Stepping out of the mainstream

I mean, we always kind of knew that the GOP was really out of step with the mainstream, no matter what they said. But the facts continue to prove us right. Of course, we all know they don't care about facts, but Salon points them out anyway:

But the ABC poll laid everything bare: By the wide margin of 63 percent to 28 percent, Americans support removing the feeding tube. Even more telling, 70 percent thought congressional intervention was inappropriate, while 67 percent said that Congress acted "more for political advantage than out of concern for her or for the principles involved."

More facts:

At least the Washington Post finally ended its silence on the polling issue, with today’s A6 article, "Analysts: GOP May Be Out of Step With Public." Notice two things about that story, though. First, the Post reports in the lead that Americans are "divided" about the Schiavo case, suggesting some kind of public opinion tug-of-war. Not true. To date, every single poll commissioned has come back with the same result: Americans, by margins that range from 20 to 30 to even 40 percent, support Michael Schiavo's decision to remove his wife's feeding tube. How is that "divided?" Second, notice how the Post has to rely on "analysts" to read the polling data. The Post's reporters shouldn't need an analyst to tell them the obvious: When nearly 70 percent of the American public disagrees with you, you're out of step with the mainstream.

The most disturbing part about this extreme case of government meddling is the fact that Dubya took quick and decisive action, as Salon notes:

On Aug. 6, 2001, George W. Bush was given a Presidential Daily Brief that carried the headline: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." The president went fishing. On Sept. 11, 2001, Andy Card told Bush: "America is under attack." The president continued to listen to a second-grade class read "The Pet Goat." On Dec. 26, 2004, Bush learned that a massive tsunami had caused unimaginable devastation all around the Indian Ocean. The president waited three days before making any public comment.

But let the record show, when important issues demand presidential action, George W. Bush is a man of action. The House of Representatives passed emergency legislation in the Terri Schiavo case just after midnight this morning, and the president was on it immediately.

I think we begin to see clearly the President's priorities, as well as what they really mean by "culture of life." And their "culture of life" has nothing to do with "quality of life."

And I thought Republicans were about keeping the Government OUT of our private lives. Hm. I guess they lie about that, too. I'm shocked.