Dangerous Territory

I've heard a lot of Republicans, both ones I know personally and the talking heads, make mention about how Dems are "rooting for bad things to happen to America" ie: unemployment, the economy, the occupation.

Their argument at face value is basically: Bad things happen to America are (well, at least "should be") a poor refelction on the President, but anyone who brings this up as an issue is "anti-american". I know that it fits right into their platform of putting a copyright on patriotism, but they've been doing that for 2 years and have been pretty successful.

But what makes me sick is that we're being portrayed as people celebrating America's misforutnes, which couldn't be further from the truth. I can't stand this spin that's being put on things. Bush focks up, America looses, Democrats celebrate.

Do you think that this will be a powerful tool against us in 2004?

Raising it would be to admit that things ain't so hot, wouldn't it?

But their media-backed spin machine can work wonders.

since it allowed them:

A- To blame Clinton, (however totally illogical that is)

and

B- to rationalize all the subsequent military adventures and rollback of civil liberties they wanted.

that the PNAC was looking for.

We cannot borrow and bribe our way to prosperity, and "Jackass: The Foreign Policy" won't work either. The people who point out these facts are not "celebrating" and are not to blame for the damage. Unfortunately America can be a lot like one of those families where "we don't talk about Dad's drinking problem" and those who speak up and point out the obvious are scapegoated and ostracized.

Democrats will not get any traction unless they are proposing solutions and not just pointing out the failures.

in light of the bad things that have already happened and that likely will happen in the coming year. It's really a very-weak bit of GOP spin. The Dems need only say 'the bad things HAVE happened.'

We loudly and emphatically oppose it.

Nothing would have made me happier than to hear something like this from him in his inauguration speech:

"Folks, we all know that how I came to be standing here today is the result of a very unusual set of circumstances. To ignore or deny that would be just plain foolish. I got enough electoral college votes, and those are the ones that count, but Mr. Gore got about a half million more popular votes, from the people, than I did. So believe me, I understand that over half the folks who voted didn't want me to be here.

That's why I have to make this pledge to you. For the next four years I will do everything I can to re-establish a REAL sense of bipartisanship in this town. I will be guided by what's best for the American people, and not what's good for the Republican party. I need a few days to get settled in and up to speed. As soon as possible, I'm calling on the majority and minority leaders of both houses to meet with me and see if we can't come up with a consensus on where to go from here.

I was going to say that I would not run for a second term, but after thinking it over, I decided not to put myself in that box. Who knows? The rest of you might come to like how your country's being run and want to keep me around.
Hey...it could happen.

I'd appreciate your input and prayers. The address to write to is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I don't know the zip code yet, but I think your mail will get there. I do know our e-mail address, it's www.whitehouse.gov. The DC operators have the phone number.
Thank you."

Well, that didn't happen. I don't revel every time he screws up, because it's my country he's screwing up. I truly hate it when he screws up and people die because of it. I truly wish he'd turned out to be a different kind of man, but he didn't. The sooner I see the last of him and his ilk, the better.