There are times when I’m not sure I inhabit the same planet as Eric Earling, let alone the same city:
Behold more evidence that MoveOn.org and the netroots community – including our own local friends in that following – have lost touch with political reality. Their attack against Giuliani in Iowa after his response to their Petraeus ad is a blessing of the first order for Team Rudy.
Giuliani is hitting back with an ad that drives home his feisty willingness to confront obnoxious liberalism that endears him to conservatives…even those otherwise skeptical of him.
Exactly who is out of touch with political reality here?
There were two high-profile media events about Iraq last week: The top U.S. commander testified before Congress and President Bush delivered a prime-time speech. What impact did they have?
Very little, according to two polls taken at the end of the week.
Before the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and the President’s speech, 26 percent of Americans polled by CBS News approved of President Bush’s handling of Iraq. After the speech, 25 percent approved.
Before the testimony and the speech, 41 percent of Americans believed the United States did the right thing to take military action in Iraq. After the speech, 39 percent said it was the right thing.
And also consider from a month ago:
In another poll taken August 6-8, 53 percent said they did not trust Petraeus to report “what’s really going on” in Iraq. The survey interviewed 1,029 adult Americans. The results from the Petraeus question had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
So let’s recap. A majority of Americans in early August did not trust General David Petraeus to report the truth from Iraq. General Petraeus comes back last week and does not report the truth from Iraq. Instead, he continues to maintain that the “surge” is working, even though a majority of Americans think that he’s wrong and the evidence doesn’t back him up. Even if you somehow manage to convince yourself that this isn’t some sort of betrayal by a military official who we expected to be truthful, a majority of Americans still think that Petraeus went in front of Congress and fed us a pile of bullshit. And Americans sure as hell care more about that than about an ad in a newspaper that riled up the right-wing PC police.
Giuliani may very well be able to use this as a way to make him look tough to the 29% of Americans who are still inhabiting the fairy tale world where Bush is a great president and victory in Iraq is just around the corner. But for the majority of Americans whose heads are not up their own asses, the political reality is quite different.
This actually seems to echo problems with “political reality” related to RTID. It’s just not very convincing that this is our one and only chance to get light rail when we’ll have a brand new system opening up in less than 2 years.
Once that one is up and running and popular, we should be able to get through a vote without, say, all the extra road construction. Or, if you’re still pessimistic about not tying it to roads, we can do maintenance on the many neglected roads that RTID would continue to neglect.
@1
Jon,
I actually hope you’re right, but I have my doubts. I think that there’s just as much danger of people looking at the completed light rail in 2009 and saying, “that was a lot of money for something I’ll never use”. It’s all about people’s perceptions.
It’s important to remember that political reality does not always reflect what’s smart, but it does give you an idea of what’s doable from a political sense. In Iraq, I think the Democrats are also misreading the political reality because they’re worried that it could change quickly and revert back to what it was in 2003.
Heads up their asses. Yup, those are our Republicans.
1 J
It’s not “our one and only chance” to get light rail. However once a measure is voted down our legislators are often understandably (a) not sure which element is offensive and probably assume all elements were, and (b) hesitant to offer up some similar package again after its rejection. Also, how long will it be before another package is put together, and how much MORE will the same functionality cost due to the delay? This region should have had light rail 20 years ago, and is paying EXORBITANT amounts for it now instead of the relatively cheap cost then.
Who in their right mind would believe a Republican? I mean, REALLY?
#5 Daddy Love. Remember. Reality has a liberal bias…..
I’ve done some asking around about how people felt about the Moveon ad and the the response I’ve gotten was: huh?, what? guess I missed that. Moveon and the Republican pushback against the ad seems an act of yelling at the converted and wasting money.
michael says:
I’ve done some asking around about how people felt about the Moveon ad and the the response I’ve gotten was: huh?, what? guess I missed that. Moveon and the Republican pushback against the ad seems an act of yelling at the converted and wasting money.
Well if you are surveying the opinions of Seattle residents and/or left wing bloggers, of COURSE you are going to get that response. What else would you expect? If you ventured outside the Seattle city limits or better yet, outside WA once in awhile you will find a less universal reaction.
Um… I’m not in Seattle and didn’t ask any bloggers…
How dare them Move On People (me) calling a lying Bush apologist a liar. They didn’t even call him a liar. They just asked if he was going to tell the truth “or betray us” right?
Betrayus lied to us. In fact the Sunni Sheik Bush met with was an actor, and not a Sheik. Go to GregPalast.com and read the rest of the story.
Fart in a whirlwind stuff. It’s already forgotten (if ever known) by all except Bush dead enders.
Quite a change from 2003. The GOP is toast in ’08.
Do not try to argue with the big Eee.
It’s hopeless!
Right On lee ,
Right on ,those polls tell the story , and they do mean if you call our decorated Generals liars and traitors it will help democrats get elected .keep it up , you speak for so many .
George Soros and MoveOn.Org own the Democratic Party and the oil companies and the right wing religious zealots own the Republican Party. Both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt as hell.
In 2008, all we’re going to get is the opposite side of the same coin.
September 10, 2007
Kerry: MoveOn.org is ‘over the top’
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, criticized MoveOn.org Monday for taking an ad out in The New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus. The general is testifying before Congress today about the situation in Iraq. (Related: Dems join GOP in slamming ad attacking Petraeus)
“I don’t like any kind of characterizations in our politics that call into question any active duty, distinguished general,” Kerry told CNN, adding “who I think under any circumstances serves with the best interests of our country.”
Kerry is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who was awarded two Purple Hearts. In his 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry was attacked by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who questioned his service in the war.
Kerry called the MoveOn.org ad “over the top” and specifically noted that he did not like the wording in the text.
“I didn’t like the terminology,” he said. “I didn’t like it.”
The ad shows a picture of Petraeus with the words “General Petraeus or General Betray us?”
“Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, criticized MoveOn.org Monday for taking an ad out in The New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus.”
Did the ad have Gen. Petraeus wearing band-aids with purple hearts on them? Maybe that riled Senator Kerry, although it wouldn’t have bothered Rudy and his primary opponents; they never served.
Paddy Mac: “it wouldn’t have bothered Rudy and his primary opponents; they never served.”
I don’t recall either Clinton serving either. Are you saying you have to have served to view the Moveon ad as offensive? Keep living in your echo chamber.