Bush as a Mythical Character [View All]

[chieftain]

Those of us in the reality based world are continually surprised by the perseverance and vehemence that the otherwise smart Republicans we know continue to support the boy president.I think the key to understanding this is in the concept of myth and the work of myth makers.
One of Websters' definitions for myth is an "imaginary or fictitious person" Is there a more apt description of the Bush that his stalwarts support? When I hear my conservative friends talk about W, they ascribe heroic qualities to him that are invisible to the informed eye. They see W with a bullhorn on the WTC rubble but his gutless meandering around the country while we were actually under attack does not register. His landing an airplane on a carrier deck seems to erase in their minds his shirking of cushy stateside duty during the Vietnam War.His bonhomie with carefully screened crowds is cited as evidence of what a "good guy" he is, while his repeated acts of boorishness like his cleaning of his glasses on the blouse of a TV assistant are ignored.
How in the world did this state of affairs come to be? I think it is a confluence of three elements that have very little to do with the intrinsic qualities of George W. Bush. The three elements that have come together to create the Myth of W are; (i) the myhtmakers, (ii) the corporate media and (iii) the true believers.
The mythmakers of the right include: Republican party operatives like Ken Mehlman who have no compunction of lying to the American people on matters both large and small; the think tanks which afford a patina of legitimacy to destructive ideas; and RW commentators and bloggers who manage a propaganda machine that effectively uses brainwashing techniques to accomplish their goals. I believe that the positive side of mythmaking had its genesis in the creation of the larger than life hero of Ronald Reagan. Their successful efforts in lionizing a mediocre,at best, president helped them hone their craft of molding heroic personas from men with feet of clay.
Democracy's antidote to mythmakers has been a vigilant and critical press. Sadly the Corporate Media has been as AWOL in its duties to the American People as W was to the National Guard. The national press has acted as a cheerleader for an incompetent and thereby provided confirmatory support to the mythmakers.
Finally, we have the W cultists who are satisfied with listening to Rush and watching Faux to be sure that their beliefs are not threatened by the intrusion of reality. The survival of Democracy depends on an informed and involved electorate and Republicans who refuse to take notice of what is really going on around them fail in their responsibilities as citizens.
Believers in particular myhs have the faith of religious zealots. They would rather be burned at the stake than part with their precious beliefs.Clearly, W's mythmakers have been successful in creating a cult for W. We will never convince these folks that they are brainwashed by appealing to reason and facts. They are too far gone.