How is Bush likable?

[fujiyama]

I hear this a lot -- that Bush is "likeable". How the hell is this the case? I personally find him arrogant and obnoxious, and way in over his head in a job he hasn't a clue how to handle. He's inept, and worst of all he seems to have shown little interest in the world around him (before the (s)election and after)...On economic policy (according to O'Neal's book) he made it clear he waas "bored" . When it comes to foreign policy, he seems to parrot simplistic phrases and two syllabul words repeatedly (like "madman" over and over again).

So, what is it? Does he come across as "trustworthy"? How is he an "everyman"? His family is about as monied as it comes. Is this a media notion, that has stuck to people, even though it's BS? This seems to have been created during the '00 campaign, where Gore was a "liar", and he "invented the internet", blah blah blah...

So, how can we dispel this myth? I post this in this forum, because we may have Kerry going against him and he's know as aloof and boring.

We need to attack this phony likability Bullshit now!

[lcordero]

1. the smirkmeister? I don't think so

I've seen some comments on the internet about him having an uncontrollable smirk, and supposedly, his handlers limit access to him because of it.

[Syrinx]

2. I've wondered that myself

He seems like an obnoxious asshole to me. I want to strangle Begala whenever he "concedes" that Bush is a nice guy. Unbelievable.

[corporatewhore]

3. my friends mom worked for houston chronicle hates bush but had dinnerw/him

and found him to be likeable and funny like an old college friend who hasnt totally grown outta the classclown role she told me this and then afterwords she said she felt dirty

[Crunchy Frog]

15. It is a very well known phenomenon

that psychopaths tend to be very charming and personable. Therefore, I'm not surprised that your friends mom had that experience.

Molly Ivins has said as much about what he's like in person.

[unblock]

4. marketing. repeat it enough and it is marketing truth.

this is how he is a good christian, a moral man, a man of character, etc.

he is all this simply and exactly because the mightly wurlitzer so often repeats these assertions. invariably without basis, but repeated so often that people come to accept it. after all, if the people who know him well think so highly of him, how could it be otherwise?

to dispel the myth, we either need a mighty wurlitzer of our own (hah!) or we need an insider, a republican to blow the lid off the story, in a sensational fashion. no ordinary tale can shake an image so long in creation.

[david_vincent]

5. He's a snob

and he's suffering terribly from never having been punched in the nose by another kid while growing up.

[MurikanDemocrat]

6. Beats me.I can't stand to listen to him

I saw liar written all over his face the moment he entered the 2000 race, and I didn't know what an obnoxious asshole he was yet.

[mb7588a]

7. Idea!

If your daily orders include "applaud for the President here, at this, this this this this this and this time."

Seems to work well for him.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. Ask Howard Dean

"Dean: Beating George Bush is not going to be an easy task. He’s a likable guy" http://www.txtriangle.com/archive/1049/coverstory.htm

[MrSlayer]

9. Because he speaks like a regular Joe.

He has this "down home" way about him that makes people comfortable. He says "folks" and "fellers" and "Nukular". It seems strange to us because we know how foul his policies are and how fucked up as a human he is but the average person who doesn't give two shits about politics sees him as some great leader. Most people in this country wouldn't even realize he was making grammatical errors or would even recognize the words he mispronounces. Most people are simple and they connect with simple.

[aeon flux]

13. I think Dean has that regular joe appeal as well

He is down-to-earth in his tone and mannerisms. I find it easy to relate to a guy like Dean. Dean would give Bush a run for his money in a personality contest. Dean is not another Gore or Kerry in this sense.

Though I would argue that Gore is better than Kerry in the likeablity department since Gore has the folksy southern drawl going for him and at times a brilliant sense of humor. His youthful looks don't hurt either.

Among the three, Kerry is the loser in the personality contest. Kerry simply lacks charm. He often comes off as cold and humorless IMO.

[Festivito]

21. One identifies with a bumbler made king. Like a movie.

Despite good script writers, his presidency is not a movie, the ending cannot be contrived.

No matter how this movie ends we will be told that we liked it.

[Blue_State_Elitist]

10. well...

Idiots tend to like idiots. To an idiot, Bush the drunk stupid fuck, is like a best friend. To anyone capable of rational thought, Bush is completely unlikeable and most likely deplorable.

[Kurovski]

11. decades as a wealthy alcoholic hanging out in bars,

mixing with all kinds of folks gives one certain social skills. Not to mention manipulative skills, as anyone who is, or knows an alcoholic may attest. ( If some choose to see this as "political skill": so be it.)

Some used car dealers have this quality. I met a real estate agent who was friendly and likeable and an absolute nasty shit as well.

[4morewars]

12. He doesn't shed ????

that's all i can come up with

[Crunchy Frog]

14. I honest to God don't know

how anybody can find Bush to be likeable. I'm to the point where I can't even stand to see him on TV or hear him speak. I hate his arrogant smirk, and the way he swaggers around. He actually makes me feel violated to tell the truth.

It does however seem that a substantial portion of the American public do find him likeable. I find this incomprehensible, but I think it says a great deal about what sort of people we are in this country, and the conclusions are not comforting.

It may be that the American people are so vulnerable to media manipulation that they will actually like someone just because the media tells them that they do. I dunno. :shrug:

I just know that this country is in a very sad state, and I am really depressed.

I agree that Kerry is aloof and boring, but he's a hell of alot more likeable than Bush. Edwards might however be the stronger candidate against Bush because he is really likeable and charismatic, and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't even like him.

Kerry is clearly more qualified to run the country, especially in light of the complex international situation, however, I don't think that is the basis on which most people vote.

[JasonBerry]

16. We probably be asking

We probably should be asking the other 50% why they find him likable. I hear it a lot from people and they just all think he's one of them. Not!

[spooky3]

24. good point, but I'll take a stab anyway

They see him as the "underdog" they want to root for, and if they are paying any attention to politics, any evil actions can easily be attributed to behind the scenes people. While people like people who are intelligent but socially skilled or funny, they are extremely harsh with people who are just intelligent. Who wants to hang out with a bunch of Jeopardy winners?

I agree with the person who talked about the power of marketing to people who are not really paying much attention to causes and effects.

Why is he perceived as an "underdog"? Because these people believe that Clinton lucked out with the economy; just as it was tanking their poor * entered the office. So they feel sorry for him that he is being "unfairly blamed." Then, they feel a great deal of sympathy for his being hit with 9-11, and they believe the media telling them that Clinton knew about Osama for years and didn't do what he should have done to stop Osama. So once again, the underdog has been saddled with negative consequences dumped on him, and "you gotta like" (and not expect much from) the guy who struggles to overcome them.

[saoirse]

17. In no way whatsoever

:P

[Michael Harrington]

18. We had to suffer the same junk with Reagan.

All of that "Common touch" horseshit. Like the man wrote above: idiots like idiots.

But not when an idiot cost them their job, which is why he's toast this year.

[Barad Simith]

19. And the correct answer is:

He's not likable, and most conservatives secretly know it. They have the same "anyone but a Democrat" attitude that WE have with our "anyone but Bush" attitude.

Believe me, if Kerry gets the nomination, I'll be holding my nose in the voting booth as I vote for him, but outside the booth I'll be preaching him like a televangelist preaches the collection plate. It's not as hypocritical as it may sound, because compared to Bush: Kerry or any of the Democratic candidates are as likable as they come.

[moondust]

20. Non-threatening to dim bulbs.

NOBODY has to worry about him talking over their head.

[bearfartinthewoods]

22. how do we change a mind?

i'm in this position. i have relatives, DEM relatives who say they like him and will vote for him.

issue oriented support for him...that i can deal with but how do you make someone dislike what they now like?

[Crunchy Frog]

23. It genuinely mystifies me

how someone calling themselves a Dem could find W likeable. I'm not trying to attack your relatives, I'm just really curious about what it is that they find appealing about him. Maybe if we understood the psychology better, we might find some more effective ways to combat it.

I think that this is an important phenomena to try to understand.

Thank you, and I hope I'm not being impertinent.:)

[bearfartinthewoods]

26. not all all! i'm mystified myself

since they came "out" a couple weeks ago, things have been tense and disussions difficult but i have been wracking my brain for clues from previous discussions.

it seems to be tied to the 'regular guy' schtick. in particular, the carrier landing. when i went ballistic about that, they said i was nuts because if i thought any guy wouldn't want to do what he did, i was the nutty one. they didn't see him as cocky but saw him as realizing he was one lucky summagun to get a chance to ride in a jet.

there is the disconnect. what i see as sappy and arrogant, they see as 'regular guy". also, they know he comes from eastern money but they don't see him as 'smelling' of it. the low key house, the lack of "hotey-toytey friends" (and i think that means hollywood" all these things make them comfortable with him.

[Lefta Dissenter]

25. Face it,

if you have your head up your ass, it's difficult to see that others have their head up their ass, as well.

(I do hope that this isn't the day my dad decides to check out DU!) :scared: