Forget about Bush was AWOL: Bush *is* AWOL

[EarlG]

(Looks like the board glitched just now and swallowed this thread, so here's a repost...)

Al Gore is a serial exaggerator. Howard Dean is too angry. John Kerry is a flip-flopper.

The media repeats these stereotypes until it becomes commonly accepted that they are true. It makes the media's job much easier because they are very, very lazy - they love it when a single word or phrase defines a candidate.

The problem with the current "Bush was AWOL" charges is that the public already knows that Bush has a shady past, but they're not particularly interested in the details. They know he's a "fortunate son." They know he drank a lot. They've heard the rumors that he might have taken cocaine.

He's been president for the last four years and when it comes to the character issue, people feel like they already know George W. Bush. That's why these attacks on his character are going to be far less successful than the attacks on Kerry's character. The public knows a lot less about Kerry, and when the Bush campaign casts aspersions about him - which the media gleefully pick up and run with - they're succesfully drawing attention away from what this election SHOULD be about - Bush's record as president.

Unfortunately, we're falling for it, and we're trying to play the game by their rules - but it's not going to work. For example, after months of lazy reporting and Leno jokes, the public now knows that John Kerry is a flip-flopper in the same way that they knew Al Gore was a serial exaggerator. This makes it practically impossible to turn the charges back on Bush.

Me: "Hey - George W. Bush opposed the 9/11 Commission and the Department of Homeland Security before grudgingly agreeing to them. Isn't that a serious flip-flop?"

The Media: "Don't be silly. Everyone knows John Kerry is the flip-flopper!"

BUT...

This continuing discussion of the AWOL story is giving us a great opening - it's a stereotype of Bush which already exists, and can be used to our advantage. The trick is to move the AWOL issue from the past to the present, nailing Bush with the AWOL stereotype while simultaneously returning the debate to Bush's record as president.

Bush is AWOL on national security.
Bush is AWOL on Iraq.
Bush is AWOL on healthcare.
Bush is AWOL on jobs.
Bush is AWOL on fiscal responsibilty.

And there's your damaging stereotype. People "know" that George W. Bush was AWOL in the same way that they "know" John Kerry is a flip-flopper. But we're not using it to our advantage - yet.

And with that, I present to you a special sneak preview of the brilliant Plaid Adder's latest column which won't be up on the home page until tomorrow:

Unexcused Absence
http://www.democraticunderground.com/plaidder/04/30.html

[A_Possum]

1. Well I'll say again

Like I said the first time in this thread...

I HATE Bush for destroying our security and showing the world that our armed forces are IMPOTENT.

He's basically just demonstrated exactly how to defeat us by making such a disaster of Iraq.

It's HIS fault that we are in trouble and impotent to do anything abou it. Nobody else's.

[cheshire]

2. America Wants Outed Lies

Anyone Wonder Osama Lives
I had a bunch of these and this thead disapeared.
Against Wuss Office Liar
America's War On Liars

[AuntPatsy]

3. The bashing of Howard Dean had a completely different

effect on myself, my choice had been Edwards for sure with the others still having to prove themselves to me when such occurred. When Dean was attacked it forced me to take a harder look at his campaign and I liked what I saw...

Funny how some propaganda tends to work on different individuals..

[WiseMen]

4. AWOL in Texas when 9-11 Hijackers were buzy preparing to attack.

[King Coal]

5. Bush is AWOL on Osama

Bush is AWOL on conservatism.
Bush is AWOL on the environment.

[chiburb]

6. Brilliant, EarlG, brilliant...

"Bush is AWOL on national security.
Bush is AWOL on Iraq.
Bush is AWOL on healthcare.
Bush is AWOL on jobs.
Bush is AWOL on fiscal responsibilty."

And thanks for the Plaidder Preview. Unfuckingbelievable writer, she is!

[EarlG]

7. I'm certain I'm not the first person to have this idea

But now seems like the perfect time for it. Use the current AWOL controversy to start hitting on Bush's record as president. The "AWOL" stereotype is already starting to stick in people's minds - all Kerry's campaign needs to do is relate it to current issues.

The beauty of it is, they couldn't turn it back around on Kerry because despite the Swift Boat Liars it's well established that Kerry at least WENT to Vietnam, and they'd have to defend against both the past AND the present AWOL accusations. Just like Kerry was tarred with the flip-flop charges ("he flip-flopped in the past, you can't trust him in the future") Bush can be tarred with AWOL ("he went AWOL in the past and he's going AWOL again when we need him most").

[Plaid Adder]

14. Unfuckingbelievably pissed off, I am

When this long you have suffered under the leadership of idiots, be this calm, you will not!

</yoda>

The Plaid Adder

[EarlG]

8. AWOL from debates

(I think they might be already doing that one.)

[Catshrink]

9. I prefer the term "Deserter"

he was gone more than 30 days.

[Gregorian]

10. AWOL- America WithOut a Leader

George AWOL Bush. AWOL then and AWOL now.

AWOL for America. But, ready for duty for the corporations. A curious absence, and a deliberate one. As for we can see that he does pay attention to his buddies.


He knew, but sat as the buildings fell.

Thanks. Let's shift this context a bit.

[SSFFMMM]

11. Exactly

"Al Gore is a serial exaggerator. Howard Dean is too angry. John Kerry is a flip-flopper." As an aside, I have to say how tired I am of these memes and how idiots buy into them.

[EarlG]

13. Pisses me off too

Unfortunately it works.

The media loves these inane soundbite politics.

[stevedeshazer]

12. Could not agree more

AWOL on our allies
AWOL on North Korea

[hippiegranny]

15. thanks for the plaidder preview

she is awesome, as always. and I really like our new meme:

Bush is, was and always will be AWOL.