A group who should be even angrier than us - Republicans!

By that I mean people who styled themselves Republican their whole lives as they saw it as the path of fiscal conservatism, small government, pro- business and strong defense.

I think we can throw fiscal conservatism out the window. We know the administration is following the Russian model of spend into chaos and then oligarchy.

I don't think they meant "small government" as an intrusive monolith that monitors and surveilles EVERYONE - not just the bad guys. I think there are many many Republicans who care just as passionately as we do about the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights. It's just their leaders who don't give a shit about the fundamental laws our nation was based on THAT SET US APART from the rest of the world. And no way did "nation building" at our sole expense enter into the small government equation.

Pro-business originally because of the concept that what was good for business would ultimately be good for the employees and the cities and towns that housed the businesses. Pro-business now just means pro-CEO massive salaries and no oversight. Outsourcing, shutdowns, pension cuts, health costs, gasoline increases, utility rates soaring effect ALL American families, Republican and Democrat alike.

Lastly, a strong defense - Rumsfeld has just been a disaster. I don't care what they say - they DID NOT listen to the troop assessments initially because it was not what they wanted to hear. Consequently, we won the war and are losing the occupation and more Americans and Iraqis are dead as a result. They have lost and foolishly spent billions on idiotic programs they can't defend. They are completely misusing and abusing the role of the National Guard.

I have to remind myself when I fly off the handle and write horrible things about Republicans, that my anger is directed to their leadership and the mutant hate spewing pundits and talking heads who pretend to speak for them. Their party has been seized in a stranglehold by the far-right Christo-fascists supported by a subservient and compliant media. Is that a fair description for half the country? No. I think we know now from polling that it really boils down to about 25-29%. Wouldn't that leave another 25% in their ranks in the pissed off beyond belief category? Who speaks for them? What do they do in the next elections?

They still firmly believe that if we cut taxes on the rich, the rich will bestow upon us all the jobs in the world, a chicken in every pot, and two cars in the driveway. They are completely oblivious to the fact that THEY aren't doing as well as they might have because THEY are the ones who are being looted to fatten the benificent rich.

I don't know what it will take to penetrate the skulls of the Reagan true believers out there. Oh, they're disgusted with Stupid and his gang, but they're blaming them for all the wrong stuff. They seem to have missed the fact that Stupid's economy is just the culmination of Reaganomics in action. They aren't ready to admit that it's been a total failure, a scam by the rich for the rich, and that they've been the big losers.

You see, they're still COMFY. Oh, they may be carrying a staggering amount of debt on house, car, education, and toys purchased via credit card, but they still HAVE those things to use and enjoy, and that debt is just numbers, right?

Don't expect a single pubbie to be angry enough to vote for a Democrat until something happens to wake them up to the scam.

I'm not sure that they're all still comfy. They pay the same health care costs and utility bills and gasoline prices as the rest of us. Surely, they have a sense that they have been sold a bill of goods and used as patsies? I think the Republican fear is that they will express their anger by staying home and just ceding the election to the Democrats.

I think it would be wonderful if we could have some true conversions. Some of them must be sick of "Gay Murridge, Gay Murridge" being used to bludgeon them to the polls. I imagine Ward rolling over one day and saying to June " You know dear, I don't give a rat's ass about Gay Murridge, but I am pissed about them cutting my health care benefits. The Rutherfords are moving to Guatemala because their house was seized for condo development. What the hell has happened to Mayfield?"