Why He Drives Them Crazy (A MUST READ!)

The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/14/2002 | Noemie Emery

[hchutch]

"Bush is said to believe that in the terrorist attacks he discovered his "mission and moment," the work of his life, and its meaning. This may be true, but it's only part of the story. Bush's other destiny is driving Democrats nuts."

I'd also add the Buchanan Brigades and the rest of the unappeasables to the list.

[Amelia]

Marvelous!

[Lady Jag]

Outstanding read! Thanks for the ping, Pokey

[MeekOneGOP]

In case you haven't seen this one yet......

Why He Drives Them Crazy (A MUST READ!)

Excerpt:

CRAIG CRAWFORD of Hotline has suggested that Bush goaded Daschle, hoping to elicit an overreaction. Perhaps. Whether by design or instinct, Bush has a history of driving people who are sure they're much smarter than he is to incredibly silly and self-immolating acts. In the Texas governor's race in 1994, he was the lightweight against the incumbent, Ann Richards, who felt herself demeaned by having to run against him. Making her disdain clear, she addressed him as "shrub" and as "Junior." He addressed her as "Governor Richards." She called him "clueless." He called her "Governor Richards." She called him "the anemic link at the tail end of the gilded Bush dynasty." He said he found her "interesting" as a study in character. At last, she blew up, and called him "some jerk" at a rally. He won by 6 points.

Al Gore thought he was smarter than Bush, and in the debates planned to take out this pretender. He would show off his mental and physical dominance. Condescendingly, Gore sighed, smirked, interrupted, and unleashed tidal waves of details and assertions. Then Bush, as the Washington Post's David von Drehle astutely observed, "read Gore's effort to overshadow him, and, in an odd way, opted to make himself a little bit smaller," becoming relentlessly civil and courteous. It worked. At one point, wrote Jeff Greenfield, "Al Gore left his stool and walked slowly, stiffly, toward his opponent, arms at his sides, palms pointed behind him, looking oddly like [a] robot. . . . Bush glanced over his shoulder, took a beat--and nodded once, as if to say: Hi there--be with you in a moment. The audience laughed, and Al Gore was finished for the night." Something of the same sort seemed to happen to Daschle last week. After his outburst, the White House suggested he might have misread the story that caused it, giving him the chance to back down from his tantrum. He didn't take it, but went back on the floor of the Senate. His purpose was to help his own party's chances. At the end of the week, surveys showed the Republicans for the first time making small gains in congressional polls.

What happens to a dream deferred? Nothing pretty. The liberals' dream of "exposing" the president has now suffered blow upon blow. Simply speaking, their view of Bush--expressed on any given day by Terry McAuliffe, Paul Begala, James Carville, the Nation, Michael Kinsley, or the New York Times, is still this: George W. Bush is a moron who stole the election, had the great good luck to be president when terrorists struck at our two major cities, benefited unfairly from an irrational wave of hysterical jingoism, and now, when the glow from that burst has been fading, has cooked up a phony war to distract attention from corporate fraud and the stock market crash, which of course he caused. Their failure to sell this analysis to the three-fourths of the country not in the grip of terminal Bushophobia has driven them quite out of their senses. Every day, they get shriller and more desperate. Surely, if Maureen Dowd turns the smirk up one notch, if Frank Rich reviews Bush like another bad movie, the unwashed will awake and see reason? But no.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest or President Bush ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[Bush2000]

Even at his worst, people believe Bush when he speaks (everybody but the FDR/Abbie Hoffman wing of the Democratic Party). He has a simple, folksy presentation style that garners trust readily. Not so with Clinton. We got so used to parsing through Clinton's every word for escape hatches that Bush is a welcome change. I believe it's this simple style that disarms the average person and infuriates the ivory liberal tower elites. They simply can't understand why their agenda isn't ringing with the average person. Which is tantamount to saying that they don't understand America at all. Americans have always valued their own national security above all else. And this time, Bush isn't chasing invisible Communists in everybody's bedrooms. The threats that he's describing were made indelibly real on September 11 and the ongoing arrests serve to reiterate his message. You can't build prosperity when your national security is threatened. The American people understand this concept intuitively. That is why Bush is winning. In times of war, you don't turn to Democrats unless you want to fill body bags a la' LBJ.

[Rocko]

Bumpery.

[Straight Vermonter]

I think there is a lesson here for conservatives as well. We should all remember that the relentless attacks on Clinton did not produce the desired effects either.

Americans do not want another Watergate they do not want to face the shame of looking at their President humbled. Both parties should learn to handle the president with more tact.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Hatred of Bush is becoming a weapon that helps him by dividing his political enemies.

A keeper indeed.

[Bush2000]

Americans do not want another Watergate they do not want to face the shame of looking at their President humbled. Both parties should learn to handle the president with more tact.

This is a double-edged sword. If the president commits crimes in office, are we right to simply overlook them? Do we have a monarchy? Granted, the Democratic Party has proven that it will overlook anything in the interests of holding power (and let's not kid ourselves: Clinton's perjury and Toricelli's machinations are but the tip of the iceberg for them). But do we? Should we? Can we? What is more important to us: the rule of law or power? Because sometimes, you only get to choose one.

[Straight Vermonter]

That is why I used the word tact. We simply must work out better ways to calmly make our case to the American people. We can not afford to go off on wild eyed rants of the kind that Daschle went on last week or the kind that Bob Barr and the likes did in the 90s.

[stands2reason]

Thanks, Poke. A well-deserved ping!

Simply speaking, their view of Bush--expressed on any given day by Terry McAuliffe, Paul Begala, James Carville, the Nation, Michael Kinsley, or the New York Times, is still this: George W. Bush is a moron who stole the election, had the great good luck to be president when terrorists struck at our two major cities, benefited unfairly from an irrational wave of hysterical jingoism, and now, when the glow from that burst has been fading, has cooked up a phony war to distract attention from corporate fraud and the stock market crash, which of course he caused. Their failure to sell this analysis to the three-fourths of the country not in the grip of terminal Bushophobia has driven them quite out of their senses. Every day, they get shriller and more desperate. Surely, if Maureen Dowd turns the smirk up one notch, if Frank Rich reviews Bush like another bad movie, the unwashed will awake and see reason? But no.

Heh,heh,heh...

[Nea Wood]

At the moment, my gut reaction was that Gore was going to push Dubya or something

Later on Barbara Bush said that she thought Al was going to hit George. LOL!

[stands2reason]

I've never thought about it, but I bet Bush could kick Gore's a$$....

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Love this column! I have a Democrat friend who voted for Gore, and she told me she really "likes Bush!"

My aunt told me her Presbyterian minister who is, of course, another liberal Democrat, said "Bush wasn't his choice, but he's glad Bush is the President!"

[stands2reason]

Remember? Bush was "the frat boy"....the unserious smirky guy.....now that, class, that is irony!

[stands2reason]

ROFLMAO....can't breathe..ugh

[BlueAngel]

Thanks for the laugh! I needed that.

[anniegetyourgun]

Gore is a headcase, therefore I have to think he did this all on his own. I recall it well and it made him look like a schoolyard bully.

[lawgirl]

Fantastic.

[headsonpikes]

I get my news at FreeRepublic.

So I'm surprised to discover there are people who apparently don't like President Bush.

Astounding! They must feel really bad, these days.