why polls show Kerry beating Bush (good news) . . .

[OneBlueSky]

just a theory, but I think the reason that Kerry is all of a sudden beating Bush in poll after poll, and rather significantly, is that the majority of Americans really do want Bush gone . . . when there was no alternative choice, people kept reporting that they supported the president because, well, that's what good Americans DO . . . they support their president . . . but as soon as a name was put out there as a real possible alternative, peoples' real feelings started to come out . . . it's not as much about Kerry as it is about Bush fatigue . . . people really DO want him gone, and as long as the alternative is reasonably "presidential," that's who they'll go with . . .

[joeybee12]

1. I tend to think any of the Dem nominees--it they had become the front-

runner like Kerry apparently is, would be ahead of Bush in the polls. A lot of Kerry's support is anti-Bush, and he has to convert that into pro-Kerry.

[unblock]

2. yup. "supporting the president"

when there isn't a campaign going on is a very different question, because the "as opposed to" implicit part of the question changes.

during a campaign: "supporting the president" means as opposed to rooting for the challenger to replace him at the upcoming election.

not during a campaign: "supporting the president" means as opposed to saying we have a lousy leader who is morally defective and i cannot support him

during wartime: "supporting the president" means as opposed to supporting the other side of the war.


of course, these are but a few takes on the question. "support" is pretty meaningless.

[theorist]

3. "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

I like theories, and I think you knocked this one out of the park. Those people who have a small emotional investment in Bush are willing to see him gone. They are all asking themselves the question in the subject line of this message, and Bush won't like the answer.

[KT2000]

4. Republican at my caucus

I woman I have known to be an active Republican attended and voted at my caucus yesterday. She did not look very comfortable being there but I wonder how many others I did not recognize may have been Republicans.

[brainwashed_youth]

5. i think ur right

Kerry is a very good candidate and I would be happy to call him my president. I think alot of Americans feel the same way

[lancdem]

6. I think you hit the nail on the head

Now that there's a face to the generic Dem, people are responding positively because they do want Bush outta here.

[fearnobush]

7. ABB until the end.

ABB ABB ABB ABB ABB ABB Any Body But Bush!!!! ABB ABB ABB ABB ABB ABB

[whathappened]

8. it seems

that jr. is calling himself the pres but he is only the res for the time being , he is gone with the wind come nov. , i know my whole family is hurting from these last few years we have spent with jr.

[enough]

9. Also -- the media is now forced to admit that democracy permits opposition

All this time they have been acting as if it was unthinkable to criticize Bush* or want him out of office. But the election process REQUIRES us to consider alternatives (even if we don't care much for the choices). It normalizes the idea of disagreement and takes away the the aura of tabu which the Bushistas have been cultivating with the help of the media.