What if Bush had been an honest, open, and trustworthy person?

[kentuck]

Would you look at him differently as a president? I know there are Repubs that think he is all of the above, but his words and deeds belie their trust. He has lied at every opportunity, even when he could have told the truth. He has turned the nation into a "we" vs "they" conflict, after he said he was going to be a "uniter". He started out by making all the former papers of former presidents secret, when they were supposed to be made public. He cannot be trusted.

But, what if he had been an honest and open person? What if he had tried to "unite" this nation? What if he had told the truth? Would he have been more respected by our side?

[Mikimouse]

1. If he had been all those things, he wouldn't...

have been a Bush.

[tenshi816]

4. Or a Republican... n/t

[BlueEyedSon]

5. Or President!

[C_U_L8R]

2. That's a really big IF

I have not heard the man speak honestly or sincerely ...ever.
It's all politics and propoganda.

But say for the sake of argument God throws a lightning bolt up Bush's ass
and he becomes a good honest man working on behalf of ALL PEOPLE...
then sure I'd support him. That's all that we all want .. right?
But even on April Fools.... the prospect of Bush becoming a good honest man are zip.
He's a crook.. a war criminal... and all the wishful thinking in the world
won't change him or remove him from office. It takes action.

[neoblues]

12. This would only work if he "had" been good from the beginning.

And he IS (was and always will be) the worst imaginable President and despicable human being ever. In fact, words are insufficient to describe what a malicious, destructive, murderous, ruinous creep and fool he is nor the eternal damage he's done to us, our country, our future and that of posterity.

However, had he been a good man and a good President... he'd be as well respected as he was a good leader. We don't dislike Republicans just for using that word, we simply disagree with their policies (which are generally harmful to most people, or nation and the world). If he had been an 'honorable' man and did his best for the country and made what we consider to be the right and good choices--we might actually even like the guy. On the other hand, if he had been an 'honorable' man and did what he thought was best but which was according to the typical Republican ideology, we would have thoroughly dislike his Presidency while tolerating the man. Alas... it's rather silly even contemplating something so pointless and infinitely far removed from either reality or possibility. How about "would we be happy if the world was perfect, everyone had the resources and lifestyles of the wealthy and the environment was in perfect health and...". Well, I for one think I would be; alas, methinks it isn't likely to happen.

[shenmue]

3. This is another April Fools thing, right?

Don't get my hopes up...

[MADem]

6. If he had been, this board would be much quieter

Everything would be different. People around the world would not hate us. The air would be cleaner. We would not be involved in bullshit wars of his choice. Thousands of people who are dead now would be going about their lives.

[marmar]

7. It was never within him to be that...

He's a lifetime loser whose saving grace was being born into a powerful family. And now he's the Neocon marionette. He's a limited person who's not particularly bright or intellectually curious, doesn't really have a whole lot of convictions about anything despite what he pretends to be, and doesn't seem to have a good deal of concern or empathy for anyone.
A bland, generic, characterless president for a bland, generic, characterless era.

[Missy M]

8. If Bush was honest, open and trustworthy I would certainly...

look at him differently. If he had the same policies he has now I wouldn't agree with him but if he were honest I would at least respect him. As it is, I have never been able to come to terms with him being president because of the 2000 election. To this day I cannot say President Bush.

[liberal N proud]

9. Katrina recovery would not have been the disaster

We probably would not have attacked Iraq
9/11 may not have happened
Our economy would not be destroyed
The deficit would not be at the current level
Gas prices would still be below 1.50/gal


Those are just a few of the things that would be different.

If all the bu$h lies were not there, we may look at bu$h differently and may have been able to survive the regime.

[tyedyeto]

10. But he isn't, so what is the use of debating an 'if'?

:shrug:

[JohnnyLib]

11. land of make believe response

If....then,

He would be about as effective as Carter was. And this would be a better time in history for our country and the world. And we would oppose his policies but not be nearly as outraged and alarmed about the future.

[alphafemale]

13. He had neither the genes nor the upbringing to make that possible.

If they weren't rich 90% of that brood would be in prison for their crimes.

[abluelady]

14. huh?

[mmonk]

15. What if the earth was flat?

This administration is so very dishonest, what ifs are a little ridiculous at this point. The answer to your question is of course (depending somewhat on what unite means).

[Inland]

16. If Bush were honest, he would never have become president.

Bush's positions and values are contrary to the vast majority of Americans, and required a stealth candidacy from day one. Everything he did was with the knowledge that he had to tell us one thing about what he wanted to accomplish, while he winked at the far right wing and sent his supporters and RW media out to tell the RW groups what was REALLY going to happen.

He had to have plausible deniability about what he wanted to accomplish, on wealth and taxes (shovel money to his wealthy patrons), on the supreme court (ending abortion), in the national security state (return to cold war), on the environment (give away resources and end all that BS about survival), about church state relations (make the state an adjunct of churches and vice versa). If anyone can find an instance of where Bush or his campaign clearly and forthrightly described in 2000 what actually happened in any of these areas, I'd like to see it.

For example, taken at face value, Bush wasn't anti abortion. I don't think you could even google up a statement about wanting abortion to be made illegal, or Roe v. Wade reversed. Instead, all he does is use code words about "judicial activism", intended to leave the majority that wants Roe in the dark whle telling everyone who has been supplied the Conservative Decoder Ring by their church or right wing radio exactly what they want to hear. Because while Bush never drew the direct connection between ending "judicial activism" and ending Roe, Rush and Hannity and pastors did. It wasn't coincidence, it was the plan. And it was repeated in just about any policy area you want to name.

That's even without the nine eleven, which just provided the opportunity to have another entire set of lies that disguised his true goals and purposes. He tells us he wants peace and disarmament, and tells Blair he's going in on a goal he developed on September 15.

He's a lying shit. They do it reflexively now, even for things that by themselves seem innocuous, because they know that there's so much incompetence and conservative skulduggery that the entire government is like a sweater with a million strings to pull to unravel it.

[DFW]

17. If Bush were an honest, open trustworthy person,

...he would never been a tool to be manipulated by the likes
of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove,and therefore of no use to them
whatsoever--not in the White House, not in any house.

Agreed, he would not be where he is now.

[kentuck]

18. The larger point being :

that Bush is despised not because he is a Republican, per se, but because he is despicable and dishonest person. It's not so much about politics as about human character and the destructive path he has led our nation. To those Repubs that say Democrats hate Bush because they just want to regain power are in total denial about the person they are following.

[AndyA]

19. The only difference between what we have now and an honest,

open, trustworthy version of Bush would be that everyone would say what a nice guy he is, and how he has such a good heart and intentions. But he's a little too light in the loafers to do much good for the country.

I honestly believe we'd all be better off - the world would be better off - with an honest, open, trustworthy version, but considering where he came from that would be impossible.

Our only hope is to get him out of office before he causes us more trouble.

The man is nothing that he says he is. He isn't a Christian. He isn't honest. He doesn't keep his word. I think if you were able to find his core being, where everyone is said to have some good, you would find pure evil.

[caty]

20. No.

The repub ideology just isn't ours. Repubs don't care about the poor or middle class. We are just the people who work hard every day to put money in the pockets of the rich. We care about upholding the Constitution. They want to change or ignore it. We want decent paying jobs and health care. They have so much money that they just can't relate to our needs.

"What if" we took an idea from the movie "The Super". What if bush and his cronies were forced to live our lives, our suffering, and had to endure our worries.

[acmavm]

21. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

.

[DFW]

22. There's a bit too much "us" vs. "them" sometimes.

I mean, I know plenty of people in Texas that make very modest incomes and are
despite that totally convinced that Bush is good for America, forget all evidence
to the contrary. On the other hand, I make a very decent salary, pay a ton
in taxes plus contribute right and left to charities, cancer and cardiac research,
and am putting two daughters through college with zero financial aid. Not a lot
left over, but I'm not starving, either.

I don't buy the stereotype of the well-off Republicans vs. the impoverished
Democrats. It's more complicated than that. There are Republicans who vote in
direct opposition to their own financial and social well-being, and there are
Democrats who vote consistently Democratic even if it means higher tax bills
and less in their pockets.

But there are some of us who count in certain circles as "well-off," who nevertheless
realize that it is not thievery to give up some in taxes for the common good, and that
if, besides ourselves, there are only those who have nothing, that they will then come
to take from us what they can violently, because they have nothing left to lose. To
me a gated community is not a privilege, it is a jail.

No thanks.

[ryan_cats]

23. The person you describe would have never got beyond Gore VS Bush

The person you describe would have never got beyond Gore VS Bush. He would have allowed the count to go forward and wouldn't have let his brother off for clearing the voter roles before the election.

[Lisa]

28. actually, wasn't it Bush v. Gore? Since Bush brought the suit ...

(kind of ironic, since he's been running around claiming that "filing a lawsuit" is for whiners and wimps!)

Anyway, I totally agree, ryan_cats. The "perfect Bush" would have been mortified at the thought of taking power under a pretext. He would have insisted on getting to the bottom of the voter fraud -- and would have stepped down rather than benefit from it.

[Zinfandel]

33. Still, a republican is a republican.

[Hubert Flottz]

24. Hell would freeze SOLID.

And It Would Snow Oats Everyday!

[im10ashus]

25. I don't live in a fantasy world.

The real one is disappointing enough.

[sweetheart]

26. morally ha

Were he a really honest man, human history will surely show,
he would have told the truth, that he lied and ran away,
from his military service long ago,
he didn't have the balls to kill so many far away.
Americka is rulled by sorcery darkest vows,
and the new king propped up by guns, no bullets stray,
honestly tell us, he's a no good skiving louse,
meet no open person in politics, hard reality today.

The corruption comes to yellow journalism it seems,
civility of force, increasing public dissonance,
servile humanity, painted lurid dreams,
presidential karma, bestew a warden prison sentence.
Evil kings and witches rise when karma's kicking back,
Public needs to wonder why do they get attacked.

Until aging media oligarchs die
along with them, their evil bent,
we would all love to see a world without lies,
4th estate restored its serious intent.

[undeterred]

27. What if Adolph Hitler had gone into therapy as a teenager?

The world might not have had to go through as much.

[WinkyDink]

29. He wouldn't be Bar's son.

[LaPera]

30. Get fucking real...Are you fucking serious? Sick, Sick, Sick!!!

This is the kind of thinking that gets fucking moderates, (and uninformed others) voting for "the "man" or "the candidate", instead of ones true ideology...

Republican ideology is exactly what's being created and being implemented in this country today...Kill the "NEW DEAL" is republican ideology...Not one republican ever voted for it...Destroy Social Security, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, child labor laws...Destroy the workers voice - UNIONS!!! Destroy the eight hour day with no overtime, destroy medicare, no universal health care, exploiting our environment for corporate gain, privatize everything, discriminate against women, minorities and neocon homophobia...Never ending wars for profit, and destroying public education...Republican ideology!!!!

That's the republican way...that's their ideology and agenda and it wouldn't matter how honest any republican is, this is republican philosophy...The republicans see any government help as socialism...

EXCEPT, they sure as fuck don't mind it when government helps, (with our tax dollars) for their corporations and their multinational (Then they call it...SUBSIDIES)!!!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

31. What If Horseshit Smelled Like Cookies, Would You Eat It?

[Aristus]

32. If he'd been all those things,

my butt would hurt from all the monkeys flying out of it. :hurts:

[Uncle Joe]

34. If he had been all of these things, and that's a big if,

he would not be posing as President, because the coup of 2000 would not have happened.

I think the answer to your final question however is yes, he would certainly be more respected, Hell, I honestly don't know how he could be less respected than he is now, unless of course he shoots a puppy on the White House lawn as an Easter celebration.

[Rosemary2205]

35. We'll never know

it would be nice to have 2 parties maturely discussing their honest differences of how to accomplish what is best for America and for the world but that's not likely to happen in my lifetime considering it's basically just all out economic war between the haves and the wants.