What do you think Bush's strength is?

[Droopy]

Now before you tell me he doesn't have any let me ask you: why has he been as successful as he has been? What is it that Bush voters see in him? Why isn't Kerry polling 80%?

I used to think that it was Bush's Uncle Joe Sixpack persona that a lot of voters liked. I heard one working class guy say he just thought Bush was a nice guy. I heard another say that Bush is a good Christian man. That's from people that Bush and Republicans in general prey on. They had bought into Bush's phony image. It led me to believe that there were a lot of people out there like that and I still think there are. But I got to thinking tonight (look out) and I think there is a bigger reason why Bush still appeals to a lot of people despite all the fuck-ups of the last four years.

TAX CUTS.

I think Bush has bought a lot of votes with the tax cuts. Now I know the bulk of those cuts went to the wealthy, but I did some simple math and even people in my income range have benefitted from the tax cuts in the short term (I'll explain in a minute). I make $40,000 a year. Bush's tax cuts gave me an extra $20 a week. That's $1000 a year. For me that's a house payment and one month's utilities. $40,000 a year is what the average American makes. So there are a lot of people out there who have benefitted in the short term. But what they don't see is that Bush's tax cuts are like economic fast food. It's tasty and gratifying in the moment, but a steady diet of it will give you the economic equivilant of a heart attack. Record setting budget deficits not only put us further into debt, they also mean cut backs in government programs that benefit poor, working class and middle class people. Bush doesn't care about people's well being as he claims his tax cuts are all about. He doesn't care that he's putting us further into debt. He wants all those government programs that benefit average Americans to disappear. So short term tax cuts translate into long term cut backs which means higher education costs, higher health care costs, higher retirement age, raping of the environment, less money for social welfare programs, etc.

I've heard Kerry talk about how Bush's tax cuts have damaged us. I think he needs to hit on this theme even more. Lately his main focus has been on Iraq. While I think most people care about Iraq, how many of them out there are thinking, "Bush put more money in my pocket. He's my guy."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He's a Godly man.

The fundies are convinced he's God's messenger on Earth.

[Ruffhowse]

11. I don't buy his religious orientation for a second. I think it's just a

ploy to capture the fundie vote. They are so stupid and hungry for power that they will follow anyone who raises his hands and says "Praise God".

[Gore1FL]

2. High drug an alchohol tolerance

thats about the only strngth I can think of.

[Droopy]

4. lol

Well I guess I missed that one. Oh why do I put questions in subject lines? I should have learned my lesson by now.

[Fridays Child]

3. His pathological ability to stay on message, no matter that the...

...message is proven a lie.

[oscar111]

5. Racism: cure, 1.guarantee jobs for all 2.gruantee house value despte block

despite blockbusting. Then racists will no longer fear ethnics as competitors for scarce jobs, or fear them as blockbusters who destroy his house's value.

I mean ZERO jobless, not the trick-you 4% which they now call "full employment". What an obvious lie. How does anyone fall for that?

http://www.njfac.org jobs for all, has clinton sec labor, rbt reich, as advisor.

Tax cuts: general clark suggested ZERO taxes for the middle class, by shifting all taxes to the wealthy. Kerry could revive this idea, and get enormous popularity as a result.
Enormous.

Before WW2, only the top ten percent paid income taxes, according to a post here at DU.

Ike taxed them at 90%, and now it is 35%.

[stopbush]

6. He can light farts with the best of 'em.

aMURKins love a guy who can light farts. No doubt about it...

[Droopy]

9. You underestimate him at your own peril

I hear he can also chug a beer in four gulps.

[daydreamer]

24. Another thing

He appears clumsy in speech and sometimes acts blunt but those may be just his disguise for his slime and devious side.

[Ruffhowse]

7. His friends in high places and his Daddy's money and influence. That's it.

[jbutsz]

8. A collusive mass media. n/t

[VOX]

30. Big amen. You got it right.

Sad to say, but this is it.

[GreggDem]

10. He took care of his base

Right from tax cuts,to pollution, Gay marriage etc he has concentrated on positions to please his base.But the trouble is he has seriously alienated swinging independent voters by caving in hard to his base who are not more than 40% of the voters.

[Droopy]

12. Welcome to DU, GreggDem

I'm honored that you chose my thread to make your first post on. :toast: And I think you bring up a good point. I hope your right. I wouldn't mind seeing it go 60-40 for Kerry.

[GreggDem]

15. Thanks Droopy

My gut instinct tells me that Kerry is going to win.Independent Swing voters are going to favor Kerry,as Bush has no policies to run on and is running out of one-liners,voters are getting tired of him.

[Knurled99]

13. Whatever his strengths are...

I have been feeling more and more depressed about the coming election. I rarely watch the mass media, but I was really amazed today at just how blatantly biased they were.. mostly the way they constantly blather on about Kerry's campaign being weak and losing steam, and losing bigtime in the polls. I know that I need to consider the source... but it's hard with so much negative spin on EVERYTHING from the media that I KNOW people watch in large numbers. I'm really worried that my brother, a Marine going to Iraq in December, is going to be there a long time while Bush waits for his Greed Utopia to come to fruition.

[Droopy]

14. Somebody mentioned the media being his greatest strength

And you can build a pretty good case for that by watching the cable news channels.

[Peanut Gallery]

39. Yes, the media and Bush's marketing team

They've managed to shellack him with a false image. The candidate is a product, and sales success hinges on the advertising message. Nevermind that the product is poison, a good advertising rep can and will sell it as medicine.

I honestly believe that Bush would not have come this far without his neocon advisers. Maybe the whole surly, snarling group of them should be up on the stage for the debates so everyone can see who's really running the country.

[MsConduct]

16. Payola for and from the rich and smoke....

up the asses of the ignorant.


Peace

[Bundbuster]

17. Instilling Fear, Greed, and Hate

It's too late at night to launch a full-on essay, but in short:

There are 3 categories of bush enablers today -

1) The amoral wealthy & power-whores: the CEO's of the petro-prison-military-industrial-media-WTO-World Bank-IMF complex, what I call "The Octopus." It's all about greed, for those without empathy or conscience.

2) Haters & Religious hijackers. It's all about fear & hate, and hate is simply an extension of fear. Fundies, racists, skinheads, ignorant & resentful trash.

3) "Pull up the ladder" repuplicans, who are all about fear AND greed - the most despicable of all Americans. These are the Clarence Thomases/Alan Keyes, and the financially comfortable white-boy network materialists who have been convinced that there's only so much room for "success," with others striving for equality perceived as a threat. Thus, when they arrive at their insulated dream positions they embrace the theology of "I've got mine - fuck everyone else." Gated communities, more prisons, stiffer sentences, militarism, "Starve The Beast" social program destruction.

bush is nothing more than a chosen puppet, representing the ultimate extension of 40 years of republican mastery of manipulation of fear, greed, and hate. He has no strengths - the strength lies in the neocons' and religious right's evolution through figureheads like Reagan, Gingrich, Pat Robertson, et al. They have tapped into the basest, but strongest of human instincts - fear & greed.

[Droopy]

20. Nice post, Bundbuster

I had the greed angle down, but I hadn't really thought of fear. You're absolutely right.

[flordehinojos]

18. Bush has no strength--but a lot of people admire his, 'I DO BECAUSE I CAN"

a LOT OF PEOPLE SEE THAT ATTITUDE OF, "I DO BECAUSE I CAN" AS AN IDEALIZED HONOR BADGE ... but a lot of people don't realize that bush's "i do because I can" is hurting them.

[rullery]

19. His greatest strength is Karl Rove, aka Turd Blossom!

Bush has given this endearing name to his political strategist, for Rove is able to make the most beautiful flowers of propaganda bloom from Bush's shit! Seriously, Rove is a diabolical genius of deception. We ignore him at our peril.

[Droopy]

21. Yeah, but Rove has a serious limitation

Bush's mouth. I agree that Rove is a good strategist, but Bush is the guy who has to put the plan in motion.

[Still_Notafraid]

23. All of the above combined

Every thing you guys said(even the bear gulping) is strengths of bush the walking dead(uninformed Americans)eat this stuff up.If i had one strength to give bush and any republican in office its got to be the corporate media hands down.they are the Juggernaut that drives the zombies to the polls,and when there information is biased and does not hold our leaders accountable our democracy is in trouble.

[Awsi Dooger]

22. 9/11 and the fear it inspired

Without his great protector facade Bush would be rightfully proclaimed a consensus alltime failure. All the truths that followed fast food in your lengthy, 2nd-to-last paragraph would be front and center and fatal.

Kerry still has time to brainstorm that a plurality of Americans will vote in the best interests of their own pocketbooks and future, not prioritize some dusty country far away.

[Droopy]

26. Good point, AwsieDooger

Maybe it all does come down to image. It's something I've thought from the beginning of Bush's presidency. I felt the guy was completely devoid of substance so the only thing he had going for him was to put up some bullshit front.

[demwing]

25. Religion and the Media /nt

[George_S]

27. Rove and his machine, that's all n/t

[AndyTiedye]

28. and these machinez...

[Qanisqineq]

29. "Only I can protect you! God sent me to protect you from the

evildoers and the suiciders! Be afraid!"

[Warren DeMontague]

31. The Dark Side of the Force

That, and the U.S. Corporate Media being completely wedged deep inside his colon.

[bklyncowgirl]

32. A willingness to do whatever it takes to get and keep power.

Bush and the people behind him live for power. He'll do anything to keep it.

If it means playing the faux cowboy, he'll do it.
If it means eviscerating an opponent through smear and innuendo, he'll do it.
If it means starting a war that will kill thousands of people, he'll do it.
If it means cozying up to religious radicals, he'll do it.
If it means using scare tactics to convince voters that they and their children will die if they don't vote for him, he'll do it.
If it means intimidating journalists and anyone who speaks out effectively against him, he'll do it.

Most politicians are handicapped in some way or other. Bush senor clearly hated playing the false populist. Jimmy Carter was handicapped by a certain innate decency. Bill Clinton, through his own lack of self discipline.

My take on Kerry is that he suffers from both the Carter and Bush senior deficiencies. My hope is that he has the strength to overcome this and that people will see past the facade and realize what is happening to our country.

[Toronto Ron]

33. His total lack of intellect, curiosity, etc.

is something that, unfortunately, so many Americans can identify with.

[Disturbed]

34. Damn! One thing is hard to pin down.

Fear and greed are the top two but simple minded is third.

Without 911 Attack, w would be defeated by at 60 to his 40.

The Media of course is Corporate so they support the most corporate ass kissing Admin.

911 turned him into a faux hero. The Neo Fascists will milk that until the blood in the teat is dry.

The Oligarchy doesn't care which will win. They will control either.

There are 63,000 Multi-Corps. Think about that.

[Dem2theMax]

35. He is a liar, surrounded by the best liars money can buy.

That's it to me.

[GreenArrow]

40. that's it. He is a lie masquerading as a human being

He lies shamelessly, he lies continually.

[NicRic]

36. Deception !

With all of the major news networks taking his talking points and the reporting it as fact. He gets by ONLY with help from his friends!
and inspite of himselve !
Please Kerry in 04

[liberal N proud]

37. He can tell the biggest lies in the country

[democratreformed]

44. And he is a master at doing it in a way that appears sincere and truthful.

His speaking abilities are his greatest strength. He has the ability to speak about topics in a simple and plain-spoken way that comes across as honest. I guess most people are not as aggravated by his blunders as we are. They see it as "normalcy".

[michigandem2]

38. labeling a person

and then hammering it away so all the "uninformed" people KNOW John Kerry flip flops...even if they know NOTHING about what they are talking about they recite this like they were just given a pill...and are hypnotized...

and the fact that they can take EVERYTHING they are doing as "negative campaigning" and then turn it around and call Kerry hateful and angry and mean for attacking him on the truth...

he disgusts me...

[Cocoa]

41. look closer at Bush, Droopy

you'll see what the rest of us see, Bush has no clothes.

[htuttle]

42. His bank account, and his father's connections

He has no other strong points.

[progressivejazz]

43. He talks tough.

The people are afraid, and he reassures them by talking tough--certainly tougher than Kerry. Unfortunately, for many words speak louder than actions. That the actions he's taken have been counterproductive seems lost on many people. He says they've been productive. And it's the words that count.

Of course, he couldn't get away with this without a compliant press, as many others have said here.

[Strawman]

45. Grumpy white guys and other miserable and ignorant fucks like him

That's his strength. Not any redeeming personal quality. There are alot of them. And they are loud. And they bully others who aren't so deeply mean-spirited into closing their minds and going along with their bullshit ideas. These people like the fact that Bush is not going to help anybody, including them. They're basically miserable human beings who don't want anyone else thinking that they are entitled to anything but the same misery. Bush and the Republicans can distract them with a one time $500 tax refund check and then give billions of their money they have socked into the Social Security Trust Fund away to billionaires, by telling them that they're not going to let liberal do-gooders waste their hard earned money on social programs (which, with coded language they imply go only to lazy irresponsible minorities). These pro-Bush types don't want to hear anyone bitching about social problems or global poverty or the US ever doing anything bad, but at the same time they are constantly bitching about some hated "other." Many of the hard-core Bush supporters are also bigots and prone to homicidal fantasies of revenge. They can live vicariously through his "kicking ass" mentality. They can transfer all their own self loathing onto some Arabs or blacks and then blow them to bits or send them to prison or death row. Conflicts with others are a nuisance. Rather than try to work through conflict or come to some kind of understanding, they'd prefer to just solve things quickly without bending by bombing the fuckers into oblivion or frying them in the chair. Bush and the Republicans and the assholes on right-wing talk radio legitimize their transference of their own self loathing onto liberals, Arabs, blacks, feminists, gays, and intellectuals. He gives them a simple, easy, albeit ultimately unhealthy way of dealing with their own fears and insecurities about themselves and the world. And he absolves them of all responsibility for alleviating harm to other human beings in this world. Unless of course they happen to be young and poor, where they are told they have a duty to go to the Middle East to be cannon fodder so he can avenge his daddy's manhood.

Sorry for the negative rant. I'm not normally this way, but the idea that this a-hole could actually win a popular mandate gives me a pretty dim view of the humanity of my fellow citizens. I know it's probably not that bad, and that most people only know the crap they hear in the media, but I just can't help feeling frustration because I think they fucking should know better. I'm getting tired of blaming the media. There are plenty of sources of accurate information available out there for people if they gave a rat's ass. There's also fucking common sense. If you're poor or middle class, no way should you vote for this asshole. Period. If people don't get that by now, fuck 'em. They deserve this asshole as their President and anyone who votes for him who is not rich has no right to complain when they lose their job or whatever as a result. What is not fair is that the rest of us who didn't vote for this guy, and the people in the next country he invades might have to suffer for another 4 years as a result.