Low in Polls, Bush Makes More Time for Friendly Crowds (Classic)

[Flabbergasted]

Source: NYT



Low in Polls, Bush Makes More Time for Friendly Crowds
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: October 16, 2007

ROGERS, Ark., Oct. 15 — Out there in the rest of America, polls show that about twice as many people disapprove of President Bush as approve of him. But here in a cavernous convention center hall, Mr. Bush found nothing but admirers Monday when he answered questions during a town-hall-style meeting.

One man began by commending Mr. Bush “on your steadfastness and your faith.” Another concluded by saying, “Thank you for being my president for the last seven years,” with an emphasis on the word “my.” A third expressed dismay that Mr. Bush could not run for president again.

“It’s time for new blood,” Mr. Bush replied. “Plus,” he added wryly, “I’d be single.”

The friendly audience in northwest Arkansas — not a single questioner criticized Mr. Bush — is typical of such let-Bush-be-Bush events, which the White House is staging with increasing frequency. Mr. Bush’s aides like them because the president is much better in an informal setting, especially one where he can get his message across, conversation-style, without pesky reporters asking the questions.

Mr. Bush’s message Monday was the economy — “The worst thing we could do is run up taxes,” he said — and his looming fight with Congress over the budget. “You’re fixing to see what we call a fiscal showdown in Washington,” he said, renewing his threat to veto spending bills he does not like.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/washington/16bush.html

---

Where the fuck do they find these people? Do these people have any clue what he and his dad have done to our debt?

If Bush is Fiscally Conservative what was Clinton?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. being white and middle aged, I am struck by the vanilla crowd

with their walkers and canes.

[pokercat999]

20. Ummmmmm

Maybe there are no people of color in Arkansas? :sarcasm:

At least no STUPID people of color in AR.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. could very well be w/o the sarcasm

I suspect if Bush pulled a Kucinich, and took a mini bible out of his pocket, a form of rapture would have occured in that crowd.

[olddad56]

37. that is a nice looking congregation that Rev. George is preaching to.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

55. be nice. Even our brain dead deserve our respect and help.

and if ever there was a larger gathering of those in need. . . .

[Captain Angry]

2. Question:

How much do all those damn backdrops cost?

Every time he's speaking somewhere, there are huge banners and signs pre-printed.

Am I paying for that?

[rodeodance]

17. you betcha

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. “It’s time for new blood,” Mr. Bush replied.

:rofl:

[Flabbergasted]

4. God I didn't need to see that. I've had enough terror.

[DCKit]

13. Resident Dumbya standing before those words is a HORRIBLE joke on all of U.S..

[Quantess]

25. Maybe he doesn't know what "fiscal" means.

He rides his bike, an' clears brush for exercise. He knows all about bein' fiscal.:dunce:

[AnneD]

30. And notice....

that the crowd is laughing.....I think everyone is in on the joke now:spray:

[krispos42]

5. He has enough followers to get a crowd?

Or are these Congressional staffers drafted into sitting folding chairs?

[Flabbergasted]

6. Paid laughers?

[Bozita]

10. just like a Broadway show.

Not even the Bushies could deny it.

[Mend]

21. the top of the pyramid of an Amway convention...

[krispos42]

39. LOL

good one!

[xxqqqzme]

47. Wherever Air Force one goes, there

are three jets following loaded w/ all his koolade drinkin' devotees.

He'd be single huh? Is pickles in danger?

[struggle4progress]

60. "... in a cavernous convention center hall ... About 300 people attended ..."

Of course, the very carefully framed photo in the OP only shows about 50 folk -- so 300 attendees is probably stretching the truth a bit and may count not only various convention center gophers and janitors but also some of the army of aides and snipers that attends the Pretender on his excursions

[trusty elf]

7. "dismay that Mr. Bush could not run for president again"

WTF?! Absofrigginlutely staggering!

[MilesColtrane]

8. "It’s time for new blood."

Ape to homo sapien translation: "Iran will be carpet bombed."

What the fuck kind of response is "Plus, I'd be single." to the plant's statement?

Sounds like he has a plan to declare himself dick-tater for life, with the added bonus of being able to peusue he and Condi's love which must not be spoken.

[silverojo]

18. "Plus, I'd be single"

Sounds like there might be something to those tabloid rumors about Chimpy and the Xanax Queen, hmmmmm?

[BrklynLiberal]

50. Great pic of Coultergeist. Amazing likeness.

[trusty elf]

9. “It’s time for new blood,”

Pardon the vulgarity!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

11. Ever see "Soapdish" with Sally Field?

Bush is like that character who's a soap opera actress who needs to get public adulation when she's depressed. So Whoopi Goldberg takes her to the Mall in N.J.

Bush to a "T".

[Old and In the Way]

12. "I'm with stupid"

[Megahurtz]

44. Rofl!

:rofl:

Best post yet!

[Art_from_Ark]

14. Where do they find these people, you ask?

My guess is that this convention center is in or near the Pinnacle area of Rogers/Bentonville, a playground/home for the ultra-rich of Northwest Arkansas who praise bu$h daily for all his wonderful tax breaks.

[rodeodance]

15. I would find this language very demeaning if I were siting there!!:

......“You’re fixing to see what we call a fiscal showdown in Washington,” he said, renewing his threat to veto spending bills he does not like.

[rodeodance]

16. Glad to see stories like this in the NYT.

[kimmylavin]

19. Jeez.

You could have just put that picture up and I'd be laughing...

[xxqqqzme]

49. it's like - OK? ready? say cheese y'all

[City Lights]

23. A crowd of dolts laughing as the jester.

There isn't one invited guest that has a clue about the meaning of fiscal responsibility.

Idiots, one and all.

My hairdresser is still a bush lover. When I asked her what he's done that's so great, I got standard conservative idiot's response: I got my tax cut. :puke:

[BrklynLiberal]

35. Exactly. Exclaiming how handsome he looks in his invisible clothes.

Absolutely mindless..

[momster]

41. Bought for $300 Bucks

How far did that go?

[City Lights]

56. She's an easy buy.

I pointed to the collapse of the Minneapolis bridge as an example of her tax cut at work. I pointed out that there are a number of bridges around here that could suffer the same fate as the one in MN. She got real quiet after that.

[307 MMS]

43. Huh!?

And she's STILL your hairdresser? WTF?

[City Lights]

57. Yes, she's still my hairdresser.

If I had just started going to her I probably wouldn't go back after that conversation, but I've been going to her for over 10 years and won't stop going yet. I'm hopeful there's still a slim chance I can open her eyes by continuing to calmly discuss issues with her.

[SammyWinstonJack]

62. " I got my tax cut" is a very selfish response in light of the economic disaster george has and

continues to be for many, many Americans. :puke: is right!

[Vinca]

24. Isn't it a little strange for a person who has run up the largest

debt in the history of the nation to be standing in front of a giant "fiscal responsibility" sign? Especially when his cost cutting measures include killing healthcare for kids. You can't make this stuff up.

[ixion]

26. my thought as well... the irony is staggering n/t

[kurth]

27. The Bush world is upside down

and way, way worse than The Onion.

[Magleetis]

28. Fiscal responsibility?

Half a trill on a war with no end. Yeah right. You can fool some of the people all the time.

[mwb970]

29. I literally laughed out loud at that picture.

My God, what a total hypocrite and coward this little piece of crap is! Standing in front of ignorant, deluded sycophants with a huge sign trumpeting a completely obvious lie. Fiscal responsibility! What a joke.

The most amazing thing about bush to me is his complete, total, unmitigated phoniness. I mean, every single thing about this "man" is fake, phony, and a lie from beginning to end.

His ranch. His war. His elections. His presidency. His speeches. His signs. His "accomplishments". His appointees. Every single thing about him is completely phony. He's like "the little man who wasn't there".

Oh, would that he were not there.

[Magleetis]

32. He is here alright

rubbing it in our face and forcing it down our throats every day. It can be very discouraging. I know in my heart that truth and peace will prevail. But when?

[PassingFair]

33. I was going to say that we are lucky that don't live in an area torn by war.

But then I see you are posting from an area
torn by nature, and allowed to fall to ruin
by these careless animals in charge.

Truth and peace WILL prevail.
I don't know WHEN.
Keep fighting the good fight.
It's all we can do.

HARD TIMES are coming to us in Michigan, too.

:cry:

[Magleetis]

36. I am in NE Louisiana

However the whole state has been affected. Some call this the buckle of the bible belt. Bush is loved here. Thank goodness for DU.

[beltanefauve]

46. You forgot

the fake turkey!;-)

[mhatrw]

38. Mission Accomplished! n/t

[0007]

31. The OP writes;

Where the fuck do they find these people? Do these people have any clue what he and his dad have done to our debt?

If Bush is Fiscally Conservative what was Clinton?

1. Come to West Texas and you'll find about 250,000 of these kind of goons.

2. Most folks in West Texas will tell ya that junior's fiscal policy incurring
budget deficits in West Texas was to stimulate their weak economy, LOL!!!
(case in point, OIL = under twenty dollars a barrel - Now, OIL = Eighty
three dollars a barrel.

[Flabbergasted]

58. Staying away from the Axis of Texas. Thanks though.

[BrklynLiberal]

34. Those people make me physically ill. They are willfully ignorant.

And when the results of their ignorance flashes back in their own faces, they will find someone else to blame.

[maxsolomon]

40. that is what fascism looks like

and we're 1 jeb away from it.

[momster]

42. Sign Should Say

"Fecal Responsibility...5 days Without Soiling Myself"

[truthisfreedom]

45. “It’s time for more blood,” Mr. Bush replied. “Plus,” he added wryly, “I’d be stuck with Jeff.”

"Gannon, that is."

[xxqqqzme]

48. The article calls it '...a cavernous convention center...'

then later it says there were 300 publican party invited 'guests'. I wonder....was there an echo in that 'cavernous' center?

[guruoo]

51. Love that pic. n/t

[Flabbergasted]

52. At first sight I thought it was satire. nt

[stillcool]

53. I'd like to see them all...

on Wanted posters at my local post office..'conspiring with the enemy'..unfortunately I'll probably see my own picture before I see theirs'.

[Bread and Circus]

54. I think George Bush would be the best mayor ever....

of Potemkin Village

[Solly Mack]

59. lol pulling the same shit he does when campaigning...

which is exactly what he is doing now...'cept now he's campaigning for a legacy.

the "love me" tour

not sure which is more pathetic...that he's doing it or that it works (for too many people)

[redqueen]

61. .... oh my... so much unintentional hilarity...

:rofl: