My Pet Goat - The Musical
August 31, 2005 · Print This Article
WTF? No, seriously. WTF? As the worst disaster in recent US history - yes, worse than 9/11 - unfolds before his eyes, the emperor fiddles. This is George W. Bush on August 30th, 2005 as the aftermath of Katrina in Biloxi, Slidell and Mobile becomes more fully known, and flood waters continue to rise in the former city of New Orleans.
President Bush plays a guitar presented to him by Country Singer Mark Wills, right, backstage following his visit to Naval Base Coronado, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bush visited the base to deliver remarks on V-J Commemoration Day. (AP Photo/ABC News, Martha Raddatz)
Agreed, he wasn’t handled well during and after the 9/11 attacks, and this picture makes him look goofy…. however, he does do a great job of the “gall dang it, we will get thru” “America is standing with you”, “communities rebuilding and flourishing” stuff - delivered yesterday I believe.
This is one of the reasons he did so well **with the voters not the pundits*** during the debates - “good people working hard” - that ***sells*** much better than economic models and erudite high-falutin’ (sp?) postulatin’.
darius
There is no real debate in the US. Just two monologues that try to outsell each other. You either love the stuff Bush says or you hate it. There is a swing vote comprising about 10 percent of the electorate or less that will either re-elect a Republican Congress or kick enough of them out to swing it to the Dems. The latter is unlikely, given the strength of incumbency in the US, but moments like this need to be documented and distributed virally so as to break off as many of those waverers as possible. It is useful to focus on what Bush does well, and why he sells, but it isn’t a recipe for success for the Dems. You don’t win as a Democrat by being just like Bush. You need to establish a frame that allows you to communicate _your_ story, and your story about Bush, as a credible counter-narrative instead of a reactionary one. They had one full day’s media cycle to push the “what is Bush doing?” line. I think it was somewhat effective, and it fits with current poll numbers in the US which express record disapproval ratings for the job the President is doing. That’s the current dominant story about Bush: he isn’t doing a good job. This may translate somewhat to added success in the congressional races because, when you have a lousy President, you need a Congress that counter-balances instead of reinforces. And, remember, Bush did convince a bare majority of those who voted to re-elect him, but far more people either voted against him or didn’t vote at all. I’m no player hater. I just want the Dems to play better.
Just as a matter of interest, here’s the results of the attempts to make Bush wear the “late response” dunce cap. Looks like finally, after 9/11, SEA Tsunami and now this, it is beginning to stick. Of course, Bush responded in his speech yesterday with the plea “don’t play politics” with this. This is the same as a pro wrestler getting on his knees and putting his hands together in a pleading prayer. You know as soon as the other guy lets him up, he’ll kick him in the cahones.