Fundies are all that can save Bush. How excited are they?

[fujiyama]

So how excited are these people? They've got their gear out. They have their stickers. I see them around, but how is the GOP GOTV effort compared to the dems and liberal groups?

Independants clearly don't support Bush at this point. Most polls have Kerry winning them by 3-5%. Bush beat Gore among them by a point. Bush also had a higher % of republicans voting for him than Gore got of democrats. Now, I'm guessing that republicans will once again have a higher %, but is there any chance in Kerry getting a lower % of dems than Gore got. I think Gore got 86 compared to Bush getting 91% Plus last time there was the Nader effect. This time it will not amount to more than 1%.

Granted I'm talking nationally, but more crucially what about the swing states?

I heard that Rove and the republicans had a huge effort before the '02 midterm elections...and they focused hard on states like OH, WV, MO... Sure enough the democrats got whupped. Are these people going to be as excited as they were then? This was during a time when Bush was riding nicely in the polls (almost 60%), one year annoversary of 9/11, and he was pushing through his Iraq idea.

Now people have seen what a failure Iraq has been. I just wanted to keep things in perspective. That and we've heard of various incidents of fraud in places like NV.

[delete_bush]

1. I think that after tonights debate

a lot of them are going to sit this one out, especially in the 'safe' states. They know that their boy has been bloodied, and more than a few of them will blame the Chimp for being ill-prepared.

[politicat]

2. Watch the Colorado Springs papers and polls.

That's the best gauge I've found.

Pcat

[zaj]

3. My mother in law is one of Bush's "fundie" voters... Tonight she said...

... she's probably going to vote Kerry.

She's fundamentalist Christian... Military Wife & Mom... Lifetime Republican... Never voted Democrat before... Always receiving and forwarding "pray for Bush" emails...

And she is going to vote Kerry this year.

[fujiyama]

4. I sure hope

there are many like your mom.

I want Rove and Co to be completely flabergasted when their GOTV effort among fundies falls flat on its face - or even if it does work, that the dem and liberal effort is much greater than anything they could have gone up against.

I'm just feeling nervous because of this supposedly narrowing electoral map. I'm worried that the Kerry campaign is doing what Gore did and is writing off a lot of states and focusing on two large ones.

[arewenotdemo]

6. now that's wild

I was thinking that a lotta of the brighter, more moderate Republicans might be coming around to Kerry...I mean, how can one NOT see the mismatch between the two...but I also had a downright weird thought:

When Bush was giving his spiel on what his religious faith has meant to him and doing it WELL...which he in all honesty was, for him...I had the strange impression of an implicit farewell taking place when he thanked people for their prayers. Maybe in a bizarro sort of way that acknowledgment is what it took for some fundies to turn the page (if they are) and perhaps he shouldn't have made it. Loony?

[Duncan Grant]

5. Didn't * kinda blow it with the answer(s) to the gay question?

I thought, "His base isn't going to like this."

[secular_warrior]

7. that is why KE bringing up Cheney's daughter was a masterstroke

It is hardball politics, but very smart, IMO, especially the way they did it.

I only wish Kerry would've nailed Bush on the abortion issue by asking if he wants to outlaw it. Today Bush spokesperson Nicole Devenish when pressed by Chris MAtthews said that Bush does NOT want to outlaw abortion, but supports a "culture of life". I wonder how that goes over with the fundies.

If we can get the social conservatives to feel that both candidates are "bad" on social issues, at the very least they may stay home, and maybe they will even turn to issues like the economy and Iraq and vote for Kerry.

[Barney Rocks]

8. YES!!!

at first I didn't get it--but now I am convinced this was a stroke of brilliance. We need to be the ones hammering on social issues--gay rights and abortion--and we need to hit the swing states hard--every day until the election.

We need to follow the lead of Kerry and Edwards in this matter.

[secular_warrior]

9. Exactly, because no one is going to leave us on those issues.

The GOP has painted us as far left wingers. Bush has tried to portray a far right image on social issues.

What the debates show is that we are much more socially moderate than Bush portrayed us, and he is much more socially moderate (at least for die-hard social conservatives) than he portrayed himself. That means people who were voting for him ONLY on social issues now have reason to either stay home or vote for us on other issues.

ps. I've been craving this kind of tough, smart politics from Democrats for years. It doesn't always leave people feeling warm and fuzzy, but it is very effective.

[Barney Rocks]

10. I agree!

I bet their internal polling backs this up. This is going to be a very successful strategy.

:toast:

[IIgnoreNobody]

11. There are more social liberals in America than social conservatives.

This also highlights the Bush/Cheney hypocrisy. That's why the Republicans are outraged.