Yet Bush's advisers, particularly Karl Rove, exerted enormous pressure on him to go out every day to talk about anything -- even if no one was listening. Each year, for example, we were asked to produce three entirely separate statements to commemorate St. Patrick's Day. And we crafted remarks for so many Hispanic-themed ceremonies that the president finally stood up in the Oval Office and told his speechwriters, "No más."
The Hispanic-themed comments were an outgrowth of the administration's all-out push for comprehensive immigration reform. As the president's proposal became more controversial, Rove -- on one of his over-caffeinated days -- persuaded Bush to give speech after speech, each time hoping that somehow they'd find the magic words to turn things around. Bush, who when given a moment to collect his thoughts could be a persuasive speaker, was talking so often that his words on the subject lost their presidential heft. Critics noted that his message seemed muddied and his arguments contradictory or confusing.
Well, when you are trying to put a giant swindle over on American voters, the best you can hope for is that your message comes across as muddied, contradictory, and confusing.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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6 comments:
"Critics noted that his message seemed muddied and his arguments contradictory or confusing."
I have a feeling that his critics have been "noting" that since he was in elementary school. That doesn't have anything to do with Rove's message. If Rove's message was immigration restriction, it too would have been muddied after Bush got through with it.
Trivial, yes, but for some reason that sentence irked me. Rove may be the devil himself, and every single one of his messages may suck, but he really isn't responsible for his client always sounding confused and "muddy". It's either a bad genetic break or a consequence of past drug abuse.
Bush, who when given a moment to collect his thoughts could be a persuasive speaker,
Wow, talk about damning with faint praise.
It's either a bad genetic break or a consequence of past drug abuse.
I'm voting for drug use because I saw a Youtube debate between Anne Richards and GWB where Bush actually sounded pretty sharp and on his game. After I watched most of it, tt was clear that Bush's verbal skills had dropped off considerably by the time he become POTUS.
I think GWB's natural political instincts were better than those of some of the people that surrounded him like Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. Karl Rove knew his stuff when it came to maximizing voter turnout, but some of his initiatives for the Republican party were dubious. Dick Cheney, OTOH, was pretty much just useless, in retrospect.
"Critics noted that his message seemed muddied and his arguments contradictory or confusing."
Twenty years worth of sozzled synapses and nuked neurons will do that to you.
No, you mean Nuke-you-lure nuerons.
More today from Byron York:
Questions about Bush's conservative principles
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
September 15, 2009
washingtonexaminer.com
"What is this movement you keep talking about in the speech?" the president asked Latimer.
Latimer explained that he meant the conservative movement -- the movement that gave rise to groups like CPAC.
Bush seemed perplexed. Latimer elaborated a bit more. Then Bush leaned forward, with a point to make.
"Let me tell you something," the president said. "I whupped Gary Bauer's ass in 2000. So take out all this movement stuff. There is no movement"...
"Look, I know this probably sounds arrogant to say," the president said, "but I redefined the Republican Party."
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