Is Bush's CONTRIVED IMAGE winning over Kerry's truth?

[glarius]

Has it come down to the lowest common denominator wins????......I'm referring to the fact that Bush's obvious base appeal to Americans seems to be because he is "ingratiating"!....Not "likeable" as the media keeps saying, but ingratiating....Every time I see him on TV he is leaning into the camera and trying...oh so hard...to portray himself as the guy you would like to (have a beer with?...go bowling with?...live next door to?)....He has INGRATIATED himself into the American consciousness as a good, truth-telling guy.....The fact that he lies and his policies, which the rest of the world does not support, have led the United States (and the world) into a mess, seems to be irrelevant to the American population at this time...It is very disheartening, as a Canadian, who has American born relatives, and loves the American people, to see what seems to be happening down there....IMAGE seems to be winning over truth....Am I reading this wrong?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. IMAGE seems to be winning over truth<<

Kerry in a landslide.... bank on it. :)

[katusha]

2. america the land of make believe

all those "heartland" folks who claim to despise the "culture of hollywood" and then go about selecting their leader based on that which they supposedly reject, style over substance!

[BigEdMustapha]

3. I think you are correct

The majority of Americans simply want to feel good and be on the winning side" when it comes to a leader. Bush makes it easy for them to feel that way with his simple talk and "bring it on" mentality. Kerry wants to confront them with issues that are difficult - failure in Iraq, the enviroment, the economy, etc. and tells America that we must work hard and sacrifice to solve these problems. It's much easier for Americans to dismiss Kerry as "liberal whining" and "un-patriotic" then to think about the serious issues facing the country today.

[TrogL]

4. In many areas...

...the Murikan public appears to be so out of touch with reality that they will vote on appearances or even full-blown delusions alone.

The debates (as we have seen from 2000) will be little help. Dubya could drop his drawers, crap on the floor, then fling dung at the crowd and they'd still vote for him because he's "likeable" or "Presidential" or even "Texan".

The debates will be spun so that Kerry is "eletist" or "out of touch with the common man".

I wish the debates were more like the Canadian ones - half an hour of everybody screaming at everybody else (the moderator is there apparently to break up any fisticuffs).

[Doctor_J]

5. bush's poll numbers with women

- the fact that he's ahead with women because he makes them feel "safer" - reinforces bad stereotypes about women and really paints a damning picture of the image v. reality battle in our culture.

[MallRat]

6. When people FEEL, they vote GOP. When people THINK, they vote Democratic.

Unfortunately, the Republicans are masters at making voters have visceral feelings for their candidates and against their opponents.

Whether it's patriotism, grandfatherly kindness, or outright fear (as in this year's edition), the Republicans have always found a way to keep people from focusing on the issues and injecting logical thought into their vote.

For decades, people have agreed more with Democrats than Republicans on the issues. The Republicans CAN'T WIN ON THE ISSUES, and they've known this for a long time. So, they attack their opponents, smear them into oblivion, and cast a veil of wussiness over them.

Then they buttress this with simple messages, both spoken and implied, to make their candidate's unassailable "character" the issue.

Republican strong.
Republican good American.
Republican protect you from death.
Republican give you more money.
Republican love freedom.

It takes a rare Democratic politician (re: Bill Clinton) to distill the issues down into an easy-to-understand, accessible, entertaining format for the average voter to grasp. 1996 was a perfect example of this- Clinton hammered away with the mantra "Medicare, Medicaid, Education, and the Environment" for months. By the time it was all over, American voters were focused on the issues, and Dole was powerless to recast the debate as one about character.

As far as John Kerry is concerned, something extraordinary has happened this week: he has become succinct, brief, compelling, and on-message. Dare I say, Clintonian?

If he stays this focused and disciplined for the next 6 weeks, November 2nd could be a very happy day for all of us.

-MR

[glarius]

7. God I hope you are right!

I have never bought the image of Kerry the Republicans have tried to portray....Whenever he is shown on TV with crowds, he seems quite comfortable and relaxed with the people...Not the stiff zomby the Repbulicans paint him as.