Posted on 11/23/2003 7:11:53 AM PST by Brian Mosely
There is an axiom in American politics that says whenever a sitting President is running for a second term, the election is more a referendum on him than a judgment on his opponent. President George W. Bush has taken this truism to a new level. With just under a year to go before Nov. 2, 2004, Americans are already finding ways to show how passionately they feel about their President.
In August, KB Toys rolled out its George W. Bush Elite Force Aviator doll, a 12-in. action figure in full naval flight gear. At $39.99, it has set the sales record for collectible action figures on KB's website. There's also brisk traffic on the Web for donations in memory of Sally Baron, 71, of northern Wisconsin, and Gertrude M. Jones, 81, of Mandeville, La. Obituaries for both women contained requests that money be sent to any organization working for the removal of Bush from office. And in Jefferson County, Colo., West Jefferson Middle School teacher Martha Swisher sparked a furor by wearing a he's not my president button on her coat during a sixth-grade field trip.
Republicans in Colorado's state legislature honored the family that lodged the complaint; the teacher now wears a lapel pin to class that features an American flag and a peace sign. But there is little evidence of peace out there in an increasingly restive electorate. If Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator, Bush is proving to be the Great Polarizer. Reagan and then Bill Clinton ushered in the modern age of the acrimoniously divided electorate, but George Bush has cleaved the nation into two tenaciously opposed camps even more than his predecessors. He is the man about whom Americans feel little ambivalence. People tend to love him or hate him without any complicating shades of gray. Shout "George Bush"
In a crowded theater, and people dive into two trenches. A new TIME/CNN poll shows that Americans are almost equally divided in their support for President Bush, with 47% suggesting that they are likely to vote for him and 48% saying they are not. For Bush, some of the signals are ominous: the poll shows his job-approval rating stands at 52%, down from its peak of 89% in October 2001, and his disapproval has reached a new high for his presidency of 43%.
But those numbers do not reveal the intensity on both sides—the zeal of those who regard Bush as the very ideal of American presidential leadership and those who regard him as an embarrassing and dangerous usurper. Nor does it take full account of a more paradoxical group: those who like his personality but loathe his policies and want him out of the White House. Fully 81% of Republicans say they like the job that Bush is doing; only 31% of Democrats do. "The President is a strong leader. He's very determined. He doesn't seem to be swayed too quickly by polls," says Jerome Kohel, 59, an accountant from Richland, Mich. But another fellow of the same age in that same crucial electoral state, car hauler Jim Carothers, fumes, "I think he's doing a horrible job. You'll never convince me (Bush) didn't know he was lying about the pretext for war."
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Come on. Get real. You know why.
Take the white out of pink and you've got red.
Because Time magazine was and always on the Clinton's side. What was that UN lover's and Clinton confidantes name who used to be an editor there, oh yeah Strobe Talbot. I agree with you that the cover is pure tabloid, but that is all Time has now these days. They are desparate.
You're not digging deep enough. Yes, they were on Clinton's side, but the REAL reason is that Time magazine is --literally -- run by die-hard communists.
Even planned future additions treat him favorably.
Ya'll need to get a grip i like this president too but he's just a man not a God ! He's going to be open to the same scrutiny that anyone trying to do the right thing is open to!
Do you agree with EVERYTHING this president does ? ....if you do your disillusioned that he's perfect he's not !
Time magazine once again proves the malice it has for Bush. The entire staff is liberal left wing "rats" ... use to subscribe to Time years ago ... gave it up shortly after Clinton ascended to our nations highest office. Hit pieces like this serve to remind me why ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
