What was your very first impression of Bush?

[Rocknrule]

For me, it was a bad one, since the first time I ever heard of him was in a Dave Letterman "Top 10"

Top 10 headlines during a George W. Bush presidency:
10. "President Streaks Supreme Court"
9. "President Fails In Shoe-Tying Bid"
8. "President To Nation: 'Do These Non-Prescription Eyeglasses Make Me Look Smarter?'"
7. "Bush To Hussein: 'I'm Telling My Daddy On You'"
6. "President Cancels Meeting With Pope After Discovering He's Catholic"
5. "Bush Remembers Setting Nuclear Football Down At The Mall, Doesn't Know What Happened To It"
4. "America Under Siege: Day 16 of President's Head Stuck In Banister"
3. "Even Dumber George Bush III Preparing For 2012 Election"
2. "President Completes 3 Month 'Goodwill Tour' Of Amsterdam"
1. "President Trades America For 'Magic Dog'"

[MadMaddie]

1. I lived in Dallas Texas when he was governer....

and the mess that he left......

[butterfly77]

2. A beady eyed arrogant liar...

[bdamomma]

39. I'll second that and it seems he has not changed a bit

he is just despicable

[liberaldemocrat7]

91. Mean lying misanthropic myopic person.

and a courtesan of wealthy people who care about themselves and less about people with less money than they.

[AlCzervik]

6. i lived in Houston when he was Gov. and i will never forget what my

husband said to me when he announced he was running for president--"Don't worry honey, when the rest of America finds out when an idiot he is he'll never win"

[MrCoffee]

44. Same here...my first impression was All hat, no cattle.

[Frank Cannon]

82. Way back in 1994, I could easily see that he was an evil dumbass

God, if I only knew then just how evil and dumb he really was.

[TygrBright]

3. First impression: "Huh?!? They're kidding, right? They want..."

"...to run THIS moron? How dumb do they think their base is?"

Sadly, they proved to know their base a lot better than I could have imagined.

regretfully,
Bright

[BlueStater]

24. I didn't think much of him

Back in 2000, I really wasn't interested in politics. I knew he wasn't very bright but that's about it.

As I began to follow politics more following the September 11 attacks, I came to the conclusion that he wasn't just a moron. He was also an evil, selfish scumbag who was willing to tear this country apart just so he could get what he wanted.

And that's the way it's been since.

Edit: Sorry. This was meant as a response to the starting post.

[shadowknows69]

32. Ditto

I thought the republican party had lost its collective mind. Turns out with hindsight that was indeed the case.

[ixion]

4. failed-businessman spoiled-preppy-punk ego-maniacal-waste-of-space

That was the first impression. It's gone downhill from there.

[tridim]

5. I just remember telling my Repuke parents that if he became President,

America would suffer greatly. I warned every Republican I knew. They obviously didn't pay attention to what I was observing.

Little did I know he'd be 100 times worse than even I could have predicted.

[Cosmocat]

22. YEP ...

Me ... I saw a protypical, son of money, shallow, good times partying simp ...

I remember with visual memory, the night of the election, when it "turned" to him ... I was just mystified how our country could even let this clown get that close to even sneak in ... I remember, being at bar with friends and saying how much trouble we were in, and how they just kind of shrugged it off ... Like you, as bad as I knew it would be, it has been SO much worse, with 9-11 being the lottery for this crew ...

I knew what this guy was, and I knew his presidency was going to be a big graft, and a run at destroying SS ... What I didn't know, was the Dick Cheney was criminally insane, and that 9-11 would come along and TOTALLY enable them, and the fanatics in the base, to bully their way to where they are now ...

[acmavm]

7. That no one could ever seriously think that clown should be

in charge of anything.

[AndyA]

8. I saw Matt Lauer interview Bush on his campaign bus before the

election in 2000. I remember thinking to myself that Bush seemed uneducated, inarticulate, and didn't have the presence to be President of the United States. I thought to myself, "There is no way this man could possibly win."

I was right, of course, but we now know how it all happened for him. :(

[TomInTib]

9. When I first encountered the fool, he was poolside at some apartments

at the intersection of Hillcroft and Westheimer in Houston.

He and his fratbuddies were going on about how his dad was a really important guy and they were really loaded and trying to pick up some women who were with us. Saying that they had some really great reefer and all that.

They were total idiots, all pale-skinned and shiny and goofy.

I was home on leave from you-know-where and should have just taken care of business then and there.

That was my first impression.

[bdamomma]

40. seems like he is still just a frat boy.

[pagam]

10. My first thought was

! Fetal Alcohol Syndrome!

[redqueen]

11. ...

:rofl:

THANKS!

[Hidden Stillness]

12. Stealing From the American People Along With Daddy

My very first impression of this George Bush, was many years ago when the first Bush was President, and it was discovered that a "loan" made available from that Bush Administration's Small Business Administration to the young, drunk Bush, was actually an illegal, personal gift, not to be paid back, and not connected with any small (or otherwise) business of any kind. I always wondered why both of them never went to prison for that theft.

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. One of my daily rituals is working through the amazement that

he is (or was installed as) our "president". I've had to do this daily for six years. In 2000, I thought it was a joke....I still think HE is a joke (albeit a very dangerous one)....but pinch as I might, it is not a nightmare....he is in fact our Emperor!!!!

[Marnieworld]

55. I feel this after every speech, every press conference

I keep thinking that when it's over and they cut back to the blow-dried robots of Cable News there will be some reflection of the reality that I just witnessed. But it never happens.

Wolf: Wow! The president was just rambling wasn't he today? Does he even read the reports he gets?

Suzanne: I know! He was ranting like a lunatic too Wolf? He seems to think that no one is allowed to challenge or criticize him.

Judy: The president just repeated the lie that Sadam wouldn't let inspectors in. Did he forget that they were allowed in but they had to leave to escape our bombs?

In any debate,speech, or interview, by any previous standard of acceptable conduct or knowledge or skill he is completely inappropriate and clueless. That was my first impression. How could he even be running? I knew then that something was seriously wrong with the US media. He is the canary in the coal mine.

[Homer Wells]

14. WEASEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nuff said!

[KansDem]

15. When he announced his candidacy, I remember thinking "somethings up..."

Then when all the GOPers vying for the White House had a debate in Texas (If I recall correctly, there were six or so...), and Bush didn't show up, I thought "Yeah...something's up all right" and remembered the Reagan/Bush and Bush/Quayle administrations.

Then I realized that, in every election since 1976, the GOP has either run Bob Dole or a Bush on its national ticket.

[leftofthedial]

16. towel-snapping fratboy spoiled rich kid asshole

all in about a millisecond

[DaveJ]

17. He sort of creeped in like you would expect from any creep

I was frustrated because he really did not seem to be doing anything at first. I wasn't as much into politics then but I did notice that he seemed to be avoiding the press. When the technology market started to crash I thought that any decent president would start drafting some sort of initiative to spur economic growth in that sector. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders like it didn't matter to him. So I knew he was a do nothing president but as time went on we all came to realize that he is not only 'do nothing' but appears to be taking an active role in making things worse.

[NoPasaran]

18. "Who would ever be stupid enough to vote for this idiot?"

That was back when he was running for governor.

[quiet.american]

19. I thought he was "a little slow." n/t

[Vox Acerbus]

20. First time I heard his name, I groaned...

Hated his daddy. Figured I'd hate him.
When I first saw him, I laughed thinking a monkey that dumb wouldn't make it very far.

I did not bank on the evil corrupt friends and family he had, or the stolen election.

[Skidmore]

21. My first impression of * was based on my remembrance of an article

about him in Time or Newsweek in the 1980s written during his father's term. He was describes as a boorish, loutish guy with a mean and vindictive demeanor who served as the "enforcer" for his dad. His job on campaigns was to make certain that people stayed "loyal" to his father. In that article, his reputation as a drinker and rumors of being involved in drugs and being considered a player of some sort were discussed. When I heard that the Rs considered him a viable candidate, I was very surprised. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

[madokie]

23. number 8's got it covered

[Iwasthere]

25. Failure

An ablsolute failure. Couldn't run any of his bussinesses and this country would never allow such a lying, dishonest, simple minded, money hungry, mommas boy of an idiot into our highest office.

[Greyhound]

26. I first heard of him in the SC primaries. I wrote him off as a

vanity candidate. He was so obviously unqualified as a human, let alone, a President, that I never even considered for a minute that he would win the primary.

Once again, I underestimated the stupidity of the amerikan sheeple.

Now I favor a Constitutional Amendment banning anyone that is, or claims to be, from Texas, from ever holding any national office, elected or appointed, with the only exceptions being a Representative or Senator from Texas.

Or, we could just give it back to Mexico with our apologies.

[Bridget Burke]

27. "Half-bright fratboy"

Back when he was running for Governor of my state.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

28. What a dumbass - he'll never win. What are the Repubs thinking???

Shows what little I know about red staters.

[truebrit71]

29. Evil, lazy, arrogant, dimwit trading on his family's name...

Never seen a hard days work in his life, born with a silver coke-spoon in his nose, good-for-nothin' fake christian bullshit artist...

That was my very first thought...

[Subdivisions]

30. I was leading a habitat consevation activist campaign on

behalf of an endangered bird, the golden-cheeked warbler, in the Texas Hill Country when Bush was running for governor against Ann Richards. He came to my town on a campaign stop and I was right there. When he was finished blah-blahing and went to hand-shaking, I got my chance. Since I was concentrating on habitat conservation at the time, I asked him about his position on environmental issues and he said something like, "I believe that ranchers and landowners should be able to clear brush on their land if it means more acreage on which to grow grass for their cattle to feed on in this time of drought." Then he went on to defend hunting and fishing, which had nothing to do with what I was talking about.

My impression was that he was a disconnected dolt. Boy was I undestimating him back then!

[Lisa]

67. it must be infuriating to hear him mention the golden-cheeked warbler

... in his phony photo-ops, when he pretends to be "Ranger George" and tosses in the names of a few species which he probably wouldn't recognize if they fell into his lap! I hear you re: his standard memorized sound-bite about "land-owners are the ones who understand conservation" (as if everybody else doesn't count, even if they are experienced outdoorspeople or scientists).

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010825-2.html

[keta11]

31. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tenshi816]

33. Did you ever see

an X-Files episode from about the fifth season called "Folie a Deux"? In it, a man working at a telemarketing firm realizes that his boss is in reality a big ol' insect-looking monster who is turning the workers into zombies. The thing is, not everyone can see the monster. Mulder, investigating, sees it too - but most people see a benign leader and happy workers.

Well, you can see where I'm going with this. The first time I became truly aware of GWB, I recoiled inside. He just seemed so wrong somehow, yet my family and friends in the States were going apeshit over him. To me, he gave off an aura of evil - seriously - but it appeared that other people didn't see it. I still don't know what I picked up on that other people didn't.

[mnhtnbb]

34. So unimpressive that I don't remember having a first impression

[Lilith Velkor]

56. Me neither

[leeroysphitz]

35. Empty suit.

Nothing that has happened since has helped to alter that assesment.

[One_Life_To_Give]

36. Limpballs singing the praises

After he didn't do squat in Iowa or New Hampshire.
Well he was right that this guy came on strong on Super Tuesday. What with all the money and connections. But he was like an unknown during the early primaries.

My impression is he bought his way in.

[Marr]

37. "The boss's idiot son".

That was my first impression, and the things I learned about him during the early campaign reinforced that impression. He was clearly not very bright, yet he had an Ivey League education. He was completely clueless on international affairs, he apparently had some history with drugs and alcohol (though the media would never really probe the issue), and just seemed intellectually lazy. The only thing he seemed to have going for him was his last name, and a plastic, politician look.

I *never* expected his administration to be overtly fascist. I honestly expected him to be about a foot to the right of Clinton in rhetoric, and 2 inches to the right of Clinton in practice. I expected a relatively moderate, one-term president. A minor, forgettable, mostly harmless curiosity.

Boy, was I wrong.

[Kookaburra]

38. What's the matter with that guy?

"He has something wrong with him" was the first thing I thought when I saw/heard the idiot speak.

[Annces]

41. I actually fell for his act

I thought he was a regular dude who was just misguided as many republicans are. Later I realized his "belief in God" was a big fake act and his concern about the Iraqis was a big lie. And that meant the person in charge of our nation is one nasty MotherF.

[jayfish]

42. I Was Sitting In The Dr. Office Well Before The Election,...

hell it was well before the primaries. I glanced down to see what reading material they had available and on the cover of either Time or News Week was a picture of * with text proclaiming him as the front runner. I said to myself, "no one is going to vote for this chump". "All they have to do is remember his dear old dad". the fix was in waaaaay before the actual election.

Jay

[ComerPerro]

43. Thought he was a moronic (but harmless) fratboy asshole

turns out I was wrong about the "harmless" part.

But that was back in 99

[reality based]

45. A coworker who had been a Republican state legislator in Texas

told me (when * first announced for Governor) that my colleague's Republican sources found him to be an unintelligent political lightweight and boor. Shortly thereafter, a running enthusiast friend encountered * in the men's room before a amateur long distance race in Austin. He attempted to exchange pleasantries, but * glared at him and said something to the effect of "I'm going to beat your a-s!" *'s stuck in the fifth grade.

[wherewingstakedream]

46. I thought what a

dumb shit asshole. So THIS is the best they can do. Pathetic.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

47. I saw an interview with him on one of the networks in 1999

and when I finally realized that he was seriously running for the Republican nomination, I was like :wtf:. I thought this dim bulb will be around maybe thru the NH Primary, but not much later than that.

He reminded me too much of that other wonderful Republican that was contemplating running in 2000, Dan Quayle. To me they were both literally "cut from the same bolt of cloth". Lazy ass frat boys who didn't spend a day in Viet Nam

Then came along the SC primary and the arsehole showed up and spoke at Bob Jones University, that was it, deal done. I knew he was a complete and utter nutcase and he's done absolutely nothing since then to make me change my opinion of him.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

48. Instant dislike.

And I was a republican way back then. I remember seeing him with "the family" and he just set off a nails-on-the-blackboard reaction. Maybe it was the smirk and the look of entitlement.

[Touchdown]

49. Knew nothing about him, but I did say...

This is America. We don't do dynasties. Once Prez per family, thank you.

[sinkingfeeling]

50. Mine was of a drunk, frat boy....anybody who 'smirks' is disgusting.

[conscious evolution]

52. The SMIRK

I remember it well the first time I saw him.Totally creeped me out.I thought he was planning a con on the American people and that he was laughingat how gullible people were to be buying his bullshit.


I also find it interesting how it appears that he now has it botoxed away.

[Marnieworld]

57. I always thought the smirk was a question

Like, "Are you buying this bullshit? Did I just make any sense? Am I fooling you well enough? Do you actually think that I care? That I know what I'm talking about?" He was always a fake but in the beginning he seemed to be concerned that he wasn't getting away with it but now he's convinced that he is actually the role he is playing. Or maybe that's just the botox like you said.

[Hubert Flottz]

51. A would-be Dictator...

I'm dead serious...

[Rocknrule]

53. My "other" first impression, actually seeing him in the debates:

"Isn't it OBVIOUS that Gore is superior to this dipshit in every way?"

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

54. Great minds, Rocknrule. ITA n/t

[Marnieworld]

58. And why isn't the media pointing this obvious fact out?

He was such a total imbecile and yet they all pretended everything was normal. It still doesn't make any sense.

[SmokingJacket]

59. I thought he was too inexperienced and obviously dumb to win.

Oh, well...

[SeattleGirl]

60. I had a very negative, very visceral reaction to him.

And it's only gotten worse over time.

[Disturbed]

63. Arrogant and ignorant.

His smirk was the indicator of his smart-ass tude.

[Monk06]

61. He wasn't elected he was annointed......in oil no less. Just like Jesus.

[Mad_Dem_X]

62. That he was a ne'er-do-well rich boy

who had everything handed to him and never worked a day in his life for anything. I just thought he was stupid; I had no idea how psychotic he was.

Edit for spelling

[mentalsolstice]

64. Oops! Somebody Forgot to Pay the Light Bill! n/t

[Gwerlain]

65. Whiner.

And I've never heard anything out of his mouth to change it, either.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

66. A frat-boy redneck with the intellectual acumen of a boiled beet.

I less critical in my assessment back then.

[Lisa]

68. watching clips of the first presidential debate, on the Canadian news

I thought that Bush seemed clueless and immature. Boy, did I ever misunderestimate how much damage he could do.

[Avalux]

69. Spoiled rich kid.

Living here in Texas, I thought he was a joke when he ran against Richards for governor. He wasn't expected to win, but then Rove's dirty tricks kicked in to smear Richards and Bush won. He messed up so badly here (especially education) that I never thought he'd win the Presidency.

I was so dumb and naive back then, I actually thought a person won elections by their merit. x(

[Kadie]

70. First impression I got was a sharp pain in my stomach.

Still get it when I see or hear him.

[many a good man]

71. Harmless one-termer

His positions on the campaign trail seemed milder than all the other Republican assclowns running. He didn't appear to have either the gravitas or the intellect demanded by the office. I immediately got the impression he was nothing more than a front-man.

[Rex]

72. Oh crap!

I just could smell the danger.

[RDU Socialist]

73. i didn't particularly listen to news about bush till around '99

and then it was whether or not he did cocaine back in the seventies, and my first reaction was "who gives a shit, why aren't they telling me what he's done as governor of Texas". My first impression was "if the press would ask him about something other than cocaine, i'd find out whether he was worse than reagan."

[PerfectSage]

74. 'I hope McCain wins, cuz that guy is a fucking idiot'

The first time I saw *, he was debating McCain for the republican presidential nomination on tv. After watching 30 seconds, I said: 'I hope McCain wins, cuz that guy is a fucking idiot'.

Now, I think he's the greatest president since shit on a stick.:rofl:

[Faux pas]

75. I first saw him when he was running for prez. Since he never

gave a straight answer to any question he was asked, I figured he was either an idiot or a liar. Found out since then that he's both. could never believe he won the first election, didn't want to believe there were so many idiot/liars in the country who would vote for him. Of course, the jury is still out on that subject.

[bumblebee1]

76. My first thought of GWB:

Talk about scrape the bottom of the barrel. Is this the best presidential candidate the Republicans can come up with? Damn, I was hoping for McCain to take the nomination. Bush is a complete moron!!!

[beltanefauve]

77. A typical New England preppie asshole

I went to a New England prep day school where I was absolutely miserable and fit in like a fish on a bicycle, but if I learned anything in that place, it was about people like George W Bush. He's amazingly typical and I was SURROUNDED by GWBs all the time! Basically, he's the boss' kid, smug, entitled, in there totally on connections rather than academic merit, gets away with any sort of disciplanary infraction while others of "lesser" social or economic standing get the book thrown at him, KNOWS he can get away with anything, and SMIRKS about it. The phony Texas accent never fooled me for a minute.

[NightOwwl]

78. Lying, smirking fratboy....

who would drag this country down into the sewer.

Looks like I was right.

[bklyncowgirl]

79. I figured at first that he'd be like his dad. Not good but not terrible.

It was very clear from the gitgo that he was anointed by the Republican establishment. I didn't like him, I thought he was a lightweight but I saw him as being rather in the same mold as his father with his father's people to guide him. You know, foreign policy realist, taxcuts that would drive us back into deficit but not too out there on social issues.

I decided that I really disliked him when he kneecapped McCain in South Carolina all the while condemning McCain for "going negative". I was somewhat relieved when McCain lost. He seemed like a standup guy at the time and I might have even considered voting for him.

I was not happy with Al Gore at the time and briefly considered voting for Nader in my safely blue state to "teach the Democrats a lesson". I did a little research on Bush first and quickly realized that he was a lifelong screwup with a history of lying and nasty politics. I did not want a man like that running my country so I voted for Gore and encouraged anybody I knew to do the same.

It took me a few months but I came to the conclusion that he was going to be a disaster. I hate it when I'm right.

[MrScorpio]

80. With a last name like bush, he had to be bad

That was a gross understatement

[sweetheart]

81. viscious deceptive dirtbag

I'm just not a lover of single celled humans, preferring
rather the whole matured greater example unshown by
corporate media celibrating their tiny modernism of war.

[Random_Australian]

83. A regular, thinking politician.

This was in Australia. The first thing I heard was that someone called George Bush had won the elections in America.

This evaluation changed.

[lamp_shade]

84. I clearly remember it

He was running for TX gov or something. Bryant Gumbel was interviewing him on the Today show. At some point, Bush addressed Bryant as "buddy"... as in "Glad I could be here, buddy". Gumble looked at him as if to be thinking "I never met you before in my life". This struck me. What an arrogant presumptuous young bastard this Bush character is.

<Then again, it might have been Jeb. Not sure,>

[wholetruth00]

85. Another "big dummy" white Ivy Leager riding his parents position of

privilege.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

86. Mediocre spoiled white guy who got everything/everywhere in his life by

his family connections and family money. A mediocrity. I've known many people like this in my life.

Unfortunately, because of the people who are his handlers, he's turned out to be far, far worse than a mediocrity.

[mwb970]

87. He struck me as a hollow, empty jerk.

He still does. The beady eyes, the stupid smirk. He is a jerk.

[Eurobabe]

88. Arrogant coked-up FRAT BOY Tex-ASS gov.

It continued to go downhill fast from there...

[inanna]

89. My first impression?

I despised that smirk and wanted to wipe it off his damn face.

[ThomWV]

90. Heartless Bastard .... He Was Governor of Texas At The Time

When it was disclosed how flipant he was about the executions he was to let go forward of inmates in Texas prisons. A man who has no respect for the living has no respect for anything else, what so ever.