Monster with High Approval Ratings

In in a slashdot discussion about another Bush League scandal, this time the use of outside email accounts to shelter official activity from scrutiny, there were many despairing comments.

Whitney Mac Fanboy asks:

Just how obvious does the corruption in the White House have to be before you demand a change of government?

That's the problem with presidential systems, which is why it is government system of choice for the new tin pot banana republics , is that it can be auitocratic autocratic. Presidents don't lose non confidence votes.

Sheldon offers this bit of possible political theatre.

Bush could have a live press conference where he bites the heads off kittens, and nobody would care. The 28% who still support him would claim he was showing true leadership by biting heads off kittens. The news media would report both sides of the story as if they had real credibility.

I don't know if this was planned, or just accidental, but basically after all the false scandal coverage during the Clinton years people have learned to just tune this shit out.

Lawpoop also thinks that scandal fatigue from the 90's republican witch hunts against Clinton is helping people overlook Bush's notable failures.

Talkshow host Tom Hartman said that he can't help coming to the conclusion that the endless investigations into Clinton's Christmas card lists, travel agent's activities, and sexual peccadilloes was an effort to sour the public on the process of impeachment, and make whatever crimes the next president would do seem like partisan politics. It's hard not to start thinking this way.

Of course the appeal of politicians who don't do appealing things, who have the courage to do crack the eggs to make the omelets explains why some still admire Stalin the Murder. When Sideshow Bob was mayor and a criminal he said the people need evil. People like him or Francis Urquhart people who are willing to "put a bit of stick about".

Because you _need_ me, Springfield. Your guilty conscience may force you to vote Democratic, but deep down inside you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king. That's why I did this: to protect you from yourselves.