Spin vs. Reality

Here’s another reason I think Kerry is a better choice than Bush. The Bush re-election effort really comes across more as a product ad than a political one. For Bush, it’s *all* spin. A few examples:

Bush is always seen with adoring, cheering crowds. But those crowds are very selective: you have to sign an loyalty oath to attend one, and you can’t be wearing anything that might look like it goes against the President. That includes, of course, Kerry/Edwards shirts and buttons, but also legitimate free-speech such as shirts that say, “Protect Our Civil Liberties“. Or how about the Bush appearance at a public high school, where the principal wouldn’t allow students to appear wearing Kerry materials, and according to some reports, threatened them with expulsion if they did? (I suspect that people would be expelled from the event, not from the school, but it’s unclear so far, and really, that’s not the point.)

Kerry’s appearances don’t have such restrictions. He’s a candidate actually open to talking to everyone in the United States, not just like-minded sympathizers.

Another example: today, a new TV ad for Bush includes a shot of many troops… but it’s obviously been Photoshopped to beef up the numbers in the picture.

So what does this say about Bush? That his campaign is media-savvy? Definitely. But also that his success depends largely on projecting the illusion that he’s well-liked and supported. People who disagree with him are not allowed to show up; even legitimate protests at the Republican National Convention and at many events over the last four years have been cordoned off in areas far away from the President. (And don’t try to tell me this is a security issue. He can be secure even if protesters are closer than a few blocks away.)

If a president can’t handle dissenting opinion, can’t speak to anyone other than his fanatical base, then he can’t handle being president. That applies to any party, any candidate. And Bush clearly wants nothing to do with people who don’t agree with him 100 percent.

What does that say about free speech? What does it say about democracy?

Quite simply, it says that unless you play by the administration’s rules, you’re not on the team: “if you’re not with us, you’re against us.” That’s the real Bush Doctrine, and it’s alienated half of the country and most of the world.