"Scandal fatigue" -- Is that the biggest problem we face? [View All]

[Armstead]

The media -- being the souless jackels that they are -- have been feeding the public a long list of scandals du jour. Chalabi. Prisoner abuse. Joe Wilson. etc. etc. etc.

But I'm wondering if this is all just leadinbg to a great blanket of malaise that is going drag us into anothehr four years of Bush. Is the adreline rush of discovery just a quick hit, and then it's time to "move on" in the minds of those swing voters?

There is no real follow up to them in the media, and the Democrats have so far been ineffectual in helping people connect the dots, or providing a real alternative....Yes, political junkies know the difference, but will the average person care enough to want to get a fresh start?

Let's say the economy continues to do okay. Things in Iraq at least settle down to a dull roar. People become immune to all the terra alerts and things stay quiet on the homefront. Will the Buish faithful outnumber the anti-Bush diehards in November, with the swing voters going for the status quo of Bush?

Will all the revelations just seem like internal, Inside the Beltway bickering to people?

That's why we ought to be offering real alternatives, IMO. Not just a pale echo of Bushism.

We all know John Kerry would be an immensly better president than George Bush. But many voters in the middle don't see that, when Kerry basically echoes similar laissez faire policies on the economy, trade, health care, etc.

We also know that even if his stated policies on national defense are nopt really that far from Bush at the bottom line, Kerry would be much more competant, and would handle the complexities with a lot more finesse.

But do average people care? Or , worse yet, will the see Kerry as "mushy" compared to the strong stawlwart Bush?

I dunno. Maybe it just seems that way as we move into the puppy days of summer. But will our side get energized and find ways to reach people in their guts with something that will energize them?