Gravitas

[Ron Green]

Does anyone remember, during the primaries in 2000, the recurring question of whether George W. Bush had the "gravitas" to be President? He was the governor of a large state, but in a particularly weak office, and he seemed to be mostly the "son of a former President." And the question surfaced, time and time again, about this "gravitas" issue. I'll bet I heard it two or three dozen times in the MSM.

Now the issue seems to be whether he has handled the war in Iraq well or not, or whether he was quick enough to act in a monumental disaster. But the "gravitas" meme has never, ever been mentioned, to my knowledge, since this guy was made President.

Does anyone else remember this from 5 years ago, and what are your thoughts about it?

[valerief]

1. Gravitas is Kiefer Sutherland's favorite word

Don't recall it being used with *.

[Ron Green]

2. Christ, did I DREAM this?

[TomInTib]

3. Please help! What does "meme" mean?

I keep seeing this and I don't know what it means. I have a pretty fine vocabulary, and I hate being ignorant.

Re: Gravitas...did you see the earlier posts with the pictures of our petulant pres trying to act like he cared, but instead looking like he'd rather be anywhere else?

[jhain]

4. "What is a meme?"

http://maxwell.lucifer.com/virus/alt.memetics/what.is.html

"What is a meme?"
Glenn Grant: Meme (pron. meem): A contagious information pattern that replicates by parasitically infecting human minds and altering their behavior, causing them to propagate the pattern. (Term coined by Dawkins, by analogy with "gene".) Individual slogans, catch-phrases, melodies, icons, inventions, and fashions are typical memes. An idea or information pattern is not a meme until it causes someone to replicate it, to repeat it to someone else. All transmitted knowledge is memetic.

[TomInTib]

5. Thank you. Gossip = trend. Have I got it right?

[Ron Green]

6. It was used, as I recall, to differentiate Bush from John McCain,

and perhaps others. McCain had gravitas, I suppose, because he had been through such a heavy experience as a P.O.W.

[Ron Green]

7. ..

Just a kick for the work-week, in hopes that somebody else remembers this whole theme, and how it was so important, and then not important any more.