If I hear McLame sing the "Choose to lose, no surrender blues" one more time I'm gonna puke.
Posted by TIKI AL at September 20, 2007 05:12 AMPresident George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress registered record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.
Only 29 percent of Americans gave Bush a positive grade for his job performance, below his worst Zogby poll mark of 30 percent in March.
A paltry 11 percent rated Congress positively, beating the previous low of 14 percent in July.
“The public mood is not just dark. What’s darker than dark?” Zogby said.
“The mood is getting ugly.”
Posted by Christopher at September 20, 2007 05:32 AMChristopher,
Why don't you just learn how to do links?
Your entire comment is lifted from Zogby's site.
Is it so hard to give the actual author of the words credit?
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 06:07 AM"Have you contacted your Representative or Senator?"
Why?
Posted by Judith at September 20, 2007 06:25 AMHere's Thursday laugh:
"I'm probably one of the four or five best known Americans in the world," Giuliani told a group of reporters at a London hotel as onlookers gathered in the lobby to gawk at actor Dustin Hoffman, who was on a separate visit.
WOW! I had no idea that Giuliani's ego is the size of Bush's. Yeah, yeah, we know your important Giuliani.
Hillary, Hillary. Darth Vader isn't going to like this comment:
"Vice President Cheney came up to see the Republicans yesterday. You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the Vice President's motorcade pulls into the Capitol, and Darth Vader emerges,"
Huffintonpost
Posted by Judith at September 20, 2007 06:40 AMWhen you have two Repug senators and a Repug representative what good would it do? Why do people keep saying we have a democracy? We don't even have a good republic when you have a senate that is not representative of the people and a president that is not elected by popular vote.
Posted by JohnT at September 20, 2007 06:51 AMYou can't make this stuff up. Some days I think I am reading Comedy Central.
Cornyn will introduce a sense of the Senate resolution Thursday criticizing MoveOn.org's recent advertisement in the New York Times.
Cornyn's amendment proclaims that the general "deserves the full support of the Senate." The MoveOn advertisement, Cornyn's legislation states, not only "impugns the honor and integrity of General Petraeus," but "all the members of the United State Armed forces."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/19/gops-cornyn-to-introduce_n_65104.html
JohnT, I agree.
Why bother? I have written, emailed, and called at least 100 times over these past several years and it is obvious that we are of no importance to politicians (except of course when they want our vote).
Posted by Judith at September 20, 2007 07:09 AMThat's not true Judith. Why I called my Representative directly to tell her that I opposed a piece of legislation that she supported and she said she was going to change her vote just because of how I, little old me, felt. Unfortunately, someone else called her the next day and complained about her switching and so she switched back. Damn! But I plan to call again next week and recomplain. We'll see.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 07:24 AMI laughed out loud today when I read Fred Thompson's quote about Democrats regarding Hillary Clinton's healthcare proposal;
"What is it that makes liberals think the best way to help somebody is to punish them?"
Has Fred looked at the Republican platform recently?
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 07:28 AMsnark, Why? Making links finally gives you something worthwhile to do other than make a fool of yourself.
In fact, from now on, that will be your job 'round here.
Posted by Christopher at September 20, 2007 07:31 AMJudith - I can't believe Hillary nailed Cheney this way. Who knew she could be so biting?
Posted by Christopher at September 20, 2007 07:33 AMOK Seven, a while ago you questioned my commenting that Congress was at some all time lows in approval. Christopher up there has the quotes and Snark has the link. Go ahead and read them. Our president has more than twice the approval of this Congress. Sure it's low, Congress is so much lower.
62% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. More than 80% disapprove of this Congress they voted in just last November.
Posted by peter at September 20, 2007 07:43 AMI don't find the low approval rating of the Congress surprising. I'd be much happier if the obstructionist Republicans would let some things get accomplished. They've as much as stated that their goal is to prevent anything from happening while the Democrats are stting the agenda.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 07:49 AM62% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. More than 80% disapprove of this Congress they voted in just last November.
Peter is correct.
I know Peter won't get any props, nor will Zogby, but the numbers don't lie. The Harry and Nancy circus is about as popular with the American public as bird flu. They're viewed as failing to end Bush's disasterous Iraq war.
The Dems weren't given the majority to hear the endless litany of "Bush isn't worth impeaching" and "we don't have the votes."
If Hillary is smart, she will start distancing herself from this Congress because it's radioactive and the voters could well decide to punish her for the failure of Harry and Nancy to carry out the will of the voters.
Has Fred looked at the Republican platform recently?
Why should he bother? He's been annointed by the pundits for being a manly man smelling of Aquavelva. Still, he's looking so cadaverous lately, you gotta wonder what Matthews sees in him...
Posted by iamcoyote at September 20, 2007 07:52 AMI don't find the low approval rating of the Congress surprising.
It's always low, innit? Especially when you have the headlines we saw yesterday convincing the public that it's Congress's fault that things aren't getting done, rather than obstructionist Republicans.
Posted by iamcoyote at September 20, 2007 07:55 AMIf you look at the polling data it shows that opinion of foreign policy is trending upward slightly and opinion on economic policy is trending down. Headed in the right direction is trending up slightly. And fully 88% are very or fairly proud of the United States.
Leads me to believe discontent with Congress is more about failure on the economic front than on the Iraq Occupation front. Which was the emphasis in the Zogby analysis. People are worried about a recession. Gridlock in Congress is what's making people unhappy. If unhappiness with Reid and Pelosi failing to end the occupation was the reason I have a hard time believing 88% would express pride in their country. People are unhappy about our continued involvement in Iraq. But they're worried about the economy.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 08:08 AM"Our president has more than twice the approval of this Congress. Sure it's low, Congress is so much lower."
And your point is what?
peter, Once again, it's republi-con obstructionists who are creating this debacle.
While the Democratic agenda is not satisfying a lot of hardcore liberals and they have made some boneheaded moves, it's at least preventing the republi-cons from passing more harmful legislation to the American public.
Psst... the public knows, who is fucking up this country.
While you push for the 'pukes' to continue to bog down congress you have no idea how detrimental it is to your party.
The proof will come next election when your party gets swept out and we have at least 61 votes in the Senate and a Democratic President.
Of course I wouldn't mind seeing some Dino's go in the primaries but I'll settle on a 61 seat Senate Democratic majority.
Then we can kick that traitor 'loserman' to the curb. Fucking 'loserman', the gift that keeps on giving for the bu$h administration.
Polls from over the summer seem to be saying that Snark. As the surge started showing some positive signs, people shifted their concerns toward the economy. Having our Congress spend all this time on Iraq isn't helping things any. Only forcing down the approval numbers on Congress. They need to pay attention to the people's business more. I've tried to say this earlier to very little support over here.
This Congress has been "all Iraq all the time". They may have been doing other things in the background, but that has been the main story. We need to urge them to work on other things and let Iraq happen the way Petraeus wants. This Congress trusted him so much to approve of him for this mission with unanimous consent. Now the need to just let him do the work. Provide all the support he needs and let him work. Focus on the people's business now. Help create a better economic condition for a change.
You can always do the "all Iraq all the time" thing and accomplish nothing for the next 13 months. Do you want to let things slide and waste the time until when you think more votes will be there? The fall will go even further, but hey, at 11% there's not that much to go. Let it ride and see what happens on election day 2008.
Posted by peter at September 20, 2007 09:00 AMAnother morning laugh.
During his press conference today, Bush said: "You need to talk to economists," he answered when asked if there was a risk of recession in the US economy. "I think I got a B in Econ 101."
Try C minus you f*cking dolt.
Posted by Judith at September 20, 2007 09:03 AMAnd there you have George Bush just today telling the country how he's going to veto a bi-partisan Congressional plan to increase the number children with healthcare coverage. The man truly is facing some dark days.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 09:05 AMPeople waste time parsing all they want: Iraq v. the economy, but one fact remains. The subprime mess happened on George Bush's watch and they GOP can't hang it around Bill Clinton's neck, as the freepers are attempting to do.
Posted by Christopher at September 20, 2007 09:11 AMAnd that helps the economy how? That helps me put food on the table how? The guy's not running anymore. Placing blame doesn't help matters in any way. Go ahead though, you'll feel better just for the saying.
There........., feel better now.......
Now get back to work and tell Congress to, too.
This Congress has been "all Iraq all the time".
I wonder fucking why peter!
1,500 hundred Iraqi's dead a month, 100 American lives lost a month (not counting the injured), and 10 billion a month in spending.
So that the rest of us can all shop, watch TV, cut taxes, or take a "wide stance" if we feel like it.
Get your priorities right! People are dying for your creature comforts!
Good article BTW from Kagro X.
Yeah, it's hard to imagine how having healthy kids could help the economy.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 09:31 AMLet's see Seven. Y'all placed all your hopes on January and February. Then it shifted to March and April. In May, this Congress gave our president the money they could have in February for Iraq. The thought then was "we'll get it in September". It's now September and an Iraq solution that makes y'all happy is still further away. The people's business is sliding further away. Not very important to this Congress. Who's setting the agenda? Not Republicans that's for sure.
The summer loses have been falling even as the 'surge' heated up, under the 100 a month you posted. Sure more Iraqi's have been lost, a shame, but if we do as you wish this number will be all the more higher. Biden has said that the rate of redeployement will be a brigade a month. We have 20 brigades there. Do the math, Seven. General Petraeus has set redeployement numbers for this and next year. Get behind him, support him to the world. A solidarity movement from the US will dishearten those fighting us. Imagine what a united front would do? Imagine the good will as a result.
If you can't, that's a shame for you. I can, I know we can accomplish a victory there. A victory there will help us out greatly. It will restore America to the world.
Give it a thought.
Posted by peter at September 20, 2007 09:46 AM"Yeah, it's hard to imagine how having healthy kids could help the economy."
Healthy children are more likely to be able to think for themselves as they grow up. For a Bush era Republican that is a scary thought.
Posted by at September 20, 2007 09:49 AMGeneral Petraeus has set redeployement numbers for this and next year.
Stop your lying peter. Those numbers came directly from bu$h's policy for Iraq. If the policy was different we would not have to sustain those forces.
I can, I know we can accomplish a victory there. A victory there will help us out greatly. It will restore America to the world.
What is a victory for you? An Iraqi puppet government? The continued bleeding of Iraqi natural resources by American Companies? The Iraqi people will never stand for it. Al Maliki is losing support continuously. And the latest actions by Blackwater are really screwing with your plan.
The main thing peter is that America has lost the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. (stolen from Wes Clark on TDS last night)
There is only one way to "restore America to the world" and that is by setting a good example for the world.
Unfortunately, bu$h/cheney and their automatons are incapable of seeing that.
Posted by Seven of Six at September 20, 2007 10:19 AM
A solidarity movement from the US will dishearten those fighting us.
Calling that bullshit would be an insult to bulls.
Posted by snark at September 20, 2007 10:34 AMThe same 'good example' we set for Vietnam. No thank you, sir. The world lost a lot of respect for America and Americans after that one. Our 'word' didn't get us very far. Allow me to disagree with General Clark, retired. I often enjoyed his commentary at CNN. He was a refreshing point of view then. Usually well grounded, but lately he seems to let politics get in the way or, maybe I am. Anyway...
Didn't Sen. Warner also come up with the 5K number this year and the 'surge' troops coming home next year? Wasn't that the crux of his realignment when returning from Iraq. Wasn't he hailed over here as "our effort is gaining. We just got Warner to come over to our side."
The world probably thought South Korea was a puppet too. Now, they have the Chair of the UN. Their economy has been gaining a lot of mommentum.
I don't accept your Maliki statement. Blackwater has screwed our efforts there to some degree. Hopefully not too much, we'll see. As far as who's doing business there, our companies, Germany, Japan, Singapore. Someone's going to be doing business there. It might as well be us. We have invested much there and it would be nice to see some ackowledgement from them.
Posted by peter at September 20, 2007 10:37 AMI repeat: Unfortunately, bu$h/cheney and their automatons are incapable of seeing that.
Posted by Seven of Six at September 20, 2007 10:55 AMI hate to pick on the Edwards whom I generally respect but Elizabeth Edwards' comments about Hillary Clinton's healthcare proposal have ne a bit perplexed.
She says'
"I don't call it Senator Clinton's health care plan," Edwards said. "I call it John Edwards' health care plan as delivered by Hillary Clinton. The truth is that anyone who tries to describe Hillary's health care plan will run through every material part of John's health care plan.
"I just have to wonder, if John released his plan at the beginning of February, what took her seven and a half months to endorse it? We're glad for the endorsement."
But then she continues,
"I don't think we should engage in revisionism," said Mrs. Edwards. "I am glad she did that health care plan(in 1993). I was impressed with her when she did it. But did she learn something from it? I can't see what she's learned."
She accused Hillary of presenting her husbands' healthcare plan and in the next breath accused Hillary of not learning anything from her failed healthcare plan of the past. So it would seem that Edwards didn't learn anything from the failed 1993 healthcare debacle either.
How can this guy generate better press for his campaign by some means other than dissing Hillary and Obama? I'd really like to see him get the attention the other two get.
One thing Hillary learned I'm sure is that the insurance industry, like them or not, can kill anything they don't want to happen. Which is why the rhetoric about being an outsider is well and fine for the electorate to hear but it ain't gonna make big insurance cooperate with his plans.
"And there you have George Bush just today telling the country how he's going to veto a bi-partisan Congressional plan to increase the number children with healthcare coverage. The man truly is facing some dark days."
Snark, and on top of that, he is saying that the Democrats are against giving this health care to children.
Posted by Judith at September 20, 2007 01:05 PMBlackwater has screwed our efforts there to some degree. Hopefully not too much, we'll see. As far as who's doing business there, our companies, Germany, Japan, Singapore. Someone's going to be doing business there. It might as well be us. We have invested much there and it would be nice to see some ackowledgement from them.
Peter, if this is truly your attitude towards mercenaries, you have not seen them in action. By and large, they are discharged from the services for the very shit they get away with now, without being under Military Law. They are goons with guns, and no one to control them.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if you ran into a few of them on a backstreet in Baghdad and expected any help. I'm sure your attitude would change, rapidly. By the way, the term 'Seven' is one used by a few of his friends, and I'm afraid you don't qualify.
Posted by tempus at September 20, 2007 08:56 PMlove how pants-pissing peter is whistling past that graveyard
the overwhelming majority of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track BEFORE the November 2006 election
the American people know who to punich: the Grand Old Perverts (the Whig party of the 21st century)
Posted by gay veteran at September 23, 2007 12:20 PM