The Chips Must Be Really Down...

Bush and the GOP are in serious trouble, despite their happy, peppy talk of late, what with the economy tanking again in such a robust growth period and the conflict in Iraq turning into a turkey shoot of American troops being turned over to the Iraqi forces.

To-wit:

Bush, Republicans turn to talk shows for help

[...]Analysts said the rise of other populist media -- most notably the Internet -- along with growing schisms among conservatives over immigration, the Iraq war, budget deficits and social policy will make it tougher this year for talk radio to help Republicans chalk up an election win.

"Talk radio is still predominantly a conservative phenomenon, but it's getting smaller in scope and if it's going to be effective for conservative Republican candidates, it's going to have to be more intense than it used to be," said Michael Frank, vice president of government relations at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank.

"The conservative base itself is not exactly united and cheering on behalf of one party this time ... and that may blunt some of the effectiveness of talk radio as a kind of organizing tool for Republican candidates."

Still, radio hosts are hoping the political activism of their audience will result in another strong Election Day turnout for Republicans. A study by Talkers magazine found 74 percent of talk radio listeners voted in 2004 -- well above the average U.S. election year turnout.

Which of course, might explain this:

Rush Limbaugh accused actor Michael J. Fox, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, of "exaggerating the effects of the disease" in a recent campaign advertisement for Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill. Limbaugh added that "this is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting, one of the two."

I tend to take Limbaugh's word on this, frankly. He has far more expertise with medication than I do.

Or this:

Savage ridiculed Ethiopians, declaring they "have flies around their eyes"; labeled Islam "a bloodthirsty religion"

Yea, always fun to make sport of poor people with inadequate sanitation and food supplies when you're trying to win an election.

Or this:

Fox News guest Simmons claimed stadium terror hoax is "the perfect example" of "how vital" the detainee bill and warrantless domestic spying program are

In other words, the Republicans, realizing they've run the rope on the "terror-scare" tactic, are turning it over to the talk-radio "stars". One can only imagine the quid pro quo that is going on there. Or maybe we don't have to:

"If all of us go out to the polls and get every person we know to go out the poll ... the great thing that will happen on election day is we will confuse and confound the pundits and confuse and confound the liberal media," [Sean] Hannity told the Republican rally in Cincinnati.

His audience was enthusiastic.

"I'm old, I'm tired, I've got diabetes, and I'm freezing to death, and yet I'm glad I came here -- it makes me want to work harder," said Zip Jaycox, 79, a self-described "strong Bush supporter and strong Republican" volunteer who goes door-to-door with her husband to rally party voters.

"We're going to get out and work like the very dickens."

They're helping the administration reduce the Social Security program, too...

snarkasm, snarcasm, snarky

Bush
Republicans
2006 Elections