Reply #129: Almost as importantly, they control the stories

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They have the ability to shape stories for political impact. They control terror alerts, victories in Iraq, when terror attacks are thwarted and announced, and probably even finding OBL or Zarqawi. There will very likely be events leading up to november 06 that will bring back a chunk of GOP defectors into the fold. Of course, media helps too.

That's why, along with election control, low approvals for this administration don't matter. They are temporary. B*sh's approval ratings have always been trending downward, punctuated by sharp increases based on events (9/11, war on Afganistan, fall of Baghdad, capture of Hussein, etc).

Election reform and media reform are both key.