The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
After fighting to control the White House, congress and the Supreme court, the republicans have finally done it, they have control. Life was good for a while. A sad as it may sound, it wasn't Bush that united this country, it was tragedy. These effects, however, were temporary. The Administration used this tragedy push the agendas that previously were shot down, though congress by using fear.
This, proving to be an effective tool, was used to pacify the American people. They gave it a color code and used it when ever the effects of the last scare started to wear off. Yet, like the little boy who cried wolf, most people stopped believing that this system somehow protected them from evil. A little doubt in wouldnâ??t sway everyone, and for a while people retuned their trust to the government. Then we were told that there was an even greater and imminent treat to the security and future. Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
The evidence seemed irrefutable. We had satellite surveillance, intel that Iraq was soliciting Sudan for uranium. Even former. Gen. Powel went before the UN with a vial of anthrax, urging them to do something. The UN however felt that they were doing something. They had sent weapons inspectors to Iraq and found nothing to corroborate our evidence. It seamed as thought were going to have to go it alone, Then a coalition of the willing stepped forward and placed their trust in our intelligence, and offered aid in our fight against Iraq. We felt the time to strike was nigh, and that we would surely do the world a favor by exposing Iraq as the bringer of doom that they obviously were.
The "shock and awe" went well. The coalition was successful in destroying the Iraqi military and forcing the government into hiding. The president made a grandiose appearance saying that major combat operations were over. Then the US search for Iraqi WMD's started. We searched high and low for weapons installations, knowing that soon all of this bloodshed would be justified. Unfortunately, there were no weapons. Our Intel was wrong. Worse yet the death toll for those in Iraq continued to climb, forcing the rebuilding of Iraq to slow to a crawl. The Vice President's former company was awarded big money contracts to rebuild Iraq without so much as a bid, something many viewed as unfair business practices. People soon started to question the reasons for the invasion. Had our actions been to hasty? The dissent continued to grow. People were wondering where the return was. Soon we were pacified by the capture of Saddam. The death tool continued to climb however, leaving us to find solace in the only place possible, at home.
The economy was continuing to recover. Many of the jobs lost were starting to be replaced by new ones. For a while things at home were going as hoped. Then, another tragedy took the nation into sorrow. A hurricane hit the gulf coast, forcing those who could to leave their homes in uncertainty, and those who couldn't were left in the flood. For days the president stuck to his schedule, finishing his vacation and making stops to talk about his health care plan in Arizona. Soon the American people decried President Bush for doing nothing. Hoping to appease the masses the president put FEMA on the case.
FEMA however, was headed by an old friend of the president's who's previous experience in Arabian horse judging, offered no real understanding of what was to be done. People were finally evacuated to where ever could take them, most were sent to the Superdome, things there however were far from fine. There were reports of rape, violence and hunger. When the Head of FEMA was told about the critical state of provisions, he couldn't be bothered. The president stood behind his old friend, telling him how good he was doing, and they both seemed to believe it. The people, however, didn't.
They were outraged by the incompetence of the government on all levels. The FEMA director was forced to step down, and a major overhaul was required of the organization. Many were left to wonder how the government could feel as though the were doing nothing wrong, but at least we were starting to put the shortfalls of the government behind us, grasping once again for tranquility. Then news started to arise about a leak of the Identity of a CIA agent, a definite threat not only to the agent, but to national security as well. There were also talks that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay had laundered money from the state level to the federal and then back to the state.
These are both serious charges, one implicating a powerful representative, and the other after investigation pointed to none other than the Vice President himself and one of his closest aids. Worse yet It seems that they both lied about their involvement to those investigating it. It seems that in order to quiet a detractor in time for the election, they had told a reporter that his wife worked for the CIA. This is slowly turning into a blemish on the entire party. It looks as though some think that hey are above the law. In the past this country as taken these thoughts head on. Impeaching, indicting and perhaps the most feared, the voting their concern. With congressional elections coming up next year, we may soon start to see the crumbling of the once might republican stronghold.
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
have you even read a history book?
this is typical second term politics, the last 7 presidents before W had approval ratings WAY lower. This type of shit happens every 6 years in ANY administration.oh well.
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
Also, Polls show jack squat, When you live in a country with 200+million people, and a Gallup Poll is released showing Bush has a 43% rating, think of this, They only ask around 500-1000 People, thats not even .1 % of the Population.
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tholiak
Also, Polls show jack squat, When you live in a country with 200+million people, and a Gallup Poll is released showing Bush has a 43% rating, think of this, They only ask around 500-1000 People, thats not even .1 % of the Population.
Okay, but that's exactly what a poll is-- it's a sampling of the country's opinion. So they ask a few thousand people from various areas what they think and they get an idea of how people think. Remember, some people refuse to participate in polls, so when you poll a few thousand people, the sampling error is much smaller. Not to mention, what effect does any poll have on a country? Exactly, no effect. Stop getting worked up over it.
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
Quote:
Originally Posted by amsterdam
have you even read a history book?
this is typical second term politics, the last 7 presidents before W had approval ratings WAY lower. This type of shit happens every 6 years in ANY administration.oh well.
And as I think Amsterdam can attest to, the best Presidential year as far as approval ratings go is the first year. Soon thereafter, approval ratings tend to get lower and lower.
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Empire
Quote:
Originally Posted by amsterdam
have you even read a history book?
this is typical second term politics, the last 7 presidents before W had approval ratings WAY lower. This type of shit happens every 6 years in ANY administration.oh well.
What's typical? The lying? The war? The criminal acts? Were you so quick to defend Clinton when he was six years in? Just because there is a historical precedent of the second term usually going poorly, doesn't justify it nor make it anywhere near acceptable. If you shoot for less than average, then all you're going to get is less than average. And here I was, under the impression that we lived in a great country not a less than average one. Guess I was wrong
Oh, and I said nothing in there about polls or approval ratings (even though they are dismally low). If you're going to try to discredit what I said, you might try focusing on just that. What I said. Now that we're on the subject, I'll impart a little knowledge to you since you obviously know very little about statistics. Sure they're not totally accurate, but they are more so than just thinking that everyone must agree with you. If you flip a coin ten times and it comes up heads five of those times, do you really need to flip it a hundred times to find out heads comes up fifty times? Couldn't you project the results by using the data you culled from flipping it ten times? That's about as dumbed down as it gets. If you still don't understand, I would suggest you pick up one of those fancy books I've heard so much about.
