on * "Likeability" - sign of current culture in the US??.....

[NRaleighLiberal]

Last night was pure euphoria - watched Kerry kick ass, the Daily show, then spent hours on DU, and hitting the posted links to polls. Today I've been doing some thinking....

Debates in general are viewed through the lens of the watcher - hence the odd reactions, to us here - Bush likeable (HA), the debate a draw in some articles, etc. Sure, there is an element of media spin. However - I also think that the "likeability" of * amongst so many people is a sad commentary on what's happened to our society over the past 10-20 plus years...think of hate spewing right wing talk radio, people screaming over each other on talk shows, the arrogance and false patriotism/false Christianity of much of the religious right. I think that one of the most significant challenges to Kerry winning is this dynamic - that so many people actually do identify with *'s demeanor in the debate - black/white thinking, pride in stupidity/ignorance, OK to smirk, OK to act like a small pissed off child....it really is the Emperor's Clothes we are witnessing. And THAT may be our most significant challenge - how to get the thinkers, the nuance people, the intelligent, out to the polls in greater numbers than the crud element of our population that are so enamoured with our embarassing leader. If my wife and I thought any one significant thought when watching * last night in the debate, it was embarassment that this man could possibly be our president. So, it comes down again to asking why more people do not feel this way, why there is not more outrage.

Kerry can kick ass in the next 2 debates - but this will remain a very close election. What I am doing is sending out emails to the media whenever I hear them spin - a little thing, and with 50K or so of us registered here, still not a large number - but it is something....keep the faith. We will win on election day - the nightmare will be over.

[unblock]

1. the whole "likeability" and "common man" thing is very recent

aside from andrew jackson, presidents have not often been especially likeable, and certainly did not share much in common with the common man.

think eisenhower, kennedy, fdr, washington, jefferson, adams, lincoln, polk, nixon, you name it. most presidents have NOT been common folk, nor would one think being common would be much of a selling point.

sure, being able to CONNECT with the common man can certainly be a plus, but that's being a populist, not a common man. clinton was a populist. he had humble origins, but he was a rhodes scholar and arkansas' youngest governor. he was a superstar from way back, not at all a common man, but able to connect.

the reich wing decided in 2000 that they would paint bush -- the elistist, arrogant, privilged, spoiled son of a president -- as a common man because they knew theat deep down bush WAS common, just born to privilege and unable to cope.

since that was all they had to sell, suddenly they decided that that was an important thing in a president, and the media ate it up.

personally, i WANT my presidents to be exceptional people, to have excelled in education, life, business, and governance.

[TrustingDog]

2. 'you are what you eat' saying comes into play here somewhere....

fools served up and eating McShit burgers.