[jbartone]

http://www.liberaloasis.com/bushin41point2.htm

Choose one of the mirrors.
LOL! I'd love to see Republican reaction to this one. And to think some actually thought this was from the DNC...

Salon article:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature...ody/index.html

"Don't be an asshole, vote Democratic"

The creator of the MoveOn parody ad "Bush in 41.2 Seconds" discusses the Republican reaction to his accidental meme.

[Millennium]

Yes, because we know that the Republican platform explicitly states that only æssholes may join.

[WinsOBoogi]

lol..I did that the other day...sorta.

I saw a car with a Bush bumper sticker on it, so I wrote a note and put it on the windshield:

"Dear sir.

I wanted to let you know that some asshole put a Bush sticker on your car. Thought you should be aware of it, as I know you don't want to embarass yourself like that.

Sincerely,
Your Local Fellow Democrat."

[davesimondotcom]

Originally posted by WinsOBoogi:
lol..I did that the other day...sorta.

I saw a car with a Bush bumper sticker on it, so I wrote a note and put it on the windshield:

"Dear sir.

I wanted to let you know that some asshole put a Bush sticker on your car. Thought you should be aware of it, as I know you don't want to embarass yourself like that.

Sincerely,
Your Local Fellow Democrat."

I'm sure you got a good laugh out of that, however, I don't think that will get Democrats any more votes than the MoveOn.org ads ever will.

They - along with the "Don't be an a-hole" meme - are similar to Apple advertising in the mid-90s. All of the Apple fans loved the ads and laughed at making fun of Intel, etc. But it was preaching to the choir, it didn't attract PC users to Mac. It may have done the opposite - people assumed Macs were a "club" that they were not a welcomed new member of.

Most Mac loyalists didn't like the "switcher" campaign - but they worked. I talked to numerous PC people who switched because of those ads - and many more who just loved them anyway.

Democrats (if they want the votes of those in the middle and liberal republicans) need to have the equivelent to the switcher ads. Tell me why I should vote Democrat. And Democrats hatred of President Bush isn't a reason.

[WinsOBoogi]

Originally posted by davesimondotcom:
I'm sure you got a good laugh out of that, however, I don't think that will get Democrats any more votes than the MoveOn.org ads ever will.

Oh, I don't intend to try to switch someone who has a Bush bumper sticker on their car...if they did that, they're pretty much a lost cause.

I just look for a laugh, that's all.

[Zimphire]

I thought Democrats had the corner on assholia.

[WinsOBoogi]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
I thought Democrats had the corner on assholia.

Nah...you're the asholes. We're the vaginaholes.

[ghost_flash]

Okeedokee.

Don't be a democRAT. heheh.
Whatever.

[boots]

Originally posted by davesimondotcom:
Tell me why I should vote Democrat. And Democrats hatred of President Bush isn't a reason.

Not sure I could. They haven't had their **** together for a while now.

If Dean can follow though with his visions/promises, I'd say because he has vision. but Bush supposedly had vision too. I don't know what happened to it, but he isn't doing what he said he would.

(and that's not Bush hating, that's just how I see it.)

[BlackGriffen]

Originally posted by boots:
Not sure I could. They haven't had their **** together for a while now.

If Dean can follow though with his visions/promises, I'd say because he has vision. but Bush supposedly had vision too. I don't know what happened to it, but he isn't doing what he said he would.

(and that's not Bush hating, that's just how I see it.)

Well, that's probably the best argument against Dean I've seen.

The best counter-argument I can think of, though, is to say, "Look at what he has done in Vermont." And I mean dig deep, because we shouldn't vote for him if his record has been misrepresented the way Bush's record in Texas was.

AFAICT, Dean really does have a record of getting things done, with positive results. I can't say the same for Bush.

BlackGriffen

[ghost_flash]

Originally posted by BlackGriffen:
Well, that's probably the best argument against Dean I've seen.

The best counter-argument I can think of, though, is to say, "Look at what he has done in Vermont." And I mean dig deep, because we shouldn't vote for him if his record has been misrepresented the way Bush's record in Texas was.

AFAICT, Dean really does have a record of getting things done, with positive results. I can't say the same for Bush.

BlackGriffen

I'm listening.
Could you post some things he has gotten done, and some references I can check on?

:

[BlackGriffen]

Originally posted by ghost_flash:
I'm listening.
Could you post some things he has gotten done, and some references I can check on?

:

Well, because I'm lazy, I'm just going to reference stuff from his campaign website:

Healthcare

• Health Care — 96% of Vermont’s children have health care coverage thanks in part to Governor Dean’s Dr. Dynasaur program, and an additional 3% are eligible for coverage.
• Access — Governor Dean expanded health care for children in low to middle income families. Children 18 or under, whose families are at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line, are eligible for insurance at virtually no cost.
• Teen Pregnancy — Under Governor Dean, teen pregnancy rates dropped 49%, to the lowest rate in the country.
• Success By Six — As a doctor, Governor Dean has placed a strong emphasis on early childhood prevention and health care, which is why 89% of pregnant Vermont women enter prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. In Vermont, 91% of families with a birth received a community visit, and those parents who wanted assistance and support received it.
• Child Abuse — During Governor Dean’s tenure, Vermont was the first state to institute a statewide protocol for abuse investigations. In return, Vermont saw a 45% decline in physical and sexual abuse of children. This included a 64% decline in physical abuse victims ages 0-3 and a 43% decline in physical abuse victims ages 0-6.
• Child Sexual Abuse — 84% decline in sexual abuse victims ages 0-3 and 70% decline in sexual abuse victims ages 0-6.
• Nursing Homes — Governor Dean decreased the state’s reliance on nursing homes by mandating that funds be shifted from nursing homes to other services, such as home health care where people can live with independence and dignity. Over $30 million dollars has been shifted from paying for nursing homes to paying for in-home and community based services.

Economy

• Long-term vision — As Governor of Vermont, Howard Dean based his budget policy on the sound principles of keeping spending growth in check, avoiding long-term structural fiscal drags, relying on conservative revenue forecasts, and paying down the state debt.
• From shortfalls to surpluses — Dean inherited a $70 million deficit --_11% of the budget. By 2001, Vermont enjoyed a $10 million surplus. So when other states fell deeply into debt in recent years, Vermont (the only state not required to balance its budget) remained in strong fiscal health.
• Paying down the debt — Dean paid down Vermont’s debt by 29% in 5 years. As a result, Vermont's bond rating rose from the lowest in New England to the highest.
• Resisting the sirens’ call — Vermont economic expert Jeff Carr notes that Dean “resisted the sirens’ call of fiscal irresponsibility.” Vermont’s Republican Governor Jim Douglas said of Dean, “He’s been a good partner fiscally.”
• Taming the marginal rate — When Howard Dean took office, Vermont had the nation’s highest marginal tax rates. During his tenure, Dean cut income taxes twice, bringing the top marginal rate down from 13.5% to 9.5%

Education

• High Standards — Under Governor Dean’s tenure, Vermont developed high student standards in reading, math, and science. Governor Dean fully funded high-quality state tests. His commitment to well-funded school reform has made Vermont a national leader in education.
• Teacher Quality Initiatives — Governor Dean believes in teacher excellence. His Department of Education established comprehensive programs to mentor new teachers, strengthen licensure, and provide financial assistance to teachers seeking National Board Certification.

That's what I get from the campaign site with a cursory look.

Here is a report on VT's dropout rate, though you should be careful with numbers like these. The dropout rate reported for TX in 2000 was really low, too, but that was a bit of legerdemain about what students were counted as "dropouts."

Some NEA factoids about the VT school system. Grain of salt, considering the source.

VT beats TX in this school ranking. I'm dubious about this source, though. What reputable study would claim to rank "smartness."

BlackGriffen

[Zimphire]

Hey I voted Democrat when I was 18, I learned my lesson.

I don't need to get bit twice either.

[finboy]

Originally posted by BlackGriffen:
Well, because I'm lazy, I'm just going to reference stuff from his campaign website:

Well, because I'm lazy I'll cite the most important statistic of all:

Vermont had 608k residents in 2000.

As I've asked before: Howard who? Governor of where?

He's a sacrificial lamb.

[BlackGriffen]

Originally posted by finboy:
Well, because I'm lazy I'll cite the most important statistic of all:

Vermont had 608k residents in 2000.

As I've asked before: Howard who? Governor of where?

He's a sacrificial lamb.

Nice argumentum ad hominem. That way, you don't have to actually address anything, and can feel like you've won.

Even Zimphire's response had more substance than yours.



BlackGriffen