I would not have predicted this turn of events for Mudcat’s first day in the swamp…
As for Mudcat’s position vis-a-vis liberal elites and intolerance: I think they’re not intolerant — or maybe sharp-elbowed — enough, at least when it comes Bush and his mistakes. Wouldn’t your guy Webb agree? I’m a huge fan of his, and I think he’s a totally decent guy — in part BECAUSE he basically told Bush to “f___ off.” Liberal elites are intolerant of non-elites in general — like the blogger hoi polloi — and that might be a bigger problem for the Dems than any blogger rebellion might be.
UPDATE: Liberal elites are intolerant of non-elites — SUCH AS THE BLOGGER HOI POLLOI… Does that clear things up? I don’t confuse the liberal elites and bloggers, let me assure you. As for who the “liberal elites” are. I’d go with: a subset of the leadership of the Democratic party and high-profile liberal pundits. Though I suppose not all Dem leaders/MSM pundits are elitist (and it’s elitism I’m talking about, not the quality of being an elite) they are by definition elite. But I’m also happy to drop this subject and ask Mudcat what he thinks of this:
* Rural voters deliver a narrow plurality to a generic Democratic candidate for President: 46 – 43 percent. In contrast, President Bush won the rural vote in 2004 by 19 points.
* Voters are not inspired by any candidate for president, including Fred Thompson, who draws a modest 22 percent favorable, 18 percent unfavorable score among the 52 percent who are familiar with him.
* At the Congressional level, voters prefer Democrats in named trial heats 46 – 44 percent.
* Iraq poses challenges for both parties. While a narrow majority opposes the war, nearly 60 percent are close to someone serving or who has served in the fighting. This is not a “television war” for rural families.
* President Bush’s job approval numbers have dropped from 54 percent approve, 43 percent disapprove just prior to the 2004 election to 44 percent approve, 52 percent disapprove currently.
* Nonetheless, rural America remains a deeply conservative place (50 percent conservative in self-ascribed terms) and there is little evidence of shifting ideologies in this survey.