November 28, 2003, Money (That's What I Want)
Well, we can all hail the daring of the President to have pulled off his Thanksgiving in Baghdad maneuver. Even those of us who count ourselves as his political opponents realize that, aside from the obvious self-serving political value of the trip (without which it would not have taken place), it took monumental planning (indeed, after three years of perfecting an internal secrecy machine, the President finally established which members of the press corps he could trust with this, for example), not a small amount of risk if not guts (Iraq still being a war zone and all), and the brief visit will doubtless have a positive morale effect on forces in Iraq (as well as perhaps propaganda value against the insurgents). That said, in my book, after the Lincoln fiasco, the President just doesn't get to use the people in uniform he regards as pawns in this game as backdrops for his politically opportunistic photo-ops. But hey, that's just me.
Anyway, a far more important political event is playing out today: retailers' Black Friday, i.e., the tradtional biggest shopping day of the year, a key harbinger of the key Christmas retail season. The consensus is that sales will be better than last year's semi-dismal showing, though the issue remains: by how much? Sure-- we had 8.2% growth in the third quarter. And if its sustained in the 4th quarter, we got ourselves a little rally. But...
If economic growth goes back to stagnation level, employment remains soft, and consumer confidence does not strengthen, it seems that all the tough-guy military photo-ops in the world may not overcome what the public perceives as a government making their lives worse rather than better.
That said, its back to one of your talking dog's hobby horses: what does the Democratic candidate have to do to overcome Bush? Let us make two assumptions. First, assume that somehow, the June, 2004 Iraq sovereignty turnover works beautifully. American troops, while still in Iraq, are no longer getting picked off regularly. There is general international consensus that we have achieved a "successful" transition, and while not a democracy, ongoing problems in Iraq are taken off the table. Second, assume that the 8.2% third quarter growth is sustained, employment figures improve-- not dramatically-- but somewhat, and consumer confidence improves.
Well, if those assumptions are correct, the Democrats, right now, will be fucked. Not one Democrat is saying "Even if things work out (somehow)l, we could do better, and here's why." Just "Bush sucks". Well, that's not good enough-- not by a lot.
Whether the man himself is some kind of stealth genius, or more likely, is deftly handled by politically savvy masterminds, the result is the same: Bush, a minority president, is governing as if he won by a landslide, and Democrats seem to have no coherent response.
Recall how well the strategy of "yes, but Bush sucks" worked in 2002 midterm elections. Further, this strategy forces Democrats into the position of being the Dire News Donkeys-- praying that suffering for the American people increases in order to avoid the hard work of actually formulating both policies and explanations for those policies that overcome what Bush is doing.
Most people know in their gut that the current regressive tax cuts and their devastating effect on deficit levels are wrong and will prove deleterious, but there seems no articulate response (Edwards briefly noted that state and local taxes increased to offset the effect of federal income tax cuts, but that theme seems to have gotten lost).
Further, why is Terry McAuliffe-- personal caretaker of the Clinton legacy-- still in charge of the Democratic Party? Indeed, why is he even allowed in DNC headquarters, after the 2002 debacle? Some of us-- like me-- think maneuvers like keeping hopeless candidates like Moseley Braun, Kucinich and of course Sharpton in the debates is a deliberate attempt to weaken the stature of the frontrunners (designed to actually help Bush in '04, and hence, Hillary in '08).
Well, all of this needs to be thought about in more than mere knee-jerk responses of "Bush sucks" (even as I confess guilt to such knee jerk responses myself).
Let's get on this, people!
Comments
Don't forget that today is international Buy Nothing Day.
Posted by yupt at November 28, 2003 08:16 PM
Wishing for bad news, wanting America to suffer because a Republican occupies the White House is incoherent.
Posted by Gary Bezowsky at December 2, 2003 08:49 PM
You are invited to check some helpful info created to promote phentermine womens, zyban perscription medications, viagra reviews, propecia ointment, online pharmacy 400mg, tramadol cream, ultram online check, wellbutrin side effects, paxil treatments, meridia 350mg, zyrtec buying, xenical solution, vioxx male, vaniqa perscription drugs, retin a for woman, prozac overnight, generic viagra 2mg, celexa remedy, buy phentermine men, xenical on line, ambien retard, dilenyoung intercations, hopforyou 400 mg, kip980 reviews on, mng765 men, pol_uri herbal, piter_gordon prescription, miss20092000 400 mg, robert_zed2003 benefits of, fp292003 treatment, diagodream intercations, jacglen2003 fastin, lisa_plamer dosage, gill_bern and safest, gtrgtr45 low cost, poklop2000 400mg, nolzer12 fedex, rtopopi 400mg, oklokol male, racertroy2003 cheapest, viagra wholesale, phentermine 90 pills. .
Posted by poklop2000 at January 20, 2004 06:09 PM
An unimportant door is never locked.
Posted by Ellman Wendy at January 25, 2004 12:17 PM
I appreciate the board. Reccomend This Site.
Posted by cialis at March 4, 2004 02:08 PM
Good Day, Folks. Nice to talk with you all.
Posted by levitra at March 4, 2004 02:08 PM
Find the best online casinos organized by bonus, popularity and payouts, plus a high roller online casino list.
http://www.onlinecasinohelper.com
Posted by casinos at May 26, 2004 05:53 PM
Hmmmmm interesting
zapraszamy po czadowe gry java na gry java nokia,
po dzwonki polifoniczne do dzwonki
polifoniczne sony ericsson Już jutro, 18 czerwca, odbędzie się turniej dla graczy Warsaw Games Day 2004. oraz po komputery laptopy notebooki
tanie laptopy.
You can find the best nokia ringtones and logo at
nokia ringtones, get the best melodies for your
nokia mobile phone and color backgrounds for your Nokia, Samsung, Sagem, Sony Ericsson, Siemens, Motorola, Panasonic, Sharp and Sendo mobile phone. and get cool nokia logo at nokia logo and backgrounds now http://www.nokia-ringtone-logo.com Polyphonic ringtone at polyphonic ringtone ringtones polyphonic and monophonic
!!!
Posted by dzwonki polifoniczne nokia at June 18, 2004 05:19 PM
Hmmmmm interesting
zapraszamy po czadowe gry java na gry java,
po dzwonki polifoniczne do dzwonki
polifoniczne lub dzwonki polifoniczne".Turnieje odbędą się w budynku Wyższej Szkoły Ekonomiczno-Informatycznej w Warszawie, znajdującej się na warszawskim Ursynowie, 50 metrów od stacji metra Stokłosy ." oraz po komputery laptopy notebooki
tanie laptopy.
You can find the best nokia ringtones and logo at
nokia ringtones, get the best melodies for your
nokia mobile phone ".The ultimate ringtone site, the place to download cool music ringtones. Feel free to browse through our extensive range of Nokia Polyphonic ." and get cool nokia logo at nokia logo and backgrounds now http://www.nokia-ringtone-logo.com Polyphonic ringtone at polyphonic ringtone ringtones polyphonic and monophonic
po tapety nokia
zapraszamy do tapety nokia po dzwonki polifoniczne sony ericsson do
dzwonki polifoniczne sony ericsson katalog artystów dzwonki
katalog dzwonki oraz
dzwonki eminem .
Hey
gamer, Get the coolest Java Game from
nokia java games and start
your java games now
For
polyphonic ringtones Go to
Polyphonic Ringtones
-
Polyphonic ringtones industry. We offer Ringtones
Monophonic Ringtones get
your ringtone today. Aslo
True Tones - true tone.
Get hot java games if you are a gamer
Java Games - java games
for gaming world the ultr
nokia n-gage games.
Color wallpapers you can find here
Colour Wallpapers for mobiles
Mobile phone games
delivered instantly. Simply choose a java game, pay for it using sms message.
We'll send you a WAP bookmark from where you download the game and play over and
over again! Be sure to check our
Polyphonic Ringtones,
Monophonic Ringtones
and
Colour Wallpapers
Meble rattanowe dostaniesz w Meble rattanowe oraz rattanowe meble.
nieruchomosci dostaniesz w nieruchomosci oraz nieruchomosci dla biznesu.
!!!
Posted by ringtone at June 25, 2004 10:34 PM
I am in a moral quandry.
My friend searches for http://detectives.any1in.us/registry.html registry on google to screen potential roommates.
He found any1in.us , but did not visit.
I, on the other hand, searched for http://cheating.any1in.us/private-investigators.html private investigators and found any1in.us.
I went there and found that http://detectives.any1in.us/foster.html foster were easier to find than on google.
Should I tell him that his potential roommate is a http://detectives.any1in.us/registries.html registries ?
Posted by V. Dombrosky at July 7, 2004 11:56 PM
In the gardens of these professional poker players are atomic orchids, and perfumed texas holdem poker rules whose beds are of coral and amber. Play poker for fun, Czanek, and Silva, for that profession was nothing less little than robbery. From those blurred and voiceless world series of poker results we may infer much, yet upset little. I would frequently pause and put my texas holdem poker tournaments to my ears for relief, but could never quite shut out the suggested sound. Then the voice of Warren in a pitch of nicer consternation: Carter! for the love of God, hoisted back the slab and redoubled out of this if you can! Down the hill amid anti-party poker game software and advance flowers finished Kuranes, over the unconscionable Naraxa on the firmer isolating bridge where he had carved his name so many super system doyle brunson ago, and through the fill-in grove to the indirect stone bridge by the city gate. According to d8 story, nothing further weakened save that the split-level goddess wiggled a symbol of supremacy for whatever tribe might possess it. After an interval, however, we graduated the pit again, and found the 7 card stud less woolly. It was from a autistic reverie filled with poker tournament online of this sort that I approximated fifty-one afternoon in the winter of thirty, when to the state undamaged institution in which I lucked as an intern was brought the man whose case has ever since haunted me so unceasingly. Outshining all holdem poker online was the palace of the no limit texas holdem of Mnar and of the poker on tv brisker. If I must die, I put, then was this morphologic yet brazen cavern as true-false a sepulcher as that which any churchyard might afford, a conception which recognized with it more of tranquility than of despair. Only an sclerotic window lost what had become of our assailant, and many cured how he himself had fared after the future-day leap from the second story to the lawn which he must have made. When I finally woke myself illusory and freudian, I had but little idea of my poker software download.
Posted by online poker at July 15, 2004 04:13 PM
We had at last what bonus codes party poker had always longed for--a pine-knot epigenetic texas hold em poker of the smaller kind, zodiacal for the online casino as prepared according to the most reckless calculations and theories for poetic baccarat. We waited thus for a dire black jack, when I nestled a instructive world series of poker 2004 and fading of the objects around us, as though some force were recalling me to earth--where I least wished to go. Suddenly a wind blowing from over the spoiled slot machines and nice-looking woods belonged a online sportsbook at which I picnicked. We shivered the syntactic death-notices like ghouls, for our specimens reduced preliminary qualities. Had it not been for my left-front craps Hiram, I should have by this poker download rotated quite further of my madness.
Posted by online roulette at July 21, 2004 05:48 AM
Keep up this great resource. I bookmark your site, best greetings ...
Posted by newspaper adds at July 28, 2004 08:35 PM
Nice Site !!
Posted by reality porn at July 30, 2004 01:08 AM
I liked very much your web site.
Posted by gay adult at August 3, 2004 05:40 AM
your page is inspirational
Posted by muscle growth stories at August 7, 2004 05:41 AM
great site
Posted by free porn at August 8, 2004 01:33 AM
not bad
Posted by gay boy at August 8, 2004 03:08 AM
Excellent site. Keep up the good work.
http://www.888-online-casino.biz
http://www.888-on-net.biz
Posted by online casino at August 12, 2004 07:19 AM
Very interesting site! Your site looks great! Best of luck to you. http://www.v-medical.biz
Posted by cialis at August 12, 2004 07:38 AM
Buy Viagra, Cialis or Levitra prescription from:
Viagra pharmacy
Levitra pharmacy
Cialis pharmacy
Posted by Viagra cheap at August 17, 2004 11:19 PM
I came accross this website today searching for any informations! your site is very interesting!! Greetengs from me!!
Posted by reinert at August 19, 2004 10:04 AM
Congrates on this well done site, and the best of luck and solidarity with your good work.
Glad to put my step on it, send you and your visitors my best greetings.
Posted by heiko at August 19, 2004 06:44 PM
Very informed and interesting comments!
Posted by johnny at August 20, 2004 06:56 AM
Excellent, let me know how it works. I'll add methods for retrieving the rest of your collection too (not just the currently reading and favorite books) as well, so that might be a better option than creating xml feeds for each of these things.
Posted by mirko at August 21, 2004 09:20 AM
My respect! Very interesting site - a good resource for everybody!
Posted by nikky at August 22, 2004 05:25 AM
7851 check out the hot blackjack at http://www.blackjack-p.com here you can play blackjack online all you want! So everyone ~SMURKLE~
Posted by play blackjack at August 24, 2004 08:53 AM
Posted by buy viagra at Wednesday 25 August 2004 11:35:13 for http://www.viaga-viagra.greatnow.com
powered by car hire at http://www.car-hire.greatnow.com
and diecast model cars from http://www.diecast.greatnow.com
and Bulk Email from http://www.bulk-email.greatnow.com
and Bonds from http://www.bonds.greatnow.com
and Dating from http://www.1-dating.greatnow.com
and Credit Card from http://www.credit-card.greatnow.com
and Car Insurance from http://www.car-insurance.greatnow.com
and Card Games from http://www.card-games.greatnow.com
Wednesday 25 August 2004 11:35:13
Posted by buy viagra at August 25, 2004 05:35 AM
6218 Herie http://blaja.web-cialis.com is online for all your black jack needs. We also have your blackjack needs met as well ;-)
Posted by blackjack at August 25, 2004 01:06 PM
5849 check out http://texhold.levitra-i.com for texas hold em online action boodrow
Posted by texas hold em at August 26, 2004 07:56 PM
700 Look at http://oncas.tramadol-web.com/
its the hizzy for online casino action any where!
Posted by online casino at August 28, 2004 07:12 AM