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Edited on Wed Feb-23-05 01:03 PM by calimary
You could be a stealth caller, pretend you're republi-CON, and then talk about why you are now so disenchanted with the schmuck. At least you'd have a few moments to get some, if not all, of your point across before they cut you off.
And yes, I'd say this is one measure of public opinion. Not THE one, not the only one, certainly. But another one. It's an indicator. And it could mean that people who are hopped up enough about this stuff to want to be active enough to call in a talk show, and a CSPAN talk show at that (you have to be sort of a news/info-junkie to watch CSPAN a lot to begin with) are NOT as hopped up about bush anymore. Election's over, and so is the big party. The circus has left town. Champagne's all been drunk. And now the hangover's set in. And now they wake up to the mess that has to be cleaned up, like the one all over Pasadena at the end of the Rose Parade. And it's not a pretty sight.
It could mean, now that the election's over and they're basically not needed anymore, that they've moved on and gone back to their lives until it's time to crank up for the next campaign. They don't need to be as vigilant anymore, at least at the moment. "Mission Accomplished," after all. If THAT'S true, then it's a VERY good thing. It means they've let down their guard. TRUE, they may just be the "little-guy" operatives like that abomination Pat whatever-her-name-was whose repulsive photo was so prominent here during the republi-CONvention (remember her with the bad dentures and the goofy hat and the purple heart bandaid on one of her chins?). But there are people like her all over the country who are the grassroots of the Bad Guys. She's the one who sashays around in public, showing off those damned bandaids, and she's the one who makes lots of sandwiches for lunch to feed the Texas republi-CONS who were hounding the protesting Democrats who skipped over the state line during a state legislature crisis. She's the one who makes a lot of those "astroturf" calls to outfits like CSPAN, and provides the bodies needed in those hand-picked crowds and photo-ops. She's one of those who does the grunt work at the ground level and gives the Bad Guys the underpinnings they need. She's their backbone. And there are people like her all over the country.
If people like her have let down their guard a little, GREAT! SENSATIONAL!!! That gives US time to work, plant seeds to POISON THE WELL, and allow them to take root, while the bad guy operatives who get in our way and muck things up and second-guess us and wreck our work and spread lies and distortions and scare tactics all over everywhere are off napping or doing something else. GREAT! SEIZE THE TIME!!!!
And, then again, it could also mean that at least SOME people like her are maybe in the 50 - 54 age group that didn't quite make the honey-wagon of protected Social Security benefiters. Remember, bush said people from age 55 up would enjoy their benefits untouched. What about the slightly younger ones? Or even the ones somewhat younger than that - who suddenly realize that funny feeling under their feet is the tremor of a rug being yanked out from under them. Maybe their enthusiasm is suddenly waning for their "hero" now that they're seeing what he really wants to do. Or maybe it's some of the elderly who suddenly don't like that their OTHER group, AARP, is now under attack, or that they just are becoming increasingly upset about the idea of somebody mucking around with Social Security. I have an elderly neighbor like that - a formerly died-in-the-wool, staunch republi-CON who all of a sudden - and QUITE seriously - isn't so sure anymore. Maybe they're even feeling a little bit - gulp - BETRAYED?????? Well, if that's true, don't expect many of THEM to call in and say "YAY, bush!"
It's one audience research meter. Not the only one, because CSPAN doesn't bring you a realistic cross-section of people. You sure don't get the passive ones who either aren't into calling a talk show or just aren't into it, period. But this one measurement, I would say, IS telling.
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