Poll: Bush’s Approval Rating Down to 34 Percent, 45 percent Among Wal-Mart Shoppers

Eroding, imploding: According to a poll conducted by Zogby International this week, George Bush continues to lose support among his Republican base and his approval rating has hit 34 percent, down two points in the past two weeks. The survey was conducted Aug. 11-15, 2006, and included 1,018 respondents.

The numbers continue to reflect erosion in the President’s political base — just 62 percent of Republicans give him positive marks for his job performance, while 38 percent give him negative marks. Even among weekly WalMart shoppers — a demographic group identified by Pollster John Zogby as a critical support group for Bush — just 45 percent now give him positive job marks, though his numbers among those shoppers have improved 10 points since early June.

More than three out of four — 76 percent — of weekly WalMart shoppers voted for Bush over Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, earlier Zogby polling showed.

Among both conservatives and those who consider themselves very conservative, 59 percent give [Bush] positive marks, while 41 percent in each group gave him a negative job rating.

One third of respondents — 34 percent — said that, overall, the nation is headed in the right direction, while 59 percent said they think things are off on the wrong track.

Democrats continue to carry a lead into the fall campaign season on the generic congressional election question. Likely voters in the poll, asked whether they planned to vote for the Democrat or the Republican in their local congressional election, 39 percent favored Democrats, while 31 percent said they would be voting for the Republican candidate. Democrats also are winning the battle among independents, who favor the out–of–power party by a 32 percent to 20 percent margin, with 41 percent of independents yet undecided.

Asked if the war in Iraq has been worth the loss of American lives, 38 percent said “yes,” while 56 percent said “no,” a ratio that has held steady over the past year or so.

When Life Sends Us Spam, We Make Poetry

Unfiltered inspiration: Here at Pensito Review, we receive lots of spam e-mails every day. Hundreds of them, most having to do with erectile dysfunction, offers for weird pharmaceuticals cheap, pornography involving animals and/or Siamese twins, and a wide variety of poker games.

We hate the spam because it takes lots of time to go through it to capture the intelligent comments from sensitive readers sprinkled among the e-mails for hoodia weight-loss programs. However, we have discovered pearls among the spam — cheery, upbeat messages that accompany the offers of sex with several people simultaneously and get-rich-quick schemes.

We have collected these feel-good messages into what we think is a pretty nifty poem with lots of exclamation points and creative grammar that makes us feel just great about the Pensito Review Web site, and we hope it will brighten your day too. It’s called “Hello Jane, Great Site!”

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Hi, man! Your site is cool! look for my site –
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Poll: Americans Dumb as We Thought

Ignorance is this: A new Zogby International/AOL.com poll (PDF) has plumbed the depth of Americans’ idiocy, measuring how well citizens of the world’s wealthiest nation know civics versus, say, the names of the Three Stooges. Here are the lowlights:

  • Knew Homer Simpson’s son’s name is Bart: 60 percent
  • Could not name one of Homer’s ancient Greek tales (Iliad or Odyssey): 78 percent
  • Knew Superman is from Krypton: 60 percent
  • Could name the three branches of U.S. government (executive, judicial, legislative): 42 percent
  • Knew that CIA stands for Central Intelligence Agency: 60 percent
  • Knew that CSI stands for Crime Scene Investigation: 53 percent
  • Could name prime minister of Britain (Tony Blair): 50 percent
  • Could name two of Snow White’s dwarves: 52 percent remembered Sleepy, 39 percent named Dopey, but only 1.5 percent named Bashful
  • Could name two Supreme Court justices: 20 percent named Clarence Thomas, 11 percent named Antonin Scalia, but only 1 percent named Stephen Breyer; 63 percent could not name a single justice
  • Could not name Samuel Alito as the justice most recently appointed to the Supreme Court: 81 percent
  • When asked which current world leader signed a secret order authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on American citizens and foreign nationals in the United States, 67 percent named George Bush.
  • Named all three of the Three Stooges: 74 percent (only 1 percent mentioned poor Shemp)

The poll was taken in late July among 1,213 Americans, of whom 29 percent were college graduates, 74 percent were white, 27 percent make less than $25,000 per year and 52 percent were female.

U.S. Media — Hyping the Terror Hysteria

Media mania: There is a good chance the individuals arrested by British police last week were up to no good, but so far there has been no proof that they were about to launch an airline bomb attack of “unprecedented proportions,” as was breathlessly reported last week. No formal charges have been brought against them. Indeed, British authorities just went to court to ask for more time to hold and interrogate them without bringing charges. It’s not even clear how close they were to actually trying to perpetrate the alledged plot.

CNN, for example, chose ‘Target: USA’ as its phrase, Fox News opted for ‘Terror in the Sky,’ and MSNBC neatly combined the two with ‘Target America: Terror in the Sky.’

But that has not stopped the U.S. media — especially the squawking heads of cable TV — from heralding the beginning of “World War III.” The din of dumbness has proved particularly irksome to David Walsh, columnist for the World Socialist Web Site, who provides a comprehensive and compelling case for turning off the television and reading a book:

Since August 10, when British authorities arrested two dozen individuals in connection with an alleged plot to blow up a number of airplanes over the Atlantic Ocean, the American mass media has worked ceaselessly to create a climate of fear.

For the first several days after the news of the alleged plot broke, American news programs were virtually unwatchable. The lurid logos and wild, unsubstantiated allegations made a mockery of claims that the networks and cable channels are in the business of “news-gathering.”

The responses of the cable news channels to events like the August 10 arrests are predictable. One knows ahead of time that each of the channels will have its own sensationalist logo and catch-phrase. However, the combination of limited imaginations and shared political goals—centered on keeping the US population in a state of constant panic—often results in a certain overlap. CNN, for example, chose “Target: USA” as its phrase, Fox News opted for “Terror in the Sky,” and MSNBC neatly combined the two with “Target America: Terror in the Sky.”

Read the rest of the column here.

Quote du Jour

Terror is nought but prompt, severe, inflexible justice; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is less a particular principle than a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to the pressing needs of the fatherland.

— Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre (1758- guillotined 1794), French revolutionist

Rapture Index Gauges Nearness of End of the World

Signs of the end times: It’s a high-tech version of the cliche cartoon character — the zealot in long beard and robe holding the sign that predicts the end of the world. It’s the Rapture Index, a kind of gauge of how close we are to Jesus’ return to the earth, the Rapture and the Apocalypse as predicted in the Book of Revelations and various Old Testament visions.

The world has always been going to hell in a handbasket, and the prophets of doom have always been among us

This week’s rating is 160, based on measures of 45 different components that ostensibly portend the end of the world. A rating under 60 represents a period of slow prophetic activity, whereas anything over 145 is considered a pretty good indicator that there is going to be a lot of driverless vehicles on the interstate very soon. The 45 components are ranked on a scale of one to five, with five being high prophetic activity. This week low unemployment, lack of supernatural activity and the peace process (as represented by the cease-fire in Lebanon) all get a one ranking. Good signs of the rapture include high oil/gas prices, poor political leadership, developments in Israel, Gog (Russia) and Persia; and droughts, floods, wild weather and volcanoes all rate a five.

Reading the Rapture Index’s analysis is kind of like getting those annoying cryptic readings from a palmist:

  • Supernatural: Satanism is reported to be flourishing in Russia
  • Leadership: During the past few weeks, several end-time categories have become locked in a holding pattern.
  • Ecumenism: World religions have been at odds with each other.
  • Gog: Events in the Middle East are moving closer to the Ezk 38 & 39 prophecy.
  • Mark of the Beast: The U.S. Patriot Act has failed to get enough votes for extension.
  • Date Settings: Several organizations have been talking about Iran launching an attack against Israel on 22 Aug. The claim is based on the doomsday beliefs of Iran’s President.

Instead of the Dow Jones of the Apocalypse, the Rapture Index prefers to see itself as a kind of prophetic speedometer — the higher the number, the faster we are hurtling toward the end.

It’s an interesting attempt to quantify biblical prophesies as they are supposedly manifested in the news. But it’s a load of hooey. The world has always been going to hell in a handbasket, and the prophets of doom have always been among us, waving their signs and exhorting us to repent, the end is nigh. This is just a more entertaining poster for the end of the world.

Another Reason I’m Glad to Be a Registered Independent

Fool fest: Why can’t they get anybody better to head up the Florida Democratic party than Karen Thurman? Here’s her latest insipid e-mail appeal:

Dear Democrats,

We’re less than four weeks from the Primary.

On Sept. 5th, Democrats will choose a strong leader to take on the flip-flopping, camera-chasing politician that Republicans have decided is their best shot, despite his lack of backbone, failure to understand the issues important to Floridians and well-documented pattern of running from his own statements.

Florida deserves better. Contribute today to elect a Democratic Governor. https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Both of our Democratic candidates have what it takes to be Governor of Florida. They have convictions and strong values. They don’t pander, and they stand by their choices – unlike the Republicans who take multiple stances on multiple issues. Sometimes the Republicans who think they deserve to be governor fail to even have the courage to take a side at all.

Florida needs Democrats like Jim Davis and Rod Smith. One of them is going to be elected the next governor of Florida – with your help.

We’re nearing the deadline for filing our fundraising reports, and we want a strong showing that will let the G.O.P. and the media know that we mean business. Can you contribute to electing a Democratic Governor? https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Because of you, the Florida Democratic Party is running a real, coordinated campaign that will win races at the state and federal level. Each dollar you contribute goes toward electing Democrats up and down the ticket.

Please support your Party today: https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Together, we will elect a Governor that puts Floridians first.

Thank you,

Karen Thurman
Chair, Florida Democratic Party

ADDENDUM
In response to a comment by alert PR reader oldgringo who requested some background on Thurman vis á vis Katherine Harris, I am including the following entry from Wikipedia. oldgringo wondered whether Thurman and Harris shared any schools, friends, etc. Given that Thurman is a Democrat and Harris a Republican, I doubt it, though it is interesting that both hail from the same general vicinity on Florida’s west coast. — Buck

Karen L. Thurman is a former U.S. Representative from Florida. She is a Democrat.

She was born on January 12, 1951 in Rapid City, South Dakota, but has spent most of her life in Florida. She received her Associate’s Degree from Santa Fe Community College in Starke, Florida in 1970 and her Bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1973.

Thurman was first elected to public office in 1974, when she won a seat on the city council of Dunnellon, Florida, on which she served until 1983. She served as Mayor of Dunnellon from 1979-1981. She served in the Florida state senate from 1983-1993, the last four years as president pro tempore.

Florida gained three congressional districts after the 1990 census. One of them was the 5th District, which stretched from Gainesville to the far northern portion of the Tampa Bay Area. It was an open secret that this district was drawn for Thurman. She was elected to the House from that district in 1992 and was reelected four more times with no serious opposition.

By the 2000 census, however, the Republicans controlled the state legislature, and they redrew the 5th to be slightly more friendly to Republicans. The new 5th was virtually coextensive with the district of State Senate President Pro Tem Ginny Brown-Waite. Nonetheless, Thurman ran for reelection. Even though the redrawn district had gone narrowly for George W. Bush in 2000 (Al Gore had won her old district handily), Thurman just barely lost to Brown-Waite.

In 2005 Thurman was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), succeeding Chairman Scott Maddox, who resigned in order to seek the Democratic nomination for governor.

Desperate Military Seeks Cannon Fodder for Iraq, Afghanistan

Illegal draft: According to Congress Daily, the General Accounting Office has issued a report highly critical of the Department of Defense’s recruiting practices, citing numerous irregularities as the armed services strive to maintain the flow of fresh meat to the Iraq and Afghanistan fronts.

In May, the Army accepted an autistic recruit and signed him up to become a cavalry scout.

“Some recruiters, reportedly, have resorted to overly aggressive tactics, which can adversely affect [the Defense Department’s] ability to recruit and erode public confidence in the recruiting process,” GAO said.

Cases of wrongdoing vary widely, ranging from paperwork errors to serious allegations, such as sexual harassment, falsifying documents and concealing serious medical conditions. In May, for instance, The Oregonian reported that the Army had accepted an autistic recruit and signed him up to become a cavalry scout. The recruit has since been discharged.

Last year, allegations of wrongdoing among the military’s 22,000 recruiters grew by 50 percent over fiscal 2004 claims, while substantiated cases increased by more than 50 percent. Criminal violations, meanwhile, jumped by more than 100 percent, the GAO reported.

But perhaps more alarming, the GAO says the DoD probably doesn’t even have an accurate idea of the actual number of abuses because it has no effective way to record and track allegations and complaints. This is the third report — following two negative reports in 1997 and 1998 — that called on the DoD to clean up its act.

Perhaps the solution is for people to stop volunteering for the all-volunteer army. If George Bush had no soldiers, he could not play War. Of course, there’s always the 7th Autistic Cavalry Division to fall back on ….

Will Rice Suffer the Same Fate as Powell in Middle East Politics?

Critical mess: According to Inter Press Service, an all-star lineup of ex-advisors has been imploring the Bush administration to act strategically, not just tactically in the Israel-Lebanon war to avoid setting off a chain reaction through the volatile region. Chief among them is former ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who characterizes the state of the region in chilling starkness:

“A chain reaction could spread quickly almost anywhere between Cairo and Bombay,” Holbrooke warned. “…The combination of combustible elements poses the greatest threat to global stability since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, history’s only nuclear superpower confrontation.”

‘That this entire affair was ginned up by Bush/Cheney and certain political leaders in Tel Aviv to give cover for the eventual attack by the U.S. on Iran. At first, I refused to believe what seemed to be such insanity. But I am not so certain any longer.’
— Lawrence Wilkerson

Among other things, noted Holbrooke, a top candidate for secretary of state if Democrats had won the presidency in 2000 or 2004, Turkey is threatening to invade northern Iraq; the world’s largest anti-Israel demonstrations are taking place in downtown Baghdad; Syria may yet be pulled into the Lebanon war; Afghanistan is under growing threat from a resurgent Taliban; and India is threatening about punitive action against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in the recent train bombings in Bombay.

The apparent complacency of the Bush administration in the face of these events has inspired a succession of former top Republican policy-makers including Brent Scowcroft, the national security adviser to former presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; George W. Bush’s former deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage; and Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass to publicly call for a major reassessment of U.S. Middle East policy and its conduct of the “global war on terror.” Leading Democrats, including former President Jimmy Carter and his national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and former secretaries of state Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright, have joined the chorus.

The lone exception to the administration’s complacency has been Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice whose State Department has been under attack since the outset of the Lebanon crisis by the same coalition of neo-conservatives, assertive nationalists and Christian rightists led by Vice President Dick Cheney that pushed for war in Iraq.
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