What does "electability" mean?

[redqueen]

Is fashionable clothes? The media sure didn't like Gore's "earth tones".

Is it stalwart leadership? The media sure made Kerry look like a windsock.

Is it intelligence? The media sure covered up for Bush's STUNNING stupidity.

Is it the ability to make a moving speech? Bush's inability to string a sentence together sure didn't impact his ability to win.



So... please, someone explain this to me... what is "electability"?

[jlake]

1. Being able to whip the pubs by articulating why we are right, not cowtowing to them and groveling

for unity.

[DJ13]

3. "........and groveling for unity"

You've just erased all doubts that another Clinton in the White House will divide this country even further.

Bravo!

[jlake]

10. Because you just know the pubs will work with Obama... right?

Obama has done plenty of reaching out to the right wing and homophobes... I am still waiting for him to reach out to me.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. His reach isn't long enough to reach me, nor is Hillary's for that matter.

[L0oniX]

2. Electability means being a friend to the corporations...

especially the military industrial corporations.

[redqueen]

4. Heh... well that's for damn sure how I'd define it!

But I was looking to hear from those who voted that that was important... cause I have no idea what it means...

[kath]

13. BINGO!!!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. $$$$$$$$$ provided by "donors".

Of course, there are never strings attached, or expectations of favor.

:sarcasm:

[redqueen]

7. Noooooo... never!

:banghead:

[Cant trust em]

6. crafting a platform and a personality

that are appealing to the majority of possible voters.

[redqueen]

9. Well what does that mean? What kind of personality is appealing?

A bumbling idiot who's a failure at every business he ever had anything to do with? That's the "winner" of the past two elecitons.

Makes no sense at all...

[Cant trust em]

15. A guy people want to have a beer with

that's the GWB personality.

[redqueen]

17. Yes, and it's entirely media-created...

so does electability mean "the one the media will be most biased towards"?

[Cant trust em]

32. It's not entirely media created

all of the candidates work hard to promote a certain image, no matter how goofy it might be. Take GWB's buying of the Texas ranch just before he ran for office. Or Kerry's pictures of him windsurfing or tossing the football with Edwards in 2004. It's an act started by the candidates, perpetuated by the media and eaten up by an ignorant public.

[redqueen]

33. "perpetuated by the media" - those are the key words.

The media is the perpetrator... without them on board, it all falls apart.

No matter how Gore dressed, they would have trotted out wrongwing lies about him.

Electability is nothing more than media-created BS. So what if the candidate starts it? If the whore media doesn't get on board, it's over before it starts.

[Cant trust em]

47. They are the vessel and we are in this analogy

the tools. The best analysis of the American media came from Colbert at the White House correspondents dinner a few years ago. "The President says it and you just write it down". They don't ask hard questions or sift news worthy information from bullshit. Whatever the candidates give out they just pass on.

[redqueen]

48. That's very far from true... they couldn't stop talking smack about Gore...

but had nothing but praise for Bush.

Sorry... they're not an unbiased transcription service when it comes to candidates. Not by a longshot.

[Cant trust em]

49. I won't argue against that

I'm thinking more along the lines of the run up to the war. Colin Powell gives a speech and the press just reports all of these things like they're fact. That's my key example.

[redqueen]

50. Oh well yeah... definitely THEN... once the powers that be have thier stooges in place...

then for sure they'll faithfully & honestly report whatever they say or do... UNLESS it conflicts with the power elite's meme... then they'll become persona non grata and go back into the mighty-wurlitzer's shit list. (e.g. John Dean, John Edwards, etc.)

:banghead:

[Cant trust em]

51. I know about that for sure

A local San Francisco politician who dared to call out the Chronicle being a corporation who was against progressive values. Since then they've done everything they can to crush him.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

8. How about an ability to talk back to the media and to talk for the

interests of the American people.

[redqueen]

11. Who the hell does that?

:wtf:

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

30. The person that will win this time.

[redqueen]

31. Um... ok?

:wtf:

[MonkeyFunk]

12. A quality possessed solely by the candidate you like best

[redqueen]

14. So... it doesn't mean anything in the "who can win the GE" sense?

It's just "the one I like"?

:shrug:

[MonkeyFunk]

20. pretty much

There's no easy measure of electable, so people apply it to their own choice, regardless of the evidence.

[redqueen]

21. Thanks... that makes sense...

but that being the case... I sure don't see why anyone would give it a special name.
:wtf:

[MonkeyFunk]

25. Because they THINK it means something

their candidate has it - your candidate doesn't. But we don't KNOW the truth of that until election day. And even then, losing doesn't necessarily mean someone is unelectable - just that they lost.

I wish everyone would shut up about it.

[redqueen]

26. So what's stopping us from calling it bullshit every time we see it

hailed as some great quality?

Why not work to try to improve political discourse?

[MonkeyFunk]

35. We should call bullshit on it

it's a mostly subjective quality. There is SOME measure of truth in it - I mean some people are obviously unelectable. Me, for example. Gravel for another. But most anybody who reaches the level of national politics is electable to some degree.

[redqueen]

37. Agree completely.

While we all know what "unelectable" means... "electability" as a positive is media BS.

:toast:

[robbedvoter]

16. MSM speak: "STFU and vote who we tell you to"

[redqueen]

18. Sure seems that way.

:banghead:

[CK_John]

19. Did you miss High School? Some people have "it" but most don't. What is "it", I can't put

a label on it, but I know "it" when I see it.

[redqueen]

22. I didn't miss HS, but I still don't get what makes lemmings flock to anyone...

clothes, cars, hair... it's all just mindless...

[Condem]

23. It's a Myth

Electability doesn't exist. It is created throughout a campaign.

[redqueen]

24. Media BS, in other words?

If so, then I agree!

[MonkeyFunk]

39. good point

as far as it DOES exist, it's not something someone has. It's something someone earns.

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. It means, apparently what the corprat media says it means.

x( And people buy into it. :argh:

[redqueen]

28. Hah... I don't buy any of it...

and I refuse to pretend any of it has any meaning, other than "meaningless, media-created BULLSHIT that prevents progress".

:hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

Right there with ya redqueen!

:hi: I am not a sheeple!

[featherman]

34. Part of it is NOT having the entire MSM against you

That's pretty simple, actually

[redqueen]

41. That's just being in line with the whore media's interests, isn't it?

:shrug:

[THUNDER HANDS]

36. electability, thy name is

OBAMA!!



YEAH!!

[redqueen]

42. Thaaaaat's not really an answer...

:P

[THUNDER HANDS]

46. how about this?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO-BAMA!!!

[Annces]

38. As far as Edwards goes

I think he was conspired against.

I think James Baker helps the republicans choose the candidate and helps choose the democrat too, just my opinion.

[redqueen]

44. I wouldn't be surprised...

[Proud2BAmurkin]

40. being able to destroy the MSM and GOP at the same time. Clintons did it three times.

[gravity]

43. The ability to attract independents and moderates

by CONNECTING with the the average American.

Charisma and sensible policies have a lot to do with it.

[redqueen]

45. Who decides who's charismatic?

:shrug:

[ulysses]

52. hell, who decides what constitutes a "sensible policy"?

I love how people conjure the image of some overalled elder, salt-of-the-earth type, surveying the range from his front porch and occasionally muttering, "Yup, that's sensible."

[redqueen]

53. Well that's at least less subjective...

i.e... we know "trickle down" sure isn't sensible... nor is endless war... however of course those opinions differ on the other side of the aisle.

[New Dawn]

54. It means that the super rich have given a candidate millions of dollars

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp?cycle=2008