Park Effects

Actually, if you take into account the fact that DC is roughly 85% Democratic, the fact that Bush managed to earn some cheers mixed in with the boos at Nationals Stadium probably counts as a moral victory.

Comments

[jlkenney]

The D.C. metro area is not 85% Democratic. Specifically, there are a lot of Republicans in Northern Virginia. I would suspect that a supermajority of people at the game did not live in D.C. itself.

[low-tech cyclist]

Chill, friend. I'm pretty sure Nick was wisecracking.

I thought it was funny, anyway. I suppose it would sail right past you if you didn't know what 'park effects' were in baseball, but that's a risk one takes with any play on words that depends on a bit of background knowledge.

[yoyo]

i think this is the most i've liked bush in a long long time. He's a good athlete, whatever his other flaws.

[low-tech cyclist]

Hey, he may be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, but he can throw a decent fastball.
[/sarcasm]

Those responsible for this war should be forced to face up to their culpability in those deaths, every time they step outside their bubble.

Even if there's no war crimes trial, no impeachment, no nothing, every decent person should ask Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and all the rest of them at every opportunity, how they live with themselves in the knowledge of the deaths they've caused - how come the psychic pain of dealing with that reality hasn't forced them to throw themselves under a train or something.

Booing Bush last night was a step in the right direction.

[Sir Charles]

For the record, Bush drew 28.8% of the vote in the DC Metro area, defined as the District, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland, the City of Alexandria, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax in Virginia. That's 71.2% of the vote for Kerry before everyone started really hating the man.

I am dismayed that anyone would have cheered but believe many people are simply polite and feel a sense of respect for the office if not the man.

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

And everyone cheered when he threw it over the plate, as it should be. I mean, he's not Pol Pot or anything.

[Sir Charles]

It's true -- Pol Pot was notoriously wild on the mound. And he never hesitated to bring the chin music.

[John]

Wow, 28.8% is pretty poor indeed (although you should have included the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church in Virginia, although they're too small to make much of a difference; including Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park would be optional, and would probably increase Bush's numbers).

I don't know whether I'd have booed Bush - I'd have been torn. I do still have a certain "respect the office, even if you disrespect the person" in me, and throwing out the first pitch on opening day is just about the most apolitical thing a president can do. But it's kind of nice to see him get booed, too.

[Stephen]

"Respect the office?" Why should I do that? I'm an American. That means I don't have to "respect" anyone or anything simply because something exists or someone has a title.

I respect laws. I will only pay automatic respect to a person or position insofar as they are charged with upholding the law.

Other than that, people have to earn my respect. And I'll be damned if I'm going to pay respect to a vicious, petty, criminal drunk like George Bush just because he has a title.

I hope he burns in hell, and I promise you I'd tell it to his face. It's no more than he deserves, and it's my birthright as an American citizen to say it if I want.

Respect. Huh. The President is supposed to work for us. I wouldn't mind a bit more respect from my employee, thank you very much.

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

That said I think I'm with John. I probably just wouldn't have applauded.

[Sir Charles]

John,

I think I included both Fairfax City and Falls Church City (both pretty Democratic jurisdictions as I recall)when I looked at these numbers a few months ago. If you added in Prince William and Loudon counties in Virginia and Ann Arundel in Maryland you would see some increase in Bush's percentage, although how much I am not sure. I think Loudon and Prince William actually constitute a couple of the most important bellwhether jurisdictions in the nation for 2008. These are classic exurban jurisdictions that typically trend Republican but statewide in Virginia Democrats have taken them in the last three elections -- Mark Warner, Jim Webbb and Tim Kaine have each carried them. If the eventual Democratic nominee for president wins in those places, I think it will be a rather happy night for us.

I am pretty sure that I would boo, such is my outrage with Bush, but actually understand the reticence of people in a purely ceremonial setting to do so.

[Ron]

Since we're talking about Bush and baseball, it shouldn't pass without comment that Bush was the owner of the Texas Rangers when one Jose Canseco played for them. I wonder if George Mitchell interviewed Bush for his report.

[low-tech cyclist]

It would be more of a stretch to include Anne Arundel in the DC metro area than it would to include Prince William or Loudoun. In addition to containing a decent-sized city of its own (Annapolis), Anne Arundel is just as much an exurb of Baltimore as it is of DC. By the time you start including AA in either metro area, it's time to just treat BaltoWash as a single ginormous metro area.