War? What war? Economy trumps Iraq in election -entrance poll

[rodeodance]

Source: reuters



War? What war? Economy trumps Iraq in election

By Jeff Mason 22 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraq war, once the key issue in the U.S. presidential election, is taking a back seat to the economy as voters fret over a possible recession and consider the improving security situation in Baghdad.


Polls in Iowa, the state that kicked off the process for choosing a president on Thursday, showed people pushing the war lower on their list of concerns after the surge in U.S. troops helped calm conditions in the country and a deteriorating economic situation at home drew focus to domestic woes.

"The entrance polls in Iowa certainly suggested that Iraq has receded ... as the central issue in the campaign, partly because the 'surge' is working and fatalities are down, and partly because the economy is getting worse," said David Gergen, a former adviser to Republican and Democratic presidents.

"The latest numbers on jobs that came out (on Friday) ... are being interpreted by investors as yet another sign we may be heading toward a recession," he told Reuters.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080105/ts_nm/usa_politics_iraq_dc_1;_ylt=AmCoRio6R0bwuqPHoUGjlzAUewgF

[Bigmack]

1. If the voters are ignoring the War now....

... just imagine how they're going to ignore the veterans who are still going to be fucked up 25 years from now.

I remember when I was part of the 30% that opposed this war. Now, over 60% think it wasn't a good idea. Too bad that middle 30% didn't see the light sooner. Could have saved a lot of lives and dollars.

Do you think Murikans will remember their gullibility and rah-rah "patriotism" the next time some idiot pushes this country toward war? Do you think they'll be more cautious in supporting/cheerleading that war? I doubt it.

The problems with the economy just might have some small relationship to a $2 trillion war and the debts racked up by it. The problems with the economy just might have some relationship to the loss of a leadership position in the world.

My plan: Blow the equipment and installations in place, so it can't be used by anybody against anybody, and load the troops on anything that will fly and get them out... today!

[LibDemAlways]

2. People have a short attention span. The corporate media

has lately chosen to minimize the war and, when they mention it at all, have gone with the ludicrous meme "the surge is working" - as quoted above by Gergen.

The economy is something that directly affects everybody, and the middle class is getting hit hard. Wages aren't keeping up with inflation. People feel the pinch at the gas pump, in the supermarket, at the doctor's office - everywhere. The media can't effectively marginalize it or ignore it - much as they'd like to. They certainly aren't talking about it. Last night Anderson Cooper devoted a long segment, however, to Britney's latest woes - declaring that she's a "major" figure. In whose universe, Anderson?

[RoseMead]

3. Yep, near trumps far, every time

Sadly, for many Americans the war is still something that's happening in a far away place to other people. The economy, oh the other hand, is at their doorstep.

[jwirr]

4. Aren't the two connected? If we were not spending so much in the

ME we would have money to take care of problems at home. We have a bunch of problems this time that are all interconnected.

[rockybelt]

5. They're starting the spin already

The media declares that the economy is the most important factor in the elections. The right wing is going to pull every trick out of the bag now boyz! Reporting on the war by msm will go down to nothing as things get better and better in Iraq while the economy needs boosting with another huge tax cut.

Don't let them get away with this shit this time! We're too smart for that. They're not going to lie and hide the truth this time!!!

[ohio2007]

6. Unemployment trumps deployment

when it comes to body counts, I think people are more worried about inflation ( throgh oil prices ) and foreign competition (offshoring )is eating away at their take home pay then the decresing monthly body counts being reported ( or tallied up ) by the MSM.

[burf]

7. The tactic now

should be combine the two. Some of the reason for the economy slowdown is the war. We are borrowing 15 billion dollars a month to wage war. What has that done to the strength of the dollar? What was the price of oil prior to the invasion compared to its current one hundred bucks a barrel? Do the same with Bushes economic strategy of tax cuts and deregulation. Ask how prudent is it to assume more debt all the while decreasing income? It is all relative. When people realize what the cause is and it starts hurting enough, maybe they will do something about it.