quickstrategy
Published Letters: 397
A couple things:
On your technical issue -- I'm also not having the problems you're having, but like WT I'm a paid subscriber, so that may have something to do with it. You also might be getting things stateside subscribers are not, i.e. Undertone or whomever might have rights to market inside a certain geographic area only. In that case, you might want to visit their site and try to find some way to remove yourself from their lists. Beyond this, I think with WT's advice you've gotten the best you can get remotely.
On the issues of American politics --- something I wanted to say in the previous thread, like WT I can see you put a lot of thought into your posts, and a lot of energy (like wading through all those WaPo comments!) and I also enjoy the fresh perspective you bring to these discussions.
With regard to various aspects of American politics and political culture, I hope you'll think of us as something like your informants, i.e. we might disagree about what you hypothesize, but it's a disagreement in good faith that might be beneficial, rather than a challenge to your intellect or competence in coming up with a perfectly reasonably hypothesis which could be improved upon by some response from the field. Like you're the 'chief investigator' and we're your field agents. Is that helpful at all ... ?
If this is the way you feel, then prepare to lose.
It's not just a matter of numbers; the Republicans are already exploring the messages they will use in Appalachia, and how they will leverage the program elsewhere. Sure, you can write off the voters of Appalachia, in the comfort of your home office as racists; the Repugs will take your responses into their 72-, 36- and 24-hour task forces, and guarantee your loss among people who were leaning toward Obama. But as you said, no big deal. He only has to be the president of the coastal elites.
Then watch as they replicate the strategy with every other group the Dems don't know how to talk to ... veterans, immigrants who are not homogenous in their opinions about immigration reform, pro-life Democrats, evangelicals who are leaning Democrat for the first time ... and you can watch your margins walk out the door and say hello to President McCain.
To think otherwise is hubris. You think Obama has the other votes in the bag? Don't be too sure about it. Or, don;t be so sure that you can;t climb down off your high horse and engage with other people who are ready and willing to vote Dem and support this candidate after he gets in office, if only his supporters can stop condescending long enough to ask for their vote.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox