Change of heartland

[salin]

Interesting story in the Boston Globe about a shift in attitude in my home state. Oh - and the subtitle - folks - no one here refers to ourselves as "Indianans"... but aside from this - this is an interesting read.

Not sure that it will translate into enough backlash to change the congressional seats (and there are three close races in the state) - except, as the article suggests, that frustration may depress gop voters while energizing dem voters.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/03/19/change_of_heartland?mode=PF

Change of heartland
On the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, many Indianians are no longer strongly behind the war
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | March 19, 2006

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion unleashed a surge of pessimism at a local farmers' market here, where stalwart Republicans, standing amid aisles of produce and miracle cures, said President Bush has messed up a war that looks more like Vietnam every day.

''It's chaos," said Roger Madaras, who voted twice for Bush. ''How many more people are going to be killed? We were going in to free the people of Iraq, but as far as I'm concerned, a lot of them are worse off today than they were under the dictatorship."

---

As more and more Hoosiers find themselves making the comparison that only liberals and antiwar protesters made a year ago -- Iraq is like Vietnam -- some say they are also starting to doubt Bush's competence to protect America from terrorism on the home front.

John Lackman, a retired manager at an aircraft wheels and brakes factory who was eating breakfast at a table near Schreiber, said the slow federal response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster last year gave many pause.

''That New Orleans situation just piled it on top of the Iraq War," Lackman said. ''The security issue is paramount in everyone's mind. If they couldn't respond adequately to that situation, how are they going to respond if there's a dirty bomb?"

(more at link - long article)

[Delphinus]

1. I'm going to go read this,

but have to say that if they thought the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina was bad, they need to look at what Michael Leavitt(?) is selling, with the tuna fish and powdered milk being our only salvation. Tuna fish and powdered milk is how they're going to respond? This is who is in charge of keeping us safe? Good grief!

[salin]

3. Agreed - but the folks talking in this articles

were not skeptical as you and I have been, reading items like that and thinking ... geez. These are folks who are just beginning to grow their skepticism, the question is how far it will grow - to the point of really questioning - or will it stop at bush and bush (and Daniels) alone. My bet is that if the Admin keeps making big bumbles that make folks uncomfortable, and GOP congress keeps power-playing to protect the Admin from any real scrutiny, that in this scenario the skepticism expressed in the above article - will grow... this is significant as this is from folks who were, to a big extent, real "believers" in the GOP.

[Delphinus]

12. You're right, salin.

I can be just as one-sided as *they* are in my thinking sometimes! I forget that there are some folks just now waking up. Thanks for that reminder. :hi:

[sproutster]

4. I'm channeling Eddie Izzard on their response in the face of another

catastrophy.

But did you have your tuna?

Tuna or Death, Tuna or Death.

[zippy890]

2. good article

everyone is getting disgusted

:dem:

[HockeyMom]

5. What is wrong with Hoosiers?

I spent my summers as a child at my Uncle's home in Hammond. Hoosiers is nice and unique.

Indianans sounds like somebody BUSH would say. :crazy:

[salin]

7. it does indeed

sorta like referring to San Francisco as "Frisco" - when I lived in that area... noone said that - sounded hokey.

The article is talking to folks from near the Hammond region. I found it quite interesting. I split my time between Indy and B-ton - areas which are quite a bit more liberal than the rest of the state.

[kurth]

6. "They don't want someone with a turban running our ports"

"Beisel said she doesn't blame Bush because 'he can only deal with the intelligence he was given' and still supports him because she opposes abortion... Schreiber said he primarily blames the 'liberal media' and 'partisan politics' for the president's free-falling poll numbers. But he also blames Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for giving Bush 'some bad advice'"

Unfortunately, the Bush cult lives on.

[salin]

8. check out the last line

diner waitress is turned off by politics... b/c person after person comes in moaning about bush... but most voted for him because he is "their guy". Ugh. However, if even a portion of these folks are starting to get skeptical ... with three more years with bush at the helm would probably be enough to break the binds that tie to the cult of bush.

[kurth]

11. Agreed. They're getting hit in their pocketbooks.

And feeling the pain.

[Mari333]

9. My brothers voted for Bush, they are Hoosiers

and I recently found out they are now waking up , and hate Bush..it was the illegal survelliance that changed their minds..sadly, too little too late..they now know I was right all along, but are too egomaniacal to admit it. Even sadder, one of them has a son in Iraq. I condemn human laziness in people who just refuse to look for the truth and prefer to allow propoganda to infiltrate their minds without checking for facts.

[salin]

10. do you have a sense as whether or not

their 'hating' bush, might translate into votes in the congressional elections? There are three very close races - but I don't yet have a sense whether or not frustration/anger with Bush and Daniels will lead to voting for "the other party" (dems) this fall.

Hope that your nephew comes home safely.

[ulysses]

13. LOL

Has our old friend gone into writing copy for the Globe? :D

[salin]

14. wouldn't that be a kick!

actually this is just the sort of piece that our old friend would write, isn't it. *chuckle*

[CatWoman]

15. kick

Thanks Salin.

didn't know it was already posted.

:hi:

[salin]

16. hey it was a three-fer for me

a slightly hopeful write up on my state (where three congressional races are close and could flip dem);

there was the ever laughable reminder of a long lost "friend" at Du who had the annoying habit of calling Hoosiers "Indianan's"

And it indirectly bashed bush. How could I miss that?

:hi:

[CatWoman]

17. *guffaw*

*there was the ever laughable reminder of a long lost "friend" at Du who had the annoying habit of calling Hoosiers "Indianan's"*

this thread wouldn't be anything without the memory of that numbskull :D

[salin]

18. hehe

Uly speculated that perhaps said former DUer had landed at the Globe? THough there isn't enough Bayh praise (bayh is completely ignored in the story) for that to be the case.