Decide whenever you want, sport. Won’t change a thing.
I know what you mean, though. If Bush commits a truly mind-blowing gaffe (the kind his detractors always credit to hi, but which never seem to be fatal - or even slow him down much) just before the election, it could reverse everything.
Remember Ford’s ludicrous claim that Eastern Europe was NOT dominated by the Soviet Union during a debate? Even rock-ribbed Republicans were wondering out loud if we could do any worse with Lenin himself in the Oval Office, if the Prez couldn’t even keep THAT straight.
Failing that…see above. This election is Bush’s to lose.
If we take another punch to the national solar plexus like 9/11, Bush loses the ability to claim he protected the country better than the Dems could’ve or would’ve.
The Dems may not actually WISH for a calamity like that, but watch 'em make political hay if - God forbid - it DOES happen again. It’s really their only chance.
I think you greatly underestimate the sizable number of young people who absolutely despise the guy. I’m not saying this will be enough to tip the election against him, but I suspect that relatively large numbers of young people will vote in the next presidential election (compared to previous years), and will overwhelmingly vote against Bush. Dean has been very good at using the Internet as a campaign tool, and has undoubtedly reached many young people that way.
Sure! If he loses, pay me $20.
If he wins, you ain’t getting jack. Let’s see how confident you really are.
As an outside observer, Bush is looking pretty good to secure a second term right now. His advantages are sizeable. He’s the incumbent, has a massive war chest, The economy is looking a whole lot heathlier even in the past couple of months and Iraq is starting to slide down the news schedules.
However, there’s still a heck of a long way to go. I suspect that Dean will be a considerably more formidable candiate than some would have us believe and if he gets the nomination there’ll be a lot of anti-bush money headed his way.
But If I had to call it now, I’d say we’re in for another 4 years of Georgie boy.
Well, it’s true that it doesn’t matter how many he gets, either in raw number or sometimes even if he has more than the other candidates (as Dubya did in the last election).
I’m on Dean’s email list. Got one today claiming that the Bushies were going to unleash attack ads on Dean next month painting him as an out and out liberal and asking for money to do fight back. If he were and out and out liberal I would be glad to give him money. As it is I haven’t even decided if I want to give my vote to the guy. They claim the info comes from a NYT article.
IMO- given the size of the Republican war chest they are likely to suceed in misrepresenting Howard Dean and thus take the election. OTOH- if Dean can get the Democratic nomination without big dents in his pocketbook or reputation and get the right VP candidate- Bob Graham of Florida, and release the “public” papers from his governorship then I would give him close to an even chance in the general election. The major hurdle I see for Bush are the debates. He did quite well last time and if he can repeat that performance I think he pretty much has it sown up. If he doesn’t or refuses to debate Dean then things could get dicey for him. All of that assumes that perceptions of the economy continue to slowly firm up and the perceptions of the mess in Iraq continue to slowly grow more pessimistic and that no other major factors intrude.
Oooh, you are teasing us again! Is Santa going to put some actual WMDs in George Junior’s stocking?
‘I respond to three questions,’ stated the augur. ‘For the twenty terces I phrase the answer in clear and actionable language; for ten I use the language of cant, which occasionally admits of ambiguity; for five, I will speak a parable, which you must interpret as you will; and for one terce, I babble in an unknown tongue.’
*
I have been working the Iraqi problem for over three years now, lately from NSA, now here at MackDaddy Airplane Patch here in sunny Tampa. Okay, actually, it’s raining right now.
