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There seem to always be at least 15% faithful followers in both extremes who will always vote more like a cult than a religious party. But there are a huge number of people in between who can be swayed either way. All the numbers I use are generalizations. I agree with you about employment and the economy being key to the election. But there are all those intangibles out there. And I wish democratic leaders would capitalize off of them during the election at least. Gaffe after gaffe, backtracking, stalling, flip flopping, fornicating, lying, and all the rest of the ammunition democrats could use to win elections.
I find it astounding how democrats let idiotic things, as from the tea baggers, become a part of the political debate. I know if I was a leader in the democratic party I would counter each idiotic idea immediately with the truth, and uproot the lie just like a person yanking out a weed in their lawn. I like President Obama and was a delegate for him, but he sat on the sidelines too long and allowed a mutant witches' brew of outrageousness to ferment when he could have debunked every right wing idea that floated to the surface.
We're in a different age. Technology always allows mass distribution of the latest lunacy seemingly overnight. But it's up to democratic leaders, including the president, to act like teachers and to attack those who dream up ridiculous claims. And attack them by name. If people weren't watching MSNBC at night they wouldn't even know about how the birthers or deathers got started. Why is the rest of the media so silent when obvious lies are being told. I already know that answer. They don't give a damn about truth. They love conflict, and when none exists, they create.
I agree with you about appealing to emotion. It's sad how ignorant most voters are. In the 1980s, Mike Royko, a Chicago writer, said only 1% of the voters know enough about the issues and candidates to make an informed vote. I believe he was absolutely correct. Most people don't even know who the vice president is. When I grew up everyone did. The dumbing down of America has left huge openings for illiterate lunatics (led by opportunistic corporations that are exploiting them) to take control of the political dialogue.
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