What bothers you the most about George W. Bush?

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

Poll question: What bothers you the most about George W. Bush?

I ask this as somewhat of a thought experiment. I was wondering, if Bush were a Democrat, who embraced wholly liberal Democratic policies, would he be the same thorn in the side of good government that he is today? What I mean is, is it Bush's right-wing policies that you abhor, or is it his demeanor, his approach to governance, his moral outlook?

[sellitman]

1. All of the above and more!

The best part of bush the lesser dribbled down Barbara's legs.

[mahina]

8. Well that is disgusting.

bleh.

[sellitman]

29. But actually ...

It is the sad truth. Look at the posts here and we all say the same thing. Maybe I'm just a bit more descriptive, but that's it. Never in my 48 years has anyone ever deserved the foul descriptions this turd does.

Never

[mahina]

33. No argument here,

the man is a walking obscenity.
Selling suffering, death,debt and worst of all failure, wrapped up with a shiny "FREEDOM" ribbon.

[two gun sid]

2. The fact that he is ..

still breathing and living in the White House really gets on my nerves.

[Crunchy Frog]

3. Both one and two.

I don't think they are mutually exclusive. His character and moral outlook play into his policies. I don't believe that a person of decent character would carry out the sorts of policies that Bush does. I don't believe that someone who embraced liberal Democratic policies would have the same sort of moral outlook that Bush has.

Policies ultimately spring out of character and moral outlook.

[Coastie for Truth]

5. A person can be both a person of faith and a progressive!

They are not mutually exclusive. The Bible speaks more about justice and the poor and the sick then about banning gay marriage or stopping abortions.

This present fundie evangelical (and chasidic) concentration on (obsession with) other people's sex to the exclusion of justice, the poor, and the sick is a temporary blasphemous and heretical aberration.

Bush has just fallen prey to the "dark side of the force" (or, in fundie talk, he is possessed by demons)

[Crunchy Frog]

13. I agree with you. Did I say anything to suggest otherwise?

I certainly hope I didn't because it wasn't my intention. I don't regard Bush as being a person of faith, rather, one who exploits religion in order to manipulate people politically. I don't believe that being a person of faith is part of his character or moral outlook, and that wasn't what I intended to suggest.

I am not a person of faith myself, but I completely respect people who are. I try not to confuse paying lip service to it for political gain with the real thing though.

[Coastie for Truth]

15. Absolutely not - my copy of Rev Jim Wallis' book arrived today.

:hi: (And I'm not even a Christian)

[Crunchy Frog]

16. Could you tell me more about the book?

I'm not sure that I've heard of it, (there's so many to keep track of these days) but you've piqued my interest.:hi:

[Coastie for Truth]

17. Rev Jim Wallis' book is entitled

God's Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
by Jim Wallis.

The Amazon review is

Since when did believing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and pro-Republican? And since when did promoting and pursuing a progressive social agenda with a concern for economic security, health care, and educational opportunity mean you had to put faith in God aside?

While the Right in America has hijacked the language of faith to prop up its political agenda -- an agenda not all people of faith support -- the Left hasn't done much better, largely ignoring faith and continually separating moral discourse and personal ethics from public policy. While the Right argues that God's way is their way, the Left pursues an unrealistic separation of religious values from morally grounded political leadership. The consequence is a false choice between ideological religion and soulless politics.

The effect of this dilemma was made clear in the 2004 presidential election. The Democrats' miscalculations have left them despairing and searching for a way forward. It has become clear that someone must challenge the Republicans' claim that they speak for God, or that they hold a monopoly on moral values in the nation's public life. Wallis argues that America's separation of church and state does not require banishing moral and religious values from the public square. In fact, the very survival of America's social fabric depends on such values and vision to shape our politics -- a dependence the nation's founders recognized.

God's Politics offers a clarion call to make both our religious communities and our government more accountable to key values of the prophetic religious tradition -- that is, make them pro-justice, pro-peace, pro-environment, pro-equality, pro-consistent ethic of life (beyond single issue voting), and pro-family (without making scapegoats of single mothers or gays and lesbians). Our biblical faith and religious traditions simply do not allow us as a nation to continue to ignore the poor and marginalized, deny racial justice, tolerate the ravages of war, or turn away from the human rights of those made in the image of God. These are the values of love and justice, reconciliation, and community that Jesus taught and that are at the core of what many of us believe, Christian or not. In the tradition of prophets such as Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and Desmond Tutu, Wallis inspires us to hold our political leaders and policies accountable by integrating our deepest moral convictions into our nation's public life.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060558288/qid=1107835311/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4637186-1523913?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

It's a good read - especially if MLK,Jr was a part of your "coming of age."

[Crunchy Frog]

30. Sounds really interesting.

I'll have to check it out, even though MLK Jr was well before I reached the age of political awareness.:)

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

25. Of course they can. A lot of us are living proof.

[Swamp Rat]

4. Both n/t

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. His policies, his behaviour..

his decided LACK of character, the fact that he can't bloody SPEAK without sounding like some sort of brain-damage case, his holier-than-thou religious extremism...almost everything about the man bothers me.

[tsuki]

7. Everything. I have lived through Ike, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon,

Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and now the Silver-Spooned Jackass of All Time.

I have never been able not to watch the president, whether I agree with him or not. I cannot watch or listen to Bushlette. I heard his voice and it is like fingernails grating across a chalk board.

My family watched Silver City and I could not.

Never have I felt for anyone what I feel for this thing.

[greenbriar]

9. both!!! ALL OF THE ABOVE

I just hate that smarmy fucker


even if he were not president I would hate him

[onecent]

14. amen tsuki. n/t

[Martin Eden]

42. Hackles

When I see or hear the thing to which you refer, I have a visceral reaction equivalent to the hairs on the back of my dog when she senses something that doesn't belong.

At times I've been able to make a conscious effort to control my reaction and watch the thing on television, but the conscious mind that makes this effort is also keenly aware of exactly why these emotional hackles are a healthy and appropriate reaction to the thing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. The fact that he even exists

repulses me.

Why do we even have to share oxygen with him? :mad:

He is a despicable creature.

[mahina]

11. It's the lies that get me.

He could have done everything he has but said he was doing it, and I could have tolerated it.
"We need the oil, we're going to Iraq"
"Air pollution protection is about to be cut here folks, so get used to it"
"Public education? Why support that?"
"See, this whole Social Security deal is just too generous. I think we should cut benefits by 40% while increasing the debt by 4.5 trillion....OK?"
And I could choke it down. It's the lies. And the propaganda that has pitted neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother, coworker against coworkern based on who believes in fairy tales.
It makes me so god damned mad I could spit. And I am a loving person.

[MNDEM2004]

45. I agree

Never have we the American people been lied to more. How could anyone vote for this monster! Is he the anti-Christ?:evilgrin:

[proud patriot]

12. I voted other ... The people who support him bother me the most

x(

[omega minimo]

18. OTHER: The fact that he wasn't elected

twice.


:wtf: :nuke:

[cidliz2004]

19. He's breathing

[journalist3072]

20. Everything Bothers Me About Him!!!!!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

21. his complete lack of humility for having never paid his dues in life

and having everything handed to his smarmy little ass on a platter by daddy

[me b zola]

22. It's the fascism that bothers me

How can policy & character be separated? Name another fascist that you could divorce character & policy.

.Hitler; hate that Auschwitz thing, but the people just love him!

[jjtss]

23. His character and behavior...

dictates and shapes his agenda and policies. He is a typical sociopathic personality and would with less wealth and connections be a social criminal(murderer, robber). With his wealth and connections he manages to commit his crimes with impunity. None dare call it treason.

[Blue_In_AK]

24. I can't even respond to this

Everything about him is so repugnant to me.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. His pedigree.

[napi21]

27. You stated it just right!

I've always detested dynasties, kingdoms, or those things that describe royalty. I didn't like GHWB, but I didn't hate him. I have asked myself why. I hated the arrogance when he first announced he was running, and that he would win because he a;ready had raised so much money! That arrogance continues today, and the media doesn't help when they talk about Poppy, W, and maybe Jeb next!

[Martin Eden]

43. Yeah, he was born on third base

and thinks he hit a triple

[borlis]

28. All of the above!!!

:puke::puke::puke:

[Rapcw]

31. I would say the fact that he smirks when he's talking about death and

destruction n/t

[ComerPerro]

32. He is an arrogant jerk

And, he has no right to be arrogant about anything. The man has never worked a day in his life.

[Stop_the_War]

34. If there was a "BOTH" option I would choose it n/t

[Lisa]

35. a combination ...

Though I picked the policies option. I've met plenty of people who have his world-view (such as it is). Some of them can be just as (or even more) obnoxious in terms of personal behaviour. And, to be fair to George W., I also know some unpleasant left-wingers, who are arrogant and manipulative.

But what makes him particularly dangerous is that he's in office and has power over people's lives. It would be bad enough if he were on city council, but at least then the damage he could do would be limited to a single municipality. By himself, he's not really a threat. (Even I could outrun him!) But backed by a powerful, wealthy organization, with an obedient press in tow -- it's a deadly combination.

If Bush were around in the 1930s Soviet Union, I could imagine him fitting right in with the Stalinists. Dare I say, the same for the fascists in Germany. For all his "freedom" talk, I believe he would have gone along with the most powerful group, that promised to make life easy for him and his friends -- and if it meant anti-democratic actions, fine with him. (We already know he supports that kind of thing.) I know he's portrayed himself as a bit of a rebel, but his past behaviour during the Vietnam era suggests he's a conformist. (Happy to take advantage of a liberalized society, but a "free-rider" in that he wouldn't stick his neck out for it, unlike Clinton or Kerry.) Bush only started with the "morality" talk when he wanted to get elected.

His tendency to be a bully (acquired early in childhood, with his mom's encouragement?), along with a defensive mentality about entitlements, a dislike of thinking too deeply, and a right-wing "the heck with everyone else" ideology, tend to reinforce each other. It makes him more stable and consistent (which in some people's eyes is a big attraction).

Could there be a leftist equivalent to Bush? Possibly. One guy I now claims that Michael Moore is it. I agree on a few of the points, but I think Moore is more open and self-critical, and has more respect for civil society.

http://www.thetyee.ca/NR/exeres/F69FFFCA-C80D-40F6-A2E8-B09E04A1275E,08719391-A5A1-482A-9323-64DF21A7F7B8,frameless.htm

The moderate-left "Bushalikes" I've seen in local politics are all being kept in check by smart, alert people who keep them accountable. Either that, or their natural incompetence and laziness prevents them from getting too far up the hierarchy (and enough folks are wise to them by now that they probably won't get help in the next election).

p.s. Good question, LWM. If I walked into a local progressives gathering and saw a guy who looked and acted just like a pre-2000 Bush, but claimed to be a Democrat, what would I think? I'd like to believe that his attitude would send up a few red flags (he doesn't seem to have a high opinion of the general public, judging by his informal remarks). Not knowing the fine points of Democratic ideology wouldn't be as bad as his not seeming to care about people's problems, though. And his habit of dodging work and responsibility would be a definite turn-off for those of us who'd end up holding the bag! On a personal level, I imagine we could talk about mystery novels and such, but I wouldn't accept a lift home from him after the meeting.

[Greylyn58]

36. Everything about him is obscene!!

He is a sorry excuse for a human being.

:mad: :grr:

[DemGirl7]

37. All of the above...

His policies are evil in nature...and he is one of the most smug, arrogant twits I've ever saw... and It just annoys me!!!

[Bake]

38. Oh geez, don't get me started!

How 'bout, All Of The Above! And THEN some!

Bake

[Ironpost]

39. despicable bastard I say

[independentchristian]

40. Other

The people around him, because he doesn't set the agenda. He doesn't even know how to spell it.

Without his circle, he'd be impotent.

[MNDEM2004]

47. Not a one man show!

He gathered his flock.

[Ironpost]

41. The fact he is a lying no good sob

need I say more.

[Ronnie]

44. I could put up with his character & behavior

(well, I'd probably only throw up once a day)if his policies and agenda were more humane. But I guess his lack of humanity flows from his lack of character. As to his behavior... Words fail.

[Clark2008]

46. I picked his policies, but his character and behavior definitely

disturb me.
The man is twisted. He tries to claim piousness, yet does the exact opposite of what a pious man would do. He's the ruler of the "free" world, yet he comes across as trailer park trash.

I think it's the whole package. I can't even listen to Dear Leader anymore without puking.

[Raised_In_The_Wild]

48. His morals and charachter are completely absent, with his brain,

therefore no problem. The man, if considered only in the context of his private humanity, is laughable. However, his fascist domestic policy and his insidious evil war profiteering foreign policy, are ever present, and therein lies the problem.

[eridani]

49. Both, obviously

We had to hear the Dean Scream 600 times, but the Sociopath in Chief punching his fist in the air and saying "Feel good!" on BBC right before announcing the invasion of Iraq doesn't get repeated here even once.