Laura Bush: Straight Outa' Stepford
Usually I don't like to post unflattering pictures because it's rude and unnecessary but I thought that this fit the topic well because she is pretty funny...
I'm really conflicted when it comes to the first lady. On one hand, she seems like this very sweet and caring woman, but... on the other hand, either she's really not all that bright up there in the head, or she really truly thinks that were all just brainless. I still can't figure out if all these neo-conservatives keep messing up because they're all idiots, or they're screwing up this country for their own benefit because they know were stupid enough to let them. I think it's a little bit of both. If they were really that smart, they would be wise enough to realize that bankrupting the national treasury and lying about reasons for going to war are bad ideas.
Laura Bush recently claimed that she did not believe the polls conducted by Gallup, Fox, CBS, NBC, CNN, Newsweek, USA Today, LA Times, NPR, Time, Washington Post and many others that clearly show the President's approval rating with the public hovering around the lower 30's.
The Wall Street Journal Online recently reported a poll showing a 29% approval rating, the [third] worst rating for any president in 50 years. Reuters
"I don't really believe those polls. I travel around the country. I see people, I see their responses to my husband. I see their response to me," she said. "As I travel around the United States, I see a lot of appreciation for him. A lot of people come up to me and say, 'Stay the course'."
I don't know if she knows this or not (she has to), but everything that I know about public appearances and speeches by both President Bush and Laura Bush are that they are screened so that only people who register as Republican's and donate their own money to the GOP are allowed to attend. Ok... so you're only allowed to see people who agree with everything that your husband does and you think that the majority of america is in support of his crazy, destructive and intrusive political policies. Makes sense... but not the common sense kind of sense.
She would rather believe that there is this huge media conspiracy, involving even the most conservative media corporations in the country to make George look bad, than to believe in advanced random polling practices that have been refined and fine tuned over the last century.
I really don't dislike our first lady. She obviously loves her husband and is more than willing to stand behind him through thick and thin no matter what happens. You have to respect her for that.
posted by Matt @ 2:35 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
You're right on the money with this post. The conservative worldview actually is supporting a "Stepford Wife" concept for all women. It reinforces the strict father model under which conservatives and especially the NeoCons operate.
I really believe it's deliberate on Mrs. Bush's part. She doesn't really believe the media is misrepresenting the facts and underreporting her husband's approval rating. She wants Americans to believe that. That kind of misleading information she puts out there really turned me off to her.
Matt, I never thought this reaffirmation of the conservative worldview was so deliberate, so well planned until I learned about the Heritage Foundation, right-wing think tanks and stumbled upon Lakoff's book "Don't Think of An Elephant." It's a quick read and well worth it for any progressive who wants to put ideas out there instead of reinforcing the misconceptions the Right is putting out there about us.
Dr. Lakoff is a cognitive linguistic expert (the Right has one too, Frank Luntz). Cognitive linguists believe that people think and vote relying on frames (ideas) rather than facts. The Rockridge Institute explains the concepts very well (www.rockridgeinstitute.org).
Lakoff's book explains so succinctly what mystifies so many progressives: "how is it that Republicans so persistently vote against their self-interest? And why do they refuse to listen to facts?"
That's not to say the Dems are always only sharing facts. There are spins on both sides and Lakoff helps you see when you're being played.
Still, I'm progressive. I'm a nurturer. I believe the world can be better through cool-headed diplomacy, preservation of human rights and dignity, development of cleaner, alternative, renewable energy that creates jobs (look at what computers did for us!).
Honestly, please check out the book or web site if you're not already familiar with Lakoff. Again, good post. Thank you.
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