Now that his ratings are in the toilet, here come the wedge issues.

[ncteechur]

Good God, the pattern here is so predictable. Speaking at the Southern Baptist Convention, shrub dusted off the old wedge issues of gay marriage and stem cells to get a rousing show of support by the religious right. He's too afraid of confront the American people and telling the straight up truth--he needs to hide in his extreme right-wing base.

But we aren't really surprised are we?

Now the House has passed the flag desecration bill. I wasn't aware there was an outbreak of flag desecration in the country. And they wonder why the America public thinks they are doing such a crappy job--maybe it is because they are.

What will be the next wedge issue brought up by the busheviks?

[autorank]

1. Let him have his 33% (lol). Here's the BIG WEDGE-Election Fraud

These Republicans stole 2000 in Florida and 2004 there, Ohio and elsewhere. That's going to be the publics rationale for having allowed this clown to be in office so long. Even among *'s 33% core, blind followers, there will be defections due to the minimal exposure of the truth in the CM (corporate media) and their experience directly of his lunacy.

Bring 'em on, hope he's not talking to anyone in those audiences who has them self or has relatives/friends with conditions that stem cells can address.

[Nikki Stone 1]

2. I haven't heard anything about flags in awhile

Gotta be looking forward to 2006. Anyone who votes against the flag bill will be painted as an Osama/Saddam/France worshiper.

[OneTwentyoNine]

3. Closer it gets to a full-blown DSM investigation the worse it will get...

Dems need to get off the "apology tour 05" and stand their ground.

Instead of caving to a quick apology ask Bush and his party when their going to apologize for calling Liberals who didn't go for his invasion anti-American,unpatriotic,aiding the enemy....etc...

[Eloriel]

4. Wedge issues: better than fear-mongering terrorist attack threats

But I DO so wish our side would learn to deal with them better.

At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseum, I still say Howard Dean has the perfect responses/reframes for some of them.

Guns: Leave what we've got and each state should decide what else it needs. (Whoosh!! Another wedge issue deflated.)

Civil unions: It's a civil rights issue. Everyone should have the same rights. (Whoosh! Another wedge issue deflated. And ctually his language, which I don't remember exactly, is more forceful.)

Abortion: Congress shouldn't be practicing medicine. (Whoosh!!)

You get the picture.

[Nikki Stone 1]

8. I like the Whoosh effect

We could use more of that in this country.

[Lexingtonian]

5. no no no....

The point is exactly to rally the Republican base back together again.

You were thinking the GOP leadership was going to let all their wavering moderates defect without a fight? Without using all the emotional hooks and rallying the groupthink?

The GOP doesn't represent the sides of issues that it does because it believes in them. It selects the ones that are most exploitable.

[Ian David]

6. How hard (and legal) is it to obtain stem cells to destroy at a protest?

Can someone who has their own un-used embryos frozen "hold them hostage" or stage a "mass-execution"?

Let them get taken to court and let the courts decide if they are "murdering babies" or just putting non-differentiated cells in a microwave.

"Sign The Kyoto Accord or else I hit "Power" on this microwave and the 300 tiny little babies in the petri dish get nuked."

[kentuck]

7. There's still prayer in schools...

But you are correct.

[formerrepuke]

9. Ten Commandments on government property: I'm just waiting for

some group -with support from some pandering Congressman- to push for a gigantic, tourist-atrraction style, privately funded pair of Ten Commandments stone tablets to be erected on the Mall in Washington. Oh, and an elevator ride to the top with a gift shop would be a nice touch.

[kentuck]

10. kick...

so people will see what they are doing right now....

[libodem]

11. Please flush his toilet

after dropping his children off at the pool....