14 September, 2008

What the Fuck is Wrong with Washington State?

So here I was, thinking I didn't live in much of a battleground state. We're pretty blue up here, when we're not busy being green. Our governor's a Democrat, our Senators are Democrats, my Rep's a Democrat, and Obama signs are sprouting like mushrooms, of which we have a plethora. So imagine my shock when I saw this bit o' fuckery:

Washington is the latest state to show a strong western surge for John McCain since he added Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Washington finds Barack Obama still ahead, but barely. It’s Obama 49%, McCain 47%. A month ago, Obama was up by twelve percentage points. Recent polls have shown McCain gains in Montana, New Mexico and North Dakota.

Among Democrats, Obama now attracts 83% of the vote, down six points from last month. However, the big change comes among unaffiliated voters who now favor McCain by a 48% to 43% margin. In August, before the two parties held their conventions, Obama led by twelve among voters not affiliated with either major political party....

Excuse me? What, in the immortal words of Amy Winehouse, just what kind of fuckery is this? Why is my state swinging McCain's way?

Are you sex-starved egomaniacs who think McCain will reward your vote by letting you bone his running mate?

Is it the never-ending sleaze, lies and stupidity that attracts you?

Are you fucking insane?

Let me repeat my question of a few days ago: Just what was so wonderful about the last eight years that you're willing to risk an encore?

Seriously.

If any of you switchers are reading this, tell me why the fuck you're breaking for a decrepit fuckwit who wants to mire America in more useless wars, who's going to tax your healthcare benefits, who wants to cut taxes on the rich and shaft you, who picks a supremely unqualified con to be his running mate strictly for political gain, who can't open his damned mouth without lying, and who has a hair-trigger temper to boot.

Go back through the Discursos from the last month, and point out to me what balances that relentless dumbfuckery. Give me specific fucking policy proposals that make you believe McCain isn't going to bend you over a table and rape you up the ass if he ends up in office.

If you're a woman, tell me what's so attractive about having Roe v. Wade overturned, and birth control counted as an abortion so that you can't get it. Tell me what's so great about unequal pay. Tell me what makes you think a man who would publically call his wife a cunt and his political rival a bitch will have the slightest respect for you.

All of you, give me one valid area in which McCain differs from Bush.

Because I really want to understand why you're leaning his way. I'm trying very hard to convince myself you're not stupid, and yet, I can't think of a single reason why a thinking person would support John Fucking McCain.

And let me tell you something as a former Arizonan: the John McCain you may think you're voting for is a myth. His vaunted honor has never been anything more than expediency. He just has an adoring media fan club that likes to believe his tall tales. Don't you believe them, too.

Come back to your senses. Don't sell your country up the river for fool's gold.




5 comments:

Nicole said...

Have you seen McCain's ad (attempt) at claiming he'll bring about change? I'll try to find it for you and email it to you. The first thing I thought was that it's hard to be different when you're so much like Bush.

Cujo359 said...

Are you sex-starved egomaniacs who think McCain will reward your vote by letting you bone his running mate?

Stupidity explains much about Palin's support, but I don't think it's that kind of stupidity. I think it has more to do with identity politics. Here are a couple of number from the new Newsweek poll that are interesting. The first is the number of Hillary Clinton supporters who say they are voting for McCain or are undecided, which is 23 percent. Why would anyone who supported Clinton, who was probably as close to Obama in her politics as any of the Democratic candidates, uninterested in voting for Obama? The second is this set of numbers (sorry that they won't line up):

Group Obama/Biden McCain/Palin
========= =========== ============
white men 37 56
white women 37 53

See the difference? Trick question - there isn't any. Typically, those two groups are something like ten percentage points different.

Also note that men were more likely to say Palin made no difference in their vote for President than women by a statistically significant margin.

I think this is mostly down to identity politics. We're paying now for all the ridiculous charges back and forth between the Obama and Clinton camps that the former was sexist and the latter racist. Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Obama, and (older) white women for Clinton.

I wrote last month that this was a problem for Obama, based on this poll. I still think that. If I'm right, the message to the 23 percenters ought to be that it's not any more satisfying to be boned, metaphorically speaking, by a Presidential candidate just because he has a white woman on his ticket.

J. John Johnstown said...

You forget Washington consists of Seattle (and to a lesser extent Tacoma), and the rest of the state. Here's the WAPO county-by-county breakdown of the 2004 Presidential Election, and some really pretty graphs.

Looking at the WAPO list, King County, Pierce County (Tacoma-area), San Juan County (rich island folk), and one or two others went Kerry. This is a very purple state.

J. John Johnstown said...

Oh yeah. When I said "rich island folk", I meant "rich hippies". And I saw the Dino Rossi signs in Central Washington that said "Don't let Seattle steal this election." Goober.

Anonymous said...

I grew up here and I've voted Democrat each year... and each year all I've seen from this state is higher and higher taxes and me having to work harder and harder just to make ends meet. Getting Obama hasnt changed a thing either but Gregoire seems to be the major problem.

Either way, I'm going Republican this next year like many others. Doubt it will be any better but one thing I do know, voting Democrat is only going to mean more and more money stolen from me through higher and higher taxes I can no longer afford.