Today's column deals with Bushisms. Particularly a comment Bush recently made about OB/GYNs and love. Some think that Bush's gaffes are actually indicative of first stage dementia. While this sounds like lefty griping, I am not so sure. From what I've heard, Bush wasn't known to make mistakes like this earlier in life--when he ran for Congress for example.
But that for now at least is besides the point.
The larger issue is what exactly do we gain from treating Bush's missteps as either the mistakes of someone who knows what is right but for one reason or another can't put it together verbally (the conservative angle), or the utterances of an idiot (the non-conservative angle)? In the first case there is a real interesting racial dynamic that I haven't seen people deal with--and to be fair I didn't deal with it either.
If someone black made Bush's missteps, along with being a C- student at school, along with not being that much of a reader, what would we say about him? Sounds like a Cosby poster-child. If Bush weren't President I'm not sure the dynamic would be any different.
On the other hand there is a casual tendency of non-conservatives to blow off people that talk like Bush as being beyond "saving." I don't know how many times I've thought this myself--we MUST be a nation of idiots if we could elect THIS fool. (don't give me any sc mess either--Bush still received almost HALF of the vote in 2000.)
But we have to get beyond this. We have to find a way to talk about the policy outputs of this administration and recognize that they don't just come from Rove pulling strings (the we obviously being left-leaning here). And on the other hand if we're willing to give Bush the benefit of the doubt, even given some of his obvious verbal mistakes, we should rethink our conceptions of what it means to be intelligent. Because we (and of course the we here is obviously right-leaning) are towing a line dangerously close to relativism.
If someone black made Bush's missteps, along with being a C- student at school, along with not being that much of a reader, what would we say about him?
They would say that rose to the Presidency on Affirmative Action.
Posted by: BH at September 15, 2004 07:19 AMExcellant LKS its not enough to say Bush an idiot,I'm promoting Kerry thru the sale of tee shirts DUCK FUBYA at theRouge Complex Dearborn Mich.; Bush appeal is along racial lines and they are passionate supporter once a person see the shirt they are for or against the message, no middle ground. Whats important Bush has support with blue collar workers who are in affect facing lay off.
Tootsie
If someone black made Bush's missteps, along with being a C- student at school, along with not being that much of a reader, what would we say about him? Sounds like a Cosby poster-child. If Bush weren't President I'm not sure the dynamic would be any different.
Kudos.
Posted by: EBrown at September 14, 2004 05:34 PM