From: Yoshie Furuhashi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Before getting to the point of actually being able to split the
Democratic and Republican Parties, we need an intermediate goal: do
what we can to make the next POTUS a weak president, rather than a
strong one. To do so, we need to decrease the shares of popular
votes that go to the Democratic and Republican presidential
candidates.
--
Yoshie
Fewer votes mean a weaker president? Dream on. GWB lost the
popular vote, and that didn't stop him from being the
rootin'-tootin'-est, sure-as-shootin'-est hombre north, south, east,
and west of the Pecos once he got into office. Mandates are for
girlie men, as the governor of CA might put it.
Carl
Actually, Bush was a weak president until 9/11/01: a big inauguration
protest, Enron, unimpressive ratings, etc. According to Fox, for
instance, Bush's approval rating during 1/24-25/01 was a mere 46%!
FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Aug. 3-4, 2004. N=900 registered
voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president?"
Approve Disapprove Don't Know
% % %
9/19-20/01 81 12 7
8/22-23/01 55 32 13
7/25-26/01 59 25 16
7/11-12/01 56 30 14
6/6-7/01 59 28 13
5/9-10/01 59 26 15
4/18-19/01 63 22 15
3/28-29/01 57 24 19
3/14-15/01 56 23 21
2/21-22/01 61 16 23
2/7-8/01 55 16 29
1/24-25/01 46 14 40
ABC News/Washington Post Poll. July 30-Aug. 1, 2004. N=1,200 adults
nationwide. MoE ± 3. Fieldwork by TNS. Trend includes polls conducted
independently by ABC News and by the Washington Post.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling
his job as president?"
Approve Disapprove Don't Know
% % %
9/13/01 86 12 2
9/6-9/01 55 41 3
7/26-30/01 59 38 3
5/31-6/3/01 55 40 6
4/19-22/01 63 32 5
3/22-25/01 58 33 8
2/21-25/01 55 23 22
CBS News Poll. July 30-Aug. 1, 2004. N=1,052 adults nationwide. MoE ±
3 (total sample).
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling
his job as president?"
Approve Disapprove Don't Know
% % %
9/11-12/01 72 15 13
8/28-31/01 50 38 12
6/14-18/01 53 34 13
5/10-12/01 57 30 13
4/23-25/01 56 29 15
4/4-5/01 53 35 12
3/8-12/01 60 22 18
2/10-12/01 53 21 26
(<a href="http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm";>President Bush:
Job Ratings</a>)
I do think that Governor Terminator got it right, his sexist
expression notwithstanding: liberals and leftists in the USA are more
lily-livered than our counterparts in Spain.
Big foreign terrorist attacks happen in the United States, and too
many US liberals and leftists cancel planned protests, get all
defensive about our alleged deficiency in patriotism, wave flags,
call for war (under a UN mandate, naturally) on Afghanistan, inveigh
against other liberals and leftists whose convictions against
imperialism do not weaken after terrorism, etc.
Big foreign terrorist attacks happen in Spain, and almost all Spanish
liberals and leftists get galvanized, organize a gigantic
demonstration, vote out the party in power, and bring their troops
home from Iraq.
What US leftists need is a stronger backbone and a harder ass.
--
Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/>
* Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/>
* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
* Calendars of Events in Columbus:
<http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>,
<http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/>
* Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/>
* Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
* Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>
