of smearing and scaring voters is now a favorite campaigning meathod of Bush and other republicans. Yes, first we have Cheney saying we will be attacked by terrorists if Kerry wins and now this. Oh, never the incumbent who has one of the worst records of all presidents on the first amendment, jailing protesters to him who commit minor crimes, that would usually only merrit a fine, or none crime at all, and taking most of their rights away for pure intimidation. Not to mention nominating John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Maybe the worst since John Adams and the Federalists who frequently jailed opposition newswriters in the early 1800's.
Senator John Edwards went on the attack saying "[President Bush] should condemn the practice immediately and tell everyone associated with the campaign to never use tactics like this again."
The mailing seeks to appeal to conservative evangelical Protestant pastors and political leaders who say they worry that legal rights for same-sex couples could lead to hate-crimes laws that could be applied against sermons of Bible passages criticizing homosexuality. Conservative Christian political commentators often cite the case of Ake Green, a minister in Sweden who was jailed in June for a month for a sermon denouncing gays as sinful.
You know the thing about it is, we have something in this country called the First Amendment. It takes care of things like that. And believe me, if the Democrats did try to pull something like that, me and about 20 million other people would be leaving the party, so I don't think it's going to happen.
Ralph Nader (Independent)-On Ballot-Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennasee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming 31 States (10 battleground)
-Legal Challenges- Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas 12 States(5 Battleground)
-Write in Candidate- Indiana 1 State
Micheal Badnarik (Libertarian)-On Ballot- Everywhere exept Oklahoma 49 States (All battleground states)
-Write in Candidate in Oklahoma-1 State
Micheal Peroutka (Constitution)-On Ballot- Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Misouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennasee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming 37 States
-Legal Challenges- New Hampshire, 1 State
This, to comfort some who worry about the "Nader Factor." Yes, mostly a media fabrication indeed. I think Bush should be much more woried about the "Badnarik Factor."
