God, I hope no one asks this question. I despise Bush and want him
out, and can't even help vote him out because I'm Canadian, but
this smartass ploy won't do much to help elect Kerry and may even
backfire among some voters. Someone at Metafilter has already
predicted his response:
Bush: (pauses, flashes one of his trademark simian smirks)
"Look, are you asking me if I've made mistakes in my past? I've
been open and forthright with the American people about my past
from Day One. But this campaign isn't about the past. It's about
the future. You see, I'm a war president. I don't like it. Nobody
wants to be a war president, but I am. And I understand that there
are evildoers in the world who want to do us great harm. Now my
opponent wants to take us back to the days when America was weak,
but we're not going to let him do that. With your vote in November,
we can make America stronger and the world safer. Next
question."
(Yeah, he usually can't handle impromptu questions, but I bet his
campaign knows about this plan now and has prespped him). Typical
spin and bullshit, right? But effective spin and bullshit.
The undecided are getting more and more talking points and spin and
scandal and various allegations thrown at them, and I expect more
and more of them to start shutting down over events of the 60s and
70s. Sure, I believe that Bush was and is a lazy, feckless,
brittle, cowardly sonofabitch, and that his pattern of arrests
(whatever the number is), his drug abuse, and his constant need to
have Daddy and friends step in to save him show his true nature --
I see it reflected in his actions as President -- but when his
performance as President over the past 4 years is so obviously
horrid, why make people take two steps when one would do?
Hammering at Bush's record, how his actions have hurt Americans NOW
and could keep hurting the country in the future, and contrasting
that with the way Kerry and Edwards can be much more effective and
responsible, is crucial. How many Americans were personally
affected by Bush's carousing in the 70s? Very few. How many are
affected by his dishonest, incompetent handling of foreign policy
and economics? A fucking multitude. The shit Bush got up to as a
young man may have some connection with the shit he's getting up to
now, but this line of attack is a waste of time and energy and
could lead to a mixture of disgust and sympathy among those few,
precious undecided voters, or those only marginally supporting
Kerry.
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