GOP Cancer Grows but Detected

Gallup has an interesting poll that shows the GOP is unable to attract or even keep its political party members. The political party of with us or against us has found themselves in the position of a sinking ship so to speak. Is the GOP dead? Have they gone to far right wing? According to Gallup and the poll, they have…

GOP Losses Span Nearly All Demographic Groups
Only frequent churchgoers show no decline in support since 2001
by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup. Since the first year of George W. Bush's presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline. - Gallup

What brings on this sudden demise of the Republican Party? Could it be the fault of former President Bush? Could it be the torture issue authorized under President Bush and Vice President Cheney? Maybe it was Denny Hastert and his cover up of a known pedophile in his Congress? Could it be the Jack Abramoff scandal where the Republican lead Congress was up for sale for the price of a golf trip to Scotland? Could it be the war in Iraq that was based on one lie after another that never panned out? Could it be the wounded Veterans coming home lucky enough to be alive from Iraq or Afghanistan based on those lies? Maybe it’s the 4300 plus military members that have lost their lives based on lies? Who knows, it could be the outing of Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA agent by Cheney and Scooter Libby? I don’t even think I need to mention Tom Delay and his escapades trying to fix the voting in Texas but it has its merits in the discussion. The simple truth is that so much was piled up by the sitting members of the GOP in Congress and the White House that nobody will ever really know. Not in our lifetimes anyway. That is why America and her voters cast the GOP out of power. America did not forget what our nation was all about, the GOP did!

One thing is certain, the GOP has been compromised and if Rush Limbaugh, Ann Culter, Bohner, Bill O’Reilly, and Fox News is the spokesperson for the GOP then they deserve the medicine they have dished out to themselves. It is a formula for political suicide. When you have Rush Limbaugh demand Colin Powell be deported from his political party then, can I say out loud with a NASA quote, “Houston, we have a problem!”.

If you have ever read President Lincoln’s address and speech at Gettysburg, or read the book by Gary Wills, you just might understand what a true political party is all about. President Lincoln summed up in less than three minutes the sacrifices the men that died on that field. Lincoln wasn’t just talking about Union soldiers that died on the fields of Gettysburg. In that respect, it isn’t about you the individual, its about America. It’s about all Americans. That was the political party of Lincoln in his day. That is what the GOP just doesn’t get anymore. The GOP just isn't in touch with the average person in America and that might just be simply because they can't afford the $1000 per plate political fund raising dinners.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that they can not get their political act together!

Papamoka

*****Gun Toting Liberal has linked in and has a very interesting opinion on this same issue

Is Olympia Snowe Defecting Too

We had Arlen Specter in the Senate defecting to the Democrats yesterday, is this piece in the New York Times from Senator Snowe of Maine another indicator light on the dashboard of politics a warning that she too might jump ship from the GOP? Having read the full piece penned by the Senator I’m of the inkling that she too is abandoning the GOP sinking ship. Check it out, read it all and tell me what you think…

It was as though beginning with Senator Jeffords’s decision, Republicans turned a blind eye to the iceberg under the surface, failing to undertake the re-evaluation of our inclusiveness as a party that could have forestalled many of the losses we have suffered.

It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of “Survivor” — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe. But it is truly a dangerous signal that a Republican senator of nearly three decades no longer felt able to remain in the party.

Senator Specter indicated that his decision was based on the political situation in Pennsylvania, where he faced a tough primary battle. In my view, the political environment that has made it inhospitable for a moderate Republican in Pennsylvania is a microcosm of a deeper, more pervasive problem that places our party in jeopardy nationwide. - New York Times

Kudos for the Senator from Maine for recognizing that her political party could give a rats ass about the common voter. Voters didn’t hijack the political thoughts and rules over the last decade on how to govern America, Republican hierarchy and donations to those in service to America did. America was sold out to the highest bidder and once the people accepting the bids are gone, the crisis is at a standoff on where you put your shoes when you bed down for the night. America is no longer facing a 45 caliber gun every single time we fill our gas tanks and that is money that is flowing eventually back into the rest of the economy that is America.

If you really think about it, over the past two or three years the money pit that was Washington has been seeing an abandon ship mentality. The rats have been jumping ship either out of scandal or sheer discouragement. Everyone even thought to be connected with corruption has left office on the right side of the aisle. I’m not saying that the left side of the aisle is innocent but there has been a serious exodus of Republican’s from public service over the last few years. I am just saying that the gravy train in Washington has come to a stop and everyone needs to get off the train. This train has no more stops.

Papamoka

McCain Dream Electoral College Results

Everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for election results tonight and some of the news networks are already planning on calling the winner as early as 7:00 PM EST. I’m of the firm opinion that they should hold off declaring a winner for President to allow people west of the Mississippi river to vote. We can wait and I see no problem with waiting till 7:15 PM EST!

Getting past that, there are some reports out that McCain is winning in a landslide. I had to do some intense research to get to the bottom of this viscious rumor.The only problem with these reports is that the map results they show are from November of 2006. Dream on Senator McCain, dream on!

Papamoka

McCain Might Just Lose Arizona!

Fear of losing his own home state has John McCain and his campaign using the dreaded robocall political tactic in Arizona. What was once an art form under Karl Rove and the election of George W. Bush is now pretty much taboo in the new century of politics. Robocalling is the last breath of desperation from John McCain to at the least point to save his Senate seat in the next election.

When you look at what he has had to deal with in recent weeks you really can’t blame McCain for trying to save his own ass. Palin has gone rogue on him and so far off acceptable campaign talking points that she is a loose cannon of the Republican Party. She fires off the cannon and no matter what she says, the target ends up being in the lap of John McCain. I can’t honestly feel bad for McCain, he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. I just don’t think that he ever considered that she could out run him.

Back to the Robocall topic in Arizona… Here is the text of the call courtesy of Talking Points Memo that confirmed it with two sources…

I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because Barack Obama is so dangerously inexperienced, his running mate Joe Biden just said, he invites a major international crisis that he will be unprepared to handle alone.

If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and authorized by McCain-Palin 2008.

Can we break down this robocall to simple terms? Dangerously experienced? How about McCain picking someone that has already bolted from his own campaign with eyes on 2012 with even less experience? Then Joe Biden is brought up with this lack of experience. Umm, Joe and John have a ton of experience in foreign policy so the original statement is moot. Then they mention Civil Rights as if they are the ones to endorse and move forward civil rights? How can you claim to be a defender of civil rights when you voted with George Bush to tear all Americans civil rights out from under us Mr. McCain? Then they question Barack Obama’s judgment and experience to lead America but is it not the McCain campaign that can not even control many of the leaks and news feeds that show up on blogs like this one where Palin is out of control and going Rogue or “Maverick”? Last point is who this RoboCall was paid for, the Republian National Committee or RNC. Obviously, they don’t know that America is Cell Phone Happy.

Thank you God above for technology and the fact that our nation has gone Cell Phone happy and for the most part have dumped their land lines. One of the main reason many of us have gone Cell Phone happy is phone calls like this one but from terrorist telemarketers trying to sell us everything under the sun every single night as soon as the supper dishes hit the dining room table. The old shampoo instructions prevailed in some prehistoric political hacks mind when they came up with Robocalling, wash, rinse, repeat. Annoying, interruptive, and rude at the one time of day that we as a family have together with two working parents. The one time of the day where most families find out how everyone else in our individual families day went.

When it comes to RoboCalls, I’ve seen and received many of them when it comes to marketing products. I no longer own a home but I was receiving calls for replacement windows. Same thing goes for refinancing my home. Renovating the bathroom that I do not own. Getting out of debt when bankruptcy and losing our home was an event that happened just under two years ago. Pick a topic and the populace is numb to pre-recorded messages on our land lines. Even after caller ID they managed to get through by interesting messages of who the caller was.

The generation gap is broken wide open and the information age is here and now. John McCain and his campaign has no clue as to how to reach the large chunk of voters that are now no longer bound by a phone in the home. Just like George Bush Senior was amazed at bar code reading machines at a check out counter while Christmas shopping, John McCain never got the message on his cell phone about the wide spread use of cell phones in America. Cell phones are for staffers and not part of his wardrobe.

Senator McCain is not alone in this technology snafu when it comes to politics, most of the political polling sources that political machines rely on have not found the way to bridge this technology gap either. There is not a directory to research and call for cell phone owners going Maverick of Ma Bell!

Papamoka

Obama Double Digit Poll Leads

Battleground states are falling heavily for Barack Obama and by double digit leads according to MSNBC today. I believe these numbers are coming from the University of Wisconsin poll and this is what they show. Obama is ahead of McCain in Minnesota 19%, Wisconsin 13%, Michigan 22%, Iowa 13%, Illinois 29%, Indiana 10%, Ohio 12 % and Pennsylvania by 11%.

Video Link



Just for giggles I went over to Real Clear Politics and plugged this information into the Electoral Map. I love this feature and find myself using it at least a couple of days a week. Mind you the map starts out with Obama at 259 and McCain at 157 solid electoral college votes, leaning states move the map to 306 to 157 in Obama’s favor. That leaves 75 electoral college votes in toss up mode.

If you change all the states leaning to Obama or McCain and then plug in MN, WI, MI, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA all over to Obama and give John McCain all the toss up states (MT, ND, NV, MO, NC, FL) you end up with Obama winning 317 to 221.

If you look at the maps from another perspective and click on the “No Toss Ups” option, McCain would need to win OH, PA, IN, VA, NC, and FL to get to 270 to win the Presidency.

Papamoka

Electoral Map Analysis

Chuck Todd over at MSNBC has the greatest little toys for mapping out where the electoral votes stand in the race for President. Don't get me wrong, I miss Tim Russert and his chalk board analysis. Chuck just has the Blacberry and Ipod crowd enthralled. I just think it's neat!

Video Link



Needless to say, I think Senator McCain is in some serious trouble. Hold on, my Ishoe is ringing. I have to go, agent 99 is in trouble again...

Papamoka

Polling Numbers in Question

One of the things that I honestly believe that is skewing the polling numbers is the growth of cell phones in households across America. Sitting around the house tonight I watched as the wife had a couple of calls on her cell phone, a few of the kids had calls on their cell phones, and yet the house phone that is hard wired never rang all night long. Then I was thinking that many of our friends no longer have home phones and just use their cell phone for everything. Could this be the reason why millions of voters are not included in the polling numbers? Could this explain why the race in the media is supposedly so close? Obama has huge events with tens of thousands of supporters showing up. McCain has a convention room with a thousand people showing up in the same cities?

Cell phones seem to be the main use for phone service in this country for people and voters 18 to 35 and older but I’m just guessing that that fact just might be why the polls are not picking up even higher percentages in favor of Obama in this election across the country. If all of the organizations working to register new voters and many of those new voters are cell phone junkies then they are not part of the polling process by any political polling numbers.

The Obama campaign has energized the younger generation to participate in their government here in America and frankly it is kind of hard to find “Likely Voters” if there is not a cell phone directory like the Yellow Pages to ask them how they are going to vote. New registered voters from Democrat led political organizations is into the millions and Obama and Hillary led that movement in the primaries.

Just a thought…

Papamoka

Related posts...

Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania Swing to Obama

McCain or Obama Independents?

It was reported recently that Senator Hillary Clinton would have to win 57% of the remaining delegates to unseat Senator Barack Obama from the Democrat nomination for President. For argument sake let us all pretend Obama is the candidate against the Maverick John McCain. This will be the Presidential election of the century.

In the race of 2000 John McCain was the Maverick against George Bush and that John McCain could have been President if it were not for dirty politics. The evil scientist Karl Rove worked that election as if they were taking over the world and low and behold he actually did achieve his goal. With eight years of George Bush in the Presidency we have seen our nation go to war, mega profits snickered at and justified because of the war, and a nation of separated people. Those with the big bucks, and those of us emotionally and financially exuberant to find a dollar in an old pair of jeans.

John McCain morphed into a George Bush Junior after the election in 2000 for one purpose and that was to be his political parties’ nominee in this election. What was once a Maverick is now a yes man for W even to the point of changing his mind on torture. Just a few weeks ago he admonished Mitt Romney for dancing around the issue of torture and rightfully so. As the only Republican candidate that was ever tortured he can speak from experience. What changed John McCain’s mind between that debate and this past week? Could it possibly be the deliverance of not one but two Bush President’s to his campaign?

Independent voters are not the Ross Perot nut jobs of yesteryear like one might think. They are people stuck in the middle that can’t stand the extreme liberalism and big government on the left. They are people stuck in the middle that can’t stand the extreme hands off ideology that if it is good for big business the consequences to America do not matter of the right. Independent voters are the key to this next election and they vote! How you get them to vote for you is the task at hand.

In McCain’s case it is a toss up. You could vote for the John McCain that used to be an independent Republican mind in the Senate or you could vote for the new and improved John me too W McCain. McCain is guilty of not being the real John McCain with every speech he makes. Rather than standing up for his own convictions he has subjugated himself to more of George Bush theology in government just for the chance to sit in the Oval Office in 2009. If he or his campaign staff looked at the current President’s approval ratings for the last four years he might want to reinvent himself back into the old McCain. Independent voters are not idiots and they don’t buy sound bites that sound like Bush all over again.

As for Senator Obama, his invention of himself is just what you see. With an oratory expertise he can make you believe that change is possible and that hope is alive. Obama’s message may not be full of details but the man has the facts and plans figured out. He isn’t slamming his opponents because he does not have to! When the message is right and the people want to hear more of what he has to say then that is the ball game for many Independent voters as well. Republican crossover voters and Independent voters will put Barack Obama in the White House in 2009. Personally, I would give more credit to the Independent voters. That is the key to this election.

Come the general election, John McCain will run for the center with all he has to give. Once more he will be changing who he really is as a candidate for President. In doing so, he will morph into not the die hard conservative and become a moderate candidate that gives a lousy speech from cue cards and teleprompters.

Barack Obama will pull all his abilities together to speak without any assistance and what you will hear will be from his heart and soul simply because he believes whole heartily in the words he speaks. President Obama will bring America back to where she should be and that is right in the middle but with a concentration of helping American’s first and foremost.

Papamoka

Cross posted at MichaelLinnJones.com

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