Thursday, March 13, 2008

Not Connecting the Dots

The most recent NBC/WSJ poll illustrates how so many Americans fail to connect the dots:

43% say they're worse off than in 2004;

50% to 37% is the generic Democrat to Rethug party preference margin;

Obama 47%, McSame 44% (Clinton 47%, McSame 45%);

Clinton 47%, Obama 43%, the choice of Democrats only;

45% to 38% is the margin by which Democrats think Obama would be the strongest candidate against McSame.

You see what's curious about these numbers. Aside from the oddity of some Clinton Democrats supporting her while at the same time thinking Obama would do better against McSame, you have the larger conundrum of a certain slice of the electorate willing to give the Rethugs another 4 years. Four more years of pounding trillions of dollars down the wrong rat hole (Iraq); four more years of torture; four more years of the growing income disparity between the wealthiest and the rest of us; four more years of stagflation; four more years where we have to hold our breath that a vacancy doesn't pop up on the Supreme Court; four more years of neglect on global warming; four more.. oh, you can fill in the rest.

This has to be a "change" election, where the question is simply put, "Do you want four more years of reckless incompetence and diversions?" First, the Democrats have to pay attention (no thanks to HRC, who is framing the election on McSame's terms), then they need to get the message across to others in the electorate who are still having trouble connecting the dots.