Wow. From "Amazing Popularity Numbers" to "Every Incumbent

[zbdent]

President has trailed his opponent in the latter part of his first term".

Rush must be getting scared. Why should he? His best times (for getting followers to swallow his lies) are when Dems are in power, whether in Congress or as President.

There's only so much you can do with "It's Clinton's Fault!" or "September 11!" before people realize that your party is in charge of the downfall.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. That's A Crock Of Shit

I can think of at least four elections in the pasty forty or so years where the incumbent never trailed the challenger or the presumptive challnger in the final year of his term .

-1964

-1972

-1984

-1996

[Bandit]

3. You mean Rush would LIE to his folks? ~ I'm Shocked

So what else is new? Rush Lies, Who would have guessed it?

[gratuitous]

2. Adjusting delusional rhetoric to reality

It's getting more and more difficult to sell that "popular wartime president" nonsense, so the rhetoric has to adjust. Naturally, there's no suggestion that the rhetoric has changed in any way, or that plummeting poll numbers are anything to be worried about. One part of the meme survives, which is that Lil George is unbeatable.

But a new feature is starting to leak out, that of Lil George as plucky underdog. Look for this theme to be played up more and more as people start getting an earful from the Democratic candidates about just what's wrong with the corrupt Bush administration. Everyone likes to root for the little guy battling tremendous odds, and as ridiculous as it seems, the Republicans will try to cast Lil George as a disadvantaged but determined man of the people.

The only things he has going for him are his vast personal wealth plundered from the lower and middle classes, his campaign war chest of $200 million, and an array of media pundits and commentators willing to talk him up 24-7 on every broadcast and cable channel, every major magazine and every newspaper with a circulation over 50,000. It'll be a miracle, I tell you, if Lil George can even pull 35% of the electorate facing all those daunting challenges! But 35% should be close enough for the Supreme Court to step in and declare him the winner again, without the bother and expense of examining any ballots.