"It's the economy, stupid!" and why the GOP is BEGGING you to focus on Palin.

[Barack_America]

In 2004, 28% of Americans listed either the "economy" or "healthcare" as their #1 concern when they cast their ballots.

This year 61% are listing the "economy" or "healthcare" as their #1 concern. 61%!!

In 2004, nearly 80% of people who listed the "economy" or "healthcare" as their #1 concern voted for Kerry.

Democrats should have an undeniable advantage in this election, and the GOP knows it.

So what can they do?

Well, since Americans weren't voting based on the economy in 2004, what were they voting for?

The single biggest issue in 2004? So-called "moral values", which 22% of Americans counted as their top issue, and "terrorism" which was the top issue for 19% of Americans. Over 80% of Americans voted for Bush based on those issues.

Simply put, this year millions of Americans have moved from the Republican strong-suits of "moral values" and "terrorism" to the Democratic strong-suits of "economy" and "healthcare"...AND THE GOP WANTS THEM BACK!

You want to know why Sarah Palin was chosen? Well, that's it. She was chosen to get our focus off of our failing economy, lack of healthcare, Iraq, etc. and squarely back on squabbles over abortion, "family values", gun control, etc.

AND WE ARE TAKING THE BAIT!

Toss in some gender issues and big-oil puppetry and you have got the GOP's dream girl, designed to divide the electorate and reignite the "liberal vs. conservative" battles that brought the GOP to power in the first place.

AND WE ARE FALLING FOR IT!

So while it's all well and good for DUers to devote 90% of threads to Palin-bashing, please remember that we are undermining Obama's chances in the process. Don't forget that the media DOES come here looking for ideas, and if they see that all our threads are about Palin, that's what they're going to assume we want to hear about. But imagine if they came here and found 90% of threads highlighting issues such as our 6.1% unemployment rate (which is probably an underestimate) or McCain's healthcare plan (just stop CALLING people uninsured)...

Well, then maybe we just might get the election that our nation deserves (i.e. a sound thumping of all things Republican).


Thanks for your consideration.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/index.html

[Barack_America]

1. .

:kick:

Thanks for the recs though!

:hi:

[BadgerKid]

2. Yup. And McCain plays

up the POW angle and steals Obama's theme of Change.

[young_at_heart]

3. It's not the economy---it's abortion

Every day in our newspaper there is a LTE that says, "You can't be good "Christian and vote Democratic----case closed!

[Barack_America]

5. That's not what people are telling pollsters this year...

People are saying that this election IS about the economy.

The GOP is desperate to make it about abortion, hence the Palin pick.

[krabigirl]

30. LOL so lame

[Barack_America]

4. How subprime mortgages threatens to bring down the Global Economy.

Thought I'd share this interesting article.

How the subprime superbug spread across the globe

Last Updated: September 06. 2008 8:30PM UAE / September 6. 2008 4:30PM GMT

It came from the deserts of Nevada and the shiny suburbs built on Florida’s steamy swamp lands. Moving across heartland America with the speed of a California forest fire, the subprime superbug quickly spread to Wall Street by the end of 2006, infecting investment banks and wiping out more than US$500 billion (Dh1.8 trillion) of losses and write offs around the globe in 18 months of carnage.

By now, you could hear the wheezing and coughing in lower Manhattan after the collapse of Bear Stearns in March. A flurry of redundancy slips followed, but they could so easily have been sick notes. With the summer heat descending on New York, up to 77,000 jobs in the financial sector evaporated as a new strain of the subprime superbug seeped through the veins of Wall Street.

The credit crunch had first appeared in the autumn of 2007, a by-product of the mortgage crisis that had seen a wave of repossessions in the US housing market from Denver to Detroit.

Now it was leaving a trail of red ink through the books of some of America’s major blue-chip finance houses, mortgage lenders and banks such as Merrill Lynch, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Citigroup.

Travelling across the Atlantic, the credit crunch storm rattled the British banking system and threatened to blow away Northern Rock, forcing Gordon Brown’s Labour government to intervene with a £27 billion (Dh186.3bn) injection of taxpayer’s money in early February. As the credit squeeze tightened, new mortgage approvals dried up in June and July, popping a 10-year property bubble. House prices crumbled in the UK, while Britain’s biggest building company, Taylor Wimpey, reported a £1.54bn pretax loss for the first six months of the year on Aug 27.

“ are arguably the worst they’ve been in 60 years,” Alistair Darling, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, said three days later. “We’ve got our work cut out. I think it’s going to be more profound and long-lasting than people thought.”

A similar story had started to unfold in the Euro zone. Business and consumer confidence plummeted in Germany and France, while Spain’s property sector went from boom to bust in August after an unprecedented 11-year building frenzy...

More:
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080906/BUSINESS/769264345/-1/ART

[pampango]

6. Good thing we're not falling for the Palin gambit.

:)

[Andy823]

7. I agree.

McCain "can't" talk about the issues, so they want to control all the talking points that help them. Why so many democrats are taking the bait is beyond me, but they are. The Obama camp knows what they are doing, and I expect to see them hitting back hard on McCain for ducking the issues you have listed in your post. This race is about McCain, not Palin, and we need to go after McCain. If the rumors that so many her love to spread are true, they will come out, that I am sure of, but in the mean time we can't let McCain get away with avoiding the issues. He is simply hiding behind Palins skirts, and letting her do the dirty work, and hoping the democrats lash out so they can use the "gender" bashing tactic.

Instead of spreading rumors, which I think Karl Rove wants us to do, we need to spread the word to everyone we know about the fact McCain needs to address the issues, and stop the BS. People will wise up, at least those with a brain, but we really need to take control of the talking points and no let Karl Rove do it!

[Barack_America]

8. The GOP certainly doesn't want to change their economic policies...

They (or at least the "they" that control the GOP) have done quite well under Bush's economy.

So they don't want to change anything, but are desperate to maintain control over the White House. End result, they're "hiding behind Palin's skirts", as you so very rightly said.

And I agree that Obama isn't stupid enough to fall for this, that's why it's disappointing that he's now getting pressure from BOTH sides to focus on Palin.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Although the internet "we" may be discussing what the wingnut biased news media won't

the candidates have NOT gone off-message and won't.

We might feel we are the "conscience" of the Democratic Party, but we are not the Obama campaign and I wouldn't worry about them. ;) The fuss on the 'net has actually forced some of the media (print, radio) to see the light and stop focusing on the continued knee-capping of Obama and start doing it to McPalin. In fact, I was shocked to see CNN and AC 360 actually do a whole expose on the repuke VP pick - something that should have been done the Friday she was selected, right up through the past week, especially since they dissected Biden so thoroughly.

[Barack_America]

10. But don't you find it disappointing that Obama is getting calls to attack Palin...

From the left as well? I've seen countless threads on that subject on DU alone.

If we want Obama to win, we too should focus on the economy. That's the point I was trying to make.

[babythunder]

19. Find 10 average Americans

see if they can have a nuanced discussion about the economy. A couple weeks ago on another message board this guy stated that he wasn't sure if he would vote for Obama because he might raise his taxes. After explaining to him in depth about how most of the wealth in this country is controlled by a small number of people, the deficit, and all the tax breaks given to Corporations he still wasn't getting it. And this was a college education small business owner so what does that tell. But you can keep fooling yourself into believing that you live among the informed and I'll show you a McCain Presidency.

[Barack_America]

21. First you'll have to tell me what an "average" American is.

Because I'm pretty sure that if I knocked on MY neighbors' doors, we'd have a pretty good discussion.

[babythunder]

24. Congratulations to you

but I'm talking about the people who know and care very little about politics but still cast a vote. Not you're hardcore Rethug or Democrat but the people in between who vote on a very small amount of information. Seriously do you want to debate about the level of ignorance among the American population? Because we can go there

[BumRushDaShow]

22. I'm actually not one calling for Obama to do a DU on her.

I think that is what the netroots can do.

What Obama has done is more lethal because he uses an extremely sharp sword to cut them and they don't even realize it. :rofl: He then moves on to what worries voters the most!

In this place, we are preaching to the choir and I think everyone other than freeper trolls are aware of the real "issues". But as agitators, the 'net has been forcing the media (and when I say "media", it's now down to the TV talking heads) to do their jobs.

I am sure that Walter Chronkite is just shaking his head in disgust. The so-called television "news divisions" have truly lost all credibility.

[Barack_America]

25. Really? I haven't heard the media talking much about the economy...

...and the campaigns' plans to fix it.

All I've heard is Palin scandals A, B and C, even to the point of undermining the stunning 6.1% unemployment rate. And same goes for DU it's been all Palin, Palin, Palin and very little about Obama and his superior plans.

[Marsala]

26. Obama is too smart to listen to threads on DU

We're the lowest common denominator of the left. If we were in charge of the party, Hillary and Obama would still be fighting for the nomination. No, scratch that, Edwards or Kucinich would have gotten it.

[kwenu]

11. Nope. You have to strike back , show why your opponent is wrong AND present your plan.

There is no one or the other. You cannot ignore McCain/Palin. We've lost doing that "we know we're right so we're just going to ignore you" thing in the last two elections. You can't passively run for President. It is a war!

[Barack_America]

12. Um, no. You focus on how McCain and Palin have no plan for the ECONOMY...

Which is voters' top concern this year.

This is EXACTLY what Obama and Biden have been doing and we should follow suit.

All this focus on Palin's family dynamic, whether or not she had an affair, etc. is not particularly helpful to the Democratic cause.

[kwenu]

13. Maybe I'm confused. I read your post as supporting non-engagement , just talk about the issues.

If that isn't right, I stand corrected. Otherwise, I want to be clear that you cannot ignore McCain/Palin's false charges and expect to win. You said she's bait and we're falling for it. I'm saying she's bait and fry her ass.

[Barack_America]

14. Perhaps I should have been more clear.

My point is that:

1). McCain is at the top of that ticket
2). Petty issues like "is her daughter a trashy whore" do us no good.

There is a WORLD of difference between what Obama/Biden are proposing and what McCain/Palin are proposing. The electorate should be on our side and can be if we keep the focus.

[kwenu]

15. What you're saying is true intellectually. Politics isn't always about intellect.

And certainly not in a race for the power of the presidency. The garbage about Obama was/is meaningless trash too...but it's effect was/is real and that's sad and disappointing. But...let's not coffee-klatch ourselves into another loss. I'm blathering about this because it is our nature to intellectualize when we know full well after the last two presidential cycles that intellect is not the main basis of the vote.

[JFN1]

16. Palin who?

Oh...right...the Republican mayor lady...

That is going to be my attitude from now on. Nice OP.

[chill_wind]

17. You know, Sarah Palin has LOTS of fiscal bad-news baggage and I don't mind shining the light

on her factual failures, weakness and deficits one bit.

Get your Sarah Palin Talking Points to Go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6959471&mesg_id=6959471

[Barack_America]

18. Great resource!

Thanks!

:hi:

[chill_wind]

32. A keeper!

:hi:

[Johnbluedude]

20. Unemployment just passed 6%

The highest figure in 3 years. Your reasoning makes sense.

[Barack_America]

27. Huh.

This guy was tombstoned?

Odd.

[leftstreet]

23. Spot on! Their only hope is in forcing voters to stay home

People don't give a shit about moral issues politics.

Palin is the RNC's last desperate stab at disengaging people from the Obama/Change/Yes We Can wave.

[judasdisney]

28. Bingo. The Palin bait has worked.

[Barack_America]

29. .

Kicking over the Palin threads.

:kick:

[KittyWampus]

31. it's become a lost cause, I fear. Really, it saddens me that DU'ers are THIS STUPID

and that's what it is, stupidity. Reactionary Screaming.