Democrats versus Republicans

[PBzeer]

Now if we just had a law that said lawyers can't hold office ...........

[Sailormon6]

The question for John McCain is whether he should "embrace" President Bush, or run from him, because of his "low poll ratings." It looks like Senator McCain is making the smart move, and embracing the President, although our short-sighted liberal friends are undoubtedly rubbing their hands together, thinking Senator McCain is falling into their trap.

Liberals look at the President's low poll ratings and they're already trotting out their strategy, which is to link Senator McCain to the President and his policies. They'll claim that electing Senator McCain will simply result in a continuation of "Bush's failed policies." This is going to make the campaign a referendum on President Bush's Presidency. I saw a new Democrat campaign commercial this morning that showed a photo of Senator McCain morphing into a photo of President Bush.

President Bush is the 1000 pound gorilla in the room. You can't ignore him. If Senator McCain tries to ignore or remain silent about President Bush, it will be seen as a tacit admission that the Bush Presidency was a failure. You don't win elections by being timid. As I see it, the Senator's strongest and best approach is to accept the Democrat challenge head-on. It won't be difficult to defend President Bush's performance in most important respects. On the contrary, President Bush can point with pride to long lists of accomplishments in most areas, foreign and domestic. (I understand that the Democrats will make incessant drive-by attacks on the President's record, but those are mostly pure BS, and can be answered.)

Most of our past Presidents have made regular, prime-time addresses to the nation, defending and explaining their decisions. If you'll think back on the past eight years, President Bush hasn't done that very often. He lets the Democrats attack him without responding to them. Why? I think it's because he understands that, it ordinarily doesn't matter what the opposition says about him. They can't do anything about it. They can't fire him. They would need grounds to impeach, and even if they had grounds, they know it would take a ground swell of popular and bipartisan support for a successful impeachment. The only time it's important for the President to defend himself is at election time. President Bush only defends his performance when it matters, and he has already proven his ability, twice, to communicate with his fellow citizens. As the pundits would say, he has a high "likeability quotient."

If you start shooting before you have a target in your sights, you're just wasting ammunition. You should save your ammunition, and only squeeze off a round when an enemy is in your sights. There's a limited amount of reason and logic and statistics that you can cite in defense of your administration (ammunition). You have to save it, and only use it when it matters. That's how President Bush was able to get himself reelected after the Democrats had spent the previous four years blaming him for everything from unemployment to bird flu, and that's how I think he's going to help get John McCain elected.

By narrowing down their choices to Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, I think the Democrats have already made themselves extremely vulnerable. They have made this election a choice between a true "centrist" (which is where the overwhelming majority of Americans exist) and two far left extremists. The only question is whether John McCain is a smart enough campaigner to get the job done.

So, bring on your hateful bumper stickers and your irrational attacks! Display your mean spirits for all the world to see, while John McCain and President Bush conduct themsleves with dignity, and chat amiably with Mr. and Mrs. America.

[Freesail99]

This morning oil is at $105. When Bush took over the office of the President oil was $28. a barrel. Might be an idea for a bumper sticker.

[PBzeer]

Errrmmmm Free? There's a few more things that have happened in between than just Bush. But I will make you one guarntee, electing a Democrat will not lower the price of oil. Only the market will do that, just as it raised it.

[Freesail99]

You have a sitting president and vice president, who's business before taking office was oil. Bush has done nothing to try and control the market. When big oil appeared before the mainly republican congress, they made a point that no one was sworn in. Little if anything came from that nor did I think it would.

[PBzeer]

I don't think American oil companies have much clout with OPEC. And that's who sets production quotas, which in turn affects prices, in relation to demand.

[Freesail99]

When oil was trading at $30 and below, OPEC did back down when big oil flexed there might. Now with record profits, why bother ?

[PBzeer]

You aren't taking in to account the huge increase of use by China and India.

I haven't looked lately, but last I knew, while profits in dollars were record setting, as a percentage of income, they weren't that big. That's only from memory, I could well be wrong.

[Valmika]

Acctually the first time I heard that joke it was between Tech support and Management. I guess you can apply it to just about anyone you want to dis. I do like your take on it though.

Have you heard the one about beer?

For those who slept through World History 101...... here is a condensed
version.


Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic
hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and
would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.


The two most important events in all of history were: 1. The invention of
beer, and

2. The invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the
beer, and the beer to the man.

These facts formed the foundation of modern civilization and together were
the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals

2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of
agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so
while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented,
they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while
they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the
Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off
the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing,
fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became
known as girlie-men.

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the
invention of group therapy and group hugs, the evolution of the Hollywood
actor, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide all the
meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years, Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most
powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the
jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white
wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well
done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.

Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of liberal women have
higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal
injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists
are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't
fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for
their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks,
construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate
executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively.
Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work
for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and
decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more
enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in
Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the
Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for
nothing. It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to
angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.

A conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth
of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true
believers, and to more liberals...just to piss them off.

[chucklesR]

Putting reality into the picture:
A Primer On Gasoline Prices

and

History and Analysis -Crude Oil Prices

It's a lot of reading, but really if you run off at the keyboard without knowledge you only look silly.


In short the cause of gasoline prices going up is that SUV in the drive way coupled with the rest of the world turning thirsty for oil.

The U.S. lost it's ability to control oil prices in the 70's - people thinking Bush can get on the phone and set the price is indicative of insanity and a seriously out of touch with reality mental block.