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Just came from our Thanksgiving brunch sponsored by the Somerset County Small Biz Alliance. It was a nice turnout of about 230 Small Business Owners. That's about 75% of the members showing up.
Back in 2000, this group endorsed Bush & practically 80% of its members voted for him in 2000. While about 20% back Gore. After all, Somerset is a strong GOP leaning county.
In 2004, Bush received about 65% of the vote while Kerry got 35% ( despite a larger number being very unhappy with the Bush domestic & foreign policies by 2002-2003)
By 2005, the group member's attitude change. You could feel lots of anxiety, anger, worry about this predominantely republican leaning group.
2006 midterms, no official survey is taken among members. But based on the cheers,applause, screams two nights after election day- everyone knew that members overwhelmingly voted for CHANGE-for the democrats.
come summer 2008, anger among small biz owners is at all time high. By now, after 8 years-at least 55 businesses among members have closed down from 2001 to mid 2008. That translated into 525+ New Jersey jobs lost. Another two dozen owners expressed that they would closed down by the end of 2008. That's at least another 100 to 125 potential jobs lost if they closed .It was bad all around.
A straw poll done by late August 2008 among about 350 biz owners. It showed for the first time in the organizations 23 years of existence, a democrat would beat a republican for Prez in a GOP stronghold area & org.
The straw show that either Hillary Clinton Or Obama would win among members against any GOP candidate by about 68% for HRC & 62% if Obama. This was a first for any dem.
By the thursday before election day, a straw poll had Obama winning 69% among mbusiness owner members who plan to vote on election day against 30% for McCain.
It was very significant for the ff reasons:
One, it was the first time since its founding that a dem would win( that's how bad economically it was getting) this strong GOP leaning group
Two, somerset has always been a republican bastion of support.
Three, 89% of its members are white in a conservative leaning county of NJ business owners. Many of them never voted for a dem nor a black person before.
Today's meeting was interesting. Probably 95% of members are still down. Many are extremely worried about getting a credit line after the holidays. Many are hopeful they can survive.
What's the most common things I heard today?
One, this thing could be this way until 2011
Two, 90% of people, regardless of party affliliation Blame Bush for all this.
Three, many are praying that Healthcare Reform passes & helps ease the healthcare burden on small biz owners
Four, many are turned off about the constant NO,NO,NO from the Republican party whenever Obama wants to do something.
Five, the trillions that we've wasted on Iraq war could have been used to help all americans instead.
Lastly, some were brave enough to admit & say, " I cannot believe I voted for Bush & the GOP congress again in 2004!
Hell Ya, I was brave enough to tell them in their face.
" I don't blame people who voted for Bush the 1st time. But people who voted for Bush the 2nd time are the biggest morons. They should be blamed for all the country's hardship today."
Surprisingly, many of these smart, successful people agreed with me.
What is the point of this post? Take it to the politics forum.
Edit to add: If you think everything is Bush's fault and Obama is going to swoop in and save you...you are a moron. Try to think for yourself and not along party lines. All (almost all) politicians are useless, self absorbed nincompoops who only think of themselves or their re-election plans and couldn't give a rat's behind about you or your family's prosperity.
Dolan we get it. Bush was and is a dummy and you despise him. Obama won. The fairy godmother would have won. People were sick of him. The same thing just happened in this state, the majority of the people were sick and tired of Corzines liberal agenda and voted him out. Whats your point, they are all bums.
My husband and I are both attorneys in Morristown. ( But I became I full-time mom two years ago)
We both voted for Bush in '00. But after 4 years of Bush & the Republican congress, we did not make the same mistake twice. As much as we had no attraction to Kerry at all ( we preferred General Wesley Clark to replace Bush), we made sure that we do not vote for Bush again.
Unfortunately, enough voters still did not learn their lesson. They allowed " non-economic social issues" to distract them. FEAR was used magnificently by Karl Rove. Fear of homosexuals, fear of
abortion, fear of being unpatriotic during time of war, fear of gun rights.
To the credit of New Jersey & the so called " More Educated voting demographic states", they overwhelmingly went for Kerry. It was the less educated, working class 75K & below voters in states like Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana that killed '04 & literally accelerated the downfall of the US economy. But there is a God. In 2008, after Serious Long Term Economic Damage, enough of these " less educated voters woke up. Ergo, Ohio, Florida, NC, Indiana, ALL went for these democrats.
What is tragic is the same people who allowed themselves to be " distracted" with stupid nonesense issues are now hungry, hurting, stressed out in the millions.
We have elections every 4 years for a reason. If its broke, change it. If things are fine, you don't change. We had 8 years of a peaceful, prosperous country with Clinton. People including myself allowed some stupid extramarital affair to distract ourselves.
We, just like many had serious doubts about the capability of then Governor Bush. But we still voted for him anyway. But after 4 years, some never woke up.
Now these same people are attempting to BLAME their stupid decisions on Obama. We have the most serious economic upheaval since the Great Depression, then, the same " less educated voters" want Obama to turn this crap around in 9 months? Hell, any President would be lucky to FIX the damage done in 4 years.
A person without an education can & will always be manipulated by others. That's the bottom line.
An eloquent attorney can give a speech in a working class neighborhood & start blaming Obama for everything about the economy. I will bet you $ 10,000 dollars that many will start agreeing with him.
The same attorney who gives his speech in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Short Hills would intelligently be challenged by people living there. Its all about Education. You can make $100K but without an education, a high school dropout like Glenn Beck can manipulate you all day.
Unfortunately, enough voters still did not learn their lesson. They allowed " non-economic social issues" to distract them. FEAR was used magnificently by Karl Rove. Fear of homosexuals, fear of
abortion, fear of being unpatriotic during time of war, fear of gun rights.
To the credit of New Jersey & the so called " More Educated voting demographic states", they overwhelmingly went for Kerry. It was the less educated, working class 75K & below voters in states like Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana that killed '04 & literally accelerated the downfall of the US economy. But there is a God. In 2008, after Serious Long Term Economic Damage, enough of these " less educated voters woke up. Ergo, Ohio, Florida, NC, Indiana, ALL went for these democrats.
what a joke. social issues and fear mongering by karl rove didnt win the election for bush. nobody felt kerry would do any better with the economy than bush. at that time, the economy was fine. you are just making up stuff to come up with someone to blame for the loss of the democrat.
you are also are spewing the "more educated voting demographic states" bull. how dumb does that really sound? are you pretending like you are oblivious to the fact that new jersey is filled with some of the worst cities in america (newark and camden) and that 90+% of the residents of those cities vote for democrats everytime. a state is a very big place, it isnt the smart people in new jersey that voted for kerry, it was our least intelligent people. but come on, you must already know that right? thats common sense.
Liznj- let me give you some heads-up. We have a lot of the " less educated" ones right here in NJ. Don't overestimate the educational level of people in NJ. we have our share of the joe the plumber right here in the garden state. enjoy, read their posts across the board. Read their reasons for being a republican. read how they somehow conclude that this historic economic collapse is All Obama & Clinton's fault. You would think you were reading multiple joe the plumbers. lol
As I've stated many times here. There is a reason Clinton, Gore, Obama won " College Educated Catholic Voters" by double digits across the country. ( I'm a proud Irish Catholic by the way)
There is a reason the Two Most Educated, the Two Most Wealthiest, the Two Most Entrepreneur ethnic groups in america today, Jewish americans & Asian-Americans voted for Clinton, Gore, Kerry & Obama. Year after Year.
If its all based on Issues, the GOP would lose every election.
The ONLY shot they have every year is attracting enough high school diploma lower income, & middle income predominantly white male voters. That's the key to success in the south & parts of NJ.
Its the educational divide. Its very telling among white catholics.
I know the truth hurts. People get insulted by the truth
Liznj- read past postings on Healthcare. Read their reasoning for opposing healthcare reform. Its like reading a peasant getting his information from his landowner. These people literally get their education on issues from listening to a Radio. Listening to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.
Crazy Crazy stuff. I don't blame these educated Catholics, Jews & educated Asians saying behind their backs saying, " that's why your kids continue your cycle of being less educated". Its all about the Mom & Dad. Papa spends ours watching sports, then drives around listeningh to Rush Limbaugh.
What the hell do you expect his son John or Joey know about issues that directly affect their lives.
While they spending hours watching sports without involvement with school work of their favorite son- you have Jews owning 70% of NFL teams, 60% of NBA teams, 50% of NHL teams.
But these owners have straight A kids going to harvard, U Penn, Yale etc.
Its a cycle that they have no idea they are in.
When these 1st generation immigrants with very little english, thick accents can surpass your economic status within 3 to 8 years- that's says something about you! when these immigrant children do 10 times better than your John, Joey in school- that says something about you
Dolan wrote about some NJ business political leaning. Whether we agree with it or not, it is a story about NJ. Lets not censor people just because we do not agree with them. Unless Somerset county is not NJ. Relax people.
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wners. That's about 75% of the members showing up.
