Category Archives: Politics: US: 2004 Election

Here's a story you won't see in your newspaper. Pandagon speculates in Just A Day Off In Crawford:

Just A Day Off In Crawford: Bush is going to be taking a day of rest in Crawford on Saturday? With the election 10 fingers and two toes away? I mean, I know we're stupid, but exactly how dumb do they think we are?

So what's the surprise gonna be, folks? Bush going to fight a lion? Going to personally snap a drugged Osama bin-laden's neck in an arena duel, a la Gladiator? Parachute into Iraq? In the end, it all goes back to something Jon Stewart said:

I don't think Bush is stupid. I think we're stupid, because otherwise he wouldn't talk to us the way he does.

That's the operative dynamic of this election, a healthy disrespect for the wisdom and judgment of the American people. And to that, all I can say is Digby's right, we need to convince the press of our intelligence before Bush snaps on the flightsuit, tapes down the codpiece, and slingshots into a warzone.

Update: Well, you may see it in your online newspaper.

Got my first piece of 527 propaganda in the mail today, from an outfit that calls itself All Children Matter. It seems to be an outfit that supports state subsidies to privatize schools, be it vouchers, charter schools, or tax credits, bankrolled by a former President of Alticor Inc. — parent corporation of Amway.

Schooling being a traditionally state and local issue, the mailing exhorts me to vote for G.W. Bush for President, because, er, why exactly? Bush “believes that education is the key to opportunity”? Is there anyone who doesn't?

Or am I supposed to believe that Kerry “opposes equal opportunity in education”? Because he opposes tax credits for private schooling? Which by definition only go to those who pay taxes? Which means that there would be no benefit for poor people, and less money raised to pay for public schools, which puts the lie to “equal opportunity in education”.

It's actually a surprisingly ineffective mailer, notable only for what must be the single most unflattering picture of Kerry I've ever seen, making him look like a survivor in a disaster movie.

The version of my name on the flyer suggests they may have sent it to people who subscribe to the Economist rather than to everyone in the area. In case anyone cares, I've put up a pdf of both sides of the glossy thing: Side one and side two (cropped to cut off my address, not that you couldn't find it online in about three seconds if you really wanted to).

Pandagon reports in Terrorist Who?:

Did a quick term count in yesterday's “major” speech on terrorism. The results, amazingly, are even more ridiculous than I expected:

• Frequency of John Kerry (with the terms “Senator”, “Senator Kerry”, or “my opponent”): 41
• Frequency of “Saddam Hussein”: 4
• Frequency of “Al Qaeda”: 1
• Frequency of “Osama bin-Laden” or “bin-Laden”: 0

Assuming this was, as stated, a speech on terrorism, it seems quite clear that George W. Bush believes the main terrorist threat facing our country is John Kerry.

He probably does at that.

Needlenose says, Visualize Winning.

It's good advice for the next two tense weeks.

Not an unusual circumstance in the working world: speak the truth, criticize the boss, lose your job. Somewhat odder when the job is allegedly journalism.

Sinclair DC News Bureau Chief Fired After Publicly Criticizing Management on Kerry Special.

But it's not about journalism, is it?