The polls still point to Bush winning the election and that might be true. But he might have to deal with an increasingly angry moderate wing. This column from the Boston Globe shows what could be a simmering anger. Hilary Cleveland is a friend of the elder Bushes and supported the younger Bush in 2000. She is now supporting Kerry. I don't think this about moderate Republicans falling in love for Kerry as much as they think that the President is going too far to the right.
Do you think Kerry is noticing this and trying to find ways to pursuade disaffected Republicans? Nah.
Posted by Dennis at September 25, 2004 11:11 PMModerate Republicans are slamming Bush.
Senator Lincoln Chafee (Republican-RI) defected from the Bush extremist wing control of the Republican Party. Chafee reported that he was NOT voting for Bush and Cheney.
How long will Republican Moderates survive the Neo-Con Republican Attack Machine?
Why are Neo-Cons working to defeat John McCain, Arlen Specter, Susan Collins, John Chafee, Chuck Hegel, and Olympia Snowe, who do not tote their , hardline neo-conservative agenda on god, gays, guns, flags, abortion, and their holy war against Islam? For example, the Neo-Cons targetted Arlen Specter in his primary re-election and almost drove him out of the US Senate.
While pretending to be a moderate party at their National Convention during the last week in August, the Neo-Cons wrote the Republican National Platform and drove the Moderates out.
Today, Kerry 46.5% and Bush 47.2%
Bush 47.2%
Kerry 46.5%
Other 2.5%
Not Sure 3.9%
RasmussenReports.com
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Sunday September 26, 2004--The latest Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows President George W. Bush with 47% of the vote and Senator John Kerry with 46%. The Tracking Poll is updated daily by noon Eastern.
DEAD EVEN RACE
Posted by: Philip at September 26, 2004 02:39 PMHere's as good as asessment as any (be sure to read the legend beyond the first 4 items.)
http://nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/09/25/opinion/20040926_opart.html?hp
Posted by: dorsano at September 26, 2004 12:44 AMThe election is up for grabs Dennis. There are problems with some of the polls, SUSA for one (whose results are picked up and echoed by the national press). The internals of the polls show that they're over sampling Republicans.
Rasmussen, a respectable GOP polling firm, still shows the election to be essentially a toss up.
No matter the pollster, most Americans don't start paying attention in earnest till after Labor day. The debates will likely be definitive.
Team Bush has agreed to three debates - and that says something. They could probably have gotten away with two well scripted debates. But they took a risk and included the somewhat more open format debate in St. Louis.
And it's not because they want to play fair. They have justifiable confidence in Bush jr. to be able to make a strong case for a mandate; but they also feel that it's necessary for him to do so.
Posted by: dorsano at September 26, 2004 12:32 AM