Time for democrats to admit they underestimated President Bush

[Imran Siddiqui]

Why has neither the State AG nor the Federal AG started an investigation into this?

BECAUSE EVERY STATE HAD ILLEGALITIES, FOR BOTH SIDES!! Why can't this get through to you?! You do an investigation in one state, you have to do them in ALL! And that is a collosal waste of money. When you have a fixed budget it's kinda hard to say you are going to spend more than double what you've been allocated.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Furthermore... if the AG was to investigate that which 'benefited' him how come there was no investigation into the 2000 Mo. race, which directly influenced the AG?

Sorry the conspiracy theories of the left simply don't wash.

[chequita guevara]

Conspiracy theory nothing. I've seen the list with my own eyes. I've also seen the documentation that Harris' office sent to to the company handling the list which told the company to break the law.

Yes, there were problems in a number of states, but nothing which came close to what happened in Florida. Furthermore, even if illegalities happened in every state which benefitted both sides, THEY SHOULD ALL BE INVESTIGATED AND PUNISHED! Democracy isn't supposed to be about convenience. That's the problem with you Republicans. It's all about winning with you, and not about the country or democracy.

[Imran Siddiqui]

That's the problem with your Lefties. All about high minded ideals without any thought to the consequences. You investigate all claims and we'd still be without President today.

Sorry, utopian ideas don't fly.

And btw, we don't live in a Democracy and that was by design. I'm not for Democracy, but a Republic. And my view is more for the country. To even pretend that your plan would be good for the country is utterly moronic.

[Kepler]

Bush had his huge popularity handed to him by 9/11. Recall that immediately prior to it, polls were showing that if the election were rerun Gore would have won (again, but also in electoral terms this time).

But, Bush has survived:

(1) a totally crapola economy
(2) a very bad economic policy
(3) the potential identification of the GOP with corporate CEO excesses (blown by the Dems)
(4) the potential national heebeejeebees over the Iraq adventure (blown by the Dems)
(5) numerous little embarrassments by his drug and alcohol abusing family

So I'll belly up and admit that I underestimated him -- a less talented politcian would have managed to screw himself on at least 2 of the above, and George (or ****, or Karl, or whoever's pulling the strings) sailed through untouched.

My take on his popularity:

50% 9/11, after which the US would have followed *anybody* with a C-in-C hat
25% utter incompetence by the all-too-loyal opposition
10% great smile and insincere but well-studied man-of-the-people appeal
10% great handlers
5% the "gut the pledge" district court decision
0% his policies, which nobody knows anyway -- maybe they're national security too.

All the same, you know Clinton would have blown it all the first weekend by screwing the pooch (ahem, just an expression... probably).

[Dom Pedro II]

Many countries have gone in the garb of a Republic...

what if they suspended elections in definitely tomorrow?

Would it still be ok with you as long as business kept going?

I support free trade, extremely limited government, and capitalism, but I support them because I think they are right. I support them on principle not because I think its the way for me to get the most cash...

And I don't think we should just say "Oh well" to corruption. We should pursue it when we can, and we should be ashamed when we can't.

[Dom Pedro II]

I find this "Bush has survived, Bush has overcome" stuff to be rather amusing... he's in there for a four year term. What were people expecting? A group of peasants with torches and pitchforks to storm the White House and string him up on the South lawn??

[Imran Siddiqui]

And I don't think we should just say "Oh well" to corruption. We should pursue it when we can, and we should be ashamed when we can't.

It's one thing to try to minimize corruption and another to say there should be no corruption and when there is it is inexcusable. I mean, please..

The attempt to avoid corruption was the bid system, which has minimal corruption, but is the best system out there, and it is ludicrous to think government jobs have less corruption than a bidding system.

--

And according to Bob Woodward's new book, the President is actually in charge of his cabinet. It seems they follow him rather than the other way around.

[Ming]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Oh, I dunno, actually living in Chicago and having friends who actually participate in the election process might give me some insight on the local elections.

Well... after living all my life in and around Chicago, taking classes on Chicago Politics in College, knowing Democrats who actually hold office, and knowing the people that helped them get there... I still respond.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Dom Pedro II
What were people expecting? A group of peasants with torches and pitchforks to storm the White House and string him up on the South lawn??

Keep talking like that and I'll propose.

[Dom Pedro II]

Imran - I wasn't saying government jobs were less corrupt.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
That's the problem with your Lefties. All about high minded ideals without any thought to the consequences. You investigate all claims and we'd still be without President today.

No we wouldn't. If there's no clear winner in the election, Congress gets to choose, and they would have choosen Bush, given they controled both Houses at the time.

The problem I'm talking about is that there's no punishment of the crimes that were committed. People are getting away with screwing the American people over. And there's nothing right now to stop them from doing it again. Jeb and the Florida Republican Party have been thumbing their noses at the courts for years, despite being ordered to reinstate out-of-state felons who've had their rights restored previous to moving to Florida. Despite having to settle with the NAACP, they refused to fix the current 97% inaccurate list before 2003. Since they keep getting away with it, what's to stop them from continuing to try?

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
If Gore had won his home state, Florida wouldn't have mattered at all.

ZING!

[MRT144]

if america wasnt full of idiots florida wouldnt have mattered...

i vote for northern california to secede the nation...

[Dom Pedro II]

I vote for southern California to secede from the Union but only so we can declare war on it and firebomb Los Angeles back to the Stone Age.