Less than two years ago, the votes came in, and we thought the campaigning was finally over. But, faced with rising public discontent halfway through a second and tumultuous term, the Bush administration has been forced to re-engage in perpetual campaigning — though this time without a "flip-flopper" to expose.
Whether attempting to justify one bad decision or rally public support for his next one, George W. Bush's presidency has been reduced to one never-ending selling crusade. His daily schedule is filled with tour stops and abstract speeches, as politics takes precedence over policy and pretty rhetoric trumps effective action. His speaking events are held in favorable environments with a well-selected audience of avid supporters, ensuring that on the road to manipulating public sentiment, the president will be able to remain in his own little bubble and not face the reality that, in fact, a majority of the American citizenry is pissed off at him.
While five minutes may be spent making an executive decision, five weeks will be dedicated to convincing citizens that it's the right one. In some instances, Mr. Bush's hype machine attempts to sell the public products they don't need, including permanent tax cuts favoring the wealthy and private retirement accounts. Other endeavors focus on firefighting in the aftermath of disastrous revelations, such as U.S. torture practices at foreign prisons or domestic wiretapping by the federal government.
Yet the constant ballyhooing is not that surprising, as propaganda has proven to be the administration's forte. They were able to build a seemingly just and necessary cause for a foolish war, and successfully convinced citizens that John Kerry would somehow screw up the country more than boy George. They sold No Child Left Behind as the answer to faltering elements of our education system, while making no plans to fully fund the program. They've even persuaded rational beings that giving up their fundamental civil liberties is the only way to make them more secure. It's not about what's true, but what appears to be true.
Indeed, being anything but rhetorically savvy, image has become everything for Mr. Bush, and he has gone to great lengths to crystallize it. Recall the dramatic fly-in onto an aircraft carrier to claim "Mission Accomplished" for the Iraq war in 2003, staged to appear in mid-ocean when the carrier was really anchored right off the California coast. Or look back to the manipulative 2005 State of the Union ploy, when an Iraqi woman and the mother of a slain Marine, strategically seated side by side in Laura Bush's box, hugged in dramatic fashion at the height of the president's speech segment on Iraq policy.
Or revisit the countless clips of Mr. Bush on the ranch, playing the role of the average nature-loving American cowboy in a vain attempt to mask the reality of a silver-spoon fed oilman with a vile disregard for the environment. No matter where he goes, everything is scripted.
The constant and carefully-constructed campaigns reflects the fact that Mr. Bush's attempts to be a "reformer" have succumbed to the realities of his unfavorable and often consequential proposals, as the president struggles mightily just to remain in favor with a mere third of the populace.
But the speeches aren't working. The assuring words and fabricated information are no longer changing minds. Now, the only thing the public is convinced of is that they shouldn't trust their leaders. Despite the persistent publicity stints, a majority of the populace has proven unresponsive to administrative manipulation.
Citizens didn't buy Mr. Bush's bogus social security privatization plan, nor do they appear to be in favor of his expensive Medicare reform proposal, which shovels profits to HMOs and pharmaceutical companies while providing meager benefits to elderly patients. Few are pleased to find out that their international calls could be tapped by federal authorities, and are not accepting the fumbling legal and political justifications for the secretive initiative that the White House is scrambling to piece together. Though rarely a day passes without reassuring words comforting concerned individuals that Iraq is proving to be a success, the general public remains convinced that the situation is nothing less than a complete disaster.
Even as he tries to downplay the repercussions of his invariably bad decisions, and attempts to win over skeptics with his "aw shucks" demeanor, people are seeing through the window dressing and the ugly realities beneath. If the administration invested as much time and effort into policy as they do politics, the constant need to propagate would diminish. The campaigning needs to end.
Because frankly, Americans aren't buying it.
Adam Lichtenheld ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and African studies.
