You are a worthless POS.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/bs20030612.shtmlThe Democratic search for scandal
Ben Shapiro (archive)
June 12, 2003 | Print | Send
The Democrats need a scandal. With only 17 months until Election 2004, George W. Bush is riding high in the opinion polls. The economy looks to be on the rebound. Reconstruction in Iraq is underway.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is in flux. Its potential presidential candidates viciously attack one another in the hopes of gaining the nomination. The lead public relations organ of the Democratic Party, The New York Times, has entered full crisis mode with the resignations of executive editor Howell Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd. The party's leading newsmaker, Hillary Clinton, is widely despised.
The Democrats have no place to turn. By opposing the president, they have painted themselves into a corner -- the better the country does, the worse they do politically. Only one avenue of escape remains: scandal.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, no scandal looms on the horizon. Why? Because political scandal requires that the public distrust the politician in question. People have to believe the politician is not a "nice guy." But George W. Bush has the anti-scandal vaccine: likeability. He might as well be called the Pam President. You can fry him, you can grill him, but nothing will stick to him.
It's not as though the Democrats haven't tried. They tried the Watergate-style scandal. For three years since the 2000 election, Democrats have claimed that Bush and his band of slimy Republicans "stole" the presidency. In language strikingly similar to that used by Richard Nixon's enemies during the 1974 scandal, Democrats continue to denounce Bush's "dirty tricks" of 2000. But this scandal-that-wasn't played itself out. The American public largely turned its back on this argument, especially after Sept. 11. Watergate worked with Nixon because Nixon, dubbed "Tricky Dick" in 1950, had assumed the image of slickster in the hearts and minds of Americans already. But Bush is widely perceived as good-natured Gallant with a touch of Goofus.
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The Democrats have tried every trick in the book to portray George W. Bush as a "bad guy." They have consistently failed because Bush is likeable. Is there anything the Democrats can do to take Bush down? Only if they dig up a sex scandal. While other scandals require that the public already think of the target as a "bad guy," sex scandals automatically brand someone a "bad guy."
Unfortunately for Democrats, George W. Bush is the real deal: likeable and honorable. His likeability means he can't be portrayed as nasty. His faithfulness means he can't be portrayed as untrustworthy. There's no scandal in sight for the Democrats. Look out for the Bush tidal wave in 2004.
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