Bush's Disconnect from What's Going On In The Country

[tmooses]

The biggest eye-opener for me in this debate was at the end when Bob Schieffer asked the question regarding the polarization in the country after the unity we experienced after 9/11. First of all, I thought it was a mischaracterization of the public mood as being "pretty polarized, perhaps because of the political season". I think from people on the street and work that I've talked to from both sides that this country is more bitterly divided than it has been since Vietnam.
But the answer from the president was revealing. He stated: "But Washington is a tough town. And the way I view it is there‘s a lot of entrenched special interests there, people who are, you know, on one side of the issue or another and they spend enormous sums of money and they convince different senators to taut their way or different congressmen to talk about their issue, and they dig in. I‘ll continue, in the four years, to continue to try to work to do so. "
I have no idea what this means but sounds like he will be spending the next four years encouraging the status quo. He also then stated: " My opponent said this is a bitterly divided time. Pretty divided in the 2000 election. So in other words, it‘s pretty divided during the 1990s as well. "
This last statement really left me at a loss for words. I think it is pretty common knowledge, at least with the people I come in contact with on a daily basis, that we are a bitterly divided country in a way not seen since Vietnam. Just in the small college town I live in, there has incidents of people having their Kerry lawn signs picked up and thrown at them, road rage because of bumper stickers, vandalism and threats made to individuals and their families because of their political leanings. I have heard from several people of relationships being broken, families estranged and threats at work because of an opinion held on this war. I believe the president's marketing of the Iraq war as a test for patriotism
(you're either with us or against us) has been a major cause of the deep divisions I see around me. He has deliberately equated dissent with not supporting the troops and giving aid to the enemy. This has caused a deep, emotional reaction amongst some Americans that those who are questioning the war are
threatening them personally and the country in general. I can't remember when I've seen anyone with a middle of the road view on this administration! I'm sure you can also throw some blame on talk radio
hosts who inflame the passions of a certain segment of the population.
But my overriding shock from hearing Bush's answer was from realizing how totally out of touch with what's going on in this country with our citizens this guy is. His only concept of the split in our people is how many are voting on each side. That's why he equates today with 2000 or the 90's. He has no idea or doesn't care how deeply and dangerously we are divided-and that is truly scary!

[Village Idiot]

1. You're either with *

<sarcasm> or you're a traitor - a treasonous coward. </sarcasm>

EASY - Black and White. Which reminds me - I need a frickin' drink!

[Warpy]

2. I had to turn it off when Idiot started to maunder about the best

healthcare in the world with none of those waiting lines of socialized medicine. If I hadn't turned it off, I would need a new TV set, and I can't afford one.

If that doesn't lose this fucking dimwit the election, then this country has no hope of being anything but a feudal country.