This Is What I'm Hearing In West Virginia

[ThomWV]

I've been talking to a lot of people lately. Young and old alike, people are uneasy. There is a sense that the country is not right, that we are in trouble. Its in the air everywhere. Its good to hear what they have to say. This is what I'm hearing..

People have lost faith in Bush. His swagger and tough talk looked good to a lot of folks for a long time but the realization is sinking in that the guy really hasn't accomplished anything. Every time you turn around the man is either on vacation or raking in another ten million dollars at some fundraiser or another. We were attacked and no one seems to have paid, except for the Iraqis who didn't have a thing to do with it. Weapons? Oil?

People say he lied, but who knows? He tells us inflation is in check but everything we have to buy cost more than last year. Milk, meat, bread, eggs, and gasoline. My Goodness! What on earth happened to gasoline prices? Every week its another excuse while the price just soars. This storm, that storm, the Chinese, the Indians, anything and everything but never a word about the speculators or oil company profits. If the man who promised to 'jawbone' the leaders of the Middle East is doing anything at all about gas prices it seems to be centered on making it more and more profitable to be in the oil business. What will the old folks in Maine do for heat this winter when fuel oil cost $3.00 a gallon?

The mess in Iraq hasn't got any better and so many people have had to go. Noone can say they do not know someone or someones son or grandson or daughter or granddaughter who has not gone, is not there now, or isn't on the list to go? Why can't we get a straight answer on why they are there at all? Everyone wonders.

All that mess down in New Orleans. No one has any idea what was going on but it was just a plain mess. People were dieing and not getting a bit of help. What do we pay all these taxes for anyway? What happens to all that money that we pay to be prepared. Didn't we used to have something called Civil Defense? And while we're at it where is my tax break?

The news won't tell you anything but what's there to report anyway? The best they could tell us is that things are going to hell in a hand-basket and the President is either incapable or unwilling to do anything about it - the man will simply not veer from his failed path.

These are the things I am hearing.

[liberal N proud]

1. Glad to hear they are coming around down there but I can't help but use

the phrase:
Day late and a dollar short.

Or in this case a year late and a vote short!

Could have woke up sooner, we were trying to tell them what was going on.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

6. How about: "Better late than never"......eom

[liberal N proud]

14. Lets hope not too late for the next election! n/t

[Atman]

2. I think common sense tell us that Bush's approval is really about 5%

No way in HELL is he polling even in the 40's. I can't find anybody, ANYBODY, who still supports him outside of Freerepublic.com.

Good post! Thanks!

[0007]

41. ...and Midland Texas soulman

[knitter4democracy]

3. I'm hearing the same here in Michigan.

I'm close by the Bible belt in Michigan, and more and more people are getting upset with what's going on. Most republicans I know are so angry they can't even talk about it.

[linazelle]

4. I'm a native WVirginian so I'm glad to hear what you are hearing

Thanks for sharing. :hi:

[OneNation]

15. I'm native WVirginian too.

I'm not surprised by this news. The good people of WVa. have common sense. Just too bad they didn't see through Bush last year during the election.

[AspenRose]

5. I spent a year in WV....2000-2001

And it seemed to me that the average person was torn. They liked Byrd and probably voted Democratic for years, but I remember the Capito campaign really played the "family values" card hard, and a lot of folks went against their traditional labor leanings and voted Bush.

I bet they regret that, now....

[SammyWinstonJack]

36. Isn't WV where the repugs were telling people that Kerry and the Dems

would ban the Bible?

[Obamarama]

7. Too bad these people are waking up to the truth 11 MONTHS TOO LATE....

...to do anything about it. We're stuck with the fucking loser for THREE MORE YEARS.

Now, if the same people who voted for the dickwad are willing to go on record as contacting their Reps. & Congress critters and insisting on his impeachment and resignation, then I MIGHT be willing to cut them some fucking slack.

[devilgrrl]

31. More like FIVE YEARS TOO LATE...

I saw this coming back in 2000. Shit, 1996! :grr:

[screembloodymurder]

8. Thomas

How's the Purple Fiddle doing? Are these people locals or tourist?

[seabeyond]

9. he has been a failure all his life. a real duh, he would be a failure

in this job. it was there for them to see

[NNN0LHI]

10. The rednecks around here can't stop talking about the debit cards

That put them over the edge with them paying $3 dollars a gallon gas and all.

Don

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. Then they'd really be pissed knowing this story.

My husband sold a vehicle to Katrina family from NOLA. They used their FEMA debits cards to put $2000 down on a Used Suburban. They are OTR owner operators whose rig was lost in the flooding. FEMA put them in an apartment with free rent and utilities, including cable and phone for a year. That should sufficiently piss off the FReepers and maybe some DUers as well( the SUV thingy) :yoiks:

[Mr_Spock]

11. I'm hearing everything from "uneasyness" to "get rid of him; NH Repukes

The poor rural Republicans are really starting to feel put upon. High gas prices and Katrina have driven some of the people I talk to over the edge. The Repukes are definitely quite vulnerable now.

[Eurobabe]

22. think they're over the edge now, wait till heating season

they'll be taking up arms!

[MADem]

26. Yep, a cold winter would toast him completely

And even though he finally spat out the "conservation" word at the Dept of Energy presser, I can't see him doing a fireside chat a la Jimmy Carter, telling everyone to put on a sweater...

And that, from the guy who said, back before the first stolen election, that he would "jawbone" the Saudis to "open the spigots."

He needs to get his little jaw a-bonin', I'm thinking....

[AspenRose]

12. New Mexico republicans feel betrayed

On a local radio show I heard Saturday (hosted by a republican state rep) he was going on and on about the SPENDING. What was with the SPENDING like a drunken sailor?

This conservative called up and said that he felt the republicans turned out in full force to vote for Bush and if it wasn't for that "we'd have President KERRY now," especially since those Democrats were cheating and whining about voting irregularities ...

(HUH? Alternate universe, anyone?)

BUT this old guy was also saying that after going to all that trouble to put Bush back in office, only to have him piss away money our government doesn't have to spend, made him very angry and feeling betrayed (especially after that Faux FDR speech Bush gave in New Orleans), and that if things don't change, the base won't turn out to vote like they did last time.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. They would vote for him again tho, moral values

you know, gay marriage, abortions, gun control.

[OnionPatch]

16. Oh believe me

The gay marriage, abortion and flag-burning stuff is going to come out in full force before next election. It's going to be nauseating to say the least. I hope the Democrats will point out how they do this each election and how they're intentionally trying to divide us with these wedge issues instead of doing anything to help our country.

[librechik]

19. and also point out the Pukkkes never do anything about those issues

when they do get in--they want to use them again next election!

[marions ghost]

43. you think it'll be the same old wedge issues?

they seem kind of tired. I bet they think of some new ones.

[cry baby]

17. If you get a chance to say something to them...

Say that it isn't only * but all the repubs in congress that are at fault. They spend money we don't have and protect their business and corporate friends at the expense of all the rest of us.

We have the 2006 election coming sooner than we think, we need to make sure the light is shone on incompetence throughout the repub party.

[zbdent]

18. Hit them with other things

$250 million dollar bridge for 50 people in Alaska - not targeted as pork to be cut

cutting veterans' benefits

the "discount" for seniors to get their drugs - and Medicare not being able to use its buying power to force costs down (but hey, Wal-Mart does exactly the same thing)

And don't forget to point out that Bush has had the blessing of a Repuke controlled House, Senate, and SCOTUS - he hasn't vetoed a single bill - he's getting everything he asked for (and more) . . .

[Harry S Truman]

20. The great Mountain State

will awaken. They've been snookered by the Bush people. Dems win there all the time - except the presidential race in 00 and 04. I love WVa - they're smart there. They'll figure it out.

[OhioChick]

21. Good post

It's refreshing to hear that "some" are beginning to wake up. Maybe this will help in 2006. Fingers are crossed.

[bonito]

23. Its everywhere

Everywhere I go, I rant on bush and the pnac addenda, there is no resistance anywhere!

[corbett]

24. Here's What They Can Do About It Today

http://www.byrd2006.com/donate/boxer.cfm

He's as anti-Bush as you'll find and he's represented WV for a long time.

[natrat]

25. not much sympathy for those stupid red state fuckers

[Lexingtonian]

27. Slow learners indeed

but that's how stupid people learn how to give up stupid ideas. They try them out and take the consequences.

[Sydnie]

28. Are you hearing any news about Byrd's announcement? n/t

[Ioo]

29. I am in WV, and I agree...

Things are changing...

[JohnnyBoots]

39. Where in WV?

[tom_paine]

30. Let us hope it is still possible to vote them out

I mean, whoever the Busheviks hand-select to warm the Imperial Throne until the reign of Emperor Jeb.

I estimated a 6-10% swing in real votes cast vs. the result...because the Busheviks KNEW they couldn't let us have a closer look at how they fix national elections (we got it anyway, but it didn't matter).

This time it will be 10-15%, MORE Diebold, more out and out corruption from a hundred different manual and electronic disenfranchisement strategies.

Are we still ALLOWED to select the Emperor?

Stay tuned.

[4_TN_TITANS]

32. In Tennessee....

Where I'm at, the next county over went for * by a landslide last Nov but their local paper is now teeming with nasty letters about him. Mostly against, with the occassional Repuke giving a half ass attempt to stick up for him.

[MarsThe Cat]

33. Who cares how they feel about bush?

he can't run again, but the next repuke who does will tell them what they want to hear, and they'll be charmed into voting for him.

[bobbieinok]

34. read a lot at DU like this before 2004 election.....what happened??

IMO, M$M 1000% for repubs, diebold etc machines, 'tweaking' the vote in sure Bush and sure Kerry states to give votes to W so a 'win' would look 'credible'

....some of them are quick learners.....they learned from FL2000 (they allowed the vote to be too close) ..... and from GA 2002 (how to make people believe someone ca 10% ahead up to election LOST....senate and governor race)

all the time keeping the mighty M$M yelling proW messages 24/7

so how can we believe any dems will win in 2006 UNLESS we and the party have machinery IN PLACE to stop the cheating???????

[charlie]

35. Maybe WV is returning to its roots

Until Dimson in 2000, WV had not voted for a Republican for president, unless he was the incumbent, since Herbert Hoover. 2000 was an abberation, a break in a fine longstanding tradition.

[JohnnyBoots]

38. Where in Wild, Wonderfull...used to live in Lewisburg (F the Hokies )

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. San Diego today

I can't afford to drive my truck, cost me 50 a tank, and it is all of this, nice oportunity to raise the issue of PNAC... but even some of these folks are turning.

[nonconformist]

42. I love hearing stories like this.

I don't usually have many to share, because I live in a bubble or something... everyone I socialize with or family that I keep in touch with is a Bush hating democrat. I often wonder what the feeling in the area is, and sometimes I can gauge it by other clues, comments overheard or the rare and random stranger convo. But hearing stories like yours is great, especially since I'm in an area with a similar demographic (SE KY).