I'd love to see this backfire on Rove. Privatization (Corporatization) of Social Security fails, and people say hmm... maybe gay people ain't so bad. Well, I can always dream.
I just don't believe this story; the site must have been hacked somehow. That, or Team Rove got baked late one night and decided to answer the unanswerable: "Just how stupid are our supporters?"
SCMT: Apparantly, USANext, the same guys behind the Swift Vote ads, have gathered a war chest to demonize the AARP because the AARP has been running anti-social security privitization ads.
Mithras seems quite right, I'm afraid. Remember that Bush's solid majority came from older voters.
I assumed "parody" until I clicked through to the American Spectator site. I'm amazed; the depth to which they will slime is unplumable.
It will be interesting to see how much of their constituency-- or the middle-of-the-electorate-- is this dim. I think they're grossly wrong about the answer that.
I started to write that it would be interesting to see how quickly this meme crops up on Fox News other outlets. But what *is* the meme? What idea or ideas exactly is this supposed to represent?
What I don't get about this is the assumption has to be that there is a significant number of people who are capable of being persuaded by this ad and are currently opposed to Social Security privatization. I believe there are people who are automatically in favor of something just because Bush supports it, and people who are effectively persuaded by anti-homosexual smears. But after the results of the election I thought the second group was wholly encompassed by the first. But if that were true, this ad would be useless.
I agree with Fontana Labs' assessment that the vast majority of people are going to say "what the fuck do gay people have to do with Social Security?" Not only that, the AARP has a pretty mighty publicity effort it can marshal on its own behalf to expose not only the bankruptcy of this argument (no pun intended) but the skeevy web of oleaginous hypocrites that is funding it. I'm aware of no successful attempt to take stuff away from old people in this country in the last, what, 70 years....
And I believe the old-person equivalent of "WTF" is "ehhhh, sonny?"
Ugh, Swiftboat Veterans for Truth suck - they're the ones spearheading this whole Anti-AARP crap. Anyhow, the reason they're saying AARP is has a pro-homosexual agenda is because AARP went against a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would've banned gay marriage **AND** civil unions in Ohio.
Me either (take that, varlet!), but are you really that threatened when someone leaves a post on a week-old thread? You're going to force me to point out that Jose is wrong--the reason that SVT is doing this is because they can. (And that!)
Is that soldier Jerry Brown?
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 4:42 PM
Ha. I thought he looked like Mel Gibson.
Posted by FL | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 4:45 PM
I'd love to see this backfire on Rove. Privatization (Corporatization) of Social Security fails, and people say hmm... maybe gay people ain't so bad. Well, I can always dream.
Posted by Tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 5:22 PM
Gayness worked as a wedge issue on the stupid electorate. Why wouldn't it work on the stupid AARP members?
Posted by Mithras | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 5:38 PM
I just don't believe this story; the site must have been hacked somehow. That, or Team Rove got baked late one night and decided to answer the unanswerable: "Just how stupid are our supporters?"
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 5:46 PM
SCMT: Apparantly, USANext, the same guys behind the Swift Vote ads, have gathered a war chest to demonize the AARP because the AARP has been running anti-social security privitization ads.
Mithras seems quite right, I'm afraid. Remember that Bush's solid majority came from older voters.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 5:57 PM
I assumed "parody" until I clicked through to the American Spectator site. I'm amazed; the depth to which they will slime is unplumable.
It will be interesting to see how much of their constituency-- or the middle-of-the-electorate-- is this dim. I think they're grossly wrong about the answer that.
I started to write that it would be interesting to see how quickly this meme crops up on Fox News other outlets. But what *is* the meme? What idea or ideas exactly is this supposed to represent?
Posted by TomFreeland | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 6:48 PM
Why can't we have our war AND our homosexual marriage?
Posted by Andrew Cholakian | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 6:58 PM
They're going to have to go after the British Navy asap.
Posted by rilkefan | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 7:05 PM
[redacted]
Posted by [redacted] | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 7:34 PM
Don't worry. If this doesn't poll well, they'll have a different one up soon. Say, did you know the AARP are socialists?
Posted by Mithras | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 7:46 PM
What I don't get about this is the assumption has to be that there is a significant number of people who are capable of being persuaded by this ad and are currently opposed to Social Security privatization. I believe there are people who are automatically in favor of something just because Bush supports it, and people who are effectively persuaded by anti-homosexual smears. But after the results of the election I thought the second group was wholly encompassed by the first. But if that were true, this ad would be useless.
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 8:08 PM
[redacted]
Posted by [redacted] | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 8:43 PM
Yes, that's interesting, Fontana, but have you seen this?
Posted by FL | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 8:51 PM
Our new "no impersonations" rule didn't contemplate people have meltdowns like this.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 8:55 PM
Ah, FL actually does some journalism where others merely snark. Quit that day job, dude.
Posted by Mithras | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 9:16 PM
I agree with Fontana Labs' assessment that the vast majority of people are going to say "what the fuck do gay people have to do with Social Security?" Not only that, the AARP has a pretty mighty publicity effort it can marshal on its own behalf to expose not only the bankruptcy of this argument (no pun intended) but the skeevy web of oleaginous hypocrites that is funding it. I'm aware of no successful attempt to take stuff away from old people in this country in the last, what, 70 years....
And I believe the old-person equivalent of "WTF" is "ehhhh, sonny?"
Posted by diddy | Link to this comment | 02-21-05 10:40 PM
Ugh, Swiftboat Veterans for Truth suck - they're the ones spearheading this whole Anti-AARP crap. Anyhow, the reason they're saying AARP is has a pro-homosexual agenda is because AARP went against a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would've banned gay marriage **AND** civil unions in Ohio.
Posted by Jose | Link to this comment | 02-26-05 10:13 AM
The reason is that, dammit.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 02-26-05 10:17 AM
Don't take that personal, Jose. He always does that.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-26-05 10:30 AM
You're trying to bait me, aren't you, Weiner? Well, it won't work.
The truth is I can't stand to see a serious discussion on this site and this is a pretty good way of diverting them, if only temporarily.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 02-26-05 10:35 AM
Me either (take that, varlet!), but are you really that threatened when someone leaves a post on a week-old thread? You're going to force me to point out that Jose is wrong--the reason that SVT is doing this is because they can. (And that!)
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 02-26-05 10:55 AM