Packaging George Bush - nothing's real

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Although every effort is being made to present Bush as "leader," the fact is that what the public is buying is a slick, professionally packaged and staged series of appearances.

There is a full, detailed article in the NY Times today about this presentation. Although it says over 3 million dollars is the annual budget allowed for this stage presentation, the implications are that it costs us taxpayers far more. And the picture it presents is that the person is not important, but the props are the necessaries.

All sizzle, no steak.

While Afghanistan is now back in the hands of the warlords, with increasing numbers of Taliban, Bush is being choreographed on a ship (and the preparations for that were being made many days earlier, complete to coordinating the colors of the shirts of the men placed near him. While the situation in Iraq is verging on chaos, Bush is being carefully placed and well lit on a commencement stage. While the economic situation is going from bad to worse, Bush is being presented in chosen factories, standing before expensive, specially designed backdrops, delivering his stump speech.

This is the American dream. This is Hollywood. There is nothing inside, but that doesn't matter. What counts is the picture the professional team can create (and most of the people come from those fields). Maybe there really isn't any George Bush - maybe we're looking at a figure created out of necessity for the ambitions of others. But when they have to deliberately stage a leader - they don't have one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/16/politics/16IMAG.html

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So true, mamjuana. The title of that article tells it all: "Keepers of Bush Image Lift Stagecraft to New Heights".

And statecraft to new lows...

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It's disturbing to realize how well that kind of gloss actually works on the majority of the public. It's also kind of funny that as much as Washington has vilified Hollywood and tried to make everyone in that town out to be uneducated idiots, the very thing that makes the celebs influential is also making him influential -- and it appears that it's the only thing that can really drive his influence. He, by himself, didn't seem to have so much until they started prettying him up with lights and backdrops and Top Gun reinactments.

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Of course, not everything works. We're not seeing or hearing too much about the pictures aboard the Lincoln. And the usiness about Bush being a hottie turned out to be so silly the republicans couldn't lose it fast enough. But does an American public who watches faked reality shows want more than the gloss? That's the question.

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That business of various Republican women lusting after Bush in his pilot costume was kind of funny, actually. Can't quite figure out if they really meant it (hard to believe) or just wanted us to think so...

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mamajuana wrote:

But does an American public who watches faked reality shows want more than the gloss? That's the question.

Exactly. As for the hottie thing -- I guess that could be taken as an encouraging sign that not all of the ridiculous garbage coming out of that adminstration is accepted even by blind supporters. But take a look at this site: http://www.probush.com (It's hilarious and pathetic)
Looks like not everyone is going to give up on the Top Gun thing.

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Haven't heard a word since. Since old george appears asexual, I guess they thought they had to spice him up a bit. A good advertising person will use any material that seems to work. They've gotten him a new haircut, given him a strut - but I'm not so sure all that is working.

The John Wayne image didn't work; the aw shucks thing didn't; no way could they get that statesman picture across (except among some parochial republicans). No wonder old george kept searching for reasons for his war. They're still searching for the right image for him.

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My impression in this area is that most people see right through the images, assume someone else is making Bush do that stuff (the media, perhaps), and that underneath it all he's a good guy. The way to get the point across is to give (as you/Bumiller did) the money involved. How much we are paying to stuff those socks down his front, align his profile with the stony presidential faces, force an aircraft carrier into reverse. Money, money, money. Cynicism, cynicism, cynicism.

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On the other hand, John Wayne was a complete (if sometimes genial) fake, and that's been conveniently denied for years and years and years.

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I never saw the photo of him with the socks in his crotch. Any links?

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Tartarin's referring to the so-called hottie picture of him and his crotch. What I've been told is that it's actually a cup that's used most often as a protective device, most often by athletes, as george bush the cheerleader was. I have no idea why he was wearing what - but if that's what the republican ladies think is a hottie, they're welcome to him. Although in my family the republican ladies thought it was a howl.

And I do think that in the end ridicule will get them, if not the stepped-up terrorist activities that are giving the lie to his We've stopped those terrorists speech.

Or could be that famous bulge was really where he'd stuffed his cram notes for his speech on the circling carrier?

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This report just proves that, with the right packaging, anyone can become President of the most powerful nation on earth - even card-carrying Nazis, serial killers, gangsters, claim-jumpers, rapists, sex-maniacs, lunatics, drug addicts, drunkards or a mixture of them all.

Providing the candidate has the financial backing to employ the right image consultants, speech-writers and media manipulators, all it takes is the ability to read, write to a limited extent and lie in public with conviction.

I will never forget the images of George W., transmitted across the world during the last election, standing in front of ever-increasing numbers of American flags. Rolling Eyes

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When I lived in Spain during the Franco era, it was incumbent on citizens not to know anything. You didn't ask, they didn't tell. The same with the man in the street interview these days in the US. People parade their ignorance about actual politics as though their lack of involvement will keep them safe. In Spain, it did tend to keep you safer not to know. After all, Franco only wanted to be the supreme dictator of that relative small piece of real estate. Bush has a bigger team and much bigger ambitions. Here, it's not safer to not know.

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mamajuana wrote:

Of course, not everything works. We're not seeing or hearing too much about the pictures aboard the Lincoln. And the usiness about Bush being a hottie turned out to be so silly the republicans couldn't lose it fast enough. But does an American public who watches faked reality shows want more than the gloss? That's the question.

Interesting comment about Bush being a "hottie", in view of the fact that JFK has been dead more than 35 years, and still the press/journalists are exploring his out-of-wed-lock sex life. The latest news concerning a 19 year old intern in JFK's office, who has now come forth, at the age of 60 , to admit their interludes.

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vPackaging is and has always been part of politics. People vote for candidates for a myriad of reasons many of which have little or nothing to do with politics. Many all too many cast their vote based on religion, ethnicity, race, national origin and presentation.
How many women do you suppose voted for John Kennedy because of his looks and conversly how many did not because of his religion? The political parties know what sells and will take full advantage of it.

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au1929 wrote:

vPackaging is and has always been part of politics. People vote for candidates for a myriad of reasons many of which have little or nothing to do with politics. Many all too many cast their vote based on religion, ethnicity, race, national origin and presentation.
How many women do you suppose voted for John Kennedy because of his looks and conversly how many did not because of his religion? The political parties know what sells and will take full advantage of it.

He got elected because he was a good-looking Catholic, Irishman, wealthy as all get out and a Harvard graduate on top of it. Not to ignore his military record.

He was a real hottie! Razz

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New Haven
Why he got elected was not the point. The point I was making was that there were reasons that people voted for or against him which had nothing to do with his political ideology.

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Kennedy actually appears to have gotten less votes for president than another 'hottie', Richard Nixon. If there had been a recount in Cook County it is widely believed Kennedy would not have won the election.

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You have to understand, Au1929, that this woman (and probably a few others herein) use the word "hottie" ironically. Looking at Bush as a sexual object is almost impossible, not because he is our august president, but because he's pinched and mean-lookin' and somewhat effeminate. None of the elaborate arrangements his folks get him into to make him look good work that well, except with men. Men he appeals to. Women much less. Go figure. (Men are more gullible? Women know men better than men do?)

JFK was much closer, in image, to what he was in real life. The only thing missing in his public image was his physical pain, fairly constant, and often the color of his skin, which was odd (no color newspaper photos or color TV, much, in those days).

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Tartarin
Did you see anything in my post that refers to hottie? I was just reflecting on why people vote they way they do. Packaging does play a roll. If not millions would not be spent in it's support.

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Packaging George Bush - nothing's real

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