--- Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol at jhu.edu> wrote:
The task is to
> sway
> middle Amerika to pull the lever for Kerry, and since most of that
> crowd
> tend to be conservative, religious, and patriotic - it is more
> likely to
> be turned off by left endorsements.
Wojtek, while I've agreed with more of your assessment than not in this thread, I'd like to add a different segment of the population into the generalizations of middle America: the apathetic and numb.
Getting people mobilized enough to get out to vote, much less mobilize for anything else sociopolitical, means making them understand how it all affects them, personally, and getting those messages out has been a grand scale failure of all parties left of the GOP's right wing. Even the alleged moderate faction of the GOP has failed in this.
Fact is, most middle Americans are not conservative, religious or patriotic. They just are. The majority are not affected by gay marriages, the war in Iraq (unless a family member is involved), are not "regular" or even devout church-goers, have written off Congress and most politicians long ago, glaze over at the concept of drilling in wild-life refuges or the Kyoto treaty, rarely, if ever, travel off the continent and don't watch or read the news - any news - nearly as much as some might think.
Is it because they are uncaring sots with little education or social responsibility? Well, there are always some like that, of course, but most are too busy just trying to live, raise kids, keep marriages together, failing at both, find affordable healthcare and housing and struggling to keep jobs in an economy that demands they work longer and harder to maintain the status quo - again, something difficult to do.
Has anyone left of the right wing of the GOP (and that's a large all-emcompassing crowd, from mod Repubs to Greens and Marxists) addressed these issues in a manner that has gotten their attention? Apparently not. Even a rib-cracked, split open and sewn shut Clinton (what an image) was able to warble, "IT'S THE ECONOMY" to the Dems, and no one - any one - has listened. Instead, the masters of spin in the GOP have successfully muddied the message and all the Dems, or anyone else for that matter, seem to do is wonk away on ill-articulated domestic issues that are drowned out by Vietnam war records and doublespeak.
These middle Americans, ranging from working poor to upper middle class, will be the ones that stay at home election day, vote for Bush or flip a coin and vote for whomever gets tails, not because they are conservative, religious or patriotic, but because they are tired and numb.
- Deborah R.
=====
" How come people always flip and think they're Jesus? Why not Buddha? Particularly in America, where more people resemble Buddha than Jesus. 'Ah'm BUDDHA!' 'You're Bubba!' 'Ah'm Buddha now..All I gotta do is change 3 letters on ma belt...' " - Bill Hicks