If the GOP had a real candidate, they'd be kicking our ass

[quaoar]

Just imagine if the Republicans had a candidate who wasn't a total asshole. The only thing standing between Bush and a Hooverian election debacle is the well-financed, well-oiled, hyper-efficient and disciplined Republican machine.

Imagine if they had a reasonably intelligent candidate to promote. Without that machine, Bush would be lucky to win Texas.

[seventhson]

1. Intelligent Republican is an oxymoron

eom

[quaoar]

4. LOL

I was going to insert the name of a reasonably intelligent candidate, but I couldn't think of anyone other than McCain.

[ClassWarrior]

7. That kind of bullshit doesn't help us any.

We look like arrogant latte-liberals who are too good for the fucking masses. No wonder we've been losing low-income white voters. Besides, I don't loathe those bastards because they're stupid. I loathe them because they're evil.

24.

[seventhson]

15. Anyone who supports the republicans at this point is a moron - NO WAY

that I am a latte liberal, classwarrior. I work in the trenches of the inner city every day trying to save the lives of the lost and the discarded wreckage of humanity that this system has wrought.

The "f#cking masses" as you call them (us) are largely people of color, hispanics and - yes - many many people of European descent. But, frankly, any poor person who supports the repugs is stupid. They may be naive and brainwashed, but they are contributing to their own oppression (and everybody elses except the very rich) and that is just stoopid.

The masses do not support this idiot in general, but many have been to brainwashed and propagandized to vote.


"Racism" is another factor that sends poor European-Americans (and others) to the anglo-Nazi side. And THAT is stupid too.


Republicans are NOT intelligent. They are greedy. And such greed is suicidal for a civilized society - and thus is, once again, stooooooppiidd!!!

Sorry, classwarrior, if you think my position is counterproductive to whatever your cause is. Isn't the name "classwarrior" kinda latte-liberal and alienating ???

[demnan]

2. I think we're fortunate

to have the dumb Bush brother.

On edit, I don't know how I could have said, "fortunate" I meant only in the context of the election not for the past four years, of course.

[merh]

25. Pray tell, is there a smart * brother?

:shrug:

[Arkana]

28. Haven't you seen the bumper sticker?

"Who knew Jeb was the smart one?"

[merh]

30. No, but I love it!

thanks :hi:

[JuniorPlankton]

3. That's so true

imagine a reasonable person there.
A reasonable Republican? What am I saying?
(Need coffee this morning)

[bigtree]

5. Is there a republican serving anywhere who isn't a total asshole

'cept Jeffords, who came to his senses? I haven't run across one yet.

Anyone who wants to put a R behing their name is a fool and is less than intelligent. JMHO

It's their agenda (st---d)!

[quaoar]

6. Lincoln Chafee

Hopefully he'll switch soon.

[bigtree]

9. jeez

forgot him. But he still holds on to the R. I'm a dead dog Democrat so I won't be impressed till he completely disassociates himself from the rest of the traitorous losers.

[quaoar]

11. I think the only reason he is still an R

Is out of respect to his father.

[bigtree]

16. I'd still support a dead dog before I'd support him

"I'll vote Republican," he said, explaining that he would choose a write-in candidate, perhaps George Bush the elder, as a symbolic act of protest. Asked if he wanted Senator John Kerry to be president, Mr. Chafee shook his head sadly, as if to say he could not entertain the question. "I've been disloyal enough," he said.

>>>>But Mr. Chafee says he does care. In heavily Democratic Rhode Island, he has been a Republican since birth; his parents named him Lincoln after the first Republican president. He says he is waiting for the moderate wing of the party to rise again; in the meantime, he was asked if he went to bed at night wondering how he could remain a Republican.

"Yes," he said, "I don't deny that."

>>>>That seems to be the prevailing sentiment among Republicans in the Senate, who are treating the gentleman from Rhode Island gingerly these days. At a recent lunch with colleagues, Mr. Chafee said, he offered them an apology and found himself comforted by a conservative, Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

"I said, 'I'm a pro-choice, antiwar, antideficit Republican,' " he recalled. "And Judd Gregg said, 'The key word there is: Republican.' ''

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/04/politics/04chafee.html?oref=login&oref=login&pagewanted=print&position

[The Wielding Truth]

32. Very insightful post : You see there is this cold element in the Rep Party

If John Heinz would have been able to run for Pres, I would have voted for him. But like all great contenders to the throne he met with a sudden end.I really thought a lot of that guy,even though he was Rep.

[crispini]

19. SNORK!

A dead dog Democrat? I always thought that was Yellow Dog. :D

Yours is funnier, though. :)

[ClassWarrior]

8. Not stupid. Deluded... Mis-informed...

...but NEVER underestimate the enemy. Sun Tsu.

24.

[qwlauren35]

21. Actually...

I kinda like McCain. I think he has a certain amount of integrity. I hate how he's stumping for the chimp, but I think if he runs in 2008, we'll be hard pressed to beat him.

[NYCGirl]

22. Chuck Hagel seems like a reasonable person. (eom)

NT

[wishlist]

10. And if we had an unbiased truth-seeking media, Bush would be toast

Kerry and Edwards are strong attractive candidates who are running a great campaign against an incumbent with a miserable record of failure. This election would not even be close except for the incredibly effective RW smear machine and campaign of lies aided by an incompetent and biased media.

[CityHall]

12. A better candidate wouldn't have such stupid policies

or such strong support from the religious right morons.

[quaoar]

13. What about

Chuck Hagel. I'll bet they could sell him very easily. He's a decorated Vietnam vet.

Hell, I'll bet they could even sell Rudy Guiliani. They'd somehow make that whole affair/divorce thing seem like Clinton's fault and find a way to gloss over his pro-choice views.

[Kolesar]

14. President McCain would have foiled the 9/11 plot

9/11 happened because Bush was incompetent. There would have been no Iraq war, and probably no war in Afghanistan.

Bush's War on Iraq was successful in that it allowed Bush to eek out a scant Congressional majority in the 2002 midterm elections. The Iraq War succeeded for Bush not because it was a good idea, but because it was a colossally stupid idea. Bush needed a war that was so colossally stupid in its inception that it would divide the Democrats against him and he could use it as a political issue to beat them up with.

He got it. Two years later, and the birds are coming home to roost.

Would McCain been unbeatable in a reelection campaign? We will never know.

[Fabio]

17. I Disagree.

I think that many a "serious" GOP politician would be having a hard time right now if they lacked Bush's evangelical credentials. It's that image that makes him formidable on election day, in conjunction with a ruthless re-elect team.

You have some 40% of the country voting directly against their economic self interest -- largely because of the rationale that Bush is closer to God. Not all politicians can do that, especially GOPers with massive ties into big business. Generally you have the corporate GOP candidate (establishment figure) and the evangelical (ie Bush 41 and Pat Robertson in 1988). So he's unique in that way.

[quaoar]

20. Evangelicals are a powerful force in the GOP

But there are other serious politicians who appeal to evangelicals.

How about Lindsay Graham from South Carolina? Bill Frist would draw evangelical support.

And, of course, the evangelical dream candidate is Roy Moore. He just managed to get the Supreme Court to agree to hear the Ten Commandments case. Moore is a rock star to the evangelical right. If he runs in 2008 in the primaries, he'll make a whole lot of Republicans real nervous. People scoff and don't take him too seriously, but the guy has a lot of charisma and he has actually won a statewide election.

[demokatgurrl]

18. And if the rest of the country had half a brain-

we'd be kicking Bush's by about 30 percent.

[pacalo]

23. If the GOP had a "real" candidate & was also an incumbent,

perhaps our country wouldn't be in the gigantic mess it's in. But even if they wisely replaced the coWard with a more credible candidate, there's no way "they'd be kicking our ass" -- it's their party that is responsible for all the problems!

[The Chronicler]

24. I actually agree sort of.

If it were McCain, or someone like Bill Weld even. Just a solid speaker and politician. We'd probably be in trouble.

[VOX]

26. **IF**...If we had a "real" unbiased media, and decent political discourse

and a sense of fair play, and transparency in government, there would be no GOP. At least, not as we know it today.

[WI_DEM]

27. this post doesn't speak too well of our candidate

if you think that only a doofus could beat Kerry? Cmon--Dems have won three straight presidential elections.

[The Wielding Truth]

33. I'm not talkin' this election . Just that this group in office is so not

Normal Republicans. The ones I talk to are so shattered by Bush's lies . They are one issue voters and afraid to be unpatriotic voters.
I used to vote for candidate not party but these crooks are organized and dangerous. I admire Kerry.He will make an excellent President,especially at this time. He is a world leader.

[quaoar]

36. It has nothing to do with our candidate

It would be the same no matter who the Democratic nominee is.

My point was to show that the Republicans have built a formidable campaign operation that is not only disciplined and well-financed, it has perfected the smear to an art form.

The only cog in their machine is Bush.

[Sequoia]

29. Just wait till they try to push Ahnold on us

after they try to change the Constitution.

[The Wielding Truth]

35. Counter with OBAMA.

[sandnsea]

31. That's always been true

They've always won elections on smear and fear campaigns. They can't win any other way, this year's no different.

[wadestock]

34. They generally field front men, who lack innovative thought....

There are no more so called Ronald Reagans. Even his son had to come out and say in essence that Bush was no Ronald Reagan, even if he cow tows to the power base to cut taxes to the rich.

Now that you see Bush in action, you have to admit even Dole looks like a wonderful stateman.

But your point is well taken and you even have to ask yourself this basic question....even with BUSH...they could have had this thing wrapped up if they tweaked a few things.

#1 - After original tax breaks to the rich, they could have toned down the total reprehensible selfish nature of what they REALLY want....especially putting tax breaks on hold during the war effort. Problem is, this IS what they are, selfish and greedy, with no ability to think about anything other than their individual bottom line profit margin.

#2 - Bush would have had people eating out of his hand if he at least faked that he had great respect for Kerry and what he did in the war. If he had publically come out against swift boat and even had the ads removed, even more than those who are predisposed to him being a nice guy would think he was a good guy.

#3 - Instead of publically announcing the "good vs evil" thing and turning off most of the world....and since then giving off all sorts of clues that this admin is in fact hell bent on using US military might to spread democracy throughout the world, Bushco could have simply played it moderate, tried to work with others in the spirit of diplomacy. In short, had he followed along the lines of his father, he'd not only have stolen the image of "hero of 911"...but potentially "hero of the world" as well.

But you see....however simple any of this sounds...it's not possible when you're dealing with a completely arrogant/ignorant man and a bunch of bad businessmen.

I've seen this effect in the workplace for 30 years. Those arrogant/ignorant bad businessmen who put up a good front show with smoke and mirrors often get the jobs...but most often ultimately fail due to sheer incompetence.