Why is everyone so surprised at Bush's performance?

[Anaxamander]

Cruising around freeper land, I can't help but notice how stunned they were after Bush's "miserable failure" of a debate. Personally, I'm confused. What I saw of Dubya in the debate is what he ALWAYS looks like when speaking extemporaneously; i.e., a fumbling, incoherent, smirking asshole. Why did they expect him to be anything different? Did the Repukes make the mistake of buying into their own hype?

[disgruntled_goat]

1. because freeptards watch Faux?

I'm just guessing here.

[Goldmund]

2. I've been asking that very question ever since Thursday.

He certainly wasn't worse at the debate than he was at his last press conference, for example. And then he was "steadfast" and "resolute" and "on message". I guess they need to put an idiot next to somebody who's not an idiot to recognize the idocy of the idiot.

[skypilot]

3. I posted the exact same thing on Friday.

What did the freepers see on Thursday that they haven't seen for the past four years. The only thing that I can think of is that this time the Chimp was standing right next to John Kerry and even the freepers saw that Bush suffered in comparison.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2437365

[Vincardog]

4. Yes they actually believe the crap they see of FAUX TV with the shrub

getting laughs and smirking in front of loyal supporters is real. WTF can you say? Bush thinks being pResident is hard work what do you think he will think of the workout at San Quentin?

[emulatorloo]

5. most confusing to me -- "he didn't seem prepared!"

I thought no one was better handling foreign policy/ terrorism than GWB . . . why would he have to prepare? doesn't he know it backwards and forwards? I AM SO CONFUSED

[ewagner]

18. That's what I'm asking

He has the best staff money can buy and he walked into a battle of wits unarmed........well, he does that anyway....but he had nothing. No fact, no on-point one-line rebuttals...nadda, zilch...nothing.

I'm still skeptical about that.

[cheshire]

6. Because of the way he looks.....

SILLY AS SHIT

[Gabi Hayes]

13. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

made me SNORT! I love scrolling down from something that looks normal, and ends up like THAT

[Geek_Girl]

7. I was wondering the same thing.

Bush was pretty typical Bush. But I think Kerry blew them away, I don't think they expected Kerry to be able to trounce they're beloved shrub and that was a major blow and shock to them.

Thier expectation of Kerry was so low that it made Bush look even worse for them.

[deadparrot]

8. He was standing next to a man capable of complex thought.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. For the first time many people saw the two faces of George W Bush

When it was Bush's turn, he was being his usual smart ass, uck-uck, regular guy. When it was Kerry's turn, he became a smirking, arrogant, sniveling asshole. Then has the debate dragged on, Bush couldn't continue switching back and forth, and the real Bush started to take over. Even his most loyal supporters could no longer deny they Bush is a spoiled rotten, privileged, brat who doesn't even care that he doesn't have a clue.

Rove's biggest mistake was to shield Bush from the real world for 4 years. Bush is cracking under the pressure. It's just a matter of time before total meltdown. I just hope it's in public.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Because the media can sell anything and in 2000 they sold us

Bush by trashing Gore. They never really had a good look at their boy, until now, when the media is hamstrung by a public outlash to their irresponsible methods.

[Gothmog]

11. That was a good performance for Bush compared to 2000

Bush preformance was just about par for Bush compared to other debates. The main difference is that Senator Kerry did such a good job that Bush looked bad in comparison. It also helped that Senator Kerry did not shoot himself in the foot like Gore did in 2000. Gore won the first debate clearly but so pissed off the voters with the sighs that he lost the election. Kerry won the debate on the substance and then Bush helped by his smirks and facial expressions.

[Nay]

12. Yep, they swallowed their own bullshit.

[Infomaniac]

14. People don't pay attention

I think most people don't have time to pay attention to a lot of things. Speaking for my age group, we have jobs, kids, elderly relatives, those "Welcome to Middle-age" tests and a whole host of other things that grab our attention. Plus, Bush doesn't give us much of a chance to see him for the bumbling idiot that he truly is. His last press conference was April, 2004. When was the last one before that? Bush went on Tim Russert and made a total fool out of himself, but who was watching? The first presidential debate was an eye-opener for a lot of people. I wish, in addition to the video of Bush now on the DNC website, that someone would string together clips from the Russert show, the April press conference and the presidential debate. Something we could email around to show that Bush wasn't "off his game" but that he's never had one to begin with.

[demgrrrll]

17. Digby wrote the best, most brilliant analysis of the disconnect

that I have ever read. I think you have to scroll down a tiny bit from today's post but it is well worth the effort. <http://www.digbysblog.blogspot.com/>

[spanone]

15. Because most of the idiots haven't actually watched him

If you saw the few press conferences he has given, you'd know that this guy has the mental capacity of a slug. With all due respect to the slug world.

[lil-petunia]

20. OK this one time, but don't try insulting my pet rock, or else!

My pet rock is sensitve and has deep rooted feelings.

[grace0418]

16. I said the same thing

He was the same as always, it's just the first time most people have seen him responding to real criticism EVER. Ever since he took office (and I do mean TOOK office) everyone he surrounds himself with just kisses his wrinkly ass. Put him next to a guy who can actually form full sentences and make REAL points and you have quite a contrast.

[Boo]

19. The republicans are scared

Look what the others are discussing.

They are desperately trying to move their attention on anything but their leader's extremely poor perfomance:

http://www.freeconservatives.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14973

this is actually kind of sad...

[VOX]

21. When scripted (as at the RNC), * can get a pass for at least having...

memorized his words. There was apprehension that the first debate would be heavily scripted. There were clearly some phrases and talking points coming from memory, but the issues were dealt with more sharply than was widely anticipated.

Also, the RW media has a historical pattern of giving passes to * when he has clearly looked/sounded like a complete idiot.

But * fell on his face. I'm not altogether surprised by *'s performance. But I am surprised that 1) the debates were as free-wheeling as they were, and 2) that the media, by and large, didn't give their customary pass to *

[rinsd]

22. Well I was surprised....

I thought he would be average with Kerry still wining...but Bush was plain awful. I was dumbstruck by how bad he was. Looking at the 2000 debates I can't believe it was the same guy.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

23. I understand it - there's a difference between debates and stump speeches

Bush has never had a genuine no holds barred press conference. He's spent his entire administration vacationing, photo-opping, and campaigning. His stump speeches have always been before friendly audiences, where he can get away with repeating memorized mantras, even if he doesn't fully understand the background that goes into his speech. But a debate, even one as limited as the one we saw last week, involves facts, challenges, and the requirement that the speaker know the full foundation of every policy, including relevant facts.

As President, Bush has been a delegator who hasn't even read his own Presidential Daily Briefings. He can't take things apart and know how they function. He doesn't even know how his own administration functions. If you compare the executive duties of the President to those that occur in a major corporation, Bush isn't a CEO. Instead, he would be a PR man, a flim-flam promoter. He doesn't know enough about BushCo to be able to explain how it works or the full justification for his own executive decisions.