Bush turns to wife to shore up ratings

[liveoaktx]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/5c2ee13a-39f3-11da-806e-00000e2511c8.html

**Yeah. Too bad we've already read the accounts that Laura's travelling with him to keep an eye on him and make sure he's not secretly boozing it up.

In an effort to improve his sagging approval ratings, President George W. Bush has turned to his wife, Laura, whose popularity easily trumps his own, to join him for an eighth visit to the recovering Gulf coast.


The two-day visit, which began last night in New Orleans, continues today with a joint appearance with Mrs Bush on NBC's Today show, the highest rated morning news programme. They will both tour Louisiana and Mississippi.

The visit comes a week after a broadcasting first: a guest appearance by Mrs Bush on a reality television series. Extreme Makoever: Home Edition was recorded in Biloxi, a town struck by Hurricane Katrina, and will be broadcast this year.

.....Although Mrs Bush's approval ratings remain about 80 per cent - in contrast to Mr Bush, whose ratings have sunk to the low 40s - there are dangers that by assuming a more frontline position she will provoke a backlash. Already there have been concerns about her influence in twice calling publicly for the appointment of a female nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor at the Supreme Court.

[wellstone_democrat]

1. her "popularity" numbers have everything to do with

her failure to be anything else in public than bland and low voiced and smiling. If they really do push her forward people will complain about *something* simply because she will register on their radar.

Its long been known that "most admired" lists include first ladies because those are women most people can think of immediately besides celebrities. Same with popularity: inoffensive? high "Q" rating.

[Southsideirish]

11. Great post -you are very astute! n/t

[salin]

41. yes, she has accomplished so much on her first public effort... the rights

of women in Afghanistan - hasn't mentioned that in years - but that was the first big rollout of Laura to sell shrubby and his policies. All fluff and no substance. Perfect goppol wife.

[Neil Lisst]

2. He always uses Laura when he's in trouble

Look! I got Laura with me!

Now you can like me some more!

Oy!

[Say_What]

54. She's a 'mommy' substitute...

and he really looks like dogsh*t lately. :bounce:

[paineinthearse]

3. You got it right, she's along to mind the Jack Daniels and pretzels

[obxhead]

9. Oh that pics gonna be a classic.

I love it. I may have to print hundreds and leave them under the wipers of the W cars.

[paineinthearse]

10. I'll break it out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5029065

Send suggestions for a better subject line.

[Cha]

16. That is pretty frickin'

Priceless!

[paineinthearse]

29. self-deleted

[napi21]

4. Kooks like Shrub is totally dependant on women!

Karen Hughs, Condi Rice, Miers, Laura......

I don't have a complete list, but I know I've seen many more listed as prominent behind the scenes protectors!

I don't think it will help! Sorry Georgie, but YOU have to do your job. Laura can't do it for you!

[yorkiemommie1]

25. his mama

what's that saying about behind every good man there's a good woman?


surely we can rework it to fit * and his ladies.

[bobbieinok]

35. Georgie Porgie, puddin 'n' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry
When the boys came out to play
Geogie Porgie ran away

[0007]

53. Another twist

Gorgie Porgie, puddin 'n' pie"
Kissed the girs and made em cry
When boy came out to play
Laura ran a stop sign
now the boy has to pay

[katty]

52. bush leans on all his women,he is so weak-likes fems to fight for him

[K8-EEE]

5. Mommeeee! They're Being Mean To Me!

Why is it that these GOP presidents always seem like they would call their wives "Mommy." Reagan, Bush, Nixon, DEF DADDY BUSH....Babs looked like his mom even in their wedding pic, blech!

[Say_What]

55. Letterman used to make jokes regularly about Babs looking like

GHW's mother. I never thought the day would come when we'd see a worse president than RayGun, but MiniMe makes RayGun/Bush look like kindergarten.

[yankeedem]

6. And what a job she has done

Fighting gang violence in the black community. Remember, that is her "project" for the second term?


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Blaq Dem]

7. What's next? A video sex tape?

Hey, it worked for Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson. Even Britney Spears is giving it a shot.

[leftchick]

37. ack! No! Please NOOOOoooooo!

:scared:

[Blaq Dem]

61. Why not? It'll be the only chance we get to see Bush in handcuffs

You know those conservatives have fetishes in dominatrix (sp?). Look what they did in Abu Ghraib. Torturous sex! Yummy! lol

[pinniped]

8. The POS repuke is supposed to be responsible for his own...

dismal ratings. Personal responsibility my ass.

[Betty]

12. I don't get why SHE is so popular

I think she's creepy.

[Blasphemer]

20. She's not. She's just "safe" and completely forgettable..... nt

[GreenArrow]

26. I think she's creepy too

Utterly vacant.

[Piperay]

36. Yeah she is real creepy

that empty look in her eyes and weird smile :scared: not to mention her 'killer' reputation. :puke:

[geniph]

58. What, you don't like the frozen Xanax rictus?

Looks more like chimpanzee aggression than an actual smile to me...

[zulchzulu]

13. She's done a good job with Hurricane Corrina

Wait....um...there was NO Hurricane Corrina...

[October]

18. Who is that in your 'sig' line???

Sorry to interrupt the thread...just curious...

[rocktivity]

23. Randi Rhodes will explain it all for you

in this video of an appearance she made on C-SPAN Saturday.

:headbang:
rocknation

[October]

59. Thank you!

That was painful to watch! Poor Randi, having to do battle with one of the Stepford Wives...

[CottonBear]

46. Bwahahahahahaha!

LOL! :rofl: Please, please send that to Randi. She'll love it!

http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/live/contact

[e-mail] (type LISTENER FEEDBACK in subject line)

[zulchzulu]

50. Sent!

La la la la la....

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Guess since his Ice Queen Mommy was never there for him, he has now

surrounded himself with women who will put themselves on the line to save his ass all the time.(Laura, Condi, Karen Hughes, Miers, etc etc)

Personally I cannot understand why any female in her right mind would even want to be in the same room with him. He is such a sniveling, evil, smirking little twit.

[Hekate]

31. I can't fathom what women see in him

His body language creeps me out. Add that to everything else about his public presentation, and I can't stomach watching him on tv or listening to him on the radio.

And yet... Condi Rice (it is said) didn't care much for him when they first met, but he wanted to hire her, and gradually she came to admire him greatly -- as her Freudian slip so eloquently attested. This is a woman with a PhD; she's no bimbo.

And this Miers woman thinks he's the most brilliant man she ever met. She's another bright, accomplished woman.

You can disagree with the politics of the Bush women, but you can't say they're dumb. What the hell kind of charisma does he have?

Hekate

[arikara]

32. Its that self-absorbed cocky frat boy act

some women find it charming. I certainly couldn't tell you why because I always found it a total turn-off. Ewwww.

[geniph]

56. It's the appeal of the toddler

because he's sexless and juvenile, they respond to him maternally and protectively.

[BrklynLiberal]

43. Laura Flanders wrote "Bush Women". Don't know if she explains

it. But he sure surrounds himself with all these sycophantic women who just "adore" him. I find it stomach-turning. I would kill myself first.

[Cha]

15. You idiot, bush!

You blew it..you've had 5 fucking years and you haven't done one gawd damn thing right..so go fuck yourself and forget about pickles pullin' you outta the crapper.

[Qanisqineq]

17. ugh, I can't stand her!

I think I almost like Barbara Bush better than Laura. Even if Barbara is a total bitch, at least she isn't afraid to speak up. Laura is a stepford wife if I've ever seen one.

[forintegrity]

19. You'd have to be a stepford

in order to be round HIM! Can you imagine? And she actually had sex with him at least once that we know of! You' definitely have to be a stepford to allow that!

[Gregorian]

21. When he gets to Jenna, you'll know it's all over.

If only he'd known that Girls Gone Wild was out of New Orleans. He would surely have funded the levee.

I'm so pissed off about it all. I don't know how I can even make light of this.

It's just very difficult waiting for the law and the remainder of America to discover what we knew in 2000.

[agincourt]

22. 80% approval???

God save the queen, and her fascist regime, there is no
future..... for us.

[madmom]

39. 80% alrighty then,pickles for prez. n/t

[shenmue]

24. But the problem is...

She's weird, too.

:crazy: :silly:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

27. Soooo, is the big bad alpha male going to hide under his wife's skirt?n/t

[nvliberal]

28. If the tabloid Globe is to be believed,

Bush may even find out he doesn't have Laura left, since he's allegedly hitting the bottle again.

[texpatriot2004]

30. What's the matter, can't he just pull himself up by his bootstraps

he's gotta send the woman in. Whatever. I don't think she's very popular right now either.

[fooj]

33. She's useless.

Peace.

[MADem]

34. Good LORD, he's going on TODAY?????

But, but, but...the RW HEADS will explode. They think TODAY, that inoffensive, bland, occasionally perky morning show, is a LIBERAL bastion!!

I think you got it right about Laura -- she's the alternative to the guys in the clean white coats.

As for her approval rating, it does not mean much. No one likes to beat up on someone who wasn't elected. And at least SHE hasn't spent a fortune on expensive china or some odd frou-frou that would negatively impact the historical charm of the White House.

[leftchick]

38. w's secret weapon is pickles? Yeah that will work!!

NOT... :rofl:



President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush arrive at U.S. Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans, October 10, 2005. Standing at left is Army Lt. General Russ Honore, and on the right is President of Plaquemines Parish Benny Rouselle. REUTERS/Larry Downing

[madmom]

40. Hell the bush bunch...

has f***ed us with everything else,why not pickles?

[geniph]

57. Ow.

That sounds acidic and painful.

[jayfish]

42. Why Would Anyone Take Any Solace From A Woman...

who married (and stayed married to) that asshole?

Jay

[Vickers]

44. Looking for the old Xanax-Joker bump again, eh George?

BTW, since she's traveling with you again, how are the delirium tremens coming along? :eyes:

[gauguin57]

45. Dubya: what a big puss!

Hiding behind his wife's skirt. "Laura, they're being mean to me. DO something!"

[Ezlivin]

47. Ms. Rictus will charm us all to death

Did her last botox injection go horribly awry?

She apparently has only a handful of expressions beyond "benign" and "bland".

[superconnected]

48. Only one person has dumber expressions than he does.

that smile...ewww. Fucking prozac in action.

He looks like a chimp and she looks like she's had a lobotomy.

[SlowDownFast]

49. "Bush turns to wife to whore up ratings"...

at least that's what I read the first time around...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

60. I did too!

Wouldn't be off the mark, either... :eyes:

[Supersedeas]

51. does the stepford husband sit in the back seat too--on the shoring up trip

[BlueStater]

62. No idea why she's supposedly so popular

What has she done except look pretty for the camera?