Beauty parlor gals had enough Bush

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.dailynews.com/theiropinion/ci_4246967

My mother is a Republican; if she weren't, she knows my grandfather would rise up out of the grave and march her down to the registrar's office. For more than 40 years, she has run a one-chair beauty shop in Ventura. Her 70 or so steady customers lean conservative. These aren't lefty loonies; these are America's moms and grandmoms.

A year ago, they were fed up with President Bush, and the antipathy has only grown. Of the 70, according to my mother, there remains a single Bush holdout. They don't talk politics when she's around.

For the rest, the thought of another 2 years of this administration is almost more than they can bear. Whatever lingering sense there might have been last summer that Bush was redeemable has vanished, replaced by a deep fatigue with the direction of the country.

These women are bushed, and their sentiments are born out in the polls.

At Natalie's Beauty Shoppe, they talk about Katrina, about Roe v. Wade, about religion, but the conversation always comes back to Iraq. These Vietnam-era moms are now worried about their grandchildren. And then my mother said something I hadn't heard before: "If they had sons, this would be different."

Interesting point later in article from author. When asked these women still back their 2004 vote as the lesser of two evils, but would like back their 2000 vote. Al Gore is now a statesmen and politcal star to them.

OK, can't agree with them on Kerry, but it does make you wonder if Al Gore could be convinced to run in '08.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Gore in 08!

please, please, PLEASE!!

[amitten]

4. Oh God yes, please. n/t

[gully]

13. I second that

.

[Dover]

2. Two large groups, - the dissatisfied GOP/conserv. women and the immigrant

population (especially of Mexican origins) which have gotten more organized in light of being targeted, will be a major force this election, imo. Those are huge numbers. And the Mexican Americans have also, no doubt, been swept up in and strengthened by events unfolding in Mexico too what with the election upheaval in their former home country which has united them all the more to get active.

Just some thoughts on apparent trends.

[longship]

3. This kind of anecdotal evidence is telling.

The polling organizations never delve this deep. The news media rarely hits these roads.

There is something incredible happening this year that transcends what the pollsters, pundits, and news media are able to see. It's like a rip tide. You don't know you're in trouble until you get too far into the surf to save yourself.

I really do think that the country has turned the corner. It's difficult to see because it's happening at the edges instead of where it would be visible. People aren't talking about it except at their beauty shops, bedrooms, etc. under the veil of privacy. A quiet revolution is happening and it's going to surprise everybody in November.

Nobody who suspects this is willing to go out on a limb because they're being cautious. But there are some tells.

Novakula predicting a 25 seat Dem House take-over.
Other Repukes predicting the same.
CNN and Bloomberg going on the record on a House take-over.

We're not two weeks out. We're just before the beginning of the active campaign and they're already beginning to see what some of us are suspecting. The Dems are going to take over both sides of the Capital.

What's really remarkable about this kind of affair is that there is pretty much nothing the Repukes can do to stop it. They had their chance five years ago. Anthing they do will only make things worse.

It's a perfect storm, DUers.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. "It's a perfect storm, DUers."

and this time, Mother Nature is on OUR side. :bounce:

[NanceGreggs]

6. An excellent summary, longship!

And I do believe you are right. It is also deeply gratifying to hear RW pundits talking about 2006 being a done deal -- a loss for them and their kind. I've already heard a lot of them talking about how the country will have 'learned its lesson' by 2008, and will want the Republicans back in power again.

I say to that: dream on!

The GOP have left a very bad taste in the mouths of the American people, and I believe the Democrats will be in power (including the WH in '08) for a very long time to come.

[longship]

7. Nance, that from you. I am indeed humbled.

You write so well and move people's emotions here at DU.
Thank you for the kudos. I much appreciate it.

I'm sick and tired of the fatalistic sour-pusses around DU so I've been beating the drum for optimism.

Historically, I easily see a repeat of the conditions that gave rise to eight new Repuke Senators and 52 new Repuke House Reps in 1994. This time, the conditions are nearly ripe enough to eclipse those numbers. However, there are districting issues in the House and many Senate seats are just not going to be competitive.

On the other hand, I *do* see seven or even eight new Dem Senators and upwards of fifty new House Democrats in January as a very real possibility. What's remarkable about this is I just can't convince myself that the Repukes have any way to stop it. No matter what scenerio I paint in my mind's eye, it ends up hurting the neocons. The only thing they have left is "Stay the Course" and their dirty tricks, neither of which are going to work this time.

The political air is charged with electoral potential. (pun intended).

[Alpharetta]

10. I wish, but Lieberman still in the lead as a Bush backer

Maybe the polls are wrong, but they show Jomentum leading.

[longship]

14. Who knows about that race?

I think it has to be an aberration. That situation is so f*cked up, there's no telling what these pollsters are actually measuring. Lamont could be ahead, although it doesn't look like it.

In a development yesterday, Sen Inoye has withdrawn his Lieberman support because of some rule or law in Hawaii. I'm thinking that by November, not many Dems will be in Joe's camp. I'm still hoping that he withdraws before the election. That's possible if he has trouble getting funding, or if the Dems unite to ask him to withdraw. They've got to realize that this sets a very bad precident.

[ms liberty]

8. Al Gore is the man who could bring America back together again

except for that pesky 20-28% of the kool-aid drinkers who will never recover from their psychotic break. I use 20-28% because I really do think it could be that low, under the proper conditions.

[Alpharetta]

9. The upside: 2 more years of lost credibility for Bush backers

These women are starting to see through the smokescreen.

One positive from this is for the next two years they will lose respect for anyone in the media who pretends this administration is doing fine.

[kimpossible]

11. Re-elect President Gore in '08!

Read some of his speeches over the past couple of years. He really gets it.

[quiet.american]

12. I'd read this too, and had the same reaction as you

In spite of the reasons for optimism after reading the article, it's still really difficult to get past how casting a vote for Bush in '04 was casting a vote for the lesser of two evils! It defies logic. Unless one assumes these women only watch Fox News, and therefore at that point knew less than zilch about what the wanton boy in the White House had done to the country.

[Bamboo]

15. One Pound,One Pan,One Happy Family.

I think the dissatisfaction with Bush is a symptom of the economy not his policies.He was reelected in 2004 with the same policies the difference is that gas prices have maxed out credit cards.People with less money cut back on haircuts and eating out.The person who cuts my hair turned off their neon open sign because they said it uses too much electricity.She swapped cars with her husband because his truck sucks gas and his commute is farther.People switch between political parties like switching brands,when times are tight they pay attention to the price.I tried to discuss the Iraqi National Congress with her and she seemed more interested in the loose bears in California.