Democrats and Swingers

When I heard the latest poll numbers for Bush and Co., I thought of Swingers, the movie. Before I explain, let's relish in how bad these numbers are:

As the Houston Chronicle reported:

Bush approval rating nearing Nixon's levels

WASHINGTON - President Bush's job-approval rating fell to an all-time low — 34 percent — in a poll published Tuesday. That puts him not far above Richard Nixon's Watergate-era nadir and raises questions about how effectively he can govern in his remaining years in office.

Cheney is at 18%. Of course, he did shoot a guy in the face (you know that, but I just love saying it, even typing it).

Here's another poll, from Lou Dobbs' website. He asked:

Do you have confidence that the 45-day review of the ports deal will be intensive and thorough and the outcome based solely on the national security interests of the United States?

97% of respondents say NO. Granted, it's a self-selecting online poll, and only 10,000 people have responded, but damn. That's not a good number for Bush.

So what are the Democrats going to do with all these good numbers? This brings us to Swingers. Just like Mike when he gets the olive girl's number at the bar, we're gonna fuck it up. Consider this exchange in the parking lot after Sue pulls a gun and Mike challenges him (from the script):

SUE Listen. Just because I was the only one with the balls to stand up to them...
TRENT ... Oh yeah, like "Cypress Hill" was gonna do anything...
MIKE You live in such a fantasy world...
SUE What about you, Mikey? At least I got balls. You're always whining about some bitch who dumped you a year ago...
MIKE ... It was six months, and she didn't dump...
SUE ... Whatever. You're like a whining little woman. Big deal. You got a fuckin' number. Whoopee! You'll fuck it up...
TRENT ... Sue...
SUE Have you gotten laid once since you moved here? Did you fuck once?
TRENT ... Shut up, Sue...
SUE I know for a fact you haven't, because you never shut up about it. Your like a little whiney bitch...
TRENT Sue!
MIKE No, Trent. He's right.

I won't even post the exchange between Mike and the answering machine later that night. It's too painful too recall, much like election night 2004.

Here's Chris Dodd last month, admitting the Dems are Mike from Swingers, quoted in a NYT article titled, Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities:

Asked to describe the health of the Democratic Party, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: ''A lot worse than it should be. This has not been a very good two months.''

''We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about,'' Mr. Dodd said.

I don't want to be all pessimism. At the end of Swingers, Mike found his balls and got the girl. That bitch back in New York (obviously a Republican in this sloppy metaphor) got shut down.

I don't have some self-assured, pithy (meaningless) analysis, either, which prevents me from ever appearing on a Sunday morning talk show.

All I'd really say to the Dem leadership is you're a big fucking bear with these big fucking claws, stop apologizing, read some Matt Taibbi, take a page from these poor musicians and stand on principle, and give me a reason to believe.

One coworker was commenting on Bush's poll numbers, "Too bad it's 3 years before the next election." Not true, 2006 is 9 months away, baby!