The company you keep speaks volumes about your character. Sure there are friends that you knew in high school who are now only friends because of your history together, but any friends you make in adulthood or the type of people you hire speaks volumes about you as a person.
So why aren’t we calling attention to Bush’s serious character flaws?
It’s easy enough to do, and hell, even a donkey could point out that Bush’s `plain talk’ is really naked aggression & petulance in disguise.
The fact that the administration is standing firm behind Bolton, with Rice saying “management style should not be an issue” speaks volumes about the type of person Bush is.
[more on the flip]
If I made mistake after mistake in hiring employees and continued my terrible judgment by promoting those individuals to positions of power in the company I would be deemed “not management material” and a) demoted or fired or b) sent for coaching/ counseling. Now of course we all know what happened to Bush, he was re-elected… but before the RWCM started reporting on the various character flaws of his entourage.
Let’s take a look at just John Bolton. He’s the most recent case, the WH is standing firm in his nomination and the allegations against him are truly outrageous.
Here is a man who stalks, intimidates and threatens women with whom he has a business disagreement. Who is a corporate shill who will do literally anything to achieve master’s goals (no wonder Cheney loves him… and Rove is so jealous of him…).
Uno Ramat, the creative director of a Toronto ad agency, described the embattled Bolton yesterday as a “really creepy guy” who harassed and threatened a female colleague of his when they worked together in Kyrgyzstan in 1994.
Moving away from “abusive ex-husband” John Bolton & back to management style we find the same patterns. I’m not going to get all Lakoff here, but I will point out that nobody likes a bully. I don’t care if he’s on your side or not, in the end he’s too dangerous. Bush appeals to the NASCAR guys because they want to go out and kick peoples asses too, but most of the time that winds them up in jail. He’s supposedly “strong” and “resolute” and “compassionate”.
Well… let’s ask these guys if they would want to work for him in real life. You know, have to report into John Bolton… his being the final say on if you got fired, slept well at night, made a decent living, were able to take vacations or even… follow your morals.
What do you want to guess the answer would be HELL NO? So exploit it.
Bush has ruined the economy, ruined your retirement, sent innocent children to die for his fat cat friends and thinks assholes make great leaders.
Bottom line: he thinks you’re a piece of shit and worthless unless he needs you to fight a war for him or needs your vote.
How do we spread the meme?
Blogs are always great but we’re not reaching the right people (and there is no way in hell I’m recommending we post on Freeperville)…
We need a slick, well-funded and pervasive TV ad that is comprised of “Bush’s greatest hits”. Search back through the last 5 years and we can find example after example of his assholish and ignorant statements. Compile them. Set the stage: In response to a question about soldiers in Iraq President Bush had this to say “Yeah, a few dead here or there, I don’t care as long as Halliburton is happy and Cheney doesn’t make me stand in the corner with a dunce cap on, it’s all good” (paraphrasing). One after another. Statement and petulant smirk after petulant smirk and statement. On and on for 60 seconds. Buy the time during NASCAR, WWE, NBA Playoffs, afternoon soaps, I don’t give a shit. As long as it’s highly rated and reaches the masses, that’s all I ask.
Paging Mr. Soros & Mr. Turner. New campaign in aisle 3 that needs funding.
Update [2005-4-21 16:34:19 by spiderleaf]: I can’t believe I forgot the second commercial.. the one where we hammer him for the company he keeps… duh!
The Company You Keep Speaks Volumes.
Cross posted at Daily Kos
we are making it personal and relevant to ordinary, regular working joes & janes.
Something the Republicans have gotten very good at.
It’s important, and you’re very good at writing about it. Great work.
Thanks Susan, much appreciated.
It brings me back to the type of campaign Kerry ran vs. the type of campaign Dean & Bush ran. Appeal to the personal and the relevant and boil it down to plain ol’ English. 😉
the job of deciding when your children, as well as theirs will be seized and hauled off for some American style “interrogation,” it would have required something a little more substantial than a “frame” to stop the juggernaut.
In light of US foreign policy, as well as the purposes for which the US uses its UN, Bolton is the ideal candidate for the job.
Not disagreeing with that. But that’s the point. The media aren’t doing their jobs. Americans watch an unhealthy amount of TV. The Republicans exploit that and build their own frames.
The only way to counteract it is to hammer it home that these guys think you are worthless, are anti-Christian as well as all other faiths and if they can will directly harm you.
It is a dark time in America and Americans need it thrown in their face day after day (forced to watch until it sticks in your head and you cringe at the smirk). Counter propaganda. And a lot of it. Only way at this point to begin to unravel the brainwashing and restore a balance.
But that’s just my opinion… I could be wrong.
That’s just it though, the media is becoming more/more complicit in their non-coverage of what is really happening with bush/co, Iraq, etc.
Cable news and all other stations are refusing at times to air ads against bushco or anything they think is too ‘political’ or not in line with repukes talking points on issues.
I understand Kerry is going to reintroduce to Fairness in Broadcasting for equal time for each view presented and already Fox news is talking about this being a dangerous thing to do and it will destroy people like Limbaugh and take him off the air. Because we have no one to counteract his show therefore he’d have to be canceled, stupid I know but their already pissing/moaning about Kerry wanting to introduce this unamerican bill..
So how do we get around the media stumbling block of not informing viewers of all sides of the issues in a fair and consistent manner? I think we will have to figure out a way to make even better use of the internet to get our message/talking points out so we can’t be ignored.
I absolutely agree the Internet is crucial to disseminate the message, but unfortunately it may not reach the demographic most seriously affected/ afflicted by the RWCM.
I have a marketing/ advertising background and I think we need mass media blitzs with 30 & 60 sec spots, polished DM campaigns, email campaigns, hell, throw in infomercials that air slick documentary pieces, etc. But it has to be extremely well funded. I wouldn’t even attempt it if you didn’t have $500 million lined up each year for 3 years straight.
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Great power and influence of her ordeal in Congress, after this excellent diary at dKos —
Horrifying, personal John Bolton story
by amyindallas Fri Apr 15th, 2005
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
So how about a petition or letter to Soros and Turner to get an ad like that out? This, imho, is not just about Bushco but the coming elections in 06 and 08. Dean?
because you could not possibly fit all of the good material into 60 second PSAs. Have you considered a mini-series? What’s Ken Burns doing these days? 😉
It’s simple. If they say legislation to “protect the worker”, go right to the OSHA budget cuts; “clean air”, gutted EPA enforcement budget; “secure our borders”, cutting INS (Homeland Security); “more efficient government” = privatizing = Halliburton. See? Not so hard.
But we must have the information readily available, and issue counter-press releases. I see no reason not to issue same under a “BooMan Tribune” letterhead. Look what happened when the wingnuts attacked the Rather piece in the “font wars”.
This is a form of “media”.