THE NEW YEAR... SAME OLD, SAME OLD

INTRODUCTION

The New Year is usually regarded as a demarcation point, as if something entirely different will somehow happen when the next year comes around. Boundaries or fieldstones in time are only useful when it comes to categorizing and/or labeling blog posts or other data. Net-Net, it probably doesn't matter when you post something... events just flow onward uninterrupted by artificial boundaries or demarcation points.

Given that this is the case, we feel OK about going back to make a point, which is that as we 'noted' in our previous post in 2005

* THE SMELL OF WEAKNESS
PART (1 of 1)

the notion that SOV (Share Of Voice) is related to SOP (Share Of Perception) as measured by POLLS has been at least partially vindicated.

SOV IS ROUGHLY EQUAL TO SOP

In PACKAGED GOODS MARKETING it's a general rule of thumb that SOV is approximately proportional to Awareness and positive Attitudes toward a Brand/Product and therefore its SOP (Share Of Perception), and in a less direct way, its SOM (Share Of Market).

Whether SOV causes SOM or vice versa is still a matter for debate. Many companies for established products set their ad budgets to be a percentage of sales in the previous year, so SOV is set up to be proportional to SOM, and therefore in those cases, SALES CAUSE ADS.

On the other hand, NEW PRODUCT launches are associated with substantial up front ad budgets even if there are no sales up front, which reflects the implicit belief that SOV in the short term can be proportional to SOP and SOM, i.e. ADS CAN CAUSE SALES, and concomitantly, SOV can influence PUBLIC OPINION and BEHAVIOR.

It will be recalled that in the previous post, we made the point that back in SEPTEMBER-05 through NOVEMBER-05 the BUSHIES had an APPROVAL RATING as low as 34% according to some polls (of course, based on the same polls, the DEMS in Congress had an APPROVAL RATING of 25%).

We attributed this state of affairs to the FACT that in that time frame the (Main Stream Media) MSM who are unabashedly ANTI-BUSH, had an SOV of roughly 90% as opposed to 10% for the BUSHIES.

Since then, the BUSHIES have used the 'Bully Pulpit' to make their case for the LIBERATION of IRAQ, and for various measures deemed necessary after 9/11 to FIGHT TERRORISM and to SUPPORT and ENHANCE NATIONAL SECURITY. What's more, these messages seemed to have evoked a degree of popular resonance.

We estimate that as a result of this, the BUSHIE'S SOV (Share Of Voice) has increased from 10% to 20% and possibly to as high as 30%. The ANTI-BUSH MSM still dominate the MEANS of INFORMATION with an SOV ranging from 70% to 90%. However, the result of the BUSHIE'S increase in SOV has been directly reflected in the poll numbers ( even with all the attendant faults inherent in such polls).

Given a LOW of 34% APPROVAL rating for BUSH in some polls (Harris) back in SEPT/OCT/NOV of 2005, the BUSH approval rating has risen to 47% since then, according to recent polling conducted by ABC NEWS. While one should trust ABC POLLS as much as one trusts ABC NEWS, the fact of an increase is undeniable.

On the other hand, the fact that PROGRESS vis-a-vis the ECONOMY and PROGESS in bringing DEMOCRACY to IRAQ has been taking place under the BUSHIES by any OBJECTIVE standard, we would have expected to see approval ratings for BUSH that are much higher than 47% (some of this is due to not just BUSH HATING LEFTISTS, but to CONSERVATIVES feeling that BUSH is too WEAK on profligate spending and too CONCILIATORY on other matters).

Keep in mind that KLINTON had approval ratings in the 60% ballpark in the middle of his IMPEACHMENT. Increases in SOV for the BUSHIES seem to matter, but MUCH HIGHER overall SOV for BUSH HATERS (DEMS, MSM, PUNDITS) also seems to matter.

As we also pointed out before, mere BANDWIDTH (aka SOV) does not necessarily make the case for the DEMS or their MENDACIOUS MEDIA and PUNDIT PUKE lapdogs. Pushing the WRONG message through this BANDWIDTH (SEE: Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi [representing the 'state' of San Francisco??], Howard Dean [Pelosi & Dean = Nancy & Sluggo??], Reid, Levin [the 'over the hill' gang??], Kerry, Kennedy [representing the only state that went for McGovern], Schumer, Biden, Murtha, Sheehan, Risen [a probable LIAR looking to sell his book] via Katie Couric, etc. ad nauseam) will not necessarily enhance their SOP (Share Of Perception), which of course is ultimately proportional to the success of their POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY at the polls.

One of the many reasons for this is that THEY (i.e. the BOLSHEVIK wing of the DEMS and other LEFTISTS and their lapdogs, the MENDACIOUS MSM, and their camp followers the PUNDIT PUKES [many of them paid for with our TAX DOLLARS via PUBLIC BRAOADCASTING... which is resented by many taxpayers]) use this BANDWIDTH to foist upon us innumerable hypocrisies, inconsistencies, paradoxes, and out-and-out LIES. This is more transparent than they would assume.

As we've said many times before, THEY assume the rest of us are as gullible and 'living in a bubble' as they themselves (seemingly flatulating in an echo chamber for the sheer joy of hearing their own noise, and oblivious to the resulting stench) and their 'core constituents' seem to be.

Another Duuuhh moment.

NSA LEAKS vs the PLAME GAME

The big current issue seems to be BUSH authorizing NSA taps on communications to TERRORISTS outside the US, from within the US without consulting FISA (which moves TOO SLOWLY to be useful in most cases demanding IMMEDIATE REACTIONS). It's been done before (KLINTON, KARTER, etc.). No special Court orders or Legislation to do this are required by the Constitution. There have been no additional cases of 3000 civilians being killed by TERRORISTS in the US (in fact, NO ONE has been killed by TERRORISTS in the US) since 9/11 as a result of exercising these precautions.

The LEFTISTS apparently think this is a bad thing and would like to go RETROGRADE to the state of the USA as it was before 9/11 (i.e. they don't feel we should even TRY to go after anyone unless they've already committed a crime... like killing 3000 innocents. DUUHH?). Perhaps they'd like to enact a TERRORIST BILL OF RIGHTS so we'd be assured of having more than just 3000 INNOCENT CIVILIANS DEAD in the foreseeable future!!

What's funny here is that the LIBERTARIANS, who would by virtue of their avowed 'less intrusive government' ideals be inclined to jump on any REAL abrogation of CIVIL RIGHTS, have apparently not spoken up (granted that there are not enough of them to make much MSM noise). It seems that only the FAR LEFTISTS (what do THEY have to hide??) seem to have taken issue with NSA WIRETAPPING to trap messages to TERRORISTS overseas. The NSA issue is essentially irrelevant to those who have NOTHING TO HIDE.

Keep in mind that these FAR LEFTISTS are the same people whom some have characterized as the 'Robespierres of PC and Diversity', and whose concern for individual rights and freedoms can be observed first hand in the Universities, where any deviation from LEFTIST DOCTRINE is persecuted with a ZEAL that would have made JOE STALIN jealous.

In the midst of this controversy is the EGREGIOUS issue of the DEMS and the MSM (especially, 'Pravda' and 'Izvestia'... whoops, we mean The New York Times and the Washington Post) trying to EQUATE the trivial 'outing' of Valerie Plame (or more accurately Valerie Wilson... wife of BUSH HATER Joe Wilson), who was essentially a CIA pencil pusher in Langley for the last four or five years, and who was responsible for sending her LEFTIST PARTISAN husband to Africa to 'investigate' whether Saddam had attempted to obtain yellow cake nuclear materials, with the security DAMAGE done to the US and its interests by the 'leakers' to the NYT of the NSA phone tapping of communications to Al Qaeda TERRORISTS. Once they (Al Qaeda) know we've been doing this, do you think they wouldn't change their tactics?? How many lives were put at risk as a result??

What's more, 64% of those sampled in a recent Rasmussen survey approve of the NSA wire tapping vs. 23% who don't.

Americans seem to want protection from TERRORISM. They're even willing to sacrifice the 'privacy' of some domestic MARXIST MAGGOTS with SOMETHING TO HIDE, to get this protection. They voted that way in 2004.

An 'Independent Counsel' was created (although the DEMS swore after KLINTON that they'd never support another one) to investigate the 'Plame Game Leak', which wasn't even a 'crime' by existing statutes.

At the same time, there has been no DEM or MSM call to investigate the NSA LEAK. The NATIONAL SECURITY DAMAGE done to the USA by the NSA leak is orders of magnitude more serious, and not even remotely comparable to the chicken$**t related to the 'Plame Game'.

Why is there no call to investigate the NSA LEAK?? Could it be HYPOCRISY and out and out LYING and BIAS on part of the DEMS and the MSM??? It's worse. The MARXIST MAGGOTS are talking about IMPEACHMENT. Ecce DUFUS.

Another Duuuhh moment.

THE NEW INDIAN WARS

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff has apparently agreed to TELL ALL, in exchange for what most likely would result in some sort of a break in his sentencing. It's the time honored 'plea bargain'.

While quite understandably, some GOP types are sweating, this also makes the DEMS and the MENDACIOUS MSM and the PUNDIT PUKES nervous. If he OUTS all the politicians to whom he directed CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS (AKA 'bribes'), primarily on behalf of INDIAN TRIBE GAMBLING INTERESTS, then it will become abundantly clear that many DEMS are also involved (the 'bribe' recipients in Congress are probably split 50/50 DEM/GOP just like the electorate. 'Following the money' leads to ALL OF WASHINGTON. This is understandable on Abramoff's part... why restrict one's access to just the GOP). This in turn means that Abramoff is not just some sort of 'GOP errand boy' created by Tom DeLay for his exclusive benefit, as the DEMS, the MSM, and the PUNDIT PUKES would like to portray it.

It's not about INDIANS. They probably (at an annual per capita income of $8K) deserve all the breaks they can get.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED GAMBLING is what's DIRTY.

Besides INDIAN CASINOS we have various forms of other types of LEGALIZED GAMBLING in most of the states. That kind of money attracts the worst elements. Among these elements is BIG GOVERNMENT. After all, GAMBLING is a lucrative source of TAX REVENUE (although it tends to be a de-facto REGRESSIVE TAX) and its proponents are BIG SOURCES of CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

SENATOR John McCain, who vowed to 'keep money out of politics' via his and Feingold's CAMPAIGN REFORM BILL, is a major recipient of INDIAN GAMBLING MONEY (ditto for Feingold) in the form of campaign contributions (lest we forget, SEN. John McCain was also part of the apparently long forgotten S&L debacle and the Keating Five).

So too are many DEMS.

You see, INDIAN TRIBES are exempted from the strictures of other campaign contributors, and can funnel much larger funds than the $25K limit for everybody else (it says so in the McCain/Feingold bill), to whom they see fit. Money like that naturally attracts 'middle men fixers' such as Jack Abramoff. It's all about incentives.

Why stop there? Why not have LEGALIZED PROSTITUTION?? It's already in place in DEM SEN. Harry Reid's constituency of Las Vegas.

All the GOVERNMENTAL denizens of WASHINGTON D.C. are certainly no strangers to it (IDAHO is not just a state).

Like GAMBLING, it will probably be rationalized as being OK by BIG GOVERNMENT as long as it fills the TAX COFFERS. Never mind about the 'collateral damage'. Congress can always gin up enough money for STD and AIDS prevention and treatment. It might even be spun as some sort of 'Feminine Entrepreneurial Empowerment'. Just keep the TAX BUCKS rolling.

It hasn't happened yet, but just keep watching.

Of course, if someone like Abramoff is caught 'gaming' this SYSTEM, then BIG GOVERNMENT and the MSM/PUNDITRY must react by being 'shocked, yes SHOCKED' just like the guy in CASABLANCA, that such things go on.

As usual, there was nothing that happened here that was not covered by existing laws. But of course, there was the immediate call for 'reform' (like the McCain/Feingold Campaign Reform, which reformed NOTHING??).

Another Duuuhh moment.

YET MORE MSM MENDACITY

When will they stop?? It's now become clear that KATRINA was at best a LEVEL 3 hurricane when it made landfall, and that most of the MSM reporting coming out of New Orleans and Louisiana was sheer TAURINE ELIMINANT based on unsubstantiated and/or self-serving rumors for several days or weeks. One would think this would make the MSM more cautious about what they would bandy about as 'NEWS'.

But NO!! They did it again with the W. VA. mine disaster. Based on flimsy and unsupported info (as USUAL), the MSM declared that 12 people had been successfully rescued. If only it were so. They were in fact dead. That sure went over real well with those whose hopes had been raised by the MSM.

It's likely that ultimately the MSM will blame BUSH and maybe even The Theory of Global Warming, rather than THEMSELVES

Another Duuuhh moment.

So it goes.

THE PEOPLE SHALL JUDGE