Livin' in Liberalville

-or- a skewed perspective

Published on September 16, 2004 By BlueDev In Politics

Today I opened up my Political Meter widget, and to my surprise saw that www.electoral-vote.com has projected that, as of today, Bush would win the election 311 electoral votes to 223.

*Gasp*

Why is BlueDev so taken aback by this you may ask.

Well the answer is simple. I live in Liberalville. Yep, I live in this incredible bubble of nearly manic liberalism. Heck, even the liberals here think Chapel Hill is a little far to the left. It is an interesting situation really. At school I am surrounded by more extreme liberals than ever before in my life. The hatred expressed toward Bush on a daily basis is staggering. And while I realize that they are extreme, I hadn't realized just how extreme. Inundated with the Bush hate every day I began to think that the general population felt similar.

So you can imagine my shock to see that the projections were very different from what had become my reality.

I wonder how often we get lost in the political "reality" that surrounds us and lose sight of the big picture. So inebriated with the rhetoric from whichever side is most populous or vocal in whichever corner of the world we find ourselves, can we become distracted from what is inside each of us?

Certainly I don't have the answers, but realizing that what I thought to be truth was not only off, but off by a fair amount, was a bit of a wake up call.

Comments (Page 1)

Deference

on Sep 16, 2004

Mmm, don't give up the ghost right yet, most of the highly trumpeted polls touting Bush pulling ahead have underepresented democrats (one included 38% dems, 45% rep, and the rest indies) another that has made it's rounds in such rags as the local Kansas City Star have included "likely voters" only, which means about nill. Grassroots campaigns following on the heels of the Dean campaign are mobilizing actual voters unlike ever before, at least here in Missouri. Interesting, the way the mainstream media is framing this...

drmiler

on Sep 17, 2004

Reply #1 By: Deference - 9/16/2004 11:52:11 PM
Mmm, don't give up the ghost right yet, most of the highly trumpeted polls touting Bush pulling ahead have underepresented democrats (one included 38% dems, 45% rep, and the rest indies) another that has made it's rounds in such rags as the local Kansas City Star have included "likely voters" only, which means about nill. Grassroots campaigns following on the heels of the Dean campaign are mobilizing actual voters unlike ever before, at least here in Missouri. Interesting, the way the mainstream media is framing this...

Want to tell me again that Bush is trailing in the polls?????? And please read the whole thing "before" you comment.

Politics

Poll Finds Bush Lead Surging Among Likely Voters

2 minutes ago Add Politics to My Yahoo!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) has surged to a 13-point lead over Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) among likely voters, according to a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll released on Friday.

Reuters
Slideshow: Elections

The newspaper said Bush's 55 percent to 42 percent for the Massachusetts senator in the poll conducted Sept. 13-15 was the first statistically significant edge either candidate has held this year.

Among registered voters, Bush held an eight-point lead over Kerry, 52 percent to 44 percent, according to the poll based on interviews with 1,022 people with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

"It doesn't look like the new consultants and strategies of attacks are the right ones" for Kerry, Bush campaign adviser Matthew Dowd told USA Today.

Kerry adviser Mike McCurry told the newspaper there had been some "bouncing around in the numbers" but the campaign sensed it was moving back to a much closer race since Bush received a boost following the Republican convention that ended on Sept. 2.

Two national polls on Thursday found equal levels of support for the White House contenders as Kerry rebounded, putting the race essentially even again, as it was for months.

The Pew Research Center sampled voters in two waves. The first poll of likely voters, taken Sept. 8-10, found Bush ahead by 16 percentage points. The second poll on Sept. 11-14, which had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error, found Bush with a statistically insignificant one-point lead. Among registered voters, it was deadlocked.

A Harris Interactive poll, which was conducted Sept. 9-13 and had a three-point margin of error, found Kerry with a one-point lead.

A Harris poll in June gave Bush a 10 percentage point lead.

landen81

on Sep 17, 2004

Try visiting conservativeville like Mississippi where the N word is commonly used by white people cause that's "the way God intended it to be."

ShoZan

on Sep 17, 2004

Also try to visit George Washingtonville where partisan politics is taken out to pasture in a field and where avoiding excessive party spirt only refers to not getting completely plastered at a party.

George Washingtonville has also open a new clinic to deal with partisan people who come into the town seeking help, because we care.

Also accepting all religions, all races, and all countries, but not accepting political parties, because we care.

Of course before you say something in reference to God and me, I am a Gnostic and Occultist, former Catholic because you can't pick the religion you get born with (On Occultist I won't delve deeper but if you really want to know I will let you know some day when I do an article on it).

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

ShoZan - I want to go there and live in George Washingtonville! I grew up in Utah, a state that has probably never given any of its electoral votes to a Democrat (I don't really know that, I just know that every year since I was old enough to pay attention they always go Republican), then moved to NC which is actually pretty Red as well. However, I happened to end up in this little bubble of ultra left-wing thought. It has been an interesting experience as someone who tends to sit pretty midline and has been an unaffiliated registered voter for years now.

Partisan politics make me sick. And livin' in Liberalville hasn't helped one bit.

Dr Guy

on Sep 17, 2004

Try visiting conservativeville like Mississippi where the N word is commonly used by white people cause that's "the way God intended it to be."

I remember growing up in the 60s and 70s and seeing the riots that occurred because of forced bussing. Was that in Mississippi? Nope. Alabama? Nope. Georgia? Nope. Hmmmm,..........where was that again.

Oh.! Now I remember. It was in Boston, the most conservative city in the nation!

Imagine that.

Deference

on Sep 17, 2004

Yep, as soon as I make a statement about something, it's bound and determined to be wrong the next day! According to many polls today, Bush has got a lead. I don't think that will change the outcome of the actual end - vote, however.

Karl Rove is counting on a large Christian conservative vote coupled with gun owners who think Kerry will do something to their guns, and . . . um...well, drmiller and bloggists like him. Not much of a base, if you ask me. Look at it this way, Christians, and to narrow it down further, hardcore conservative Christians don't account for much of the population. These voters may be mobilized by the abortion and gay issues with George W standing for the federal marriage amendment (not going to actually happen, but he'll get some mileage out of the lip service) and against partial birth abortion ban (struck down three times by a mostly conservative court, wtf?). Then we have gun owners who recently saw the assault weapons ban expire. Does anyone truly believe they will all only vote Bush with the pictures of Kerry hunting in abundence? Kerry has only mouthed the Democratic party line on guns, I don't believe hunters will be dashing to the polls to save their gun rights this year.

On the other hand, you have the gay rights folk, the african american vote, and the majority of the population, the female vote mostly going to Kerry. This is just because these groups are most apt to vote democrat and because Bush has been most harmful to these groups during his tenure as president. These groups will bite him in the tookus come election time.

Then consider this, how many people have YOU met that have been groaning about how they should have voted Bush? That's right, no typo present, how many people have you run in to that have said, "Man, I sure am glad I voted Bush, that guy was right!". I don't know about you guys, but I've been doing door-to-door voter registration and canvassing in two towns here in MO, one is Jefferson City and the other a smaller town of about 17,000, Bush has actually lost Republicans / Conservatives, myself being one of them. Kerry isn't losing any Democrats, no matter how bad a candidate he might be 'cause the faith is so strong that anyone would be a better or even less dangerous pick then Bush.

So, polls or no polls, only in superficial terms is Bush winning, the pro-Bush edge has no legs, and come election time, we'll see how things pan out. Why does Bush want to limit the number of debates anyway.....?

ShoZan

on Sep 17, 2004

Though it seems little more than half are just voting for Kerry because he is not Bush so what is up with that?

Last time I checked there was more than two parties, but both the DNC and the RNC don't want you to believe that, because most voting for Kerry is because he is not Bush and they don't like him either. Hell if all that misvoting could be redirected a third party candidate could once again become President.

Of course the polls that will mean the most besides Nov 2 are the polls right after the debates which until they are canceled there are FOUR debates scheduled. So far not one debate has been canceled. Also Badrnik is not getting a fair representation when Ralph Nader is given out as a poll choice, come on Nader is not the Green Party Candidate.

Deference

on Sep 17, 2004

Though it seems little more than half are just voting for Kerry because he is not Bush so what is up with that?

I think you know, Sho, that the dem. candidate is most likely to have the best shot at defeating the incumbent, so most voters are simply going with the best bet. I know Ralph hasn't made it on the ballot in many states so that already cripples him. Badnarik, I'm certain, is in no better shape.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

Interesting analysis there Deference. Thanks for sharing. It will be interesting to see how right that proves to be in a couple of months.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

That last reply was directed at your previous post, not this most recent one.

drmiler

on Sep 17, 2004

Reply #7 By: Deference - 9/17/2004 11:00:41 AM
Yep, as soon as I make a statement about something, it's bound and determined to be wrong the next day! According to many polls today, Bush has got a lead. I don't think that will change the outcome of the actual end - vote, however.

Karl Rove is counting on a large Christian conservative vote coupled with gun owners who think Kerry will do something to their guns, and . . . um...well, drmiller and bloggists like him.

No, I don't think. I KNOW SO! His voting record says it all! He has voted against firearms EVERY time it has come up!

drmiler

on Sep 17, 2004

Then we have gun owners who recently saw the assault weapons ban expire. Does anyone truly believe they will all only vote Bush with the pictures of Kerry hunting in abundence? Kerry has only mouthed the Democratic party line on guns, I don't believe hunters will be dashing to the polls to save their gun rights this year.

And gun owners AIN'T dumb! We know WHAT his record is. Those pictures are just so much political spin that it ain't funny!

Deference

on Sep 17, 2004

Those pictures are just so much political spin that it ain't funny!

Funny you would say that, the pictures I was referring to were ones printed up from the internet that some Bushites here on campus have posted on their doors and windows. The caption on them reads something to the effect of, rifle $x, hunting vest $x, etc., flip flopping on gun rights: Priceless. This is a pro-Bush campaign slamming Kerry. I like how that actually backfires a bit, by showing Kerry as not as rabidly ant-gun as some paint him to be.

I was talking with the president of the college republicans, he said that the main issues this year would be abortion and gun rights, I didn't have the heart to tell him that was totally untrue. I'm not saying those issues aren't a top priority to some, but I think the vast majority of people are concerned about 1.)Economy / jobs 2.)Healthcare 3.)Iraq / Terrorism 4.)A soluble Social Security. Too bad Kerry hasn't grabbed a bull horn and rammed his message down everybodies throats the way some have.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

I have to be honest. At this point in time I really don't care what the Presidential candidate has to say about abortion or gun rights. I want to hear about things that will affect much more of us living in this country, and neither of those fit that bill.

Looking forward to the debates!

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