Any talk of Filibuster, SS, Bolton or DeLay around your water cooler?

...or in the grocery line, at the barber shop or after church, etc?

I mention these things b/c these issues seem to be the focus of the DEMS.

I'm not talking about debates b/t you and your usual conservative sparing partner- I'm talking about normal, non-political types- are they really talking about these issues?

I'd appreciate your honest observations.

The office has a culture of enforced nicy nice. You are supposed to thank the supervisor when she brings you the work (The bosses grit their teeth and thank you for bringing problems to their attention) and so everyone is supposed to make very very nice.

Any boat rocking like discussions on elections is frowned on.

And we do have worries we do discuss. The supervisors have been told by corporate to reduce bodies from 65 to 59 by January. No one wants to volunteer for walking the plank by geting into a pissing contest with another employee over voting machines halfway across the country.

I did have a discussion about SS yesterday. The company is really pusihing the 401K plan. Four of us were talking about retirement plans, and the concenesus was that SS wouldn't be there for any of us. (We are all 20-45) and that the 401 K plan was our only salvation. Nobody was sayig it was those awful ________'s fault. They all just assumed that since no one was serioius about it in Washington, there was no hope of a fix for it, so we had to take carer fo ourselves. One guy was worried about an Enron kind of situation, but our 401k plan dosn't require purchase of the company's stock.

Would you say that one comes up more- or about the same?

I used to have to call her and deal with mutual issues between our departments a lot. I don't have to call her now, but we just email back and forth.


Her son is back from his second tour. His first daughter was born just before he got back from the first tour, and he is back again to meet his second daughter.

Hmmmmmmmmmm

Anway, he is done now. He isn't re upping. She is just glad to see him back. If I hear about a third daughter in nine months or so, I will assume his wife was glad to see him too.

That is about the limit of the discussion we I have had about it.

From what you have heard, what "political" issue do you think "non political" people are talking about the most?

of cat-killer frist. None of my friends are talking about it except my next door neighbor who is a dem.

they were doing that whole "Justice Sunday" thing at my church in the college class one of the adult helpers was talking about Frist and saying how he was getting a lot of flack for him going to this little rally and how it might damper his 2008 presidential run if he decides to run. The teacher said it makes you respect someone for doing something that isn't popular like that. I so wanted to scream at them but the bell rang and everybody was leaving. Ugh. Other than that I haven't heard anything. Yesterday I was waiting at school for my Mom to come pick me up and this one guy was with a friend and they were art students and he took out a painting to get to another one and the first painting was of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld and they had war things in the painting and them at the top and in a thought bubble/cloud had dollar signs and I see a few bumper stickers of Kerry here and there. I'm not seeing many W stickers anymore.

The rest (and vast majority) don't want to hear it, and will leave the area if they hear me talking about something political.

I work in a podfarm, cubicles in all directions. By the way, who the hell came up with the idea of making people work in places with cloth walls. They wonder why we go crazy.

But anyway, I have one person I can talk to and have a good discussion. I have one more that I can bring up some things, but he's a Libertarian/Anarchist, so he doesn't want to talk about anything that could improve the situation.

The non-political types don't watch Fox, but they sure act like it with some of their ideas. Standard American consumers. Hey, this pickup I just bought doesn't tow the trailer I just bought, so I am going to sell my new truck and buy a NEW truck.

"How's the mileage?"

"Crap, so I am going to buy a $500.00 car and use it for a daily driver."

"Why don't you admit that you take the camper out 6/365 days a year, buy a Prius and rent a big truck those few times?"

"That's just stupid."

Hmm...

???

With the person who listens, I usually bring up everything.

With the anarchist, I point out when Ashcroft/Gonzales did something new to make me feel like I'm the one in trouble.

With the non-politicals, I stay safe and talk environment, alternative energy, intellectual property, and something that is unfortunately my specialty, outsourcing.

???

But what frustrates me, is that nobody talks about what's going on outside of the country other than:

Those damn Indians taking our jobs.
Those damn Canadians taking our jobs.
Those damn Chinese making counterfeit stuff, or cheap stuff.

Funny. I seem to recall US sending the jobs TO them, and Americans BUYING the cheap stuff rather than going to a local shop.

They really don't like that reminder.

"War? What's that? It's not on TV, it's barely in the papers. It's happening way over there, and from what I heard, everything is fine. Sure they're killing each other, but who cares. That's what they get..."

My brother has done one stint in Iraq already, and has another one scheduled in several months. That may dissuade people from talking to me about this stuff. I am one of the only ones who doesn't have a flag stuck to their pod wall, so maybe I'm just unpatriotic.

n/t

Absolutely none, even, I am sorry to report, at a downtown NYC party with artists and writers. Heard not one mention of any of those topics.

???

Or at work.

However, I did not say that I do email all day long with certain co-workers and friends about political stuff. You know, with people like us who I happen to actually know. So does that count? In that case, we cover all of the topics above.

...I'm trying to see if anyone besides basically DUers & Freepers gives a crap about the most recent issues.

- no

...I mention Tom De Lay and John Bolton, or Bush's plan to scrap Social Security in favor of what is basically a Ponzi scheme, or the filibuster, all I get are glazed looks...Mention NASCAR, Michael Jackson, or "American Idol", and the imbeciles' eyes light up-THEN they want to discuss those issues!

I'm at the point now where it tickles me hearing the rank and file Busheviks (from the suburbs to the trailer parks) whine about gas prices, like the morons don't know that these high prices are Bush's "thank-you" note to those 59 million that fell for the "gay marriage-abortion" scam in November. On that same note, I'm seeing a lot more pickup trucks and SUV's sitting in front yards these with "FOR SALE" signs on them! The chumps get what they deserve-NUTS TO 'EM!

?

have no idea who Jeff Gannon/Guckert is. They are blissfully unaware of any issues that may challenge their belief that Chimp is "protecting our country." And I've developed high blood pressure from trying to enlighten or challenge them!

If DEMs were on TV talking about it, regular people WOULD be talking about THIS issue...

Time was, Republicans buried Bill Clinton's judicial picks by the dozens in the Senate Judiciary Committee and Democrats indignantly demanded a yes-or-no vote for each.

That was then.

This is now, when Democrats block a far smaller number (10 out of the 204 that they approved) of President Bush's court nominees - and Republicans heatedly insist the Constitution itself requires a vote.

''Give them a vote. A vote up or down,'' Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said recently, speaking of seven appeals court nominees Democrats have vowed to block. ''That's what we've always done for 214 years before this president became president.''

Except for more than 60 nominees whose names Clinton sent to the Senate between 1995 and 2000.

Or in a grocery store line, or around the water cooler?

A few people who are polically involved do but most do not care.

Mentioned this the other day here at DU---column by David Broder calling for Bush to drop his SS plan, drop Bolton and drop the contentious judges he is pushing. He stated that polls keep showing that the public just simply doesn't want any of it. Soooo, apparently pollsters are getting an ear full on more than just SS. But, of course, Bush will not be listening to Broder because he loves to be obnoxious; he loves to dominate and shove things down people's throats. Of course if he has his way on these efforts, the Dems become more than dead....they become totally irrelavent. Fight now or die. Period.

Everyone here's a blue-state Democratic atheist...

It's the only way to maintain a popular thread 'round here.

the focus of water cooler conversation tends to be American Idol.

And I work with a group of highly intelligent and educated people--an office of 35 people--most of them are engineers and scientists who have advanced degrees.

I imagine that some ARE interested in more important issues--perhaps they make a conscious effort to avoid talking politics in the workplace?

I have never avoided such discussions, but my sister (who works in a very buttoned down corporate culture) does try to avoid political discussions at work.

Say, more than Bolton or DeLay?

but maybe not.

In my opinion--people who tend to focus on things like AI may be doing so in an attempt at escapism.

I think these people may not want to deal with harsh reality at all....

n/t