BUSH ON THE COUCH: why people feel sorry for him.

[Jade Fox]

This is from the book BUSH ON THE COUCH by Justin A. Frank, MD., and reveals
(although in what may be fairly academic language for some) what is apparently
a true phenomenon: Bush arousing sympathy in Americans. I was particularly
struck by the second paragraph here. I have long thought that there is more going
on than right-wing bias in the way the media cuts Bush so many breaks. I think
the media embodies a fear held by many that he is not up to the task, and so needs
proping up (the President being the symbolic father of the nation).


CHAPTER NINE: HE'S OUR MAN

The success with which President Bush emanates positive energy
is a key element of his charisma. He then deepens our existing bond
of identification through his aforementioned regular evacuation of
anxiety. At times Bush looks like a terrified little boy--particularly
in televised addresses and press conferences, when his childlike anxiety
emerges from behind the boyish bravado, exposing the insecurity
that has haunted him since childhood. This makes possible another
level of identification as we recognize our own insecurity in his.
But that recognition is not entirely threatening, because Bush so
explicitly exudes power--the walking penis, standing tall. Seeing that
he can be vulnerable and strong at the same time, we're reasurred that
we can too.

Our awareness of Bush's fragility may also contribute to the
enabling attitude of so many in the media, and therefore to his "popularity."
The family with an alcoholic father not only needs their
father to protect them, but needs their father not to collapse or fall
apart--which they fear he might do if ugly reality breaks through his
alcoholic haze.

<snip>

What happens next is a subtle and powerful process. Without his
having to ask us, we feel an impluse to take care of Bush--much as
we need to take care of our vulnerable self. What's more, we feel
that we are capable of doing so. Empowered by the strength he also
projects, we feel ready to take the challenge of supporting him and
making things better. Then, when he stands tall--in defiance of an
enemy, or in the righteousness of his convictions--we feel able to
stand tall beside him.

[smirkymonkey]

1. "The Walking Penis"

Well, that's a nice way of putting it, I guess.

I don't feel like taking care of him. I feel like smacking the living shit out of him, but I don't feel like taking care of him.

I would say that this could explain his popularity with dysfunctional families and co-dependent women. They feed off the sickness.

[Jade Fox]

2. That's the point. A lot of people come from dysfunctional families. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. hmm who else historically

had the same effect on the American people? (Nixon)

And who else had the same effect on the German people? (Hitler)

No, not drawing comparisons or calling Bush Hitler, before people pound

But this is a common phenomena with "father like" figures that excude some vulnerabilty at some level

Those of us who are students of history can see this... but the people cannot

[Jade Fox]

5. I'd say Reagan more than Nixon....

Nixon had a mean-spiritedness that he was unsuccessful at hiding. Reagan, who
was clearly showing the effects of Alzheimers in his second term, also reaped
the benefit of people identifying with his vulnerability.

More from Frank:

As his diplomas reveal, however, George W. Bush is by many standards
especially ill suited to win our identification. His birth and
background constitute a gulf of wealth, education, and connections
that separate him from the vast majority of his followers. Yet his
demeanor denies that gulf: he speaks like someone who is no smarter
than the rest of us and rarely flaunts his wealth. This is one reason why
his station in life appears not to invite the envy of the masses. Another
is that his wealth and position are so far beyond almost any of us that
they are too great even to envy. Because Clinton, for example, came
from a modest background and accrued his political power throught his
intelligence and capabilities, he presented and image of what people not
born to power wished they could become, thus inviting feelings of envy
and competition. Bush's advantages, on the other hand, are all but
unattainable: One can only be filled with wonder at his wealth and
privilege, which remain abstract because he is so careful not to call
attention to them.

[Indie Media Magazine]

11. +1 X 1000!

[Starlight]

12. I'm with smirkymonkey.

I can't even look at that self absorbed asshole without wanting to smack his arrogant smirk off his face. x(

So no, absolutely not, I certainly don't feel sorry for him or want to protect or take care of him. I've never been the codependent type, I guess. :P

[newyawker99]

14. Hi Moonbeams!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Starlight]

17. Thank you Newyawker! n/t

[coloradodem2005]

4. I will admit that I have felt slightly sorry for him at times.

But the thing that keeps me from having any real sympathy is the fact that he has ruined this country. We all want to hold up a father figure, and we want to believe that we can overcome our problems. Bush has not done so. We cannot overcome our problems unless we face them.

Besides, Kerry seems a far better father figure than Bush could ever be.

[smirkymonkey]

8. I have to admit, there were parts in the KK book

that actually aroused my pity for him at times. Fortunately, they were balanced out by other parts that completely aroused my disgust.

After reading about what his classmates at Andover and Yale thought of him, and how ill equipped he is to hold the office of POTUS, I see him as more of a weak but dangerous misfit Mama's boy who never had the opportunities to develop character or maturity that the position requires.

Unfortunately, most American chose to vote from a place of emotion rather than reason.

[tanyev]

6. I feel so sorry for him

that I think we need to get him out of this stressful job and let him go clear lots and lots of brush in Crawford for the next couple of decades.

[Gin]

7. He truly is a Dickhead! Just what we need...a walking penis .....

I do not feel sorry for him. The ploy may work for many...but not with me...I don't want to feel sorry for a President who carries the nuclear football everywhere he goes. I want to feel secure in the knowledge that the man in charge has a degree of maturity and intelligence to do what is best for all....not just his loony circle of friends.

Go home and be among the other shrubs...George.

[Lisa]

9. he's managed to arrange things so he benefits both ways

Story of his life! He showcases his weaknesses in a way that makes him appear waiflike and sympathetic -- so that anybody who makes a reasonable criticism of his competence, as Al Gore did, is made to seem like a bully. Kind of like inviting the NY Times drama critic to an elementary school play -- if the critic does his job and points out the flaws, people accuse him of having unreasonable expectations. Never mind that they had no business expecting a free pass in the first place.

Bush's cunning is in his ability to get people supporting him (for whatever reason) even though they know better!

[Jade Fox]

10. Excellent analogy, the school play thing.....

Like Reagan, Bush manages to bypass accountability a great deal of the
time.

God, I hope this doesn't happen again in the debates. I hope Bush is in
Smirky Arrogant Frat Boy mode rather Vulnerable mode.

[Gyre]

19. re: Vulnerable mode

you raise a good point. Kerry has to be ready for either sad-chimp or macho-chimp. Sad-chimp could be a problem in the debates.

Gyre

[Hello_Kitty]

13. So feel sorry for him but for God's sake don't reelect him!

[procopia]

15. Do you recommend this book?

Or is the language too academic for a good read?

[Jade Fox]

18. The language is not so much academic as psychoanalitical...

The author is a psychiatrist, and his goal is to view Bush from that
perspective. I am not finding it difficult to follow. Here is the book's
first two paragraphs:

If one of my patients frequently said one thing and did another, I
would want to know why. If I found that he often used words that hid
their true meaning and affected a persona that obscured the nature of
his actions, I would grow more concerned. If he presented an inflexible
world view characterized by an oversimplified distinction between
right and wrong, good and evil, allies and enemies, I would question
his ability to grasp reality. And if his actions revealed an unacknowledged--
even sadistic--indifference to human suffering, wrapped in
pious claims of compassion, I would worry about the safety of the
people whos lives he touched.

For the past three years, I have observed with increasing alarm the
inconsistencies and denials of such an individual. But he is not one of
my patients. He is our president.

[Demeter]

16. I Feel Sorry For Bush's Victims

at home and abroad, American or not, and all of us are part of that legion.

I don't feel sorry for Bush or any of his family. Not even the twins. They're old enough to know better.

[Chickenhawk Down]

20. "because Bush so explicitly exudes power" ROFLMAO

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This is some sort of sick joke right?

"because Bush so explicitly exudes power"

Oh that hurts just saying it ouch!

Whomever said this or believes this is functionally RETARDED!

* exudes everything a President Should NOT Be.

[Disturbed]

21. Exudes arrogance and sociopath tendencies.

I still find it amazing that this ignorant,shallow, arrogant,self absorbed phony is actually the Pres. of the USA. I am not a history expert so can anyone tell me if the US ever had a Pres. this unfit for the job?