George Bush's Legion of Zombies

[Robbien]

According to some Democrats, half the country -- the half that supports George Bush -- is made up of zombies who march in step to the polling booth to cast unthinking votes for their candidate. How could they -- these Democrats ask -- vote for such a man? Can't they see the enormity of his failures? Can't they see that he has dirtied our air and water, taken us unnecessarily into war, ruined the economy not only for us but for our children and their children?

These Democrats believe they see the truth, of course, and that those zombies have something seriously wrong with them, an insidious something that if left unchecked will literally destroy democracy. They see the truth, but cannot fathom why these zombies, who seem incapable of critical thinking about George Bush, have so meticulously torn apart John Kerry, his relatives, his Senate career, his combat career, even his hair.

Thomas Franks found a ready audience in these troubled Democrats. His book, What's the Matter with Kansas, has as its central conceit the idea that conservatives, especially far-right conservatives, are in ever greater numbers voting against their own self interests, choosing instead to stake the moral high ground with the cultural issues of gun control, flag burning, gay marriage, and especially abortion. But don't these people read, these Democrats ask? Can't they see that Bush is taking advantage of them, using these non-issues to distract them and get them out to vote for more tax cuts for the wealthy? So the Democrats send copies of the book to their conservative friends, make urgent appeals to reason, take every opportunity to point out the hypocrisy of George Bush. They visit online forums, send letters to their newspapers, plant signs in their front yards. But all to no avail. The zombies, their eyes glazed, their brains little more than mush, continue to march lemming-like to the voting booths, where they pull the lever, punch the card, or touch the screen beside their man's name: George Bush.

These Democrats have gone crazy in their belief that the world is crazy. How can sane people be so stupid, they ask? How can people fall for this? Faced with this gigantic paradox, these Democrats alternate between depression and mania. They sulk, then they organize, make phone calls, write more letters, visit chat room, make or buy yard signs. But then they read the polls, and the funk returns.

http://www.thousandreasons.org/opinion/080404.html

[mikehiggins]

1. Follow the link, read the article

I think you can get a wrong impression from the excerpt provided. The whole piece is a statement that the Democrats are right, that Bush is even worse than almost anyone imagined in 2000.

I think freepers who read the whole article will experience brain burst, which is messy but necessary.

[enki23]

2. vowing to leave the country, no kidding

and i'm going to do it *whether or not* bush is reelected. because there *is* something the matter with kansas, and it isn't going to get better anytime soon.

[TommyO]

3. It may be time for me to...

find a husband up in Canada if Bush gets re-elected!

I can picture the personal ad on a few websites: Boy seeks gay leather-daddy or leather-bear for marriage, seeking escape from U.S.

[puerco-bellies]

6. what does the equal sign mean?

I was carpooling with a co-worker and it came up. What gives?
P-B

[Gyre]

5. Running as in "running away"?

If Bush successfully steals the next election I could see it easily. Until then, I'm going to make every repuke I meet feel unwelcome and as uncomfortable as I can. :evilgrin:

Gyre

[struggle4progress]

4. I really like the sound of "Zombies for Bush."

It would make a great bumpersticker. And I would love to see the 0:30 spot showing the undead lining up to support *.

[Catfight]

7. So why do the zombies continue to follow Dumbya? He doesn't

answer the question, he only turns back to the Fright Wings systematic approach of calling anyone who objects to their 'blind faith,' (appropriately called) he calls Democrats, crazy. The definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, George Bush, stays the course, over and over, he is insane, because he is expecting things to 'turn a corner' change, suddenly get better.

I haven't sulked, I haven't made one phone call to any of my fence sitting friends, and I actually stopped talking politics with them. "Why argue with an idiot? People will have a hard time deciphering who's the actual idiot." If people want to vote for a man who is afraid, who is a hypocrite, who is a coward, who was AWOL, who cannot speak for himself, who is depressed and erratic, who is insecure and a bully to over-compensate for his short-comings, by all means, vote for Bush. Maybe this guy should listen to Clinton's speech at the opening of the DNC. If you think that Bush is doing a great job on the environment, by all means, vote to re-elect him. If you do not, Send John Kerry! But to convince the Bush Zombies that their savior is the anything but a little man like Saddam, once stripped of all his men that surrounded him in glory, he's just a wide-eyed, lunatic, who's ego was much bigger than his mind. Bush is as simple minded as that, you take away the intelligent people that surround him, and you have, a puppet.

[jacksonian]

8. cut the shit

They are not zombies. Get it?

Democracy is a context - let see, 45% for Bush, OK. First of all, there's a party loyalty to the GOP, because any successful political party gains adherants. Now blind party loyalty can be a real danger to the democratic process if it gets too prevalent, but it's also just to be expected when humans are around. If the Republicans couldn't count on 25%, they wouldn't act like Republicans.

Second, 10%-15% just "believe in their country and President, no matter what they do" (you go, Brittany) - there is just a powerful stabilty to the US republic that is manifest in a lot of deference to power. Bitch now, but these are the same people who gave Clinton high approval ratings during Lewinsky, and who you will count on to let Kerry govern. Stability is good for democracy, we can't have 300 million people arguing over crossing T's - but trust can't be had when 20 people in a room write the whole document. Why Bush is so bad is because cheating these people with bad leadership destabilizes the system in ways that go far beyond any issue-of-the-day.

Because of the dynamics of the two-party system, neither party will ever fall below 40% in any meaningful way, especially the incumbent party - the fact that "uniter and not divider" warime protector of the people is only 5 or 6 points above that 40% is a disasterous comment on the leader, not the American people.

National electorates don't swing on a dime, these things take time.