Chimpy's attempt at political suicide: Federal Marriage Amendment

[janx]

Gas prices, the bloodiest of days in Iraq, immigration problems, record deficits...and what do Chimpy's advisors do to try and get the base back?

Bush to come out in favor of federal marriage amendment

President Bush is expected to hold a press conference next week to announce his support for a federal marriage amendment. According to the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, the president will appear in the Rose Garden on Monday to reiterate his support for the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment, a day before the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the measure.
The proposed amendment, which would ban same-sex marriages and nullify those that already exist , is not expected to garner the necessary two-thirds support it needs to move forward. But it is expected to receive more support than it did in the Senate two years ago, when it failed after garnering only 48 votes.....

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=31637

And this via a special event in the Rose Garden! Yeah, that'll get his base back, right? :rofl:

[janx]

1. kick

[longship]

2. This is damned spooky.

If the Repugs are going to go with these kind of issues across the board this year, they may bring out a few of their base, but it will do absolutely *nothing* to stem the anger and the sinking polls with respect to things that actually matter to people.

Oh, please!!! If only ChimpCo would make 2006 a referendum on social issues!!

[janx]

4. Just watch what happens after this Rose Garden event.

Even Chimp's base has horrible financial problems and has to buy gas. And they're livid about the immigration situation.

He will appease them by doing THIS! Oh dear God, it's the final nail in the coffin! :rofl:

[adriennui]

20. off the topic but

is that your puppy?:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: it could be love.

[janx]

22. YES! He just turned six. This is what he looks like now:

(Kind of big...sorry...)

[adriennui]

24. he's beautiful

i have an italian greyhound (same color as your boy). is he a weimarener?

[janx]

29. Yep. n/t

[janx]

46. You must have to take your dog out running a lot!

Now I'm going to have to look up the difference between greyhound and Italian greyhound...

[Cha]

52. I would think it would

have a Blowback and a Backlash like never before because people realize all the troubles the bushits have wrought and what are they doing about it?..Worry like Warts about Gay People's business!

[bowens43]

3. Political suicide? How so?

If this issue is on the ballot in November , no other issue will matter, the wing nuts, the bible thumpers and the homophobes will be at the polls in record numbers. It's not about getting his base back. It's about getting the haters and the bigots to the ballot box.

Those 'people' will NOT vote for a Democrat under any circumstances.

[janx]

5. There aren't enough of those to do anything.

Look at his poll numbers. His base is pissed off about the price of gas, the economy, the deficit, immigration, and the war.

And then he insults them by tossing them a bone like this? :rofl:

People are stupid, but they're not THAT stupid.

[Timmy5835]

6. Remember.....

There is more of us then there are of them...and we're really pissed. Pissed people vote.

[janx]

8. And the pissed people who used to be a part of Chimpy's base

will stay home.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

23. I thought the haters and the bigots WERE his base....

[janx]

49. They're just about all he has left now.

Fiscal conservatives--gone. Foreign policy conservatives--gone. Separation of church and state conservatives never backed him. Libertarian types--forget it; they're GONE.

The only people left are fundamentalist Christians and people who hide under the bed after the fear-mongering.

[malaise]

51. They are and they are very

very stupid.

[Jim Warren]

7. Whoa!!!

Shit, I think this was something they wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole but it goes to show just how utterly DEPARATE they really are.

[janx]

9. I know! I found it in LBN and posted it here for that reason! n/t

[truthisfreedom]

time to interview cheney's daughter again.

[janx]

11. That's right! Where's Mary?

:rofl:

[Ravy]

16. OMG! I can't believe you just "outed" her!

:sarcasm:

I bet she would be indignant if she ever found out!:eyes:

[ComerPerro]

45. lol, I see you share my sentiment, and expressed it more tactfully

lol

[paparush]

10. Trial Balloon...will not happen.

[Jim Warren]

17. Yes, of course it is

and indeed THEY know it will not happen, but it means all they've got is the old god/guns/gays
fear-salad when Americans are waking up and wanting a Iraq/gas prices/economic recovery main-course.

[janx]

18. But the god/guns/gays percentile is the 36% or whatever, yes?

Maybe even less. How could it possibly do any good? Is is just some kind of insurance so they won't lose MORE?

[Jim Warren]

25. How could it possibly do any good?

Actually, I agree with your original assessment it's political suicide. I do think 36% is way inflated.

Anecdotally, today I talked with an elderly neighbor and complemented her on the 3 new HOMEMADE Impeach Bush cardboard signs in the back windows of her little station wagon. She has been an Independant all the years I've known her, but leaning republican.

She replied, "We don't have the time to wait for storebought stickers, we've got to get rid of him now!"

[janx]

33. Better late than never--

as they say. :toast:

[patcox2]

34. I think its about motivation, and turnout.

The fundies are said to be losing motivation. Always keep in mind that only 50% of the population votes. The fundies have to be kept riled to keep them motivated. this riles them, even if it loses, in fact, it riles them more when they lose, and they'll be distributing handbills at their churches saying basically what I just said.

So, whats the calculus? Well, gays will hate it, but how many were voting for Bush anyway? Open minded, tolerant people will be put off, but how many of them were voting for Bush anyway? And those who are not against gay marriage, I am betting, are less likely to be so motivated by that one issue, than those who are dead set against it, so it will motivate more people to go to the polls than it will turn people against republicans.

[janx]

36. There are some in the Bush "base" who are not fundies and

who are mad as hell about immigration, gas prices, and outsourcing. But they still voted for the guy and considered themselves conservatives.

They would have every right, after the Rose Garden press conference, to assume that Bush takes them for granted. There are some people who are going to say "WHAT?!" after hearing of such a thing.

So he'll make the fundies happy, but at that point, the fundies will be all he has left, and that's not a lot of people.

It'll be interesting to see what happens.

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. No more Bin Laden tapes to release?

[janx]

13. Bin Laden? Who's he?

WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE QUEERS! :rofl:

[endarkenment]

14. Democratic Media campaign ought to play this right back at them.

"Republicans took us to war on lies and deceptions and now we are bogged down in an endless pointless quagmire, their solution: send the military to the border to protect us from Mexicans."

"Republican leaders are mired in corruption and cronyism, their solution: amend the constitution to explcitly discriminate against homosexuals".

"Republican leaders betrayed and exposed an undercover CIA agent to punish outspoke criticism of their deception on Iraq, their solution: an unenforcable amendment to the constitution to make it a crime to burn a flag."

"Had enough of the lies and deception? Had enough of the hate mongering? Had enough of Republicans wrapping themselves in the flag and the cross while wrecking our country? Throw the bums out."

[Nye Bevan]

15. Shameful and spiteful pandering

Quite similar to when Bill Clinton signed the "Defense of Marriage" act.

[texasleo]

19. gay marriage is a loser for the Dems

the gift that keeps on giving.

[endarkenment]

21. Not if the response is

"Failed war, domestic spying, corruption, cronyism, criminal incompetence: but all that the Republican Party has to talk about is how we have to stop homosexual couples and their children from having a normal family life."

It is only a losing issue if we roll over and play dead.

[wiggs]

37. Perfect. Let's see if they do it. nt

[endarkenment]

38. We will run away, run away, as always.

A few courageous Democrats will speak up, but they, for the most part, they will do so by going on the defensive and talking about tolerance and policies, boring everyone to sleep in the process, rather than turning around and sticking the idiocy and bankruptcy of this hate-filled legislation right back in the face of the fear-mongers.

[wiggs]

40. You and I are on same page I believe. nt

[patcox2]

28. Of course it is, the repricks wouldn't make it an issue otherwise.

We are the party of homo gun-haters, we hate christmas and we're coming to take your guns so you can't defend yourself from the lawless negroes and the black helicopters of the secret UN government we take uour orders from! We're gonna let perverts and pedophiles teach in your schools and convert your children into queers. Yee-haw, we're gonna tax you dry and give all your money to the blacks and mexicans who came here illegally! Reparations! Gay Marriage! No more "In God We Trust" on the money, we're even gonna make christians wear an armband and prohibit public prayer and make all women get a ceremonial abortion to abort the pregnancy they got doing sex demonstrations in sex ed class in 5th grade.

Thats us; you know, democrats.

[leftofthedial]

26. we are winning in Iraq

the economy is strong thanks to all the tax cuts

gas prices here are lower than in many countries, Lithuania, for example

we have destroyed 274% of Al Qaeda's top leadership

we are building a wall along the Mexican border

Queers are our biggest problem

[janx]

42. Stop it!

:rofl:

[Jacobin]

27. Cranking up the "gawd, guns and gays" agenda for 2006

It'll work in large measure and here's why.

The true believers who go out and vote for these idiots are not happy. They'll Never Ever vote for a democratic candidate since they've all been long since demonized by Rushbo, et al, but they might just stay home and NOT vote at all because of the irrefutable disaster this administration has been.

But, if you force senators to vote for or against a gay issue, then the holier than thous and fundies will come out of the woodwork to 'punish' those who won't vote for the gay marriage amendment.

I'm sorry to say this. I wish it weren't true. I live amongst these cretins and that's what they'll do. Not in a huge way, but enough to give the RW idiots running in 2006 some measurable cover....Oh, and something to talk about other than the RWers miserably failed policies.

Gawd, Guns and Gays. Right on schedule.

(There was one of these ads in my hometown paper today dissing Mary Landrieu for not 'protecting children' by not supporting the ban. A BIG ad.)

[janx]

31. There are some in "the base" who will be insulted by this.

They have problems just like ours, and they will see it for the pandering that it is. Fundies make up, what, 25% of Chimpy's base?

His approval rating isn't much more than that. After he does this, he'll go down a few more notches. The non-fundies will feel insulted (and rightfully so). Pretty soon, all he will have are fundies--it's almost that way already.

So maybe he's trying to save whatever he can, even if it's just 20-25% of his "base."

[Xenotime]

30. * has no clue about America...

This is very narrow minded.

[kskiska]

32. Mary Cheney, where are you?

Just think, she almost quit the campaign over this. Maybe she can almost speak out about it now.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. But..but..what about the crucial flag burning amendment?

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

[wiggs]

39. I don't see it as exclusively pandering to GOP base. IMO, it's

for the purpose of allowing more GOP congressmen to distance themselves from the administration. This is not a presidential election year. The WH is pursuing this to help GOP congressmen, right?...except it is clear that most GOP senators are going to put it down. Some in safe conservative states are going to argue for it, but the unsafe seats are going to come out against an amendment on constitutional grounds...thereby gaining some independent and credibility with the people who sent them there in the first place. This is part of a pattern we are already seeing of GOP "standing up to" the administration and asserting some independence. They have to...worst administration ever.

[janx]

41. Even stepping into these waters is ridiculous.

But you have a point; it'll be interesting to see how congresscritters and senators react. Things are about to get interesting.

The press conference will have to be completely scripted, of course.

[Bouncy Ball]

43. You know what?

Even the people I know who would be for something like this admit that we have WAY bigger issues to deal with.

When even THEY see that, I know he and his extremist party are in trouble.

(Note, I'm not saying ALL homophobes feel this way. But the handful I happen to personally know all agree this isn't the time. A few will even go so far as to say they see it as a political ploy. I always want to gasp and go "NO! REALLY?" real smart-ass like, but I don't because they are STARTING to see the light.)

[janx]

47. That's why I think it's suicidal for the * admin to do this.

The pandering and desperation is so obvious that even homophobes should be insulted--and that's pretty BAD.

[ComerPerro]

44. Where's that bitch Mary Cheney now?

[Philosoraptor]

48. God Bless President Bush for stopping the heathen Gay Terrorists!

[WinkyDink]

50. Rove knows what gets their base out: Bigotry issues, Sex/Gender issues.

PHONY issues.