Let's compare the Bush speech at Home Depot to our Dems

[cally]

I'm watching the re-cap on cspan now. I almost never watch * because he makes me sick, literally. I think I need to and try to understand his appeal.

I'll be honest. He speaks in colloguial, down home language that is appealing. He uses simplistic ideas and he seems in charge. I know he lies and his ideas are stupid, but most don't.

I'm worried about some of our Dems. Their ideas are complex and many do not speak hopefully about America and what we can be.


I think we need to become more like Clinton, with his hammering a few ideas and message of hope if we expect to win.

[Field Of Dreams]

1. Eek ... I'm supposed to pass out Clark materials with

some other Clark supporters outside a Home Depot in Baltimore tomorrow.

This Bush visit took place at a Baltimore area Home Depot.

I wonder if it's the same one?

I'll see if I detect the lingering scent of A.W.O.L.

[cally]

4. Bring bug spray

to get rid of the insects. :evilgrin:

[kentuck]

2. You could hand out Clark's speech from today....

He described the incompetent Bush to a tee...

[Zomby Woof]

3. Dope-addled chimpanzee in Aisle 5!

I just will NEVER be able to stand him on my TV for more than .000001 seconds at a time. So I will appreciate any and all recaps and comparisons. :-)

[LandOLincoln]

5. Please tell me I'm not the only one...

who was mortified to see a president of the United States shamelessly shilling for a company?

But you're right about the contrast with the Dems. Dean & Edwards & Kucinich were great (except I cringed at "Imagine"--damn that was schmalzy. "Beautiful Day" OTOH was fucking brilliant.)

Kerry and my man Wes need to lose the bombast and self-aggrandizement and cut to the chase. They both took 'way too long to catch fire.

[burythehatchet]

13. does anyone know if Behr paints is a supporter of the chimp in chief?

Their cans of paint got a big plug

[fairfaxvadem]

6. look at that grip on the mike, too...

He is just a very weird dude. Too weird to be in the White House.

He's got a lot of nerve talking about "junk lawsuit". His complaint in '00 was a junk lawsuit.

These poor Home Depot sops. Glad to be there for what??

[BlueEyedSon]

7. Unfortunately, real issues/problems cannot be addressed

by a solution expressible in a sound bite.

But a sound bite is all most people can understand or have the attention span for.

[candy331]

12. Yes Bush will

be sent out to the average Americans now to try and convince them he gives a rats ass about them. I guess this is part of the 3 million voters strategy being used that will bring them to the party. I sure hope more people are on to him now and I hope those Home Depot workers don't find themselves into downsizing after the Christmas sales figures come in.

[neebob]

8. It's too sickening

and these people who work at Home Depot for god-knows-how little seem to believe he actually gives a shit about them. They're actually thanking him for their poopy little child-tax-credit checks, and he's thinking he did them a favor. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! He makes me sick. I can't even believe the bullshit that's spewing out of his mouth. This is his true personality.

[Sugarbleus]

15. It was a SET...

My daughter works at home depot because THERE ARE NO OTHER DECENT PAYING JOBS.

She IS NOT A REPUBLICAN. She can't stand Bush. Remember, Bush ALWAYS "selects" the people he will schmooz with in any photo op ...even in Iraq on TK.!

Bush is pathetic and shallow. Don't blame the barely making it workers.
;)

[eyesroll]

9. Home Depot does not suffer during recessions

He kept talking about that...how the tax cuts are helping Home Depot.
Home Depot doesn't need help. People still need furnace filters and lawn mowers and paint, recession or not. People probably do more work themselves during recessions, instead of calling a pro.

Small businesses that can't compete with Home Depot's prices suffer during recessions, but you don't see * having a Q&A in front of the neighborhood hardware store.

[cally]

10. He just stumpled the Love Your Neigbor..

How can anyone who has gone to a Christian church more than three times miss that quote.

:eyes:

[Cleita]

11. Yes, our candidates can learn a lot from Clinton.

Why they don't want to use him as a consultant is beyond me.

I couldn't watch Dumbya even there. Did they have fake cartons stacked behind him this time?

[neebob]

14. OK, now I'm ready to think about it

First of all, the Home Depot forum was totally contrived to make the smirk look all down-homey and approachable. Notice the difference between his personality at Home Depot - which I happen to think is close to the real deal, except for the feigned interest in people who are grateful for checks of a few hundred dollars - and in more formal settings where he has to talk the whole time. Most of the time he strikes me as having to concentrate on forming strings of coherent sentences, even when he's reading. Or the thumb-twiddling speech at the UN, where he looked downright scared. I suspect feeling superior to his audience makes a huge difference.

Maybe I'm not representative of the average voting American, but I see nothing appealing in the way the Dubster came off at Home Depot. He's a smug, lying, inarticulate jerk. He must have some intelligence, but it doesn't show. I simply don't get why anyone finds him likeable or attractive. I don't know anyone except maybe my mother who's impressed by this fool, and even she admits to what she calls "a bit of swagger."

As speakers, I'm impressed by Wes Clark and John Kerry, although Kerry strikes me as insincere. In a debate, I believe Clark will eat Bush for lunch. Clark is sincere as well as articulate. Both he and Kerry look very comfortable - sort of like Bush at Home Depot, only with brains.

I haven't seen much of Dean outside of the debates (I missed his speech this afternoon), and I haven't observed this anger everyone is talking about, but from what I have seen he's got some regular-guy action and I can't picture him not looking good against W. Dennis Kucinich I'm afraid would be taken apart. He's still my favorite candidate, but he just doesn't come off as personable or relaxed. He'd shriek something about healing the breach or going through the golden door, and Bush would make fun of it, and it'd be all over.

I don't like Lieberman or Gephardt, and I haven't decided about Edwards, so I won't comment on them.

[T Bone]

16. He's the Ted Bundy of American politics

that explains his attraction.

[Cleita]

17. Your comment about Dennis Kucinich

kind of reminds me of Gray Davis. They are apples and oranges, but the lack of star appeal is the same, it's known as lack of charisma. The problem is they need to be rock stars as well in this shallow day and age. Sad isn't it?

[neebob]

20. Yes, it is sad

but I don't think they have to be rock stars. Just be aware of how they come off. I have to do that at work every day, being a consultant, so it's just basic to me. Sure, there's no camera following me around. But I read what Dennis Kucinich writes and watch him work the crowd after his speech and wonder what his problem is.

I don't see a problem with Gray Davis; he seems perfectly likeable to me. Of course I only started paying attention to him after the recall, so maybe I got a false impression.

[RaRa]

18. Amen, neebob

I agree with much of your post (although my once conservative mom was the very first to cringe at the chimp way back before he ran - even I didn't get her hostility at the time). I have to say though, that while I'm not an official supporter, I have been extremely impressed with Edwards every time I see him on t.v. His spiel about his poor upbrining (blah blah blah) actually rings true and doesn't grate on me. Maybe part of the reason is because of *'s life. Whatever, Edwards should be a serious candidate some day.

I was an early supporter of Dean (oh, I'll still support him if/when he gets the nomination). My early support was purely internet based, and was really excited about him. But, frankly, I DO feel the "anger" vibe every time I see him and feel uncomfortable by that. So, I'm going for Clark, mostly because I see him as the one candidate who can sway the undecided and middle America. Actually, I was far more impressed with him before he ran; he seems to be dumbing down his message (comes across too staged or "political" for a lack of a better word). I like the cerebral Clark I've heard about more. But, alas we don't live in a country that respects intellect. I think that should Clark get the nomination he has the savvy to fine tune his image and really screw that piece of shit sleeping in the WH. (uh-oh, my chimp allergy is acting up)

[neebob]

19. I saw more of Dean last night

First I watched the debate with Dean and DK, thought they both looked great in that. At last, Dennis gets equal time. I thought Dean screwed up when he said he had people looking at an important issue that I can't recall now (early senior moment) and he couldn't figure it out. He should have said he hadn't figured it out yet.

Then I watched Dean's speech. Yeah, he seems angry at times, or maybe he's just super assertive. It doesn't bother me, but I suppose it would bother someone who likes Bush. What bothered me was his closing, where he said the power to change isn't in his hands but in yours (the audience's). Then he shouted, "You have the power!" about six times. It was as if he suddenly became enraged and turned on the audience. It felt disconnected from the rest of the speech.

I think you're right about Clark dumbing down. Still, he seems thoughtful, sincere, and relaxed. I really like the General, and that's something considering my usual distaste for militarism and regimentation and my tendency to agree with Kucinich on Iraq. I believe what Clark says, whereas I don't always believe Dean or Kerry, and I'm willing to set some things aside and give him a go. I think he's the one to beat Bush.

Edwards seems nice - maybe too nice - and believable, but not necessarily real to me. He seems self-conscious. Maybe it's the hand gestures, particularly the fist with the thumb extended. I need to spend more time listening to his message before I decide about him.