We're Gonna Frickin' Lose this Thing

"Stop saying that!" my wife says to me. But this is not a high school football game and I'm not a cheerleader with a bad attitude. This is an election and as things stand now, we're gonna frickin' lose this thing. Obama and McCain at best are even in the polls nationally and in a recent Gallup poll McCain is ahead by four points.

Something is not right. We have a terrific candidate and a terrific VP candidate. We're coming off the worst eight years in our country's history. Six of those eight years the Congress, White House and even the Supreme Court were controlled by the Republicans and the last two years the R's have filibustered like tantrum throwing 4-year-olds, yet we're going to elect a Republican who voted with that leadership 90% of the time and a former sportscaster who wants to teach Adam and Eve as science? That's not odd as a difference of opinion, that's logically and mathematically queer.

It reminds me of playing blackjack (a losers game). You make all the right moves, play the right hands but basically the House always wins. I know what you're going to say " But I won twelve hundred dollars last year in Atlantic City!" Of course there are victories. The odds aren't tilted crazy, but there is a 51%-49% advantage. And in the long run, the house has to win. The house will win.

So what is this house advantage the Republicans have? It's the press. There is no more fourth estate. Wait, hold on...I'm not going down some esoteric path with theories on the deregulation of the media and corporate bias and CNN versus Fox...I mean it: there is no more functioning press in this country. And without a real press the corporate and religious Republicans can lie all they want and get away with it. And that's the 51% advantage.

Think this is some opinion being wryly posited to titillate other bloggers and inspire dialogue with Tucker Carlson or Gore Vidal? Fuck that. Four corporations own all the TV channels. All of them. If they don't get ratings they get canceled or fired. All news is about sex, blame and anger, and fear. Exposing lies about amounts of money taken from lobbyists and votes cast for the agenda of the last eight years does not rate. The end.

So one side can lie and get away with it. Now let's throw in one more advantage. Voter caging and other corruption on the local level with voting. Check out the article here on HuffPost about Ohio messing with 600K voters. If only five thousand of those voters don't or can't vote that's a huge advantage in a contest that could be decided by literally dozens of votes. That takes us to about a 52 to 48% advantage.

I'm not even getting into the fact that the religious right teaches closed mindedness so it's almost impossible to gain new voters from their pool because people who disagree with them are agents of the devil. I just want to look at two inarguable realities: A) we have no more press and B) the Repubs are screwing with the voters on the local level.

I'm telling you, we're going to lose this thing. And afterwords we'll blame ourselves the same way we did with Gore and Kerry (two candidates a thousand times more qualified to lead than W Bush.) Just watch.. McCain wins by a point or two and we all walk around saying things like "Obama was too well spoken." "Biden wasn't lovable enough." "I shouldn't have split those eights." "Why did I hit on 16? Why?!"

So what do we do?

1) We give definitive clear speeches like Biden and Obama gave the other day about how no one talked about any issues at the Republican Convention and how they outright lied. But we do them over and over again. 2) We use the one place where it's still a 50-50 game -- the internet -- as much as we can. 3) But most importantly we should bring up re-regulating the media and who owns it and what that conflict of interest is a lot more. By pretending there's no conflict of interest we're failing to alert the public that they're being lied to or given a looking at a coin at the bottom of a pool slanted truth. Every time a pundit or elected official is on any TV news program it should be a polite formality to mention that GE has made such and such billions off the war in Iraq by selling arms or that Murdoch is a right-wing activist with a clear stake in who wins and who taxes his profits the least. Disney, GE, Viacom, and Murdoch -- all want profits and the candidate and agenda that will get in their way the least.

Obama and Biden should also create a "master sound bite sentence" and repeat it hundreds of times. It should be so true that even the corporations can't screw with it when it makes the airwaves. Here's my attempt: "Katrina, four dollar gas, a trillion dollar war, rising unemployment, deregulated housing market, global warming...no more."

This race should be about whether the Republican Party is going to be dismantled or not after the borderline treason of the past eight years. But instead it is about making the word "community organizer" a dirty word and a beauty queen who shoots foxes from a plane. Someone is not in any way doing their job and it's the press. Or more specifically, that job no longer exists.

Probably the worst offenders are the pundits who take the position that it's all just a game and say phrases like "getting a post-convention bump" or "playing to the soccer Moms." This isn't a game of Monopoly or Survivor. There are real truths that exist outside of the spin they are given and have an effect on lives. 250,000 Iraqi civilians are dead because we let our reality be distorted by the most effective propaganda machine in fifty years, the corporate American press. Money and jobs are flying out of this country as our currency becomes worthless and we're talking about the fact that McCain is a veteran. If someone busted into your house and robbed you would you then forgive them if you found out they were a veteran? Of course not. So why are we forgiving McCain for selling out his country by supporting the Bush agenda?

This is it folks. If McCain takes power we fade and become Australia in the seventies: a backwoods country with occasional flashes of relevance. Except we've got a way bigger military and we're angrier. People will get hurt and we'll pay the bill for the bullets. I'm telling you, unless we wake up, we're gonna lose this frickin' thing.

Comments

[stevespelling]

02:49 PM on 09/18/2008

Re: "We're Gonna Frickin' Lose this Thing" - I hope you're right!

[Righthandman]

08:31 PM on 09/17/2008

And as for "The smart Democrats we are..." lol? Really? Then how come the reppies have been able to pull the swift boat on you SO many times? And I have no idea why you keep associating US with racism. WE HAVE HISTORY ON OUR SIDE! The Emancipation proclomation was passed by republicans. IF DEMOCRATS HAD HAD THEIR WAY BLACK PEOPLE WOULD STILL BE ENSLAVED! Democrats passed the Jim Crow laws. Democrats developed the slave codes. Democrats passed the segregation laws. And did you know that the first black man to ever run for president was REPUBLICAN?! Right after the civil war! At that time african americans were predominantly republican and called lincoln affectionately: "Father Abraham" The man was turned down because ONE senator said that if he won it might make america look bad. Even THIS senator was upset because he thought that he would have made a great pres and knew he would have won hands down. All the other WHITE REPUBLICAN conventioners were one hundred percent for him. They were chanting his name and some shed a tear when he was turned down. Do you know who passed the poll laws? Basically preventing blacks from voting for FIFTY YEARS?! DEMOCRATS! Do you know who abolished it? REPUBLICANS! How can you say WE are racist when CLEARLY you have been oppressing blacks for over two hundred years!

[DBMAC]

04:06 PM on 09/19/2008

But those from the Democratic party of the day and later the Southern Dixiecrats where consumed by the new Republican Party gradually over the years since Truman and the current Republican party is composed of those former white Democrats now. The FDR Democratic party is the lineage of the current Democratic party and since Kennedy and LBJ, has been embraced by most minorities. The Republican party is now comprised of a large majority of white working class Catholics and white working class bigots. The rich WASPs who are the GOP, and the white Evangelicals and working class white bigots now make up the majority of the Republican party. The principal reason I prefer the Democratic party is because it is more inclusive regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual preference, or economic status. I see the Democratic party since FDR as the party of hope for artists and other enlightened people, as well as the disenfranchised minorities, the socialists, the unions, the open minded, the Irish Catholics, the Jews, the poor and the working classes. The Republicans are now boring, war-mongering, religious bigots. The Democrats are cool.

[Righthandman]

05:30 PM on 09/15/2008

Sabiers, it's funny how you all cracked open ur piggy banks to ELECT a dem, well you see, under Clinton all the republicans were cracking open their piggy banks just to PAY him. I see these nice long years of actually keeping my hard-earned money a repetition of the "Had Enough" period.

[amma3000]

12:06 PM on 09/15/2008

Why is talking about government deregulation considered esoteric? Is it uncool to talk about our corporate owned media? Because if it is, then you will never talk about our corporate owned government.
"We" will not lose the election, the Democrats will lose and it is totally their fault for losing the most winnable election in American history. They have completely avoided the issues that not only matter to regular Americans, but are life and death. We need a single payer, free choice health care system, we need to end corporate welfare and crime, we need a living wage, an end to our commitment to fossil fuels thus creating jobs that can not be shipped to China.

We need choices in an election. Like ever other western democracy--
a multi partied system. Lose the corporate owned dems and repubs. They don’t stand for “We the People” anymore.

[lisad]

08:51 PM on 09/14/2008

Anyone been watching the Washington and Oregon polls? While everyone's been focussing on Ohio and Pennsylvania we might actually lose Washinggton and Oregon!!! And the election.

[lenzorizzo]

07:50 PM on 09/14/2008

There is nothing "borderline" about their treason.

[InformedMisery]

07:17 PM on 09/14/2008

As George Will pointed out on This Week today, Democrats have lost 7 of the 10 last presidential elections. Every election cycle the far left gets into a tizzy because, they assure us, if we elect a Republican the country is going to hell in a handbasket. But we've had a couple of two term Republican presidents, and Roe Vs. Wade still hasn't been overturned, there's no constitutional ammendment banning gay marriage. (In fact, it was a Democrat who signed the Defense of Marriage Act. And the current Democratic nominee says marriage is between a man and a woman.)

Things are never as dire as the media, pundits, and bloggers make them seem. Yes, we are in hard times, but we aren't going to become Austraila if Obama blows the election.

[Swerinjer]

07:30 PM on 09/14/2008

Abortion and gay weddings will NEVER be outlawed because it motivates the right wing base. Everything else has gone far right however.

[jamesden]

07:09 PM on 09/14/2008

tell obama to run this race like joe kennedy would run it for one of his sons. enough is enough


dennis doelger

dublin tx

[haveyougonemad]

06:44 PM on 09/14/2008

Calling all DEM'S:

I'm tired of sitting on my ass, watching the world go by. I want to do something to change the course of our country. I want to unleash my pent up rage an anger.

If 1500 Alaskan's can get their butts out in chilly temperatures and take to the streets why the heck can't we do the same in the local communities of the lower 48???

We need to organize, and take to the streets. The squeeky wheel gets the grease. I'm in Seattle. I'm going to attempt to organize a group here locally. We need to organize across the web nationally, and create local affiliates where we can convene and protest what's being done to our country and this election.

Who's with me on this?????????

The time is now to ACT.

ENOUGH.

Let's start today, with the goal that in a weeks time we can begin taking to the streets all across this great country of ours. Let's show the power broker's of this country that we're taking our country back!!!!!

Come on...I know we can do this!

We need to activate ourselves and take to the streets. Let's organize women's right's groups, abortion rights groups, libertarian groups, veteran's...you see where I'm going with this. Help me out...Let's show them what stand up and fight really means.

Let's begin getting organized right here....right now. I'm waiting on your input and suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Signed,
Tired of sleeping and angry in Seattle!

[dawn2dusk]

07:45 PM on 09/14/2008

pls join your local OB chapter. There should be one near you.

[IamaGApeach]

06:35 PM on 09/14/2008

I had a moment like this last week, and so I committed myself to canvass for Obama. I canvassed yesterday for the first time ever, and I am completely confident that Obama has this ground game down.

Contribute. Make calls. Canvass. Get involved.

[mjukes]

05:59 PM on 09/14/2008

Let us not freak out. Let us not be resigned. Let us keep focused what must be accomplished, and why. Here's something to inspire you in our fight against tyranny! Pass it along! Let's work together to make this the best November of our lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYaQIVdhgQA

[DebbieinPhx]

06:13 PM on 09/14/2008

Cool! I really like that one,.. I'm emailing to my friends! thx!

[UC4006]

11:32 PM on 09/14/2008

If you are a Mother.....you were not required to have any experience at it before you had your first child and I bet you think you are a good mother.

[achildofiam]

06:19 PM on 09/14/2008

The video say "We not going to take it", "We don’t need you" and "We don't need anything from you". Who are you taking to? I do not here the Republicans saying that we can do without the Dems. Who are you speaking for? Do you really believe this country can do without at least half of the people in it? I do not know if you would like the world you would be left with. You would just turn on those left because they would not agree with you on everything.

[psych101]

06:57 PM on 09/14/2008

Wow what great spin on your part. That wasn't even remotely close to the point of the video. I guess Karl Rove is your role model.

[veracity]

05:50 PM on 09/14/2008

Thanks for that, Adam. I have been censored 100 times (101 at last check), almost every time for mentioning that the DC Democrats hew too closely to the Neo-Con/GOP treasury-looting, police-state powers, and more-wars agenda... specifically, the DC Democrats are "owned" by the AIPAC pro-war lobby, AIPAC being the undisputed "most powerful lobby in America," and as this video of Dick Cheney at their 2007 annual convention (held that year in DC) shows, the conference attendees give Cheney a standing ovation for his most bombastic "BOMB IRAN NOW!" comments. Cheney was followed at the conference the next day by Pelosi and Reid. You could not possibly get a better PRIMARY SOURCE evidence of the Democrat's ABJECT SUBSERVIENCE to the Neo-Con war lobby, than I have just spelled out.
The reason the Palin-McCain Repubs are ahead or even in polls is simple: for the past 2 years, Pelosi and the DC Dems have JOINED the Repub Party and "Major Media" in WHITEWASHING Cheney & Bush's serial crimes and gross abuses of Power.
Cheney is STILL GETTING Halliburton STOCK OPTIONS - Pelosi & her DC Democrats PRETEND NOT TO NOTICE.
JACK ABRAMOFF was CONVICTED of BRIBING CONGRESS; Ken Lay was CONVICTED of MASSIVE FRAUD; Lewis 'Scooter' Libby was CONVICTED of PERJURY and OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE - and in EVERY damn case, Pelosi & her cowering, corrupted DC Dems PRETEND NOT TO NOTICE any CONNECTION of those CRIMES with the Bush White House!

[veracity]

07:07 PM on 09/14/2008

Pelosi & Reid follow Cheney's "BOMB IRAN NOW!" speech at AIPAC annual conference,
March 12, 2007. Video of Dem supplication proudly posted at AIPAC's own website....

http://www.aipac.org/2785_2859.asp
Here is Washington DC 40-year insider Pat Buchanan spelling it out...
http://www.vdare.com/buchanan/070319_pelosi.htm

Here is "Cheney heads to Tbilisi to give Georgia President Saakashvili ONE BILLION DOLLARS, to buck up the Georgia President for the US instigated war that blew up in his face...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080904/ts_afp/georgiarussiaconflict_080904024129

All other assertions in this (2) comment(s) can be supported by reams of documents, articles, and links, many of them from right here at HuffPost...

[veracity]

05:48 PM on 09/14/2008

(pt. 2 of 2)
I haven't even MENTIONED AG Alberto Gonzales, PERJURY, obstruction of justice, and the making the entire US Dept. of Justice into a Republican ENFORCEMENT and RACKETEERING ring!

I haven't even mentioned the 17 TRILLION DOLLARS of US aggregate DEBT,
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/7483/Fed-Heads-Back-to-the-Well-Will-It-Run-Dry
or the ONE TRILLION DOLLARS of SOCIALIZED big-government bailouts for Wall St. FATCATS!
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/7483/Fed-Heads-Back-to-the-Well-Will-It-Run-Dry

Or Dick Cheney BUYING HIMSELF A WAR in Georgia, handing out ONE BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS to his puppet there (Saakashvili) to buck-up the Georgia president after his little invasion blew up into a war that killed at least 2,000.

THE UNIFYING FACTOR of ALL the above.. is the COWERING DC DEMOCRATS make NO, ZERO effort to link the crimes, scandals, and corruption TO BUSH & CHENEY !!!

HOW THE HELL can you WIN AN ELECTION, when you are functioning as the OPPOSITION party's WHITEWASH/cover-up team, and FINANCING their WORST treasury-busting atrocities???

[newdreams]

05:35 PM on 09/14/2008

I'm beginning to see more and more that this 'frickin thing' is not just about corporate media pushing an idea for their own greed, and not just about conservative mind-control, but it's also heavily driven by race. Three evils that will destroy. America will bring itself down if it doesn't do something about its greed and pride.

[Casey13]

06:41 PM on 09/14/2008

Wow, you guys crack me up..that's some kinda kool aid you're drinking....corporate media...mind-control..time to get the tin foil hats out eh? LoL..thanks for the laugh...

[Swerinjer]

07:27 PM on 09/14/2008

yeh racist by design. Repugs have gained all their success from racism. read Krugman's "Conscience of a Liberal".

In this election we were manipulated by a right-wing media conspiracy. Obama was given a deference never ever seen for any Democrat, while the Edwards campaign was clearly subject to a deliberate news blackout. I knew what was going on in Jan 2007. I tried to raise the alarm, but how could any of you possible be as obsessive as i am about news for 15 years? You can''t see it as clearly as I can.

[ECB]

05:34 PM on 09/14/2008

BO must expand the voting base and hold on to the people who voted for Kerry and Gore.
How does he expand a base likely to vote for him ? First he must get a larger AA vote and a larger % to vote for him. Keep in mind AA did not come out in mass for Kerry and Bush got 11.0% of their vote. Next he has to get the young college educated pepole out to vote - Kerry did not do that ! Last he needs about 45.0% of the Indepen., vote. IF and I don't think it is a BIG if, he can win it !

[InformedMisery]

07:18 PM on 09/14/2008

The Alocoholics Anonymous vote?