A whole lot of marginalized people

September 23, 2005

The massive anti-war protests planned for this weekend haven’t generated too much attention yet, and some of the reports I’ve seen suggest that the protestors themselves are a fairly nutty bunch, with fringe ideas and an extreme agenda.

I don’t know exactly who and which groups are participating in the protests, so it’s certainly possible this accurately describes a few of the activists who’ll be in DC for the rally. Then again, as Dan Froomkin noted today, it’s awfully difficult to marginalize a majority.

In a move to preempt the antiwar protesters converging on Washington this weekend, President Bush yesterday put forth the following equation: Withdrawing from Iraq equals letting the terrorists win equals more 9/11s.

The White House’s goal is to cast anybody who supports a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq as sadly delusional, reckless and not to be taken seriously.

But Bush may be in trouble here, because he’s trying to marginalize a majority.

A recent Gallup Poll, for instance, found that 63 percent of Americans — almost two out of three — support the immediate partial or complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. Fewer than one in three Americans support Bush’s handling of the war.

There’s some irony here. Politicians, the conventional wisdom tells us, obsess over polls. With popularity key to their success, office holders and candidates are consumed with the whims of voters, and are usually prepared to shift with the winds accordingly. And yet, oddly enough, polls on Iraq don’t seem to have much of an impact on politicians at the national level.

It’s worth remembering, from time to time, that the war in Iraq is really unpopular. Nearly two-in-three Americans want us out; nearly two-in-three believe the war is costing the country far too much; and two-in-three believe Bush is handling the issue poorly. What’s more, a clear majority seems to believe we’re going to lose. When Bush takes a shot at his critics on this issue, he’s talking about most of the country.

It’s tempting to think politicians would be tripping over each other to denounce the war and get in line behind popular opinion. And yet, not so much.

Bush is chaining himself to the giant boulder called the War In Iraq that
threatens to sink him to the bottom of the sea politically. He is either
too stupid or too stubborn to realize the adventure in the Middle East is
over and it is time to start scaling it down.
If nothing else the damage that will be created by Rita in Texas will
demand resouces be shifted from the war in Iraq back to the US.
The Texans will scream for it. If their politicians are smart they will listen to their own people for a change.
The constant refrain of 9/11 9/11 9/11 is wearing really thin.
We have real issues here. A weakend economy and infrastructure
will pose as much of a threat as Al Qaida if we leave these problems
unattended.

  • The political problem, now, is to overcome the psychological aversion to admitting that we lost, and there’s nothing we can do to win anything back.

    Most Americans want to hear a plan to “win” or, at least, avoid losing. When we withdraw, the loss will be unmistakeable in its totality. Bush is hanging on, with a narrative, which says we don’t know the outcome, that it might still work out.

    Reality is that we have already lost. Will reality ever sink in for a majority of the American people? I don’t mean the reality that Iraq was a bad idea. I mean the reality that the U.S. has lost, and there’s nothing, which can be done to recover or save face.

    A Democrat, who steps up to the plate on this one, will be blamed by the Republicans for the loss.

  • I mean the reality that the U.S. has lost, and there’s nothing, which can be done to recover or save face.

    This was the case thirty years ago, too, and thanks to assiduous GOP myth-mongering and by dint of constant repetition, it is now gospel among my students — all born in the mid-late 80’s — that liberals and hippies and Jane Fonda snatched a defeat from the jaws of victory in Vietnam. (Cue chants of ‘USA! USA!’)

    All of us who actually lived through Vietnam know it’s bullshit, but what happens after we die off?

    This war will win the GOP four elections — 2002 mid-terms, going in; 2004 presidential, staying the course; 2006 mid-terms, bringing home our heroes to be spat upon by hippies, and the 2008 general, which will be a national referendum on ‘Who lost Iraq’?

    Not a bad ROI for one war.

  • Gee if not pursuing Bush’s fool’s errand in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9-11 will lead to repeats, what do you suppose letting Osama bin Laden escape and continue to lead al Qaeda for 5 years has done?

    More softballs please.

  • The massive anti-war protests planned for this weekend haven’t generated too much attention yet, and some of the reports I’ve seen suggest that the protestors themselves are a fairly nutty bunch, with fringe ideas and an extreme agenda.

    If by that you mean me, a suburban mom of two, whose agenda is to bring an end to this war which was based on lies and carried out with extreme incompetance by a group of leaders who are inept, lying, looting sons of bitches, then count me in. I’ll wear some fringe tomorrow if that will help you identify me as ‘fairly nutty.”

    🙂

  • They’re not afraid of the polls they see now. They’re afraid of their own polls, atelection time, after the Repugs have run ads showing photoshopped pictures of them tongue-kissing Bin Laden in a big gay wedding.

    This is intimidation by a political hit squad, is what it is. 99% of people could be against the war and the DC insiders will be too a-skeered to say a peep in opposition to it.

  • They figure they’re gonna be able to steal any election now anyway. That’s why there’s no focus on popular opinion. Popular opinion hardly matters when the fix is in.

    Enjoy.

  • First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

    — Mahatma Ghandi

    Some of the folks over at BalloonJuice.com have come unglued over the weekend’s civic events, I was going to post this quote there but I figured what’s the use.

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