“You woke the bears! Why did you do that?”
As nearly every poll shows, more than 70 percent of Americans believe we’re on the wrong track, and the number of people calling themselves conservative continues to grow, as does the number of moderates who say they lean to the right. According to Pew, the average voter places himself twice as far from Democrats as he does from Republicans.
Moreover, notes Brookings Institution scholar William Galston, a domestic policy advisor under President Clinton, the average voter thinks the Democrats are much more liberal than the average liberal does. “So when independents, who see themselves as modestly right of center, say that Democrats are too liberal, average Democrats can’t imagine what they’re talking about.”
And it’s not just about labels (though labels matter). According to Gallup, Americans believe 51 cents out of every dollar sent to Washington is wasted. That’s rough terrain for selling more spending and higher taxes.
So here’s Obama in a very rough spot. He needs more than just his base to win, yet he can’t win without his base. But he can’t secure it without slapping the bear even more. And unlike Ron Burgundy, he’s really got no one to blame but himself.
Well, Bush.
And of course, Rush Limbaugh.
But I take your point.
(h/t Sarah Palin, via Twitter)
“It’s because we love you so much,” say the Progressives as they grab the People by the scruff of the neck and give them another violent shake.
“Something simply doesn’t fit,” say the People, “we just don’t get that lovin’ feeling.”
Oh, well that’s just because you’re stupid. Not your fault, really.
That’s more or less in line with what the liberals think in the left-leaning blog that I help run.
Also, that Obama is basically a slightly Left-leaning Republican more than he is a liberal. Which makes sense given that a goodly chunk of them think that Bush is a hard-line right-winger.
Look, I realize that right/left is a relative (and therefore somewhat subjective) assessment, but there has to be some notion of center that will get widespread agreement, doesn’t there?
Most lefties think they are moderates. They think they are the center. So, no, there is not agreement on what the center is.
NEW WORD!
psephology—the study of elections, < Greek psêpho(s) pebble + -logy; so called from the Athenian custom of casting votes by means of pebbles
Come on! Who else knew that one without looking it up? Be honest!
but there has to be some notion of center that will get widespread agreement, doesn’t there?
What’s the halfway point between Omaha and orange juice?
I didn’t. Knew about the pebble ballots, but not the name. Did remember the potsherd or ostrakon ballot for voting banishment though.
Progressives love America the way Ike loved Tina.
And if she pisses him off one more time…
I’d vote for Obama if we’re holding an ostrakon. Or selecting a wedgie victim.
How about calculi? Aren’t they little pebbles?
In terms of this bear, I recommend you all read Tops and Bottoms. I think it is an old Aesop/Uncle Remus fable, but essentially the rabbit cuts a deal with the bear to farm bear’s land, letting him pick tops or bottoms. Everytime the bear gets fucked. Bear picks tops, rabbit plants carrots. Bear picks bottoms, rabbit plants broccoli. Bear picks tops and bottoms, rabbit plants corn and keeps the middles.
Waking up is not enough, especially when it is not just the Dems trying to fuck us but so called pragmatic Republicans too.
Thanks for the new word dicentra. That is actually kind of cool.
Speaking of waking things, this disturbing video shows, among other things, how many of our yoot don’t even know who Adolf Hitler was.
dicentra, That 180 movie is both disturbing and also rather interesting.
Come on! Who else knew that one without looking it up? Be honest!
I knew! I learned it in the comments section of NRO. ;-)
I knew! I learned it in the comments section of NRO. ;-)
I KNOW! Those commenters are so erudite!
dicentra, That 180 movie is both disturbing and also rather interesting.
So Joe: Would you take the bullet or move the bulldozer?
Link
Link
I think a big reason for this is that they perceive themselves as bearing gifts for a big swath of the electorate, and presume that as a result they’ve bought support for the whole agenda. They forget or ignore that many people are like Trojans who have been through the whole affair before. They also tend to ignore the unpopularity of things that they insist are “rights” the recognition of which is “progress” and “inevitable” but which are greeted like a white hot poker in the eye by a large part of the electorate.
You see them engaging in a delightful session of political masturbation insisting that “Social Security is popular” and citing polls in support – what they neglect to understand is that Social Security is popular in much the same way that it is popular when someone who owes you $20, due over a year ago, pays you $10. If you were asked whether you are now eager to loan him $50 going forward, the response is demonstrably different.