Are bush supporters in TX ashamed of him or are they just apathetic?

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

I was talking to several people today and we all noted that this time around, we aren't seeing hardly ANY bush-cheney yard signs. I swear to you, in my suburb (of Dallas) of 160,000 people, I've seen ONE bush-cheney sign. Now I haven't driven down every residential street, but my job requires me to drive all around this town and that's all I've seen. One.

In 2000, damn, they were everywhere.

So a few in the group I was talking to are bush supporters and they explained "well, we just didn't really want to put one out this year" when I asked why not, they just shrugged and said "just didn't." They're still voting for him, they say, but even they admitted the difference in excitement and determination from 2000 to now was and is PALPABLE. I asked them why they thought so and one guy said "I'll be honest--I'm voting for bush and I like him, but I really think Kerry is going to win. I think that's why you see less enthusiasm from bush supporters this time. It's been a tough four years."

Hell yes, it has. And thanks in no small part TO bush.

That's my report, and I'm sticking to it. Are you noticing less support for bush in your neck of the woods, as compared to 2000?

[Barney Rocks]

1. I see about the same--

maybe a little bit more. I honestly think that both Democrats and Republicans are pretty fired up--and a bigger percentage of people than usual (on both sides) are paying attention to the election.

[cheshire]

2. They could be very embarrassed they are still voting for him. I doubt it.

[clydefrand]

3. In 2000, I don't recall seeing signs for either

party. And for a long while this summer, I didn't see any Bush/Cheney. BUT the Kerry/Edwards signs popped up all over the place. After the repugs convention, signs started appearing. Now there's a sign war going on this area..Roanoke, VA. Signs are being vandalized and/or stolen on both sides, but I think more from ours. The more affluent areas of course have more signs for Bush. But I first saw signs for Kerry on one street lined with very wealthy residents. Sooooooooo, I think we're doing well in this neck of the woods. I just hope more people will be voting for Kerry than for the chimp. Our state hasn't voted Blue since '64! Boooooooooo...

[fknobbit]

4. I'd like to see Kay Baily partyline go

Almost as bad as Bush. In fact I would prefer to take the whole house and Senate back and let bush win, impeachment proceedings would be immediate. Bush would rather lose than lose control of the house and Senate.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

6. GOD I can't stand that woman

unfortunately she isn't up for reelection YET but I'll tell you what: the TX Democratic party better put up some scrappy hard-core street fighting Dems against her and Cornyn in 2006, because I want their asses retired. Permanently.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[texasmom]

12. I'm pretty sure she's running for governor. n/t

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. Rumor mill says she's going to run for Governor in 2006

She and her husband adopted two children and she wants to raise them in Texas, not DC. Carole Keeton Strayhorn will probably run too. No one wants Governor Good Hair anymore. Not even the Republicans.

[joeprogressive]

42. KBH will probably run for governor against Perry

Perry has done a horrible jod and it has been speculated that KBH and CKRS (Strayhorn, the comptroller) will also run. The dems can find somebody better than Tony Sanchez this time around.

[TexasLady]

5. I live forty minutes from Crawford

and I am still the only one with a Kerry sign in my yard, in my neighborhood.However, several neighbors around me who Ive talked to say they will vote for Kerry, but are too afraid to show their support. My hope is that my signs will encourage them and besides, what matters most is thier vote, yes?,

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

8. Yep

exactly the reason I have my signs and bumper stickers. I have had more people come up to me "on the sly" and whisper that they are Kerry supporters. I always encourage them to come out into the light with me! LOL!

[seabeyond]

20. we are a big small town. i cant put up a sign.

though i still may. i can do a bumper sticker, but too many of my husbands clients know where we live and come down the street. a bitch when freedom of speech is at threat with feeding our family. have i said how much i hate this area

but then everyone gets to see my car sticker. i see a yard sign, i stop knock on door and say huge smiles and thanks, i see bumper sticker i say something to the person. tell kids connecting witht he few dems i see

at store got the bagger to rave over my sticker,.........out and about i talk it all the time. lots of quiet supporters, but then i tend to talk to the young and minority and women

[booksenkatz]

7. I don't know which people I respect less:

* the ones who smell Bush's shit and say, "Roses!"

or

* the ones who refuse to smell Bush's shit, because they know it's shit, but they're still gonna vote for him anyway.

(Ft. Worth gal here, living in Michigan)
:hi:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

9. I respect the second group less

because they KNOW it's shit.

[girl gone mad]

10. I've noted the same thing..

when I've been out driving in Denton and N. Dallas.

From talking to a few Bush supporters, I have to say I think it's shame. Several Republicans I know have gone from all out Bush worship to "he's not that great, but I'm going to hold my nose and vote for him." I've even managed to convince a few to vote for Kerry.

The shame has to do primarily with the war, though his reckless fiscal policies and general stupidity haven't helped, either. Only the fundies still seem genuinely taken with him.

[Rosco T.]

11. Virtually nothing in El Paso.. but then this is a high DEM area..

.. which explains why the only Chimp visit was when Jessica Lynch's unit came back to Ft Bliss.

[BayouWoman]

13. Repug Signs

I live in a very conservative city and parish that went for Bush by 75% last time, but I've yet to see a */Cheney sign this time around. I have seen a few Kerry ones which is very surprising. I haven't been in any of the more affluent neighborhoods, but in the city proper I haven't seen any signs for * just ones for Kerry. I've seen * bumper stickers though--like Sportsmen for * and W '04. More * bumper stickers than Kerry ones.

I'm hoping there will be even more Kerry signs after the HDQ open.

[seabeyond]

14. not a lot in amarillo texas, some

my neighbor catty corner put a huge one up today. we talked last spring said he couldnt talk politics with me. he couldnt cause he didnt know shit is blindly following. i see those signs today and so pissed at him. no kids, no marriage, trust baby in his fifties totally self interest. i am gonna get him.

asshole

but not a lot here. and talking to a repug friend yesterday i mouthed the cowboy bush and she says that isnt what a cowboy is, she was sure to point out. her people are cowboy. well darlin this is what bushie boy makes your family look like

she says i sound angry................yup, i am. impeach clinton stomping on constitution, steal election, tell dems to shut up or terrorists,..........lie cheat and steal, i am pissed

[mourningdove92]

16. Almost zero bumper stickers around Fort Worth and west ward.

A few yard signs, but very few. Nothing at all like 2000. Makes me hopeful.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

19. I heart Ft. Worth

I am in a burb of Dallas near Arlington and I love Ft. Worth!

Good people over there!

[fknobbit]

21. I love The frys store in Arlington!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

22. Tee hee.

Mr. Moonbeam loves the Fry's store in Arlington a bit TOO much for my taste! LOL!

[fknobbit]

27. Too much is right

I've practicly bankrupt myself via compulsive buying there. Looking on the bright side I'm insuring the terraist don't win. ;).

[texasmom]

17. I've seen different things

regarding Republicans in Texas. Some people I never knew were Republicans are *more* vociferous and filled with hate against Democrats than they were four years ago. Others are very unhappy with Bush and will vote third party. (Believe it or not I have one who's going for Nader and one for the Libertarian candidate.)

I'm just surprised by the number of Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers. Things are dead even or the numbers (of stickers/signs) are in our favor in my neck of the Texas woods. Usually Democrats are vastly outnumbered.

[NMDemDist2]

18. hubby says here in Phx there are nowhere near the "W" stickers

that there were in 2000

i honestly can't remember (but i can't remember what i did last Tuesday without my calendar)

[argyl]

23. Here in Denton I see more K/E signs than B/C signs. Most who

voted for Smirk in 2000 will vote for him again but the enthusiasm isn't there. Eight more years and Texas will be a beautiful blue.

[texanshatingbush]

24. It's the same in the Houston area

Here in Clearlake, very few Bush/Cheney signs, about equal with Kerry signs. Also of interest, the yards that have the Bush/Cheney signs will have several signs, indicating activists are having a hard time finding folks to take the signs.

Also, there must be a hundred Morrison signs to every DeLay sign. Let's hope this is the end for that bastard too.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

25. That last sentence

made me smile BIG.

From your keyboard to God's ears, baby.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

36. Oh please, please, please

let Morrison win! I heard him on Air America last week. He sounds like a good man. Any polls on how he's doing?

[newyawker99]

38. Hi texanshatingbush!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MockSwede]

26. Yellow ribbons

Our explanation of seeing yellow ribbons with "Support our Troops" on automobiles:

It's a surrogate for "I'm a Republican". We read this as I support our party and our troops and (maybe) W. So this is another case of 'damned by faint praise', which agrees with your observations.

We do feel that there is little W support amongst ordinary Repukes. We have to make sure that changing polls trend from W to K/E and timing of this positive trend (for K/E) and a significant GET OUT THE VOTE effort with Dems will result in lackluster Repuke turnout and actual vote for W, if they do turn out.

It's CLOBBERING TIME! Do NOT rest, get more fence-sitters to vote K/E!!

Thank you.

[txindy]

28. I tell you what, the Hill Country is not actively pro-W this time around

not like it was in 2000, anyway. I see W stickers on cars, sure, but not in the numbers I saw years back. In fact, except for a dozen or so "W 04" stickers, probably most of the ones I do see were put on those cars four years ago. Now, Kerry stickers are everywhere on the roads. I mean that. I can count W stickers every day on one hand. I need two hands for Kerry stickers. Amazing around here. Or so I thought.

As for yard signs, yes, there are B/C signs, but only a small fraction of the ones that were up in 2000. Kerry signs, though, are all over the place. Every day I spot another one. Every week I might spot a new B/C sign. If I look hard. Really hard.

Four years ago you could feel the B/C support here almost palpably. This time, though, no, not much at all. Kerry, on the other hand, has quite a bit of support. I get positive comments all the time on my button/shirt/hat/stickers. More and more so.

It's going to be close here, I think. We may not go blue, but we'll make an impression. ;) :toast:

[carpetbagger]

33. That's not my impression at all.

In the last 8 days I've driven through Blanco, Johnson City, Burnet, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Kerrville, Comfort, and Llano. While I agree that nobody's mussing up their spanking new Cadillacs and SUVs with stickers, every ranch has a huge Bush sign out front, like it's Christmas or something.

Boerne seems to have a pretty active Kerry sign presence, especially along bus87 (Hauptstrasse) and 46.

I think your assessment holds true for San Antonio, though. I live on the north side, not quite the rich part, but a solid Bush precinct, solidly Perry in 2002 (over 2 to 1). I'd say the precinct has about 4-1 Kerry stuff over Bush stuff.

[txindy]

37. Hmmmm, interesting! It's gone the other way in this area

I've gotten the impression from, say, San Marcos north to Georgetown, that K/E signs and stickers have the numerical advantage over B/C ones. Out by the lakes, I've seen many more for Kerry than for Bush and I haven't made out any economic pattern for it, either. In all neighborhoods and on all kinds of cars (and boats), I've seen Kerry stickers/signs and, to a far lesser extent, W stickers/signs. The real reason this surprises me is that, four years ago, in the very same places, the visible support for W was overwhelming. This year,... hardly anything, comparatively speaking. Even my most overtly political repub. neighbor, a man who covered his lawn with signs in 2000, has only one this election -- and it's for a local race.

Maybe that only holds true along the I-35 corridor, though. :shrug: I will be very interested on the final results county-by-county after the election. It sounds as if the more rural areas of the Hill Country are still as red as ever, though, from what you've said. Not surprising, considering the size of the state, that we can vary so much, politically.

[tibbir]

29. I'm also from Houston - 2004 is way different from 2000

I've seen maybe 1 sign for Bush. Last time there were a LOT more Bush/Cheney signs.

I've what money I could afford on Morrison's campaign, even though I don't live in his district.

[Bongo Prophet]

30. Fort Worth and outlying areas report.

In Fort worth and close suburbs there's not much BC signage compared to 2000, but it has grown a bit in the last month. Mid-cities, we spotted more KE bumper stickers, until we got north of Dallas, where it shifted.
Our trip to Stephenville, 100 miles SW took us through Weatherford, etc. and it was pretty heavy BC.

Bumper stickers and flag ubiquity has waned considerably.
Nothing wrong with flags per se, but as an indicator of knee-jerk shallow uberpats.
They let them tatter off, literally. We saw them in gutters, etc.
Shallow, as I say. Sunshine patriots quick to shout down a serious question, such as "Of course we can 'win'--but what then?" was met with vitriol and threats. now people just don't want to talk about it or spew anti-Kerry BS.
This is how and why the talk radio mindfuck is central to them.
Manufactured outrage.

[fknobbit]

31. I'm in the Stephensville area and the big dairy guys

love Bush for obvious reasons. The farmers;however, have taken such a large hit under Bush many have quit farming and are ranching now. All the Farm subsudies have went to the richest farmers and the family farmer is S.O.L. This area is still leaning a little repuke but things are changing, rapidly. I do not understand Weatherford repukes, the town has suffered under Bush $$$$ wise. Their major sourse of income is traffic tickets.;(

[WolverineDG]

32. just got back from teresa rally in mcallen

spoke w/someone working for the dems down there. lots of bush/cheney signs in/around mcallen (though most have been vandalized :thumbsup: ). turns out the republican county chair got big bucks & free stuff from either the state or national gop, so he could afford to pay people $10/hour to put up that stuff. :grr:

sadly, we were swamped w/requests for signs, stickers, pens ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH KERRY when we stopped to eat in north mcallen on the way home, and we couldn't give them much because what little we have was going back home with us to laredo & we couldn't afford to give it away.

dg

[carpetbagger]

34. Does US 83 look like one big Kerry rally?

My car broke down in Zapata two weeks before the midterms. The whole road from Laredo to McAllen looked like the 4th of July with Sanchez posters. The people down in the Valley always make me feel like I'm back in West Virginia, those give-you-the-shirt-off-their-back types. Good people. And someday they will change the culture of Texas, stomping out the "JR Ewing is God" mentality.

If the GOP has to pay $10/hr to get someone to put up signs, they must be having one hell of a time finding people to do it.

[WolverineDG]

41. a few signs are out

including a painted one in rio grande city (starr county), but the place isn't carpeted with them because folks are just now learning that sending the money to boston doesn't mean that money & supplies are getting sent to their counties. the bush/cheney signs we saw were along 83 & most had slashes spray painted on them (maybe that would qualify them for posting on freeway blogger?).

hidalgo county should be rolling out their big signs this week. they spent saturday building the frames for them & the rest they're going to try to attach to chain link fences.

dg

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

35. In Dallas I have to agree

On the two blocks around me, there's one B/C sign and four K/E yard signs. I live near the central part of Dallas which is much more minority and Democratic. As for bumper stickers I think it's pretty even, maybe slightly more K/E.

[Ishoutandscream]

39. Unfortunately in Rockwall (suburb of Dallas)

Bush/Cheney signs and Ralph Hall for Congress signs are EVERYWHERE!! It will probably go 70 - 30 at least for Bush in Rockwall county.

[Texas_Dem]

40. Only in Highland Park.

I live just west of University Park and the only yards signs I see are there and in Highland Park.

I think that support for him is weak, and yes they are rightly ashamed of him. Yes, they will still vote for him, because they are weak kneed conservatives.

[Silverhair]

43. They are saving money. TX is a safe state for them.

Those yard signs cost money. For either candidate to campaign in TX is a waste of campaign funds. Bush is going to win TX no matter what either of them do. So why spend money there? That money could be, and is being, used in battleground states.

[demwing]

44. The same is true in Utah

At least in the Provo, Orem area. I see plenty of local candidates, but nothing about either Bush or Kerry..

There should be a sea of Bush signs in this area. A flood. A freaking Sunami.

[joeprogressive]

45. There is definitely a trend in Texas

Large SUV's much more likely to have B/C stickers, flags and yellow ribbons. The yellow ribbon thing is funny considering only one candidate has a plan to get the troops home. I can't believe Bush said we will be over there a long, long time. I'm sure the soccer moms loved hearing that one.

Trucks with peeing calvin, NRA, trophy hunter assoc., etc always have B/C stickers.

Stickers proclaiming their children are honor students: B/C

I reside in a very conservative area in Texas and the K/E stickers are much more visible than Gore 2000. Things are definitely changing but Texas will always be Texas. That's why I'm getting the hell out of this hell hole.

[oldschoolguy]

47. Not all trucks...

....have a B/C sticker on them! My truck, with a Trophy Hunters' Association sticker on one side, has a Kerry/Edwards sticker on the other.

Not all Texans who enjoy hunting can be stereotyped as Repugs. I hunt with 4 other men on property in the Hill Country. Two are retired teachers, and the other two are union workers. All of us are Democrats and are very pleased with the Kerry/Edwards ticket.

(We may be in the minority, but we are proud of what we believe).

:)

[CarlWoodward]

46. TX

I live in Fort Worth, and in my neighborhood Kerry signs outnumber Bush signs by probably about 10 to 1. Now, my neighborhood is a little liberal enclave (a turn-of-the-century historic district that is being renovated - the Fairmount district, for anyone who knowns FW) so it's not too surprising. But it's great to see all of these Texas Democrats making their voices heard!

As for the Republicans, most of my conservative Texan friends don't seem all that excited about Bush. Oh, they'll vote for him, but it's mostly about hating Kerry. (Although interestingly, they can rarely come up with any specific reason why they dislike Kerry so, it's usually just something along the lines of "he just rubs me the wrong way.")