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I am in the process of learning how this site works, and some have expressed concern that the comments aren’t working. I am going to be looking into this problem this weekend.
But until then, writerealist-at-earthlink-dot-net works just fine. That’s what these commenters did - so can you! RE: no working comment section
On Mon, 2006-09-25, peter wrote:
Hi again, how do you get registered to comment on your page? Where does one get a WordPress login?
It’s as new to me as it is you. I’m looking into it.
On Wed, 2006-09-27, scout wrote:
Now, if I can figure out your new site, you still don’t have comments, right?
Yes.
If so, why not?
It’s a different system than [the previous site I blogged] (over which I had no control either!) and I have to learn how it works. It is my main project for this weekend.
RE: Political gas pricing
On Wed, 2006-09-27, peter wrote:
On the price for gas, lets look to 2004. I’m sure you’d say that election was way more important to 43 than this one is? The price of gas in January was $1.49, by election day it was $1.95. He sure had the power then to manipulate the price to get re-elected didn’t he?
Wasn’t having the media and Diebold in his back pocket enough? Why use more of your assets than you need to?
Over the summer that year it peaked in the $2.04 to $2.09 range. And if you remember all the polls were very close. I feel this years price is very much connected to an overproduction due to the hurricanes of last year and the expectations of similar this year. Funny how we haven’t seen one this year. Maybe 43 controls those too! Want to challenge that power?
Hurricanes, now is it? That would certainly be frightening!. I don’t think that Bush is himself (or anyone of his staff - except for maybe Karl) the motivator behind these lower prices. I think this is mostly an ‘independent’ operation of those who seek to retain Republicans in power. Think of it as a form of campaign contribution.
On Thu, 2006-09-28, peter wrote:
So explain the lack of price cuts for 2004.
I will - by explaining the need for them in 2006. Republican support in 2004 was fairly solid, but with Katrina and the recent revelations from, among others, the military about how badly Iraq is going, that formerly solid support is seriously eroded. Hence the need to repair that support before the foundation collapses.
Retain power, if this is so important?
Absolutely! Your next question is the key to this.
Presidential election year “contributions” would be more neccessary than mid term ones.
Not necessarily so! If the Constitutional system were working as it is intended to work, the legislative branch would challenge the executive before the judicial, especially when the executive branch has become excessive. Thus, the relative importance of the elections as you allude shifts with the actions of the office holders themselves. The need for the nation right now is to limit the excesses of the executive, which makes them more important than the executive right now.
The fact that the executive has been packing the courts with ideologues is the impetus to the importance. Further changes of relatively moderate judges with Republican extremists has to be prevented by all the moderates regardless of party.
Do you think it coincidental that uber-conservatives William Buckley and his son Christopher have both published that it would be a good thing for the Democrats to win this election? Certainly they aren’t looking for a generation of Democratic dominance as the Republicans have enjoyed since 1980, but they do see that the current regime has to go, and are advocating just such a remedy. They will revert to traditional form once Bu$hCo is gone.
2004 prices sure show the ability of the admin to effect gas prices with the close election. Give me $1.59 a gal anytime.
Something you will never see again! You missed my main point: the Bush Administration is the beneficiary of White House (read: Karl Rove?) coordinated ‘voluntary’ action on the part of the oil companies and by OPEC in an attempt to weaken the public support the Democrats have been gaining lately. Time is of the essence for Republicans. They can’t afford to lose even one chamber of the Congress lest their whole scam give way.
What appalls me about this whole thing is that voters are perfectly willing to sell their votes so cheaply. Wholesale oil prices are already on the rise, and this will show up at the pumps just days after the election if traditional pricing timing holds up - and the profitability scam will then resume. It will be too late for them to express their dismay that they have been played for fools one more time.
On Wed, 2006-09-27, mainsailset wrote:
Of course if the Dems do manage to achieve a majority in Nov, just as the symptoms of these failed policies become a full blown set of epidemics, the ever opportunistic Rep’s will manage to re-title the failures so that they rest on the backs of the Dems. All the more reason to hope the Joe’s of this Congress are sent out to pasture and that the fresh faces come armed for bear.
One has to hope that, as I mentioned to peter above, the voters don’t sell their votes cheap (gas)-ly. If they do, there is no chance for the Democrats to bring about any change.
FYI, I was in Wyoming last week in dear Senator Simpson home town of Cody (in fact we flew into town on same plane) and the gas prices there were $2.17 for unleaded. What’s a Sen for if he can’t take care of his own hometown, eh?
I’m surprised that Simpson still has so much influence considering he’s no longer a sitting Senator! Do Enzi and Thomas wield so much clout?
On the other hand, the town was ripe with bumper stickers denouncing Bush. This from a town that is not just red but BRIGHT red.
I guess that is the real reason that there are suspicions about the manipulation of gas prices for political ends! Red Staters turning Blue has to be concerning the GOP strategists! Anything they can do to win back support quickly is on their agenda.
That’s all I’ve gotten so far. Until I announce that I got the comments working properly, please send your comments to me at writerealist-at-earthlink-dot-net and I will post them as I have above.