Ridicule - the weapon Republicans cannot defend

[Neil Lisst]

I want to encourage all Democrats to use RIDICULE more when critiquing Republicans and Bush. If we want to completely undermine Bush and his agenda, the best way is to make him the butt of jokes. Polls show that Bush has lost 2/3 of the public, but not all of them think of his name as a punchline yet. When the middle third think of him as a punchline, he's done.

Ford and Bush, Sr. were both done-in by becoming punchlines. It was SNL, not Carville, who did those guys in politically, and probably Bob Dole, too.

Instead of arguing or haranguing about Bush and what he's doing, go the other way, and use it to make Bush the butt of a well-deserved dig. At least in conversations with folks who are not serious Democrats like us.

When Bush does something, use it all to find reasons to ridicule Bush and his gang of Keystone Cops.

[The Magistrate]

1. Absolutely True, Sir

Ridicule is an extraordinarily powerful weapon. What people have once been moved to laugh at, they can seldom be brought round to take seriously ever again.

The essence of political action is to create a sense of identity and shared emotion among people, and on as wide a scale as possible. Laughter is one of the strongest group bonds human can be caught up in.

[Neil Lisst]

7. "You don't call me sir! I'm a noncommissioned officer!"

Warren Oates, Stripes

I think that's what he said.

back on topic ... Dana Carvey created a caricature that made Bush Sr impossible to take seriously.

If only Will Farrell had waited until 2005 to leave SNL.

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Not having seen Stripes, I dunno what they said in the flick, but

the NCO's I used to know would yell at you, "Don't call me Sir! I work for a living."

[Neil Lisst]

22. yeah, that was one of the usuals, but the movie had a variation

I work for a living!

I'm an enlisted man!

and

I'm a NON commissioned officer!

are all terms I've heard used by NCOs

[johncoby2]

2. Bush is the kind of guy you can have a drink with.........

But he leaves you stuck with the bar tab!

[johncoby2]

3. His support is going down faster than

Monica Lewinsky

[Neil Lisst]

4. Bush is really disappointed in Claude Allen

Because Allen didn't go through the proper chain of command.

STEALING has to go through Cheney, to Halliburton, THEN back to the White House.

[Neil Lisst]

5. Claude Allen to get Award

As the only guy in the Bush adminstration who actually knows what he's doing.

[ThoughtCriminal]

6. Get at the total GOP corruption - not just Bush

I often think of Don Rickles in the movie "Kelly's Heroes" in the scene where he suggests bribing the German tank commander who is guarding a bank:

"Maybe the guy is a Republican"

Anytime somebody thinks "republican" is should bring to mind "crook"

[Old and In the Way]

8. I use the term Republican Syndicate rather than Republican Party.

It's organized crime.

[MissMarple]

11. The Republican Syndicate is making the Mafia look like amateurs.

They could take lessons from Halliburton.

[yurbud]

9. therefore, add your favorite Bush jokes here.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Famous Last Words

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and George W. Bush were set to face a firing squad in a small Central American country. Bill Clinton was the first one placed against the wall and just before the order was given he yelled out, "Earthquake!" The firing squad fell into a panic and Bill jumped over the wall and escaped in the confusion.

Al Gore was the second one placed against the wall. The squad was reassembled and Al pondered what he had just witnessed. Again before the order was given Al yelled out, "Tornado!" Again the squad fell apart and Al slipped over the wall.

The last person, George W. Bush, was placed against the wall. He was thinking, "I see the pattern here, just scream out something about a disaster and hop over the wall." He confidently refused the blindfold as the firing squad was reassembled. As the rifles were raised in his direction he grinned from ear to ear and yelled, "Fire!"

[yurbud]

19. that's a good one

[yurbud]

10. a reporter asked Bush what the three branches of government were and...

he said, "Me, myself, and I."

[DLnyc]

13. I thought he was going to say

Lying, stealing and collecting bribes.

[yurbud]

18. that's the function of all of them, Mr. theoretical book-reader...

[DLnyc]

12. If Cheney resigns,

does that mean bush will become president?

[tocqueville]

14. what about "Dubai Dubya" as a nick ?

[BrklynLiberal]

15. Public humiliation is the strongest weapon of all.

Just pointing and laughing is a very telling statement.
Letterman, Leno and Stewart can do more harm than any of the Sunday morning talk shows.

[XanaDUer]

20. I've often said this to my SO

Look, ridicule they just cannot handle.

No one, and I mean no one, wants to be considered "uncool" or on the side of losers and turkeys.

PS-nominated.

[Neil Lisst]

23. Especially Bush, because his vision of himself is so important.

He likes to think of himself as this really cool dude, and he can rationalize away 60% disapproval. But being the same kind of punchline his old man was would break him.

[XanaDUer]

25. Are you old enough to remember the SNL

skits from the mid-1970s? The show started in '75.

Anyway, they really skewered Nixon, Kissinger, etc. Made it seem that only a really stupid, uncool person could side with them.

It was great.

[Neil Lisst]

26. Yeah, I remember it well.

Dan Aykrod did both the 74 Nixon and the 76 Bob Dole

[kentuck]

21. The Democrats should start practicing their punchlines....

there is so much ammunition. :)

[banana republican]

24. You mean like this...

G.W.Bush was very depressed that people were saying he is stupid. So he calls his good friend Queen Elizabeth, who says, Now Georgie, what you need to do is to surround yourself with smart people. Let me show you. She calls Tony Blair in and asks, Tony, your parents had a baby. It isn't your sister and it isn't your brother. Who is it? Tony Blair replies, It's me!
So G.W. calls Dick Cheney and says, Dick, your parents had a baby. It isn't your sister and it isn't your brother. Who is it? And Cheney says, Wow, that's a tough one. Let me get back to you.So Cheney calls Colin Powell and says, Colin, your parents had a baby. It isn't your sister and it isn't your brother. Who is it? And Colin Powell says, It's me!

******

So Cheney calls Bush and says, It's Colin Powell. And Bush says, No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!
George W. was visiting a Florida elementary school while a fifth grade class was in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked Mr.Bush if he would like to lead the class in the discussion of the word "tragedy."
Mr.Bush asks the class for "an example of a tragedy."
One little boy stands up and offers, "If my best friend, who lives next door, was playing in the street and a car came along and ran over him, that would be a tragedy."
"No," says George W. "that would be an accident."
A little girl raises her hand. "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove off a cliff, killing everyone involved, that would be a tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explained George W. "that's what we would call a Great Loss."
The room goes silent. No other children volunteered.
Mr.Bush searches the room, "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"
Finally, in the back of the room a small boy raises his hand, in a quiet voice he says, "If you and your lawyers, Mr.Bush were to be eaten by a pack of hungry 20 foot alligators, that would certainly be a tragedy."
"Fantastic," exclaims George W., "that's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well," says the boy, "it must be a tragedy, because it wouldn't be an accident, and it certainly wouldn't be a great loss."

******

What's the difference between George W. Bush and the New York Giants?
Nobody thinks the Giants won.

What major goal does George W. Bush still dream of accomplishing?
Being elected president.

How do you tell the first Bush administration from the second Bush administration?
This time the stupid one's in charge.

What's the difference between George W. Bush and Koko, the gorilla who understands approximately 2,000 words of spoken English?
Nobody thinks Koko is president.

What's the difference between George W. Bush and Mussolini?
Mussolini was elected.

What do you call Bush voters who aren't millionaires?
Suckers.
******

thats all folks

[Neil Lisst]

27. no, it's Tony Blair!!

I liked that one!!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

28. how about this?

Bush vows Republicans will "Stay the course" in the Mid-East.

[kineneb]

29. to which, my question is...

What country, which course, and how many holes? (they are sooo sub-par)


sorry about bad golf joke, but I just could not help myself...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

30. here kineneb... play a game or two of "STAY THE COURSE"

http://www.thespeciousreport.com/2004/04040529bushbikeride.html

[BrklynLiberal]

31. Leno and Letterman were both skewering Bush last night. It was great.