What are Bush's Vulnerabilities?

[ewagner]

What do you think are the most effective arguments to be used against Bush, both now and during the campaign season?

What topics should be kept front and center in the media?

Who will keep those topics front and center?

this is intended to be a brain-storming session and all ideas are welcomed.

[Javneh]

1. some topics

captain awol
treasongate
wmd lies
bait and switch on iraq
environmental policy (remember we can't have forest fires if we cut down all the forests)

[Iverson]

2. dead American young people

n/t

[Wickerman]

3. I honestly can't think of strengths

but for whatever reason the media is unable to expose the hollow center that is covered by his cotton candy shell.

[Mairead]

4. He's still in office.

[NNN0LHI]

5. His avoiding Vietnam with help from his daddy n/t

[ewagner]

6. Let's try this....

What is dubya's LIE OF THE DAY?

What can he be hammered on right now?

on edit: Example: The UN Resolution was a Great Victory for Bush.

It was window dressing. It doesn't do anything to bring an international presence into Iraq. It doesn't defray the costs. It only states broad principles that almost anyone can agree to.

How can that message be hammered home?

[ShimokitaJer]

7. the fact that his head is up his ass

But if you want specifics:

tax cuts for the rich
lies on Iraq
cutting of veterans benefits
sweet deals to crony companies
encouraging international terrorism
cutting child-related programs like Head Start
failing to fund the "compassionate" programs he touts
rolling back environmental initiatives
decreasing corporate accountability
insisting that all restrictions on corporations be "voluntary"
thinking God talks to him (if you think this is actually an advantage, you don't know many Christians)

How's that?

[Malva Zebrina]

8. the biggest vulnerability of Bush

is his overblown ego. If his "manhood" is continually attacked he will eventually break. If he is continually referred to as the village idiot, he will eventually break--and if it is at all inferred that he is just a puppet man following orders from someone else, he will be enraged that he is not being viewed as the greatest president ever to steal an electionl. I really think that he will blow it if these types of themes are continually used against him--he cannot stand to be viewed as "ordinary dumb" for he does not think he is "ordinary"--he was brought up by an equally dumb failed one term president and his grotesque wife, to think he is extra-ordinary (because, first of all, he is rich) and now he is at the test and failing--harp on it--it will force him into defensiveness and eventually he will blow it.

[stanwyck]

12. Absolutely!

You have hit the essence here of his soft underbelly. This administration (Rove) has decided to portray Bush as The Warrior. He will protect us. He is the ONLY one who can protect us. It's a sham. It needs to be exposed. Borrowing a flight suit, moving a carrier so the coastline doesn't show, and landing on a jet when a helicopter would suffice, does not make an AWOL pampered child a warrior. This is Rovian mythic tactics. Bush as Warrior King. Talking like a particularly dim 5th grader does not mean he's a "straight-talkin" guy. It means he is severely limited. Take the gloves off, everybody. We're the Warriors. We're the Patriots. Prepare for battle.

[ima_sinnic]

19. yes, yes, absolutely, & in addition, his "spiritual savior" delusion

. . . he honestly believes he is on a God-appointed mission to beat back the evil Satan (of Islam, I presume, though of course he wants to appear "PC" and wouldn't come out and say it exactly that way). That needs to be exposed and ridiculed for the baloney that it is.

[area51]

9. "What are Bush's Vulnerabilities?"

The economy. Millions are unemployed in this George W. Hoover Depression. People are going to vote their wallets and vote the lying sack of sh*t out.

[youngred]

10. LIES, TIES and DIES

bad english but a good plan.

Lies:
September 11th
Reasons for War in Iraq
Tax Cuts
His Record (on Vietnam, on Drug Use)

Ties:
To Halliburton
To Harken
To Enron
To Al Qaeda
To the Nazis (familial)

Deaths:
3,000 dead on September 11th, where was he
300+ in Iraq
Thousands killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Toss in the economy and you've got him beat

[sangh0]

18. Very good! My suggestion

would be to concentrate more on themes than issues. I would link the "lies" and "ties" under "attack Bush*'s credibility", which is Issue #1

Issue#2 is "He's not one of us", which would follow from the ties section (along with repeating points about his tax cuts for the rich lies) and that would emphasize that his policies are for "them" (the rich and connected) and not for "us" (working families"). This part would be mostly about Bush* domestic policies (civil rights, gay rights, the environment, health care, unemployment, labor, etc)

Issue #3 comes into play once the first two start paying off. Issue #3 would be "Bush* weakens our security", or for short "Exploit people's fear". The issues you list in your "dies" section would be included here as well as Bush*'s underfunding of Domestic Security, as well as others.

[youngred]

27. I very much agree

your added points are an excellent way of going about it.

Gradually undermining his credibility and watch the poll numbers free fall. We have a year to destroy him and that's a goodly amount of time

[dreissig]

11. He Fails At Everything

Bush's policies have been disastrous. You have to search far and wide to find something he's initiated that has succeeded. His tax cut for the wealthy didn't improve the economy. His war on Iraq didn't make America safe from terrorism.

America has grown significantly coarser with him in the White House. And let's never forget that he didn't win the election. The Republicans cheated.

[Cocoa]

15. Sept. 11 happened on his watch

dems have to be careful about bringing this up, but I just saw Gary Ackerman do it on TV and he didn't get struck by lightning.

He was on some cable show debating with Dana Rohrbacher, and when Rohrbacher started blaming Clinton for the attacks, Ackerman jumped on it. When Ackerman pointed out that it happened on Bush's watch, Rohrbacher looked like he'd been slapped, he didn't have a response.

[Cat Atomic]

13. EVERYTHING. Even the usual scare tactics can be used against

him now. Considering that his fraudulent war has increased Al Qaeda recruitment.

[Faygo Kid]

14. None - he will steal the election

Doesn't mean I won't go down fighting. He has a supine media, spends all his time fundraising and lining up the power brokers, and will assure his re-election through whatever it takes - and a second term will be the nail in the coffin for this nation. The worst president, the most dangerous man ever to hold the office (and I remember Nixon). He will stop at nothing. And neither will his minions, Cheney, Project for a New American Century, talk radio, Fox, et al. Wish I could be optimistic, but simply can't. So many on this forum expect him to play by the rules; don't lose that optimism, but be realistic, as well. What honesty has he shown us so far? In the immortal words of Al Jolson, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, folks.

[Brian Sweat]

16. He tends to drop his left.

[Cocoa]

17. Credibility gap

there are so many lies, going back to Bush's 2000 campaign, through today, it's just a matter of organizing them into a total indictment.

Establish Bush as a liar, then Bush's own arguments don't work as well, they'll look like a liar trying to cover himself.

[sangh0]

22. That is Issue#1, IMO

.

[ima_sinnic]

20. unemployment, and outsourcing of jobs

so many Americans are struggling now and desperate to find work--what do the cheap-labor Republicans do about it? send the work to India and other countries! If nothing else resonates with Joe 6-Pack, it's gotta be his wallet. Even people who "don't care" if Bush lied DO care if they don't have a job!

[CBHagman]

21. His direct financial gain from pursuing particular tax cuts.

I can't believe the press is too lazy to zero in on this. We were treated to months of speculation about the Clintons' departure from the White House, and now that Bush is spending YEARS lining his own pockets, the silence is deafening.

Publish what Bush is likely to save due to all the tax cuts passed in recent years and look at the total. Compare it with the pre-tax income of working stiffs who are watching their state and local taxes and fees rise.

Start talking about the inheritance tax abolition (no, it's not "getting rid of the death tax," it's abolishing the inheritance tax) and what that's going to do to Bush's precious "armies of compassion."

And in addition to all of that, we can focus on how people in his circle of financial supporters gain very directly from administration policies (i.e., Enron, Halliburton, mining interests, etc.).

[lovedems]

23. I have a good one!

The days after 9/11 we had the support of virtually the entire world. (I say virtually because there were muslim extremist groups who supported and celebrated Bin Laden's actions) We had the MOST OF THE WORLD ready to stand with America, they mourned our loss and recognized the need to address terrorists, we could've asked for anything from any country. WITHIN ONE YEAR THAT SUPPORT WAS GONE!!!!! In one year we went from having the world behind us to having the world against us. He squandered the good will of all the other nations by pointing the finger at countries who didn't go along with the misadministrations message. He lied about other countries involvment with Iraq in attempts to discredit those who questioned his motives and (CIA) intelligence. It is no wonder our nation has a credibility problem with the biggest liar in the world holding the most powerful position. In short, Bush managed to take a tragedy such as 9/11 and the good will the rest of the world was showing us and RUIN IT. He did it all in less than a year and attempted to make the UN look like fools in the process.

[Wetzelbill]

24. I would love to hear a candidate stand up in a debate and say:

"On August 6th 2001, you recieved a presidential briefing from the CIA entitled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike U.S" and it mentioned the hijacking of planes. Your solution to combating this problem was to take a vacation and twiddle your thumbs while the biggest breach in our nation's security ever was about to occur. Since then you have fought to keep this briefing a secret and have profitted immensely both politically and financially from this security breach that you did nothing to stop. So are you really that stupid and inept or are you just loathsomely corrupt?"

[haymaker]

25. Like I'd tell you.

pshaaa.

[11 Bravo]

26. Foreign policy and domestic policy.

Oh yeah, he's also a fucking idiot.

[ewagner]

28. Wow!

Thanks everybody. That's a great discussion. I'll be saving this for future reference.

[proud patriot]

29. National Security

Evironment
Foriegn Policy
Domestic Policy

Face it he 100% WEAK !