Anyone else have a feeling Bush' speech tonight....

[VolcanoJen]

... will go over about as well as his disastrous, flat State of the Union speech this year?

The expectations are high, and I don't think Bush can deliver. Plus, it seems like his surrogates are saying not to expect any major new policy announcements tonight... so it's hard for me to imagine if anything remotely newsworthy will come out of this speech.

Last winter, Bush had a series of public speaking disasters... the SOTU, the Tim Russert interview, the "I can't think of any mistakes" press conference... I have a feeling this speech is going to fall flat and do little more than convince the already-rabid-for-Bush-Bushies to get out there and vote. Honestly, the only movement Bush has made in the polls came from the hand of surrogates and Swift Boat Liars, rather than his own.

I hope I'm not the only one thinking this, and of course, I hope I'm right.

[stray cat]

1. Karen, His old speech writer is back, to save him

nt

[liveoaktx]

3. Yeah and she also wrote the Bush Twins speech (snicker)

[Cha]

9. Did karen hughes write the bush twins speech?

If not does anyone know who did?

[VolcanoJen]

17. Yes, Karen Hughes wrote the laughable Bush Twins speech!

I just don't think Karen's going to be able to pull off Daddy's speech, either. Funny, isn't it... you send out the Bush Twins to be all hipster and young and shit, so you hire a 47-year-old hausfrau with the fashion sense of Martina Navratilova to write the speech.

God, they're funny, funny people, aren't they?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54662-2004Sep1.html

By the time they were done, the laughter in the hall had faded to uncomfortable tittering. Even that stalwart conservative, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, was displeased. "I respect Laura Bush and I'm sure the twins will grow up to be lovely women," Kristol said on Fox News Channel, "but the last half-hour did not help, so far as I can tell, President Bush's campaign for reelection."

Who knows what they were thinking? Calls for comment to campaign officials, the twins' spokeswoman, the first lady's press secretary and Republican National Committee officials went unreturned Wednesday. The remarks were written by Karen Hughes, a campaign aide told the Associated Press. And they were vetted by more than a dozen staffers, another campaign official said.

Edited: F'in typos!!

[liveoaktx]

18. I wasn't kidding- SHE WROTE THE SPEECH- here's the link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54662-2004Sep1.html

Who knows what they were thinking? Calls for comment to campaign officials, the twins' spokeswoman, the first lady's press secretary and Republican National Committee officials went unreturned Wednesday. The remarks were written by Karen Hughes, a campaign aide told the Associated Press. And they were vetted by more than a dozen staffers, another campaign official said.

[A_Possum]

31. Maybe she'll give * a dead frog line!

"I can fix the mess I made in Iraq. I'm an expert handler of firecrackers in damp weather. Back in west Texas I used to blow up a lot of frogs after it rained. Hah ha."

That would be inspiring.

[annabanana]

2. Oh yes.... very high expectations..............

Everyone's saying it's "the most important speech of his political career"........good.

[David Dunham]

5. I think that it will not be as effective as his speech in 2000.

[LiberalEsto]

38. Not Quite

His most important speech, at least to me, will be his concession speech on Nov. 2, 2004. I'm looking forward to it.

[kentuck]

4. Will he be reading his speech ??

Then he should be alright. If he had to walk around with notecards or do it off the top of his head like Bill Clinton, he would be in big trouble, would be my guess..

[MaineDem]

13. He could never give it "off the cuff"

Oh man, that would be great to see though. He'd self-destruct!
:evilgrin:

[lancdem]

6. You make a point about the high expectations

especially since Zell's fiasco last night. I hope you're right, too!

[tedoll78]

7. I've been saying this for months.

Especially the point with his State of the Union Address. It's very, very unusual for a President to get no poll bounce from his SOTU - even when the opposition party is having its nomination contests.

I've wondered if Team Bush has learned from SOTU that "TerrorTerrorTerror" doesn't work. To my delight, it appears as though they have not learned. And that new poll taken during the convention with Kerry-Bush at 48-46, seems to be showing that their fear festival won't work this time either.

[VolcanoJen]

26. Well, I expect more of the same.. Terror, Terror, Fear, Terror, Fear, War.

That's why I just don't think this speech is going to do much for the ol' Chimp.

[silverlib]

8. Thirty-five?

Didn't I hear thirty-five edits/rewrites? It's going to be perfect! Just wait and see!

[griffi94]

10. i'm expecting the same bullshit as always

"we must remain resolved"
"honor the folks in uniform" "smoke out evil" "blah blah woof woof"

i've listened to a dozen of his speeches...and so far...i've never heard him say anything

[jmowreader]

50. You're forgetting the theme of this convention!

"Kerry will destroy America."

[Nite Owl]

11. I'm thinking that

too. What can he say? He has a record now and can't do what he did in '00. What can he offer that people really want he's against everything that would be good. No jobs.

[soothsayer]

12. I'm still hoping his fancypants entrance/podium fails and he's stuck in it

or something! (hope the gods are listening---have fun with him)

Barring that bit of fun, I suspect his speech will be fairly anodyne, but not substantive or truthful or sincere. Of course, there's always PLENTY of room for him to self-destruct.

This is the end for him. The death rattle of his pathetic administration. He's OUT in Nov!

[quispquake]

16. Stuck inside a pod that won't open until the speech is over...

Yes, Will Pitt made a great observation how this is very much like Spinal Tap...

[soothsayer]

21. yes indeedy! what an apt image n/t

[VolcanoJen]

22. Oh, how we could use a "Spinal Tap" moment!

Remember when the bass player got stuck inside the pod?

:+

ON EDIT: Ahh, I see from above that others have already had this imagery pop into their head! :D

[jmowreader]

51. Dancing dwarves too!

[hatrack]

40. Sad, isn't it? The high point will be watching how he reaches the podium

I think the Jesus Lifter (TM) sounds like a brilliantly hilarious concept, and am going to be careful not to be drinking anything when the Big Moment arrives.

[WI_DEM]

14. My guess is the pundits will love it

and say that he "exceeded expectations" again. None of the negativity we heard about Kerry's speech--that Kerry rushed thru it or that he walked on applause lines, ect.

[MikeG]

15. At least he got rid the 70's white-man fro.

Last seen on Mike Brady.

[Leilani]

19. They tell us, he will be working in the round

& will be like his campaign rallies.

That could be effective, or a HUGE disaster.

As far as facts go, we will get same, same.

The last 4 years were so good, let s have another 4.

[lforbus]

20. One Things for sure......

No matter how bad he bombs, the people at Faux will spin it as the most prolific speech of modern times.:nuke:

[Snellius]

23. I'm ready to count how many times he bats his eyelashes.

I was watching a Bush sermon with my seven-year-old and he pointed out how many times he fluttered his eyelashes when he spoke. I noted that this little facial tick was most pronounced either when he was bullshitting or doing what he does best, out-right lie. So I've got my counter ready tonight and will report back.

[BurtWorm]

24. He won't be able to lean one elbow on the podium and cockily

flip the page of the speech he's reciting without looking at it. That could throw him way off. He might try to flip the toupe of the nearest delegate.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

25. They sent him to have pizza and beer with some firemen last nite

they needed to get the testosterone up. Im afraid he'll do fine for a chimp.

[KittyWampus]

27. I Thought He Didn't Make It- Due To Protestors?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

28. They sat in a social hall down the street from the firehouse

a friggin' Italian American club!!! (ooh ooh , bang chest)

[samsingh]

29. you make an excellent point

expectations for shrub are now high and he can't deliver on them.

[PA Democrat]

30. I doubt he'll be able to recycle the following lines from his 2000 RNC

speech:

"I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect."

"Corporations are responsible to treat their workers fairly and to leave the air and waters clean."

"I believe true leadership is a process of addition, not an act of division."

"I will not attack a part of this country because I want to lead the whole of it."


http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/transcripts/bush.html

[hatrack]

43. I wonder if he'll mention tax cuts . . .

What do y'all think?

[Myrina]

32. Sorry ...

The pundits are going to be so busy gushing over the 'rising platform' and the 'image of strength' and then the monstrous balloon drop (which they will no doubt compare to the messed up Dem balloon drop) that there won't be more than 10 words combined on ANY media outlet about what the Moron did/did not say.

His handlers know he can't talk for shit, so tonight is going to be all visual imagery to push the Fundies to near orgasmic levels over their 'strong and fearless leader sent by God'.


:puke:

[VolcanoJen]

33. The media certainly didn't give him a pass last winter.

In fact, Bush took so much flak from the truly awful Russert interview, and press conference, that it helped our side tremendously and built up our momentum during Primary Season.

Yes, the press sucks and they tend to follow memes, but after watching the Blitzer-Woodruff-Greenfield-Matthews et al reaction to the "Over Zell-ous Speech of the Century" last night, I'm not so sure they'll go easy on Bush.

We'll see. But after watching the last three days, it's clear they're not going after the undecideds... they're going after the base.

[ItsMyParty]

34. I think rising out of the floor is going to be laughed at , panned and

mocked by every tv comedian, etc. It's so "clownish". Can you just see his wee head with the big ears rising in back of the podium?? It's just the perfect set up for wisecracks. Kind of makes him look like a potted plant growing.

[VolcanoJen]

35. Is he seriously, SERIOUSLY going to rise from the floor?

I've seen this spread around DU today, but are we sure?

Because, honestly... that's going to be universally panned by every comedian/late-night host/Keith Olbermann in America. It's every bit as bad an idea as Dukakis entering the convention floor to the tune of Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" in '88... and even that wasn't as awful as it sounds.

[MrBenchley]

37. Remember, he fell off a Segway...

the scooter elderly shut-ins are supposed to be able to ride safely.

Wonder if they'll play "Thus Spracht Zarathustra" as he comes out of his spider hole?

[eleny]

36. You've got something there

I'm going to have to break down and at least have him on with the sound off and then just listen now and then. It's hard to gag all this down in big doses.

Thanks! Your post gave me a nice lift! :kick:

[VolcanoJen]

39. Hilarious comment from another board...

"With the round stage and Karen Hughes's finger on the pulse of "cool," he may also wear a mullet and shredded acid-washed jeans."

:D :D :D

[Jackpine Radical]

41. Don't say that, Jen!

He's a brilliant speaker. I'm counting on him getting wave after wave of standing ovations with his incredible eloquence disguised as cowboy talk. He's the new Will Rogers, he should get at least a 15 point bounce out of tonight's speech. Surely anything less than 10 or 12 would be an embarrassment, maybe even a disaster for this popular wartime president.

[VolcanoJen]

45. Wink, wink!

;-)

[Jackpine Radical]

52. Nudge, nudge.

[renotyme]

42. lead balloon

he's probably doing shots of jack right now to build up his 'courage'

[Gothmog]

44. I have been thinking that Bush may choke tonight also

His last state of the union speech was horrible. He may fall on his face tonight. Of course the crowd is so crazed that they will applaud for anything.
Cheney's presentation and speaking style is horrible but the crowd gave him a number of ovations.

[VolcanoJen]

46. Well, those four-year-old delegates went nutso for Zell Miller...

... and waved their flip-flops and hands like they were doing the Electric f'n Slide last night. It was so icky, uncool, and embarrassing to watch, wasn't it?

So, even if they go boffo on the floor, what really matters is how the rest of us millions view it. Oh, yeh, and what the media echo chamber says, too. :-)

[Khephra]

47. I've got a real good feeling about tonight

As I've said several times today, all they've done is piss off 2-4 new groups each night. I can't wait to find out who they're going to piss off tonight.

[swag]

48. I've said this before: the set-up is eerily similar to the MSG setup

in the Gore Vidal novel "Kalki," wherein the title character did the dance of Shiva on stage at Madison Square Garden, was pseudo-assassinated, thereby triggering actions (the delivery of the bio-toxins via paper lotuses dropped from aircraft) which spelled the end of humanity, except for a chosen few, all but one of whom perish before novel's end.

[swag]

49. Anyway, now that I've spoiled it, I expect everyone to have read the novel

by Tuesday.

[MichDem10]

53. CATASTROPHIC SUCCESS

[Gin]

54. good one....he is a "catastrophic success..."

g