October Surprise: Did Osama's Televised Appearance Manipulate the Vote?

1. It took the explosives story off the front page;

2. It demonized the idea that the President was indecisive on 9/11 and over-reaching in Iraq; and

3. Rethugs successfully spun Osama as a Kerry supporter.



How many folks who had conveniently forgotten Osama during the drum roll to invade Iraq, suddenly recaptured the enraged 9/11 patriotism with the sudden injection of a televised appearance of the terrorist who is mimicking legitimate political criticism (and thus turning that political criticism on its head), just as the drum roll in Iraq proves to sound like a ill-prepared and monotonous slow thud of a personnel and financial wastebasket.

Today the beat goes on--but, who feels the eery influence of terrorists in this election cycle? Am I alone here?

totals.

close.

My question remains: did the televised appearance of Osama represent an October surprise helping Bush and the terrorist to manipulate a portion of the electorate?

Even if Kerry eventually wins this thing, it appears that some voters may have been influenced by Osama's televised statement.

I know it's frustrating and maddening, but it did come down to God, Guns, and Gays. No real inroads appeared to have been made over the past four years on many red states. If we wait another four years and THEN try to swing some votes there, the same thing is going to happen. It's going to take people going out to those rural areas and making a real outreach effort to these types. We also have to really press home just how many fundamentalists are being manipulated by the Republican party, and Democratic fundies as well.

but that was expected/anticipated by pre-election pollsters.

The sudden last minute swing, some by independent voters, may have been influenced by the 'timely' voice of a terrorist.

That final Friday influence, no matter how deminimus, is demoralizing to my sense of American democracy.

And the story of this election, that will be told in years and decades to come, ought not be told without mentioning the last minute televised theatrics of a terrorists mimicking legitimate political criticism.

claim these are the issues doesn't make it so. Where's the data to back up this unfounded claim that's quickly becoming folklore? I'm tired of people thoughtlessly repeating this kind of thing without any facts. Could it be that the same exit polls that were wrong when the people predicted a Kerry win could also be wrong about GGG? :eyes:

of the gay issue.

been relatively small.

But, when the Media televises the statement of the world's most reknowned terrorist on the Friday before the election, AND that statement includes the most damning allegations and salient arguments used in the campaign justifying the removal of an incumbent, that terrorist has EFFECTIVELY neutralized legitimate political criticism.

Debates do not matter, when subsequent to the debate, the Media puts the best arguments of the winning debater in the mouth of America's most notorious enemy to be televised just before the election.

The consersation in the voting line might read:

Voter 1 - Hey, that Kerry really handed it to Bush in the debates and the momentum really shifted when the missing weapons story broke.

Voter 2 - Well, those are the same criticisms that Osama used on Friday. And I ain't votin' for no one that sounds like Osama.

And the political spin feast in the wake of Osama's statement was in full swing. Hannity, Limbaud, O'Reilly were all making the Osama is wearing the Kerry button connection.

Rove must have been smiling: what if the most potent and most salient arguments that hurt the President were televised and put in the mouth of Osama...that argument disappears..., Rove smiles, and timing is everything. Waiting waiting waiting for the momentum to shift....THEN, nip it in the bud.

October, October, October....now.

A terrorist conspiracy to manipulate the vote or yet another fortunate last minute set of circumstances amplified by the 'carefree' impartial media that just happened to aid the Bush cause--however deminimus?

Tinfoil hat or just another disgruntled political observer?
Color me mad.

to explain the absurdity of this win.

The reality is the election was stolen, and since no-one will admit it, they need things to point to in order to give a reason for the win.

We won. They're trying to steal it.