[lit-ideas] Post Debate thoughts
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:20:08 EDT
heres the
link to the latest USA Today poll.
Remember that USA Today and Gallup tend to lean more pro-Bush...thus they
probably had a harder time posting this (to their credit they did though <g>)
._http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/2004-10-14-poll.htm_
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/2004-10-14-poll.htm)
CNN also showed a difference.
What worried me after the debate was Bush's "likeability" factor. And, that
besides a very very slight edge in 'handling taxes' , were the only things
in the USA Today poll that showed Bush with a lead for this debate. Some of
the other contrasts were pretty significant. I was very worried about the
whole 'sharing your faith' aspect of things. Bush just does that so well. On
the other hand, Kerry did do better [though still looked uncomfortable] in
terms of talking about faith, what it meant to him, how it interplays in his
politics, etc. Since most of the religious conservative base Bush has already
are voting for him, they probably liked his rhetoric but the debates, I think,
are more to target the 'undecided', the fact that Kerry is able to show by
his uncomfortableness that he does have faith but just does not like to talk
about it publicly is not necessarily a negative for alot of people. (who
really have not made up their minds <g> as they probably are more multiple
issue
voters rather than single issue voters--and there are such interesting
differences between these two that are hard for multiple issue voters to be
able
to say it is best to go one way or the other...I think of the issue of partial
birth abortion and child care...one leans towards one but will take better
care of the other...and so, what does one do? Have more kids in the world but
not take care of them? Or let people choose on their own [big difference
between 'supporting' the issue and letting people have 'choice', I think, and
I
do think that could be better explained.] and help take care of those who do
end up on this planet?)
In Missouri, I got a phone call from one of the people that we had dropped
signs off to last week. About eight of them have been stolen. (she lives in
a fairly upscale suburb east of mine--her mom and brother and several friends
all live in not just the same suburb, but even the same pretty new
subdivision.) This is the third major area in KC that this has
happened--there is
one subdivision here in Lee's Summit which has Kerry signs being stolen as
soon
as they are put up--in Prairie Village, Kansas, they *were* being stolen
until one of the creative souls there started putting Karo syrup (it is clear
syrup) on the signs so that if the people stole them, at least they would have
sticky hands. They started slashing them instead.
The polls show that in Missouri it is 49% ready to vote for Kerry-Edwards
and 49% ready to vote for Bush-Cheney. The paid staffers from the Kerry
Campaign are pulling most of their paid staff out from Missouri and sending
them to
Ohio where Kerry (as of yesterday) had a lead of 4 points. The State
Democratic party in Missouri is placing more staff people around to fill in
the
gaps--but there is also an incredible number of people who have been
volunteering since the Democratic Convention.
I am going to speak at a Moms4Kerry rally on October 30th--but only have
three minutes. Where does one start?
It IS discouraging to think of the people who have been so dishonest that
they would do what was done in Las Vegas and in Portland. This election is
pretty frightening in terms of the thuggery which is showing up in the
Republican Party. (and to think that the Dems used to have that reputation
<g>) The
polarization of our country is very very awful. Most of the time I suppose
people are able to keep a slight veneer on their thoughts/feelings--but there
seems to be a wider gap developing between what is said/done and what is
thought/felt.
I think it comes down to respect...
(maybe that will be my theme...)
Ben's social studies teacher (they are studying the election/debates in
preparation for Kids Voting) is very pro-Bush and that has made things
interesting in that class. One of the boys (he's brilliant--always has
been--and is
the reason that there are only three girls playing the violin in strings
class...he recruited all the boys to join him in fourth grade when they start
strings class. In kindergarten, the boys all had 'clubs'. His was the
"Environmental Club" [the kids, it turned out, had to pay a quarter to join
<g>. He
has been focused on that for years--though last year his family allowed him to
have a very unusual Christmas party--he sent out flyers to friends, family,
schoolmates, etc. asking them to come by their home for an Open House and to
bring a canned good as his goal was to take enough food to one of the food
kitchens--his goal was to take enough to feed about 70 families for Christmas
dinner.) Anyway, since Ben had missed the last debate ('cause of his hiking
campout from Friday to Sunday) and we had not yet watched the tape of it, he
couldn't really do more than mention the stats that he already knew. But
Joseph, from what Ben said...whew. Watching the debate in HIS home must have
been
very interesting. (Obviously they are all very pro-Kerry--his dad plays for
the Kansas City Symphony and is very very involved in community
activities...his mom is a radio-ad actress...wouldn't that be a fun job?)
Just my thoughts,
Marlena in Missouri
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