Fineman: Is Bush’s base beginning to crumble?

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4687872/

Can the unshakeable be shaken? Is it already shaking? These are relevant questions as Condi Rice testifies and Iraq turns ugly. Especially since 9/11, a key feature of the political landscape has been George W. Bush's granite-like Republican/conservative base. But fissures are appearing and the war may widen them. Facing a close race with Democrat John Kerry, the president can't afford to spend much time reassuring his friends. But he may have to.

To be sure, Republicans and conservatives for the most part, on most issues, are with Bush and will remain there. They like his instincts, his religiosity, his love of traditional values, his willingness to use force, his tax cuts and much more. Under the tutelage of Karl Rove, Bush's career-long strategic imperative has been to Get Right with the Right — and stay there. And Bush's minions will spend much of the campaign trying to depict Kerry as a the right-thinking conservative's nightmare — a Frenchified, flip-flopping, big-spending, secular liberal from the Land of Many Kennedys.

But varying elements of the GOP "base" have developed grievances that could, if nothing else, disillusion some voters on the margins, keeping them home instead of at the polls on Election Day in swing states the president needs to carry. Some of the grievances:

<snip>

5. The draft. The Republican Party and Bush in particular are strong on college campuses, much stronger than the establishment press tends to realize. But that could be jeopardized if talk of reinstating the draft gets serious. So far, administration officials have talked only about the need to ensure a steady supply of high-tech specialists in the armed forces. But if you visit colleges — and I do, of all sizes and descriptions — the undertone of worry is there, big time.

DU'ers at college and high school campuses bring this up and leave some stories discussing the upcoming draft if * gets reselected.

[Sinistrous]

1. Unfortunately, *'s base is as solid as

the rocks in its members' heads.

[PsN2Wind]

2. Anyone in college or soon going

should be asking their friends "what are you going to do if they have to draft us"?

[War Pigs]

6. College repugs would make fine soldiers, there just can't be ANY

loopholes. As we know from Vietnam, those "hawks" can be mighty elusive. Sign the little bitches up! Start with the polititions devil spawn.:bounce:

[11cents]

3. We'll know Bush's base is crumbling ....

...when Howard Fineman abandons him.

[Hand]

5. It's called...

A rat deserting the sinking ship. It just took Fineman longer than most to unstick his nose from Chimpy's hindquarters.

Another metaphor is "One of the oldest whores is ditching the burning brothel..."

Really, what I'm trying to say here is "Fuck you, Fineman, you brown-nosing media whore... who gives a shit what you claim to think?"

[terisel]

4. How to Make the Draft an Issue-Campaign Finance Lists

Enthusiastic Bush Republicans don't seem to want to be in the war. They seem to just want to cheer it on. This is, of course the problem with the Iraq War-most supporters do not feel strongly enough about it to risk their lives and ultimately this is why we cannot win.

Is it possible (and not illegal) to use the political campaign contributors lists to draw up a petition publicly asking the donors, to enlist, and to encourage their family members to enlist as volunteers for the war.

I understand for example that many executives donate the limit for individuals and then have their spouses and children also listed as individual contributors-so the campaign finance lists may have many individual who are age-eligible to serve.
I think 17-49 is the service age range, although of course it is usually the youth who serve. However some of the National Guard troops have been fairly old.

We could add all members of Congress in the list, and all higher level Bush administrators.

I think that initiatives like this, although they may seem a bit silly, can really help clarify issues for people. Heck, I would respect any of them who actually did enlist and make it to Iraq.