Bush stumps for the bigot vote

No this isn't about the 'Southern Strategy' the dog whistle politics of race and resentment so prevelant in the GOPs activities south of the Mason-Dixon. Though I'm sure in the months leading up to the mid-terms there will be plenty of subtle nods and winks to the folks who's bed-sheets have mysterious eye-holes cut out of them.

No, Bush has decided the way to deal with his imploding, increasingly Nixonian poll numbers is to attack gays.

In a purely symbolic move, on Monday Bush will throw his support behind the Senate vote for a constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriage. Nobody expects it to pass, literally nobody, as there are actually some fairly effective safe-guards and high bars that have to be hit to amend the US constitution. To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures. Supporters are having trouble even getting 50 Senate votes and 38 states couldn't be rounded up to do anything en masse. It would be easier to herd cats. The system is actually fairly effectively designed to avoid allowing panicky hate-mongering and pandering mar the constitution.

This is purely a symbolic move that indicates that Bush has given up on Liberals and Moderates who helped elect him last time - maybe - and came close to electing him the first time. Now he just wants to fire up his base with a nod to the kind of intolerance and mean spirited hate baiting that they can sink their teeth into. The question is whether even this will be enough to hold the GOPs fracturing coalition together enough to keep control of the House and Senate.

It's now the Democrats race to lose, but they are really, really good at losing so...