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I'm as anti-Bush as the next leftie activist Democrat DU-member. I still have my KE04 bumper sticker on my car as well as one that reads "If you can read this, you're not the president." But recently, I've found that many people prefer to fall into the "Fuck GWB" routine, rather than analyze the true cause of the problem. This approach only alienates people and makes them look at us like a bunch of loonies.
However, throwing out the Bush factor can and will give positive results. Example: I've shared a few times on DU the story of how I was kicked out of a Bush rally for my opinions stated in Op-Ed pieces for my local paper. This week, I attended my college orientation in Chicago. Monday night, a bunch of us incoming frosh stayed up till the wee hours of the morning talking about a variety of subjects. I went to shower, and when I came back the conversation had turned to politics. One guy, who I found to be personally nice, but was a raging staunch Republican, was carrying on with some of the "If you don't love this country, you should leave" stuff that you often hear. Now, I love this country with all my heart, but my allegiance is to the law upon which this nation was founded and the promise and potential it holds for the future. The room quickly erupted in partisan bickering. I apparently have a knack for calming crowds, so I started to tell this guy the Bush rally story to illustrate just how terrifying the direction we are going is.
As I began, he said "Are you a Democrat?" I answered in the affirmative. "You should know," he stated, "I am a staunch Republican and a Bush supporter." The brick wall was quickly raised, but as I was determined to make this point. I discarded any political leanings involved bu my own. "I don't care. No matter what your political orientation, you should hear this story." So he shut up and listened. When I was finished, he said "That's terrible. I don't think you should have been kicked out. I have a real problem with that." I doubt I turned him into a Democrat in those five minutes but it's a start. Virtually the exact same thing happened with my HS US History teacher immediately following the incident.
People, Bush has built up a cult of personality around him, but when people look beyond the likable shell of a guy they'd like to have a beer with, the don't like what they see. In four years, Bush will be gone (hopefully), and who will we blame then? The sound ridiculous when they blame Clinton's penis for 9/11 and the events of the last four years, we will sound just as idiotic in 2010 unless we address the route cause of the problem: this ideology of hate driven by Bush, Rove, Cheney and the so-called "conservative movement." Bush won't be around forever, but if we don't conquer it now, while it's still vulnerable, the "conservative movement" will defeat us. Our weapons are intellect, communication, compassion and human dignity, and we can prevail if we use them correctly.
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