Carville Responds to the Mehlman Spin
Dear Ken,
We've all done a little cherry picking in our day. But this is the first time I've seen cherry pit picking. You picked the pit and forgot the cherry. In the Congressional vote, using the actual candidates' names, the Republican vote over the last 5 Democracy Corps polls:
October 12: 45 percent
October 24: 45 percent
October 29: 45 percent
November 1: 44 percent
November 5: 44 percent
The only thing surging are cherry pits.
James Carville
Advertisement
Hi, James.
A question. What do you think the hard Righties will do after tomorrow?
My hunch, following a comment by John Dean the other day on CSpan, is that they are the types that will not take the hint, and will devise some comeback scheme that will make Whitewater look like a T-ball game.
November 6, 2006 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hello Mr. Carville,
Please keep up your great work debunking right-wing talking points and encouraging Democrats to show backbone!
November 6, 2006 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have to agree. All these supposed polls showing a late GOP surge are frankly a lot of taurine byproduct, a frantic attempt by the Republicans to scare the Democrats, discourage them from voting ("they're going to win anyway!") and cheer their own dispirited troops on.
November 6, 2006 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Carville,
I am in my mid-30s and, in a brazen act of 18-year-old personal-exemption from all partisan resonsibilities, I bucked the trend of my decidedly Democratic family to register as an Independent. I've voted in every election since 1988 (save one off-year local race that barely rose to the level of Dogcatcher Selection) and I've never voted for a Republican.
For years now, I've been hounded by friends who are legitimate members of the Democratic Party who want nothing less than for me to join.
Could you tell me why I should join? And, if I were to join after this election, would I not be accused of simply jumping on the bandwagon? of being a fare-weather partisan?
Please advise.
November 6, 2006 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi Mr. Carville...
Mehlman is living proof that the saying "figures don't lie but liars can figure" is true. ;-)
LOL...
November 6, 2006 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
After they lose "Big Time" tomorrow, the wingnuts will create lots of "Foundations" with patriotic sounding names, then they will hold big meetings to sling charges at Democrats,--Oh, I forgot, they already did that, right after Bill Clinton won his first term......
But, they'll try it again.
November 6, 2006 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi, I have one question. How can you live day in and day out with Mary Matalin? Do you pretend to respect each other? You can't just say "Good people can disagree." This is fundamental.
Are you depending on a pardon for her regarding her Iraq Group/ Scooter Libby stuff, or are you planning to just be a single parent (with lots of help, of course).
Sorry, I just don't trust you not to spill everything to your murderous "wife."
Jan Knaus
November 6, 2006 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Carville,
I think you're great, I love your books and keen commentary, but I'm sorry, you have to admit, that's a great zinger! (It would have been an A+, but the "murderous wife" comment is a little over the top for my taste.)
November 6, 2006 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans are crooks and liars. I trust that if a Republican's lips are moving, they are lying. They are incapable of telling the truth. There is nothing in it for them.
"If you talk about it, even the simplest thing becomes complex and incomprehensible." -Herman Hesse
November 6, 2006 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
How can they be married? Working for the same goal helps. both being a patsy helps. Licking neocon boots in unison helps. Distracting people from real issues helps. mice feel like elephants when charging at their heels, but are the first to get trampled when the elephant changes direction, or the second, in the dusty froth to fall over the cliff. Keep their boots shiny! Run with the pack! Pretend! oops, where did the ground go?
November 6, 2006 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm ambivalent about this comment Jan. On one level you're absolutely right. And I think Mr Carville is going to have to accept that significant portions of the left, those who believe that politics is more than a high-stakes low-rent chess game cum Punch and Judy show are never going to fully trust him based on how he conducts his personal life.
On the other hand, I think he is probably already aware of that. I highly doubt he is going to answer your questions. And I think that line of questioning is likely to discourage him from participating here.
And on balance, I think I'd rather he was commenting here than not. Even despite my qualms about his sincerity.
MHO obviously.
November 7, 2006 6:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
SCRATCHING A DRY PIT.
It is only anecdotal but most of the former proud Republicans I know are pretty tight lipped about the greatness of their america lately and more than a few are now "independent" or "libertarians."
It reminds me of the Reagan era when many Democrats started desccribing themselves as "fiscal conservatives." Once the Republicans lose the pop culture battle they will go back to being the minority party. That effect hurts them more than Democrats because the personality type that likes to be a front-runner hates a loser and the personality type that likes to be "in" hates to be thought of as uncool. They are headed for both.
I can still remember my woodstock brother going through the "gordon gecko greed is good phase" and jumping on the Reagan bandwagon. I realized then he was a trend follower as opposed to philosophically rooted in liberalism or conservatism.
November 7, 2006 9:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Public Post Post blog 1:23pm version 2
Breaking News.....Some fool named Mehlmen on CNN is trying to convince Wolf Blitzer that he knows how Registered Republicans voted in their early absentee ballots. Melhman the new Karnac the Great! Come Wednesday this fool will be creating a new resume. All indicators are that if you believe your own spin, you are in a GIGO induced infinite loop.
There is a sense America is watching a movie with a surprise ending, that upon reflection, will have been all to obvious to see. Funny thing about fools like Ken Mehlmen, and the Wizard of Rove. They assume that all those early absentee ballots from registered Republicans are actually voting for Republicans are drinking to much of the kool-aid. Are 2006 Americans going to continue voting for this Kafka-Orwellian dictatorship, lead by the cult of the majority of the majority rubberstamp Keystone Kook, Stepford Republican Congress, lead by village idiot puppet George W Bush, controled by some Wizard, Darth Vader, drunken Quail hunting Elmer Fudd? Wait stop drinking the Kool-aid, the Kool-aid has brown acid.
Now don't get me wrong Bush 43 is very intelligent, but garbage in produces garbage out. The first rule of computer design. All the inputs to Bush 43 have been reduced to Garbage long ago, so how could you not expect it to eventually produce a garbage out.
A Garbage out Screen Freeze reboot moment, that even the brainwashed "Republican Base" could no longer accept as input garbage in their Stepford fear induced reality. Eventually the Stepford Republican base would recognize the Garbage in they had to process. Eventually the information on the internet would have to filter into the Gated communities, white suburban mini van driving security mom's, into to trailer parks filled with clouds of meth haze, eventually single women would vote, and finally the Nascar dads of America, would be the only base left for the republican party. Eventually when you start calling a vote for Democrat's a vote for Terrorists you have completely lost it. Eventually Garbage out fills the brain, and produces a screen freeze.
The 2006 midterms are a Screen Freeze of the Republican base, a system crash, a reboot will be required, buy Apple stock now, buy Google, get me that jibjab Youtube clip, about that meth ass preacher, get me something beside Garbage in.
Back to why the Republicans are going to lose big. It is idiots like Mehlman pretending he is some great Karnac, who can see inside the envelope, Some great Wizard who has discovered a new math, a new type of poll, a new reality where the Wizard can see inside of absentee ballots..... I can see inside Absentee ballots, I see Republican Stepford votes.I see bullshit, I see Republicans running for higher ground, I see resume's being updated........ Wait, Wati....I see a Surfer riding a Big Wave to shore, look it's a female surfer it is Speaker Nancy Pelosi.........eof
Keep typing Team Talkingpointsmemo
J Marcus Campbell
November 7, 2006 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink