WP: The Bush Brigade, Without a Doubt

[kskiska]

DERRY, N.H.

George W. Bush struts in to teen-idol shrieks. They are piercing and unprompted by any warm-up speaker -- only by the presence of the president himself.

Bush events are not ambivalent. Ambivalence is a Kerry thing, Bushies say. They mock Kerry's hedged explanations, evolving positions, staff shake-ups. You won't find any of that here. There is no ambivalence about anything -- about Kerry being unfit to be president or Bush being worthy or that his reelection is inevitable. "If John Kerry were here today and experienced this, John Kerry would vote for Bush," says Warren Klecan, of Lebanon, N.H.

Such is the thick aura of certainty at a Bush event. It's just a question of being here, amid the signs, shrieks and swagger. The president walks into the gymnasium with shoulders hunched and elbows out, like he's waiting for his Right Guard to dry. He is confident, his staff is confident and his events are confident affairs.

It could be dangerous if confidence were to spill into cockiness, which could become complacency. So Bush and his surrogates always emphasize that this will be a very close election. "We've said for two years that this country is closely divided and that this is going to be a close race," says campaign spokesman Reed Dickens. He adds that the "president has given orders that this campaign should function as if it's 10 points behind."

Which doesn't mean they actually believe that.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39938-2004Sep21.html

[librechik]

1. "I know we're going to win," the president said

in St. Cloud, Minn., last week. "That's not just happy talk."


DIEBOLD

[flordehinojos]

7. I so absolutely agree. They have the elections all rigged.

Bush boy is going to win. he knows that. he knows that his scum of the earth pop and brother and those they have now recruited will do that for him. they will make sure that he scores a victory. you see, losing, is, for the bushes a capital offense and they know they can recruit enough scum and rely on untold lies to just get their way, in the dirtiest vote-steal and power grab possible in the history of this country.

[henslee]

15. I fucking dare them to steal it again.

[DS1]

20. If the elections were rigged, do you think Bush would really

"exert" himself this much?

[leQ]

23. in one word: absolutely!

how else would you expect the cocky son of a bitch to act?

[leesa]

26. Of course! It's all about the illusion of him being popular

They paid lots of money for polls that show it is a close race so that they can justify the theft. If they were true polls, he would be at 32% which is his usual base.

[flordehinojos]

30. His Grandmother ,DOROTHY WALKER ,(Poppy Bush's mother) used to say,

"WIN AT ALL COST, BUT NEVER APPEAR TO WANT TO WIN" ........

.............
the
bushes
all

have
her
act

downpat

and they
have learned
to play it
well!

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[shockingelk]

2. Bush is the Pope of Pop!

Screaming teens ... fainting mothers ... the tears of brave men!

[opihimoimoi]

3. He is the Michael Jackson of Politics...all makeup

[Kierkegaard]

18. LOL!

At first glance, I though you had typed 'farting mothers.' Got my morning giggle at that.

OK, I'm easily amused.

[JSJ]

4. only the heaviest screened audiences welcomed nt

[AndyTiedye]

6. and any Dems who get through the screening...

...are immediately arrested at the first sign of an anti-Bush* utterance.

[Avalon Sparks]

5. Oh man...

When I see stuff like this...


If John Kerry were here today and experienced this, John Kerry would vote for Bush," says Warren Klecan, of Lebanon, N.H.


I forget about the issues, the damaging legislation and executive orders this administration has pushed through, and the possibility of the retirement of Supreme Court justices in the next four years and I resort to just wanting Kerry to win to wipe the freaking arrogance off the faces of assho's like Warren Klecan.

[cally]

24. My laugh of the morning

I react the same way to the arrogance.

[leftchick]

8. any mention of the event's "pre-screening" requirement?

I am not registered at WP but I would guess this reporter failed to mention that little tidbit. Much like Hitler aWol* will only be seen in front of flag waving, blindly screaming little soldiers.

[Roy]

13. Yes...

"hypersensitive electorate. "I'm going to answer questions," he says, "which is kind of a New Hampshire tradition, if I remember correctly. And it's a great tradition." Indeed, he actually does take questions, just an everyday leader of the free world getting his feet held to the fire by prescreened, ticket-holding supporters.

As he likes to do, Bush calls on preselected members of the audience by name and they talk about how various parts of the Bush agenda -- such as his tax cuts -- have helped them personally. In general, Bush is at his bantering best in these events. But there is a slightly rushed, disjointed quality to this day's exchanges.

[UpInArms]

17. do these "writers" puke in their coffee

as they pen this crap?

[yellowcanine]

29. "Bush calls on preselected members of the audience by name." Heh

Even with a prescreened audience Bush does not trust them to ask questions he can answer. They still haven't figured out the boy emperor is naked. Amazing.

[LynnTheDem]

9. Brownshirts loved Hitler, too

You have to truly be a deeply stupid person to want anything to do with the bushCartel.

[farmbo]

10. Just once...open Bush's events to the American Public...I dare you

...and his 'swagger' will turn into a 'stagger'.

[Justice]

11. Indeed

[Mad_Dem_X]

21. EXACTLY!!!

Get him in front of a REAL audience, not a bunch of pre-screened drones, and see how he handles himself then. Dammit, I can't wait for the debates! :bounce:

[waywest]

28. As much as I agree with the results of a debate...

I don't have much expectations. These "debates" will be a disneyland
"Great Moments of Mr Lincoln" and nothing more. I think I'll watch Columbo.

[liveoaktx]

12. bwhahahahah-*like he's waiting for his Right Guard to dry* =so THAT

ezplains it!

[girl gone mad]

19. He needs to wait a bit longer.

[sofa king]

14. "We've said for two years that this country is closely divided"

Flush goes another campaign promise.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/05/06/bush/

[snippy]

32. Exactly. If Bush is a uniter, why is the country divided? n/t

[JoFerret]

16. I am glad they are picking up

on the staged pre-digested Nuremburg-rally-esque quality of these so called stump events. hand-picked adoring audience, hand-picked reporters. All canned, all the time. Bubble boy in his own narcissistic fantasy BushWorld.

[Mad_Dem_X]

22. Good way of putting it

He lives in his own little fantasy world.

[Chelsea Patriot]

25. Hubris, Honey, Hubris!

[leesa]

27. Did they say how many were there? Usually they omit this little item

because his turn-out numbers to these little pre-arranged affairs are low. I don't want to register at the Post, sorry.

[Rose Siding]

31. Noonan can SHOVE her "American EXCEPTIONALISM"!

Peggy Noonan, the former Reagan and Bush I speechwriter who is advising the Bush-Cheney campaign, says in an e-mail that the confidence of the Bush campaign reflects an entrenched temperament of "American exceptionalism" among many Republicans. Republican conservatives, she says, "are not ambivalent about their country, its meaning, its special and ordained nature. Demos of our era have lost that sureness, or faith. They're not sure what America is anymore, and it shows. Conviction beats ambivalence every time."

How pathetically, DANGEROUSLY insecure must one be to demand that others be less in order to distinguish oneself?

[progressivebydesign]

33. This is from the Onion, right????

No warm-up speaker?? Wow.. guess the writer missed the audience wranglers that instruct the fans what and how to scream when Bush comes out! I couldn't stomach more of the article, do they mention that you have to sign away your life to attend one of thoe lovefests?

Kerry rallies are exciting, screaming, lovefests.... I can't believe their portraying Bush as some Godlike figure, and Kerry as someone no one wants to see. Am I missing something? Is this satire? Cuz when I see Kerry and Edwards the people go crazy for them!! And... the crowds are overflow capacity in the tens of thousdands...

When did WP become the paper version of Faux News??

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

34. Seig Heil! Seig Heil! ...Bush Brigade, my ass...more like fascism

Unquestioning admiration for authority and nationalistic furvor are two of the key ingredients for FASCISM.

People don't like the comparison, but whether they like it or not...Bush has many of the characteristics seen in Hitler's early political career.

JB