Friends, by this time tomorrow I hope to be back in sunny Secure Undisclosed Locationville, where, free at last of this laptop, I will do what I can to figure out some of the technical problems that many of you have sent to me. I am confident that the registration system will be working smoothly, without any hitches, soon. Thank you very much for your patience.
Also: over the last week (and before that, too) many of you have emailed me, sent me links, etc. I am traveling and have thus been unable to answer or acknowledge most of them; in fact, the sheer volume of email is impossible for me to keep up with. So I apologize here for not being able to answer each message, and thank you for your kindness and support.
Just becuase there wasn't anywhere else to place this nugget:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1095&page=NR
Poll: Muslim Voters Favor Kerry, Nader
According to a survey of 1161 individuals conducted by CAIR, Muslim votes in a national election would go like this:
Kerry: 54%
Nader: 26%
Not Sure: 14%
Other: 3%
Bush: 2%
I can't say that I'm shocked by these results. Kerry is much more likely to lead America (via France) to Dhimmitopia than another other candidate on the ballot, and Bush has been very effective so far in quashing plans for the same.
What I do find interesting is the 3% turnout for "Other."
Would that be write-in votes for bin Laden, or al Zarqawi?
Any ideas what the Moslem vote breakdown was in the last election? Especially Florida?
Looks like you fixed "it", I finally got back in. Thanks
The 2000 results are mentioned at the CAIR site, and I think Bush got 55% of the Muslim vote at that time.
Bob_Owens,
Believe it or not, I hate contemplating this more than you hate hearing it from me...but if that 55% is even a few thousand, the Republican Party will stand to lose Florida and possibly the White House unless they run someone else besides Bush (while Bush continues to concentrate on prosecuting the war) - and time is running out to do so gracefully.
And I think we all know that we will have to enter another country soon...and it can't be put off for the election.
Bob Owens,
Re: That 3% "Other," ain't bin Laden or Zarqawi, it's Robert Spencer!
No joke--we have a write-in space on the ballot where I live, and unless the race is terribly close, I'm going to write in Robert. That'll make me feel warm and fuzzy all over!
By the way, it looks as if George Bush, by far the less problematic of two problematic candidates, doesn't come close to "getting it" either. Did you hear his speech in Istanbul? It is my sincere hope that his comments about the disfavor with which some of us view Islam results from our "igorance" about a "great religion" are merely Politikspeak, and that somewhere behind the wall of diplomacy, there beats the heart of Someone Who Knows Better.
Actually, I wish that Rudy G(iugliani--sp?) could take Cheney's spot on the ticket, and that Cheney could move over as Secretary of State. I'm a bit anxious about Cheney's cardiac status; even if the stent works perfectly, he does have generalized cardiovascular disease, and is at risk for MI, stroke, embolism, etc.
This will not be lost on voters, who might see it as a significant risk in this war. Rudy's prostate cancer would not produce sudden death, and should he come out of remission, there would be plenty of time to arrange for a smooth succession. With Cheney's problem, that is unfortunately not necessarily the case.
I think Cheney would make a fine Secretary of State. Colin Powell is a lovely man, but if ever there were someone who "didn't get it," it is he.
Cubed,
While it is flattering, I think a write in vote for any candidate is a waste; even a vote for Nader is at least a vote for a national figure than (maybe) has a snowball’s chance. Besides, since Robert doesn’t have a PAC that I’m aware of, you might be pushing him for a job he doesn’t want.
How are you so sure Bush “doesn’t get it,” anyway? Part of politics is knowing what to say, and when to say it. The mainstream isn’t close to considering the subject matter here, ad it would be political suicide to make a public pronouncement Joe Doe doesn’t understand, or more than likely, scares him.
Isn’t it much more prudent to take a more moderate position publicly, while taking real action off the world stage? People remember Reagan for his speeches, but they forget he bankrupted the Soviet Union by using a combination of forcing their defense spending on one hand, while using industrial counter-espionage to destroy Russian oil-pumping facilities and their cash flow on the other.
Phil,
I don’t think you have much to worry about… and I must say your idea to replace Bush is… well… out there to most of us.
Absolutely everything possible has gone wrong for Bush over the past few months. Any credible opposition candidate would have been ahead in the polls by now, possibly by low double digits. Instead, Kerry is a dead heat in most polls, and is ahead by less than the margin of error in others.
This tells me that people don’t know, nor understand, Kerry. He can’t seem to pick a position, or when he does, it is just a lesser version of what Bush is already doing, or against what most of “the people” want. The DNC is firing broadsides, but can’t get anything to make a hit that sticks. It’s like a wooden ship firing on an ironclad.
And the ironclad hasn’t returned fire yet.
Kerry’ polling numbers may stay close for a while, but by September, people are going to say “who is this guy?” and the polls are really going to shift towards Bush.
I think it is likely to be not only a win, but a strong win for Bush, barring major incidents or revelations between now and then.
And while I think Rudy would be a wonderful addition to the ticket, I don’t see Dick stepping down unless my read on him is all wrong (which of course is possible).