What if the unthinkable happens?

The media claims that things are going wonderfully in iraq. The economy is galloping forward with everybody making money. The stock market is aiming at new heights so all americans will get rich.


Meanwhile the dollar has never been as low as it reached today, so who will buy our bonds? No jobs have been created in three years. And as far as I'm concerned, the stock market has little to nothing to do with the economy. It's not much more than a big casino.

But the media keeps telling america that the administration couldn't be doing a better job, no matter the truth.

My fear is that the sheeple of america believe what they're told by the media and will put these criminals back in charge. This gets to the gist of my question.

What do you see the United States becoming if americans are so duped that they put the gang that can't think straight back in office? Will the country survive another four years of bush? Seriously, with the problems he has brought to the country, and the future effects of his policies, what will be the state of the United States three years from now?

I'm interested in your opinions on economy, foreign affairs, civil rights, personal income, etc.

That will be numero uno for Bush's second term. And the Congress will go right along with him (assuming that the Congress stays in Republican control).

And we'll be swimming in gallons of red ink, budget wise. Half trillion dollar budget deficits will be the norm.

That is BS and you should be ashamed of yourself for repeating that here. The S&P 500 topped out in 2000 at 1550 and was at 1350 when Bush took office. It is at 1075 right now. This is the worst stock market performance for any president in decades.

The stock market is still awful. Basic stocks like Ford are half of what they were. AT&T is toilet paper. It's scary. Fake numbers on TV do not change what it says in those little quarterly statements. Put 1999 and 2003 side by side, and it is enough to make you cry.

I'm hoping we end up two separate countries, but am afraid we will just continue to become more isolated in international terms as our allies just sit back and wait for the idiot ame5ricans to elect someon who can find their way out of a paper bag. They will bow to American power when they have to, and hate us for it.

Can you explain that statement? What two separate countries? Are you dividing the US east/west or north/south?

It takes time for government policies to take effect, and any Bush policies that haven't stomped us during his first term are going to make a big impact during Round 2. Even as everything goes downhill, Bush will continue his war against the opposition, firing any good people who remain in government positions, attacking any labor unions that aren't already corrupt (and generally ignoring the National Education Association, which is already in his pocket), infiltrating activist groups, manipulating the Internet, and on and on.

In short, I think we're following in the footsteps of World War II Germany and Japan, following a madman into Hell. I susupect our joyride won't end until a coalition of nations rally and destroys us, militarily or economically.

When we take all branches next Fall all will be well. Stay the course and step up the attacks on bush and his wars. Peace will prevail and the world will follow in our foot steps.

This is perhaps the greatest threat presented by another 4 yrs of BushCo. He will more than likely appoint 2-3 Supreme Court members and if their confirmations cannot be thwarted by the Senate look out for how extreme their positions will be. The current court is very tenuous and recent decisions, while positive (and a chance to make amends for the embarassing actions in the 2000 election) all fell 5-4 with O'connor and Kennedy helping out. Those positions may come open (Stevens as well) along with Rehnquist and the replacements may very well be as reactionary as the current triumvirate of Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas.

Third World "Justice"

Third World Economy complete with obscenely wealthy aristcracy

Third World Media complete with Party-Loyal Sub-Media

Third World Imperial Governance.

Of course, we have already made steps in that direction already. Let us say I think the trneds will continue and exacerbate, but I wouldn;t expect the Gulags or the Thought Polcie to put in their appearence...YET.

We fight.

But not as a result of being disappointed by the outcome of an election. As a result of no jobs and in many cases feelings of uselessness, seniors unable to pay for food and medicine, people developing serious diseases but have no insurance and cannot afford to be treated, seniors and others cutting their pills in half for too long and it finally catches up with them, homeless people dying in large numbers for lack of shelter or any way to get on their feet, decline in education enrollments because the "good" jobs that kids once went to college for have been sent to India, eventually CEOs and CEO wannabes whining because white collar jobs are now being done in India and elsewhere for a fraction of the cost (the inescapable bottom line finally gets them), loss of the middle class almost entirely, ...

If the crazies really do make the tax cuts permanent, we would be looking at a fiscal nightmare, IMO. We are already looking at a really bad fiscal situation with just the current cuts.

The enormous budget deficits are going to start having an impact on interest rates. Nobody wants to lock into a 10 year bond at 5% if the dollar is losing 10% of it's value year after year. But with a $500 billion gap, we have to sell the bonds somehow, which means higher interest rates, which means an economic slowdown, which means less govt revenue, which means more borrowing.

I hope the Democrats pound this issue next year. We have got to get these idiotic juveniles out of office and replace them with sane people who will restore sound economic policies or we are in deep shit.

really are going to have to start changing things one item and one day at a time. I would start with changing the corporate system with cooperatives to compete with the companies that are outsourcing. We can change things from the inside out if we have to. Creating jobs in a different type of business culture could be a start.

along with the rest of us. Its entirely possible that the Republicans take the WH and widen their leads in Congress. We might all go over the cliff but the act of falling may awaken us to what's goin' on.

I'm more afraid of Democrats winning but being unable to repair the long term damage caused by this misadministration and getting blamed for it. That scenario would postpone the inevitable.

America is more resilient and the people more sensible than you give them credit for. Losing this election may spark the realignment of the Democratic party along more populist lines. The Iraq war has energized a sizable segment of the population that can use the internet to organize and share strategies on a scale never before seen.

This is still a rich, strong country. Bush's policies will certainly result in a decline in American military and economic hegemony and a lead to a severe erosion in our standard of living. The result will simply be that the very rich will be forced to share their enormous wealth in the same way that is done in mature European social democracies. Our enormous military budget will be pared down to a sensible level. There will be a movement to rethink our Constitution and put into place stronger measures to check the pejorative influences of the monied interests and giant corporations' power over the body politic. America will emerge a stronger, fairer nation.

I certainly don't wish for this to happen because it will be a painful process. However, a Democratic president made impotent by a Republican congress will prolong the pain. We must win the WH and congress and appoint new justices to the SCOTUS. We must expose the radical right wing for what they are. But if we fail, don't think that we're finished.

i believe that is where this country is headed if we cannot oust the illegitimate moron cabal. the country is pretty evenly divided between the blind baa-baa's and the rest of us who are pissed off as hell.

The way we are headed right now, Bush will be given 4 more years with the house firmly in Republican hands and the senate Republican majority strengthened enough to defeat any attempts at filibuster.

This will only continue to serve their interests in shipping manufacturing abroad, thereby reducing all American jobs to the service sector until communities gladly revoke their own labor laws as a means of simply being able to put "food on their families."

Democracy will further erode and federal laws will trump all local laws. DEFLATION will continue and people will continue to lose their homes which instead of being slurped up by the RTC ( as with the last Bush) they will be devoured by those with "A" PAPER..the only people who can get loans with negative interest rates.

Wages will continue to drop both due to WALMARTIZATION and steady but marginally acceptable unemployment rates that will make it an employers' market. People will compete for LOW paying jobs.

The energy markets will be completely privatised and remaining social programs will be gutted.

Why is this inevitable you ask? Look at our current primaries. We are deeply divided as a party and cannot come to a meeting of the minds with even an agreement to disagree. We are LOVE CANALING/ Willie HORTONIZING our own candidates right here on a site where we swore solidarity three years ago in our desire to reclaim the White House...the only thing we have organized is a movement against ourselves.

The good news is that the American people will eventually come to believe that Shrub is a terrible president.

The bad news is that they may need the proof (economy crushed by debt, world in revolt against PNAC hegemony, courts packed with Rightists, violation of basic constitutional rights, toxic environment and desecration of our beautiful lands, formerly moderate Arab states going fundy, greater frequency of terroist attacks upon U.S. interests, scandals involving corporate influence peddling, rampant personal bancruptcies while CEO pay passes the $20 million dollar mark ... had enough?)

The good news (part two), is that if we have to get to the state mentioned in my last paragrpah, the reforms that will follow will represent the greatest revolution in U.S. politics since the New Deal and the Republican party will be broken.

The possible end of the two-party system (in practice) and the rise of fascism will continue if those who hold power now are allowed to continue doing so. We're pushing up against those grim realities even now -- Democrats have been demonized and marginalized to the point where they don't seem to have much clout or fight left in them.

Republicans currently hold the house, the senate, the executive branch, and they're going after the judicial branch, judge by judge. These are *lifetime* appointments, so what's done will alter the course of legislation for decades.

The electoral-vote rich states of New York, Florida, New York and California are now under Republican control.

The right wing controls most of talk radio, and runs a very popular cable "news" outlet 24/7.

The Republicans have already made significant inroads into the dismantling of Medicare, a women's right to choose, and the sanctity of the ANWR.

Big business and profit soon will be everything, and certainly not for the good of mankind.

We are in big trouble *now*, and unless we begin to turn this tide back in 2004, I fear that it will be time to get out, assuming it's not too late by then.

on edit: typos