Bush Campaign: Preaching Solely to the Choir

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040815/ts_alt_afp/us_vote_bush_ask&cid=1506&ncid=2043
SIOUX CITY, United States (AFP) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites) famously dislikes press conferences but has embraced "Ask President Bush (news - web sites)" sessions packed with supporters at least as eager to pay tribute to him as get an answer.

"Mr President, I don't have a question. I've got three 'thank-yous'," one man told him at such an event in Ohio.

Billed as informal question-and-answer opportunities for curious voters to quiz the most powerful man in the world, the carefully choreographed campaign events usually recycle the central points from his stump speech.

"We're going to call on some of your citizens to help me make some points," he said at the Ohio event.

Bush's well-honed address includes a vow to appoint conservative judges, a defense of his tax cuts as promoting growth, and an emotional argument that going to war with Iraq (news - web sites) was the right decision.

At an "Ask President Bush" in Oregon Friday, he was asked to appoint conservative judges; heard that his tax cuts promote growth; and received an emotional tribute from the sister-in-law of an Iraq-bound US soldier.

While he has yet to face a hostile questioner, angry attacks on Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) abound.

In Beaverton, Bush supporters accused the Massachusetts senator of having a "fuzzy memory," of winning two of his five Vietnam war medals for "self-inflicted scratches."

But would-be Bush hecklers face daunting obstacles: Loyalists handle giving out tickets to the event; home-made signs and banners are often forbidden; and in some cases access hinges on signing a loyalty oath.

"First priority goes to volunteers and supporters and then we reach out to people who are undecided and want to hear what the president has to say," according Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel.

The result is a friendly crowd eager to see the candidate they hope will win the November 2 election, while authorities banish protesters to heavily policed sidewalks blocks away.

In fact, the only question that left Bush briefly at a loss for words in Oregon came from a child who stumped him by asking why a school superintendent who "makes 200,000 dollars" would fire the school librarian.

"I can't answer your question why. But (First Lady) Laura (Bush) was a librarian, so maybe the superintendent ought to talk to the librarian, Laura. But, no, I don't know," the president said.

Another child, however, had a more campaign-friendly question -- "Mr president, as a child how can I help you get votes?" -- and received a more confident answer.

"First, you can put signs up in people's yards who want the signs in their yards," said Bush, who urged the tot to find a friend with a sibling over the minimum voting age of 18.

"Say to them, register to vote, and then please do me a favor, vote on my behalf for George W. Bush," said the president, who won laughter from his hand-picked audience.

Bunch of "pat yourself on the back", "preaching to the choir", "head in the sand", "ignore the problems and they'll go away" thinking.


Wonderful.


Actually, fine by me. They aren't going to persuade any swing voters with this style of campaigning. It just goes to show how exclusive and elitist he thinks he really is.
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,674
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The talking BarbieBush doll only has ten low-fi responses recorded on it's Taiwanese sourced sound chip, so, you know, you can't just have anyone asking unscripted answers, the results could get embarassing, viz:
Mr. President, what is your take on the scurrrilous SwiftBoatVets smear campaign?

Mission Accomplished!
 

daveshel

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,453
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You have to have tcikets to get in to a Bush rally. I heard a story on the radio about somebody who had to sign a declaration of support since they had not donated any money, and some women who were thrown out because they had t-shirts that went against the grain - one was pro-life, I forget the other. Talk about preaching to the converted!
 

Vadatajs

Diamond Member
Aug 28, 2001
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The surest was to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.

--Freidrich Nietzsche

Considering Bush barely has the intelligence of a 4 year old (rivals Ripshit), this quote applies. For the ignoramuses here; Nietzsche abhorred liberalism.
 

308nato

Platinum Member
Feb 10, 2002
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Nietzsche abhorred democracy and politics in general.

Not knowing anything about Nietzsche and existentialism does not make someone ignorant...and having studied his work in a 100 level college class does not make one intellectually superior.
 

Vadatajs

Diamond Member
Aug 28, 2001
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Originally posted by: 308nato
Nietzsche abhorred democracy and politics in general.

Not knowing anything about Nietzsche and existentialism does not make someone ignorant...and having studied his work in a 100 level college class does not make one intellectually superior.

True, but funny how your took a personal flame directed at Ripshit personally. As for Existentialism, Beckett's Waiting for Godot is my favorite. I've always thought of Nietzsche walking a thin line between nihilism and existentialism, erring more to the nilistic side. One more thing, I've never taken a philosophy class; I took logic instead.

My point was, as you, 308nato, well know, that Bush and his campaign is the definition of corruption as put forth by Nietzsche. As for liberalism, he's got a point when he equates a completely egalitarian society to animal-herdism. It's human nature to have some sort of ascribed inequality. His point was that mankind should strive to overcome its shortcomings.

Or am I totally misreading him?