Bush is NOT Stupid: It is Time to Kill that Meme

[fascisthunter]

The man is pathological and his demeanor is calculated to fool the American public into believing he is some sort of buffoon being controlled by the likes of Cheney. Too often I see folks calling him stupid or dumb, and in a sense (because of the damage to us that he does) you'd be correct... but in spite of the effects of this one man's actions he is extremely calculated and knows exactly what he is doing. NEVER underestimate how deliberate this man is... calling him dumb or stupid sets up a perfect alibi...

he knows what he does and uses a less than intelligent demeanor to throw folks off.

[seemslikeadream]

1. I love Michael Parenti

he says the same thing

Michael Parenti - Terrorism, Globalism & Conspiracy

"Coincidence Theory: By shear chance things just happen repeatedly and coincidentally to benefit their interests without any conscious connivance by them, which is most uncanny. There is also: Stupidity Theory, Innocence Theory, Momentary Aberration Theory, Incompetence Theory, Unintended Consequences Theory and Innocent Cultural Proclivities Theory."

- Michael Parenti

[fascisthunter]

4. I'll Have to Check His Stuff Out (nt)

[malaise]

78. Ditto

I adore his work

[Richard Steele]

2. While your assessment may have been correct at one time...

...I believe that he been suffering from some type
of serious degenerative condition for some time now.

He was always sociopathic; nowadays he's sociopathic
and addle-pated.

[fascisthunter]

7. Pathological Sociopaths are Mentally Handicapped

It's what eventually brings them down. On one hand, they are able to do things nobody else with a conscience ever could, on the other it's that disconnect to that reality that gets them in the trouble we see Bush in today.

He still isn't stupid, just sick in the head.

[rocktivity]

26. Sociopaths AREN'T stupid as a rule

That's why serial killers are so hard to catch--they come up with intelligent ways to cover their paths. What sociopaths lack is a conscience, not an intellect.

:headbang:
rocknation

[liberal4truth]

35. Most sociopaths are not killers however. Bush is a stupid sociopath IMO.

[Virginia Dare]

55. And he's never had to be smart...

he's always had his family's money and the power behind his family name to get him through. To the degree that he realizes this, I guess he's got that going for him.

[Trajan]

3. HE might be sly like a fox ....

But the man technically fits what people would normally describe as 'stupid' ...

His stammering and hemming and hawing when asked simple questions that he obviously doesn't know that answer to happens all too often ....

IF George W. Bush were not President, and if I met him IRL, and if he answered such questions in that manner ... I would think : That man is stupid ....

[Warpy]

10. He started out with normal intelligence but never developed it

because his parasitic class relies on hirelings to do that for them.

What was always emphasized in his development was ruthlessness. Don't ever underestimate that part of him.

However, he is willfully ignorant and suffering from alcoholic mental disease. He is definitely stupid.

[Virginia Dare]

48. I think he used to have average intelligence..

something happened to him along the way. Whether it was due to a stroke, drug and alcohol abuse, a mental breakdown, or all three I don't know, but if you compare his mental faculties to those of the present, the difference is striking, and he just seems to get worse.

[spinbaby]

5. He just looks stupid on TV?

:shrug:

[fascisthunter]

8. yes

[Virginia Dare]

50. There is just no way you could pretend to be that stupid..

did you ever see the Spongebob episode where he was pretending to be more stupid than Patrick?

[fascisthunter]

85. ok.... he's stupid and Congress is dumber

yup... that's why we are in the mess we find ourselves in today. All a stupid accident. Bush is just a puppet, he knows not what he does.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. You are correct, but many won't believe you.

[fascisthunter]

11. Because If They Did, They'd Realize How Much More Trouble We are All In

But then again, if they don't the severity of his actions will never be truly measured. I hear ya John. A friend of mine this weekend let me know for sure about this man....

Bush and his handlers are THAT devious.

[Virginia Dare]

56. What has he ever done in his life to show shades of brilliance?

name anything he's done that's shown anything over average intelligence. Getting into Yale doesn't count.

[John Q. Citizen]

59. i'm glad you agree that bush has average intelligence. I never saw it claimed he was brilliant, but

I have seen it claimed he is below average intelligence, in other words, stupid.

[Virginia Dare]

76. I think at one time he did..

but he is clearly mentally incapacitated now, and has been for at least 6 years or so. Stroke? Drug and or alchohol abuse? Mental breakdown? All three or a combination thereof?

[Junkdrawer]

9. Stupid or not, Bush is NOT the power behind the throne....

Bush is the chosen face for the Far Right thrust needed by the powers-the-be.

[fascisthunter]

12. He is to the Point they Need Him to Be

But maniacs like Bush usually take more power than his minions want him to.

He's really that dangerous.

[Junkdrawer]

20. My bet is that, once an Iraqi oil agreement is signed, all the excesses...

in Iraq will be laid at Bush's feet so that a "New Day" can begin and the oil can be drilled, pumped and shipped.

Iraq is now in such awful shape, all a successor need do is turn on the water and electricity, fix the sewage system, and they'll be hailed as having pulled off a humanitarian miracle.

[fascisthunter]

24. Bingo! Watching Bush for So Many Years Has Been an EYE-Opener

I have met folks on the street like this. They are easily mis underestimated yet extremely pathological. They don't need much of an education to screw you or I over.

[jgraz]

13. No one is smart enough to act that stupid

Bush says/does too many things that are destructive to his own agenda.

[fascisthunter]

15. ok

[ClassWarrior]

14. It's long PAST time to kill that meme. And the point is that, whether or not...

...he IS stupid, by advancing the "Bush** is stupid" meme, we help the criminals lower expectations on themselves, we help the Radical RW to fly under the radar.

K&R

NGU.

[fascisthunter]

16. Thank You

you get it.

[ClassWarrior]

17. I'm glad you do too. Welcome to...

...one of my own personal windmills.

:toast:

NGU.

[baby_mouse]

57. That's completely insane.

You're talking about him like he's a TV program. The left already knows politics isn't a TV program.

[fascisthunter]

18. Remember DUers... There are Many Forms of Intelligence

Never underestimate people, and never, never judge somebody by their demeanor. On the streets, you learn to look past that, because... you have to to survive.

[Marr]

60. But only one kind of stupid.

And Bush definitely has it.

Bush hasn't done a single thing that would make me think he was intelligent. Not even shrewd. He's stepped in it so many times I can't even count them all-- and I'm not just talking about his speaking problems.

The man really is an idiot-- if he'd emerged from any other womb, he'd be lucky to be selling fries right now.

[liberal4truth]

74. * wouldnt last two minutes as a homeless person. He has _NO_ street smarts at all....

...If anything, I think people OVERESTIMATE his intelligence, of lack therof,
because he is the supposed P-O-T-U-S, and that only becuase he was born with a silver
spoon in his mouth.

The only thing this rich, pampered numbskull lacks, and that he sorely needs, is
a "dunce cap", like the stupid idiot that he really is. :-)

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushduncehat.htm

[JackRiddler]

19. The real fallacy is in the idea that stupid has anything to do with intent.

Bush himself being the front man for a mob, his personal stupidity is secondary. I wouldn't say it's more striking or unusual than his sociopathy.

Incompetence theory amounts to a false exculpation of crime with intent. Those who focus on stupidity and incompetence ignore that the regime almost always gets what it wants and always gets away with it. There is also the false idea that stupidity and crime are two mutually exclusive categories, when in fact they have usually been closely married.

We don't make this mistake at the level of individual crime - to say a killer was a stupid person, therefore stupid is what matters rather than the killer's killings. The law doesn't allow a stupidity defense.

[fascisthunter]

22. You Nailed It, much more Precisely Than I Did (nt)

[rocktivity]

21. Bush is only smart enough to realize that he ISN'T smart enough

He knows he needs a phalanx of "loyalists" scheming and strongarming and running interference for him, and he knows he can't function without them. He's only smart enough to know he's a figurehead who can't stay in control without a "force field" of lawlessness and intimidation. And he's smart enough to know that he's not truly loved, which eats him up inside.

:headbang:
rocknation

[pretzel4gore]

23. POTUS Americanus Dingbatus....

junyer puts the anus in Americanus....

[Lint Head]

25. The idiots that voted for the criminal in the White House have

questionable problems with there brains. They were either temporarily insane or deaf and blind to the facts. :dem:

[annabanana]

27. "The easy way, in one man's book.

is to be a bit smarter than you look.

He's found the easiest way by far
Is to look a bit stupider than you are."

(with apologies to Ogden Nash)

[izquierdista]

28. He is Chance the Gardener stupid

I've run into his type before, thought he was smart because Daddy's money bought him a place at a top-notch university. Already knows everything, so you can't teach him anything, and when asked, doesn't even know something.

It's no show that he can't speak correct English, he hesitates when forming a sentence and then blurts out something with bad grammar and wrong usage.

He doesn't need to use a less than intelligent demeanor, it comes naturally to his substance abuse damaged neurons.

[gulliver]

29. He's deceitful. As I've heard it put, he's a stupid man...

...pretending to be stupid.

[MindPilot]

30. Stupid is as stupid does

Anyone recall that SNL bit with Reagan as the doddering old fool in a public appearance, then cut to a closed door cabinet meeting and RR quickly morphs into the brilliant mastermind barking orders and commanding every minute detail of the administration's next covert operation?

That was fiction too.

When you realize how dumb the average person is, then understand that half the population is dumber than that, it is no surprise than a country of morons chose to be governed by a moron.

[ClassWarrior]

31. It DOESN'T MATTER. And by promoting this, we HELP them.

~sigh~

NGU.

[MindPilot]

37. Now I'm really confused...

So if I don't buy into the idea that behind that dufuss frat-boy facade lurks a brilliant sociopath's mind that's been able to deceive the entire world for nearly a decade, I'm helping "them"? Exactly how does that work?

I really don't get what's driving this whole "bush is really smart; he's just pretending to be idiot" framework. Are Americans just ashamed to admit that for the second time in recent history, we put a complete dumbass in the Oval Office?

I've heard it from many sources, and it seems like many other urban myths that has taken on a truthiness of its own.

[ClassWarrior]

42. "Exactly how does that work?" Do some reading...

Conservatives have been more effective than progressives at getting their worldview, or moral frame, into public discourse. So effective, that progressives all too often adopt conservative frames — as members of Congress did in adopting the President's "unitary executive" frame which defined Congress as responsible for carrying out his mission — and thus primarily responsible for the safety of the troops. Congress may argue against the President's Iraq policy, but when they do so using his words, and thus his fundamental moral frame, they put themselves at a distinct disadvantage. It is nearly impossible to persuasively present a progressive policy using conservative language and frames...

http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/aboutus/frames-and-framing

NGU.

[baby_mouse]

47. This does not contradict the OP.

Rather, it supports it.

[Marr]

61. No kidding. It doesn't make any sense for many reasons.

Not least of all is ego. Bush has an enormous ego-- even his fans will acknowledge that. Would someone who insists upon being called "Mr. President", even by his friends ever intentionally look stupid?

And how many times has Bush said something stupid, then become adamant and aggressive because he realized people were laughing at him? Too many to count. That's not what a man would do if he were just acting stupid.

[misanthrope]

67. So you believe this?...

..."As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." -H. L. Mencken

[MindPilot]

95. I don't think * "adorns" the White House.

Other than that, pretty durn accurate.

Seen the film "Idiocracy"? It's a documentary. :D

[misanthrope]

99. The use of "adorns" is highest sarcasm...

...and yes I've seen "Idiocracy." It's not so funny if you see the daily dose of dysgenics I do.

[Mike03]

32. No, no, no. I disagree: GWB is stupid

He allows himself to be exploited by intelligent people, and that gives him the appearance of being intelligent. But it is absurd to argue that he is an intelligent man.

I can't believe anyone here is still trying to inaugurate this new talking point that Bush is a brilliant man. This is just as big a cliche as the argument you are trying to fight against.

[ClassWarrior]

33. Can you read? No one said he's "a brilliant man." We said IT HELPS THE CONS...

...to promote the idea that Bush** is an idiot. It lowers expectations on them.

:eyes:

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

45. .

[Canuckistanian]

34. I did a survey about this last year

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1122178

The general perception is - he's not too bright.

[ClassWarrior]

43. And that perception HELPS the Cons.

They've worked hard to propagate it. That's the point.

NGU.

[Rosemary2205]

36. Maybe not stupid, but he's INCOMPETENT and EVIL.

[killbotfactory]

38. Yes, he's so stupid he managed to bungle billions of dollars

into the pockets of the defense and energy industries at our expense.

I wish I was that stupid.

[opihimoimoi]

39. No one can act stupid for 7 years straight and get away...the man is dunb

[Stargleamer]

40. We do misunderestimate him. . .

his stupid comments do make us laugh however. Sometimes we feel very embarrassed when he goes overseas, and other countries wonder how he could have ever got elected.

[cloudythescribbler]

41. Evil and unintelligent are NOT mutually exclusive ...

One of Malcolm X's great speeches was when he described how "anyone" can sit, ... but we need to stand up for our rights ..."

The relevance here is that being evil and elitist doesn't necessarily require one to be as rarified in quality as they might treat themselves as being.....

[ClassWarrior]

44. Of course they're not. But one meme helps us and one hobbles us.

You pick. Which one do you prefer?

NGU.

[baby_mouse]

53. The one that's TRUE.

And the one that's TRUE is that he's stupid.

HOW does knowing this truth hobble the left?

HOW does pretending he's clever help the left?

[ClassWarrior]

58. They're both likely TRUE. But one benefits us, the other lowers expectations for the RW.

We don't have to pretend he's clever. We don't have to address his level of intelligence at all. We have to emphasize his level of criminality -- the other item that's TRUE, and one that benefits US. Otherwise we assist the right, by advancing their frame:

Conservatives have been more effective than progressives at getting their worldview, or moral frame, into public discourse. So effective, that progressives all too often adopt conservative frames — as members of Congress did in adopting the President's "unitary executive" frame which defined Congress as responsible for carrying out his mission — and thus primarily responsible for the safety of the troops. Congress may argue against the President's Iraq policy, but when they do so using his words, and thus his fundamental moral frame, they put themselves at a distinct disadvantage. It is nearly impossible to persuasively present a progressive policy using conservative language and frames...

http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/aboutus/frames-and-framing

NGU.

[Marr]

62. I really don't see how it helps them.

Who wants an outright idiot to be your ideological mascot? Bush *is* an idiot.

The only Bush-related pitch I hear that's potentially really damaging is that he's 'not a real Conservative'.

[ClassWarrior]

65. Because everyone is laughing at the fool, or feeling sorry for him, while...

...Cheney** and Co. are looting the treasury. It's a distraction. And one tailor-made for us to salivate over.

But I refuse to salivate.

NGU.

[baby_mouse]

46. >Head-desk

Okay. You win, Mr Meme-crusher. George is clever.

:crazy:

[fascisthunter]

84. oh brother

[B Calm]

49. I call them, like I see them, the man is a moron!

[sendero]

51. I think it really depends entirely..

.. on how you define stupid. By some definitions, he is stupid. I think he believed the Iraq war would go well and he'd be a hero. By that definition he is stupid, because intelligent people knew that was very unlikely.

He still clearly believes in his supply-side nonsense, which is a form of delusion not exactly the same as stupidity, although just as pernicious.

I think he has an ego the size of Mt Rushmore and that his current disfavor is very difficult for him to handle. I don't think he thought it would turn out this way, and that is another form of stupid.

[Recursion]

52. Stupid like a fox n/t

[Boojatta]

54. Do you have a lawyer? If you're lucky they'll charge you with meme slaughter.

If you're unlucky, it will be first-degree meme-icide.

[dgibby]

63. AGREED!

I used to think he was stupid, but now believe he is a cunning sociopath with messianic tendency's. I came to this conclusion after hearing his comments on two different occasions. Once, while being interviewed by NBC (I think it was Matt Lauer), he stated that it was "all about the perception" when the interviewer seemed astonished by the content of Bush's reading list. The second time was when he was meeting the winners of the 06 World Series and compared himself to a player that had been underestimated, but proved to be much better than anyone thought. Both of those statements made my blood run cold!

[fascisthunter]

88. Thank You

I also notice that people love to guage people's intelligence with the way they communicate. To an extent they would be right, however I have met plenty of people who do not communicate well, however are extremely smart in other areas. Too many times will you see an air of arrogance in those who are well versed, well educated and articulate only to make a common mistake in underestimating people because of their demeanor or communication skills.

I do the same from time to time.... it's very easy to do.

[gordianot]

64. With his resources and organization George W Bush does not need intelligence.

His lack of conscience is his greatest asset. This one quality allows him to do what he does better than anyone else. In this attribute he is truly superior.

[Skittles]

66. nice try

the man is as dumb as a bag of hammers

[fascisthunter]

81. nice try?

[Angry Mollusk]

68. He may be calculating, but his ignorance of history, literature and the world around him is vast

In regards to understanding history, using the English language and grasping the complexities of cause and effect in war and occupation- the man is clueless....

I don't think his idiocy in that regards is an act.....

He may be cunning and calculating, but he is still a buffoon

[Angry Mollusk]

69. And having gone to Yale and Harvard means nothing

If you had family go to Harvard or Yale, and if your family has money, admittance to either Ivy league school is VERY easy.

[Angry Mollusk]

70. I think Bush was the mindless puppet, and Cheney , Rove and Rumsfeld were the puppet masters

I think Bush was probably kept in the dark most of the time. Dick Cheney was the man behind the curtain- and he, along with karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld were the ones making policy and making decisions. Bush was the village idiot that would deflect attention from them.
Bush may have been cunning, but he was no mastermind-and as president, he is the one who needs to be held accountable for the crimes of his administration.

[Zynx]

71. I've always maintained he's about a 115 IQ and a B+ actor.

[khaos]

72. 10 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvVilAlCBYc

[trusty elf]

73. The difference is

that ten years ago he was better at memorizing lines and quicker to regurgitate them. It seems obvious to me that he is merely spouting what he learned by rote, not "thinking on his feet".

He may not be a total moron, but he certainly isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, intelligent.

There was a pretty good shrubbism in there- "14 year olders".

[khaos]

91. he's just a president..

he doesn't have to be intelligent; just has to do as he is told.

[OneBlueSky]

75. Bush is a moderately intelligent form of pond scum . . .

intelligent enough, at least, to keep his ass out of prison . . .

he's very, very good at that . . .

and not much else . . .

[ProfessorGAC]

77. We'll Agree To Disagree

And i won't be able to kill that notion. IMO, he's a dolt. An empty suit dancinng to the whim of the puppet masters.
The Professor

[Annces]

79. Where did this new term "Meme" come from

I heard my neighbor use it about 10 times and I am seeing it on DU more and more.

[fascisthunter]

82. Ok... semantical arguments are really annoying

look... if you disagree, disagree. Make your case, otherwise, I'm gonna ignore you.

[rAVES]

86. Memetics: the study of mind viruses.. its a meme in itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memetics

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

80. The most spectacularly successful president in history...

Don't snort. Don't laugh.

How many parts of the Bush Agenda DIDN'T get passed by Congress. He got No Child Left Behind. He got the tax cuts he wanted. He got the war that he wanted. He got the unlimited surveillance powers that he wanted. He got immunity from Congressional oversight.

Christ Almight! Is there anything this guy wante that he didn't get?

It's NOT that Bush is stupid or incompetent. The problem is that conservative policies are wrecking this country. John McCain may be a more intelligent version of George W. Bush, but he's clearly going to perpetuate the same disastrous policies. It doesn't matter if the guy behind the wheel is a member of fucking MENSA, if he's driving us off the cliff, we'll have all just been killed but the smartest bus driver in history.

[fascisthunter]

83. Thank You

and if he is soooo "Stupid", why couldn't our party stop him?

[dgibby]

87. McCain

If he's "smarter" than Bush, he certainly didn't apply himself at the Naval Academy, graduating 5th from last in a class of over 800! A real brain trust, that one! Actually, just like Dubya, another legacy grad (Daddy Admiral saw to that, no doubt). And like Bush, owned and operated by the fascist military industrial corporate banking MSM conglomerate. And, like Bush, CUNNING and duplicitous.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

92. The Trap

Republican operatives in the fall will "concede" that Bush did a poor job as president, but that McCain will "get conservatism right" if he's elected. The problem is that Bush got conservatism right (and McCain voted with him every step of the way). The problem is that conservative ideology is great for theoretical models constructed at the Cato Institute, but it's disastrous when applied to a real country.

[iamthebandfanman]

89. nah, hes smart enough

to know what to do to benefit himself. that doesnt make him intelligent.

hes an idiot through and through. being smart enough to rip people off and be greedy is kinda a basic human trait ;)

[snooper2]

90. He's not stupid

He's ignorant, that's the difference...

[kineneb]

93. not "stupid"- willfully ignorant and arrogant

just as those who buy into religious fundamentalism (of any variety) willfully ignore reality, so does GWB. In fact, the teachings of his Class (the "old money") come with their own set of beliefs that boarder on religion.

The closest historical comparison is to the medieval aristocracy. A few were intelligent, aware, prudent, and had a sense of noblesse oblige. The rest were of (at best) average intelligence, arrogant, greedy, close-minded thugs who only cared about their own class. GWB fits well into the second group.

[Gimli]

94. Have you seen his take on the economy

War is good for the economy but it's gone bad cause we built to many houses...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIbdnM8Ts88
I think his stupidity is genuine.

[Rex]

96. The man is stupid, very very stupid.

Lie all you want to for George, he is very stupid. Sorry.

[Disturbed]

97. Busholini is a Silver Spoon Sociopath.

He is of average intelligence, arrogant, greedy, a close-minded thug who only cares about his own class, his personal wealth & power. He also has brain damage that is getting worse as the years go by.

[Orsino]

98. His demeanor isn't calculated, either.

He's the frat boy who never had to grow up. While not stupid, he is profoundly incurious.

He's also a figurehead, chosen for his name and pliability rather than for any leadership skills. It's sad to contemplate, but *'s is the most amiable face that will fit on neoconservatism.