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 2)

Log2000

on Sep 17, 2004

At school I am surrounded by more extreme liberals than ever before in my life. The hatred expressed toward Bush on a daily basis

do you go to college or are what grade are you in?

Because at my school it's the exact oppisite.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

I am a third year medical student at Duke University. I don't know if it is the Duke blue, the Carolina blue or what, but blue is definately the favorite color here!

Deference

on Sep 17, 2004

There is some hardcore "liberal-itis" in most halls of academia and the higher up in prestige one goes, the worse it gets. This is detailed in a book called, "Fall of the Ivory Tower". It was a while ago when I read it, so I would have to hunt for the author's name, but he was the president of a campus at one point and had a huge amount to say about this.

I remember in the '90's being a conservative in high school and trying to talk to my peers about how screwed up some Clinton policy was, but I was only derided and given the usual names. When I started college, one wanted to hide if they were a self - labeled conservative or Republican as one could be mocked off campus. I understand and sympathize with you BlueDev. I hate the fact that I have to vote Kerry this year, but Bush policy is sinking us.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

I hate the fact that I have to vote Kerry this year, but Bush policy is sinking us.

A sentiment that my wife and myself have to echo, painfully.

drmiler

on Sep 17, 2004

Reply #14 By: Deference - 9/17/2004 2:42:45 PM
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.

I hate to CLUE you ut he's right on! The main issues ARE gun control and abortion! And those pictures that were being circulated? Maybe you should go back and ask why they were doing it! They were doing it to show Kerry's flip-flopping! He's shown waving a Remington 1187 shotgtun, which under the bills he "was" sponsoring would have been illegal!

Deference

on Sep 17, 2004

The main issues ARE gun control and abortion!

I wholeheartedly disagree. The standard I was going by were the issues the U.S. populace at large might feel are the most important. Sorry, if gun rights and abortion were the hot topics this year, that would most probably be the hotly contested issues being fought over by the candidates. That isn't what they've been fighting over, however, it's been:

1.) Terrorism and the war in Iraq (with Bush saying how well he's done on this and with Kerry attacking him)

2.) Economy / Jobs (Bush saying the economy is rounding the corner and saying some new jobs have been created with Kerry attacking by reminding people of the record)

3.) Healthcare / Social Security (we keep robbing from S.S. to pay for our war and pork barrel spending, healthcare costs have grown by a half trillion dollars in the last year so we are looking at an insoluble s.s. and people who can't pay to stop being sick, Kerry has presented a health plan and Bush has attacked it)

etc. etc.

Look, if this was all about abortion and gun rights, I would be a very pissed Republican right now. Republicans control the Senate, Congress, and the Executive branch, the Supreme Court is also mostly conservative. If the Republican leadership was serious about fixing those problems, they would at least try while they have the majority. Fact is, they just want to wave those shiny things in your face and tell you they are on your side while not doing a damn thing about it. The partial birth abortion ban is the only real attempt I've seen on their part to actually cater to the conservative base.

In reality, none of that really matters seeing as how the government is in grave debt, the Iraq debacle is sending our foreign policy in to shark infested waters, and civil liberties at home are being trampled. Voting G.W. again is downright irresponsible and / or ignorant. I encourage you to re-evaluate your position on this matter. Gun rights and stamping out abortion are very important to me, but I've got to sacrifice my conservative social mores and even knock on doors this year to help insure that there is a future worth looking forward to in the U.S.A. . Nobody is going to save us from our current situation, not John Kerry, not the dem.s, nobody, but we've got to stop the bleeding by taking out the administration that started it.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

I hate to CLUE you ut he's right on! The main issues ARE gun control and abortion!

I have no idea what you are smoking, but you really ought to lay off if you believe that ridiculous line of thinking.

With hundreds (and I know believe over a thousand) US deaths in Iraq (let alone all the other turmoil that is going on there for the Iraqi people themselves!), over 44 million uninsured people in America and an economy that, while certainly improved somewhat, not as robust as it has been in the recent past (and I understand that the economy cycles - I am not blaming anyone particularly for this) you can claim that most Americans are concerned with abortion and gun control?

Rubbish.

I'm not even going to cast blame on who did what to get us in our current situation. But I am going to need cold hard facts to back up any claim that gun control and abortion are more pressing on the minds of your average American. Even living in the bubble of liberalism I am in I cannot believe that claim. I think of myself as a pretty average American, and abortion and gun control are really, really far down on any list of priorities at this moment.

ShoZan

on Sep 17, 2004

National Security is the number one issue, followed by War in Iraq, followed by War on Terror.

BlueDev

on Sep 17, 2004

National Security is the number one issue, followed by War in Iraq, followed by War on Terror.

I certainly agree that those are much higher on any sensible list of issues than abortion and gun control.

Texas Wahine

on Sep 17, 2004

drmiler:

The main issues ARE gun control and abortion!

Bullshit. Tell that to my neighbor whose brother-in-law just lost an arm, the lower portion of his face, and a few feet of intestines in Iraq. You got some wacky priorities, dude.

*shakes her head and mutters . . . gun control . . . abortion*

1tomot1

on Sep 17, 2004

Want to tell me again that Bush is trailing in the polls??????

For some strange reason the version of this article that's posted above seems edited and different than the version I read this afternoon, though not updated.

The point of the article as listed about 2,000 times through google news wasn't who was winning but that Bush's "big bounce" is disappearing faster than the speed of light.

The one CNN/Gallup/etc. poll shows Bush with a 13 point lead.

But 2 other national polls show a statistical dead heat within the margin of error meaning neither of them have a lead right now.

It's still too early to tell either way is the moral of the story.

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