Any DUers as SURPRISED as Dem strategists that CORRUPTION was the major issue?

[blm]

It seems to me that those high paid DC strategists who have been advising the party for so long are out of touch with the American people.

They are the ones who advised, Don't support firing Rumsfeld, Don't filibuster Alito, Don't support censure, Don't vote for Iraq withdrawal, Don't investigate DSM.

Frankly, I was surprised that it took an exit poll AFTER an election for strategists to realize that "It's the CORRUPTION, stupid."

Many of us at DU have known that corruption was a key issue for YEARS, now.

[HereSince1628]

1. Nope. Consider how that number was arrived at.

They asked voters what issues brought them out. Concern about corruption is shared by all types of voters. Iraq was a deal for dems. Terror for the Rs when you add it up Corruption simply got more votes from a broader group.

[blm]

3. That's the American people - that's the UNIFYING issue that strategists missed.

It's Democratic and Republican VOTERS - Americans - who want corruption DEALT WITH.

[HereSince1628]

10. But it could have been a # 3 priority for D's and R's

and because of the summation it might have come out as the biggest _shared concern_. That's very different than saying it was the #1 motivator to come out and vote for either D's or R's.

I think republican proto-totalitarianism caused terrible corruption but my primary motivation was stripping Bush of a rubber-stamping Congress that's shredding the Constitution.

[blm]

27. Well it's the number issue for UNIFIED Americans. That's hardly a bad thing.

And its not like all the other issues aren't offshoots of that corruption - you think we'd BE in Iraq if BushInc wasn't so damn corrupt and flush with war profiteers?

[xultar]

2. Not true. We DEMS made corruption the issue. That is what we campaigned

on. That is why we won. If it wasn't the issue we wouldn't have won...that combined with the war which was fucking corruption in itself.

Where is all this coming from?

[skids]

9. Backstory...

here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2935973&mesg_id=2935973

[xultar]

17. I saw all that yesterday when it came out @ 6pm. How is that backstory

we campaigned on being the party of no corruption.

That is why they jumped all over Jefferson's ass cuz he had all that fuckin money in his freezer.

How can we make it an issue when we have a corrupt dude of our own....blah blah blah.

We knew corruption was gonna be an issue. That was Dean's strategy...

[skids]

19. The story is that of media framing.

The reactions and dithering of the news anchors around this "surprise" from the exit polls -- I bet they were none too pleased that corruption got included in the menu of choices -- IS the story. They had to report it, but quickly shelved it afterwards and went back to saying it was all "Iraq, terror, economy."

The story is that the MSM has sat on their hands while a new guilded age has transpired, with nearly no coverage, willfully hiding corruption from the public viewing eye.

The story is that the public viewing eye was not deceived, and saw through it. It's a happy story.

[blm]

23. You said it well, skids.

.

[burythehatchet]

4. Just as religion is the greatest obstacle to elightenment

the media and the punditocracy have become the greatest obstacle to an informed citizenry.

[skids]

7. Whoops... replied to wrong box. n/t

(deleted.)

[Robbien]

5. Not me. My choice for governor here in Illinois was between

corrupt and more corrupt.

The Green (no one really even knows his name) got ten percent of the vote because picking either a D and R was so nauseating.

Corruption was high on my list when deciding between local candidates.

[blm]

29. Well, plenty of Americans agree with you - funny how media won't talk about it

now as an issue - they got over the initial report and then moved on. What does that tell you?

[dogday]

6. Courruption and Deceit got us into Iraq

I think it should be the number 1 priorty.. How much corruption is in the White House?

[blm]

30. You're right, corruption connects to every other issue, including Iraq.

.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Surprised that it was a major issue?

No, I'm not.

That it was the major issue over Iraq? Yes.

[blm]

14. like dogday said, Corruption got us INTO Iraq.

BushInc corrupted every step of the process, and the war was waged for WAR PROFITEERING.

[Jack Rabbit]

21. I've been saying that for a long time

But I don't think it resonated with most people who went to the polls yesterday.

Most people still seem to think it was an intelligence failure that made the policymakers actually believe that Saddam was more dangerous than he actually was. I think that's a lot of steer manure, and so do most people here. But most people here aren't most people in America.

[blm]

32. Well enough Dems and Republicans agreed on corruption to make it the major issue.

And that says alot about regular voting Americans.

[undeterred]

11. I hate these polls that generalize so much

In Wisconsin, Sensenbrenner was easily re-elected. I don't think the voters in his district were thinking about corruption in Washington when they voted. They were worried about terrorism and gay marriage.

[WI_DEM]

12. well, they didn't give the voters a choice and if they did Iraq might

have been the top choice.

[blm]

25. I think people see these issues as interconnected - and they'd be right.

After all, alot of the corruption came from those seeking greater PROFITMAKING from the war and Homeland Security giveaways.

[BootinUp]

13. Not that I want to argue over this, I will only say

I think you misinterpreted the remarks you heard (from Begala?) IOW, all that was meant is that polls were not typically asking or reporting corruption as being the top concern for voters. Not that it wasn't a concern, just not polling as high as the Iraq war. Might have something to do with the polling questions.

I do not think there is a cover-up of some kind being contemplated and that this innocent remark is the sign.

Agree or disagree, this is just my opinion. :)

[blm]

22. I agree with that - they were genuinely surprised because, imo, they're outoftouch

with the way regular people think.

[Starlight]

15. I agree That SHOULD have been a big issue with people years ago.

[distantearlywarning]

16. News last night: "We're all shocked" that the issue was corruption

Well, I wasn't shocked at all. I just nodded my head when they said that. That's why I voted a Dem ticket this year, the #1 reason. The Iraq War is just a symptom of the corruption, which is the bigger problem.

I also noticed that after MSM reported the "corruption" thing last night, they kept trying to bring it back to the war. Why?

[blm]

26. You're right. We noticed they got over their initial shock and then stopped mentioning

it as a factor.

So, it's up to us to keep it alive and in their FACES.

[Oak2004]

18. Not surprised

People will tolerate a lot in their representatives, but they will not tolerate elected representatives who, upon first sight of the Capitol dome, auction themselves out as whores who sell themselves to the highest bidding lobbyists.

[Lucky Luciano]

20. Iraq is a subset of corruption

[blm]

24. Iraq is the RESULT of corruption, too.

The story does go way back, as we all know.

[seabeyond]

28. huge DUUUUH in my mind. it was all around for them to see

they didnt want to see it, they didnt want to report it, they want to pretend it isnt there. like the right doesnt want to see iraq is lost or bush is incompetent. hard when a person refuses reality. they are really blindsided, they are really surprised. like rove and bush NOT knowing dems were a threat to them

[blm]

31. Strategist class has to change - these fools need a retirement party.

.