They’re not that depressing, but what the hell, one is important and the other is grimly amusing.
The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives — used to demolish buildings, make missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons — are missing from one of Iraq’s most sensitive former military installations.
The huge facility, called Al Qaqaa, was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no man’s land, still picked over by looters as recently as Sunday. United Nations weapons inspectors had monitored the explosives for many years, but White House and Pentagon officials acknowledge that the explosives vanished sometime after the American-led invasion last year.
Oops!
Americans are in the grip of a monster case of Pre-Election Anxiety Disorder. No one is talking about voter apathy anymore, because the opposite is more likely the case. People care too much. They’re losing sleep. They’re having bad dreams about unfavorable tracking polls. … Laura Auerbach, a Democrat and the director of a Washington research foundation, finds herself struggling with her emotions as E-Day gets closer. She hates the president. He’s a “horrible” man, she says. She sent an e-mail to a friend: “I never feel like such a bad person as I do when I’m talking about Bush. He is so hateful he makes me hate.”
The worst part is that her 2-year-old, Ben, is picking up on her rage, and she feels as though she’s a bad role model. She and her husband routinely fume about George W. Bush, and the little boy sometimes asks why they’re upset.
“I’ll explain to him, ‘Ben, there are people out there who don’t always make what Mommy thinks are the right choices.’ ”
Parents making speeches to toddlers: A classic sign of pre-election stress.
Cassandra said on October 25, 2004 at 12:14 pm
It’s even worse down here in Florida. The political signs are everywhere. Protestors are everywhere. My neighbors are fighting with each other over whether or not they’re stealing each others signs. Arguements break out in resturants. I honked for Kerry last week and got cut off by someone in a huge truck with a Bush Cheney sticker on it.
I think everyone just wants it be over.
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Marci said on October 25, 2004 at 12:53 pm
Republicans for Voldemort!
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ashley said on October 25, 2004 at 2:23 pm
You guys got it all wrong: he’s a uniter, not a divider!
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brian stouder said on October 25, 2004 at 4:40 pm
Well, my 9 year old son is staunchly pro-Bush, and my 6 year old daughter is matter-of-factly so (when she sees Kerry on TV she asks what’s wrong with him); I actually find myself moderating their views and explaining that Kerry is a perfectly honorable and upstanding individual with a long record of service to the country.
My lovely wife, who was 4-square, 100% for Gore, and for Clinton twice before that (we only ever voted for the same person for president in 1992) is avidly, determinedly, in fact astonishingly anti-Kerry and pro-W…. I have been taken aback – and cautious!
Anecdotally, I BELIEVE the “security mom” thing. If Kerry goes down, one of the big causes they will find in the post-mortem may well be the desertion from the Kerry campaign of mini-van driving, day-planner following, PTA member ‘security moms’ – including moms who don’t have jobs outside their homes (the ones who ‘don’t know anything’, to paraphrase Teresa Heinz Kerry)
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Connie said on October 25, 2004 at 5:31 pm
Pre-election anxiety disorder? Nice to have a name for it. I’m not sure I can take another week. Expecially here in Indiana where my vote will be hopeless.
What’s the difference between the Viet Nam war and the Iraq war? Bush had a plan to get out of Viet Nam.
Sorry, I can’t help myself, one more week.
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Lance Mannion said on October 25, 2004 at 5:49 pm
This is politics, kids. This is what it feels like to have a presidential election that matters. Hasn’t been one of those since 1968.
Brian, anecdotally, I believe in the pro-life moms for Kerry. I know a bunch of Catholic women who voted for Bush in 2000 because of abortion who are voting against him because of Iraq. Anecdotally doesn’t mean much.
Bush’s poll numbers are dropping among every group except the usual suspects.
Over this a way, the mom of the house is staunchly anti-Bush and surprise! The kids are for John Kerry.
http://lancemannion.typepad.com/lance_mannion/2004/10/see_john_see_di.html
By the way, Kerry won the Nickolodeon poll.
Connie, every vote counts this time out. When the Bush people set out to steal the election Nov. 3, it will be important by just how much George lost the popular vote. So even though there’s not much chance Kerry will carry IN—and why the heck is that? You Hoosiers routinely elect Democratic senators and governors, what happens when you go to vote for president? Why does it make sense to you to vote for Evan Bayh *and* George Bush?—it will help if Bush’s margin of victory in states like Indiana is less than it was in 2000.
And he is losing, which is why they’re already so hard at work at stealing it.
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deb said on October 25, 2004 at 5:57 pm
lance, could you please send some of those catholic women voting for kerry to my neighborhood? if i hear my kids come home from their parochial school spouting one more kerry slur they’ve heard from their peers, i’m going to scream. i want to shake every last one of these women — particularly the ones with sons who are going to be draftable in a few short years.
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deb said on October 25, 2004 at 6:01 pm
also, i wonder: are others of you living in the so-called battleground states being inundated with recorded phone messages about the candidates? so far i’ve had “calls” from tommy thompson, ann richards, fred thompson and a host of others. today was the capper, though, when i picked up the phone and heard: “hello, this is laura bush.” i retorted, “bite me, laura,” and hung up. it was deeply satisfying.
it would be interesting to know how much money the campaigns are spending on these stupid calls. it must be a freaking fortune. we get at least two a day.
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Pamela Hammond said on October 25, 2004 at 8:17 pm
I’m in a battleground state too (Ohio) and yes, we are receiving many recorded phone messages from both candidates. And I got a call from Laura too. It’s highly annoying and clogs up my voice mailbox. The best bumper sticker I’ve seen so far reads, “RE-DEFEAT GEORGE BUSH”.
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Connie said on October 25, 2004 at 10:00 pm
Have no fear Lance, we will be voting at our house. No actually, we will be voting down the road at Sugar Grove Church. My husband has been saying since before the 2000 election that we need to find a way to register and vote a few miles up the road in Michigan where our vote could truly make a difference.
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ashley said on October 26, 2004 at 1:19 am
Ah…to inhabit a house in a blue state (Illinois), yet be registered and officially reside in Florida.
I’ve already voted…only once, though.
No phone calls, plenty of bulk mail, and my t-shirt keeps the republicans from talking to me.
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brian stouder said on October 26, 2004 at 10:03 am
>”and my t-shirt keeps the republicans from talking to me.”
Certainly a more pleasant state of affairs all around
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Connie said on October 26, 2004 at 12:17 pm
And most modest Nancy, congrats on your excellent article on this topic in the brand new issue of Indianapolis Monthly that arrived yesterday. Quite the surprise on my morning smoke break.
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Dara said on April 5, 2005 at 11:36 pm
dear people,
it was very nice to see all of the different sides of the political campaign that happened, i happened to see it while searching for homework, i know htat i am like…4 to 5 months behind, but i am a 13 year old girl, who was also pro kerry. deb, if you still use this…can you please tell me more about your views on this?
thanks
Dara
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Sierra said on June 19, 2005 at 12:36 am
i am so depressed with my family always getting yelled at and i am always in a dark place no where to hide i am real scared of my mother i ran away once and will do it again i am thinking of commiting suicide I CANT TAKE IT they are driving me crazy i am a second away from killing myself. Help me someone i need someone to talk to plz its between life or death i am 15 help before
it is too late
Sierra
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