NY Times: Voters, Their Minds Made Up, Say bin Laden Changes Nothing

[ALago1]

By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: October 31, 2004

DENVER, Oct. 30 - If Osama bin Laden imagined, in releasing a threatening new videotape days before the presidential election, that he could sway the votes of Kerry supporters like David and Jan Hill and Bush supporters like Paul Christene, he has another thing coming.

"We're dug in," said Ms. Hill, an accountant in Denver who said she would vote for Senator John Kerry. "People I know are so polarized, it doesn't make any difference"

Her husband, a musician, added that having been subjected to a constant barrage of commercials from the candidates, and a flood of news reports about the election, the bin Laden tape was just another note in the cacophony. "I don't think people are really responding anymore," he said. "We're shellshocked."

Many supporters of President Bush seemed equally unfazed.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the election," said Mr. Christene, an aircraft supervisor from Walford, Iowa. "I will stick with Bush."

In dozens of interviews on Friday and Saturday in five hotly contested states, such steely sentiments were echoed again and again. Supporters of Mr. Bush said the bin Laden tape had strengthened their resolve to vote Republican by reminding them of the grave threats still faced by the country, while Mr. Kerry's supporters said the tape was yet another reminder that the Bush administration had failed to catch Mr. bin Laden. Even the undecided said the tape would not influence their decision.

Link: http://nytimes.com/2004/10/31/politics/campaign/31voices.html?hp&ex=1099281600&en=0b846426e9e40616&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Looks like this issue is a wash. Keep focusing on GOTV!!!

[drumwolf]

1. good!

Objectively, completely putting aside my desire to see Kerry win, we as Americans should not let bin Laden affect the election one way or the other.

And speaking as a Kerry partisan, if the bin Laden tape doesn't affect the election one way or the other, it's going to be a net gain for Kerry, who clearly has had the rest of the news on his side.

[fishwax]

2. I still think this will break Kerry's way

it underscores the fundamental failure of the bush administration. Soft Kerry supporters won't be swayed to bush (though the administration hoped they would be), and the hardcore bush delusionals of course won't be swayed, but I think the undecideds and some soft bush supporters will see that this seems to fit a pattern:

We de-emphasized OBL in favor of Saddam, but OBL is still around.
We de-emphasized OBL in favor of Saddam, but Saddam had no WMD.
We de-emphasized OBL in favor of Saddam, and nine more U.S. marines died today.
We de-emphasized OBL in favor of Saddam, but we didn't bother to guard the ammo dumps.

[crossroads]

4. Good logic. nt

:dem:

[crossroads]

3. I don't know how I feel about this turn of events.

I know the GOP "spin machine" is in full mode trying to rally their troops behind the president in light of all the bad news that hit the fan with the explosives, flu shots, and Halliburton last week!

They are hoping against hope that maybe the good sheeple won't wake up in the middle of a Rush or Faux commentary telling them what to think of this (fortunate turn of events for Bush to take some of the heat off) and become lucid enuf to think unassisted --- "Hey that's the REAL terrorist who attacked us on 9/11! WTF are we doing in Iraq when Osama is looking at me on my TV screen??? Has my president failed again?"

In the past week I finally sensed some people beginning to crack that hard shell of consciousness and start to wonder. We have to keep the pressure up about how Bush failed in his duty. Reps have fooled these cons so many times... It is disheartening how they are so blindly loyal to Gee W.
:eyes: :shrug: :kick:

[melody]

5. They're spinning a weekend and two days, not a whole week

That's one heap of garbage to spin into gold in that short of time. AND this weekend is Halloween, so minds will be turned to less terrifying things tomorrow. :)

[Eurobabe]

6. agreed, it's too late, Rove better throw himself

in front of that plane tire...and not soon enough!

[truthisfreedom]

7. rove looks like Dom Delouise in that picture. what a humorous thought.

he's ended his career looking like a comedian. bush screwed up everything for rove this time by being useless in the debates and pulling endless flip-flops while accusing Kerry of the same thing.