Caitlin Johnstone

The Real Reason Democrats Love Bush Now

Will Farrell recently returned to his familiar role as George W Bush on Saturday Night Live doing a bit about the recent news that the 43rd US president is now enjoying soaring popularity among Democrats. It was a funny bit, I guess. Ferrell reminded the SNL audience how “historically not good” Dubya was, joked about…

Caitlin Johnstone
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Will Farrell recently returned to his familiar role as George W Bush on Saturday Night Live doing a bit about the recent news that the 43rd US president is now enjoying soaring popularity among Democrats.

It was a funny bit, I guess. Ferrell reminded the SNL audience how “historically not good” Dubya was, joked about thrown shoes and how Dick Cheney’s heart is made of Legos now, and of course snuck in the obligatory comment about Russia rigging America’s elections as though that’s a real thing. The majority of the skit was built around a refrain you’re hearing more and more from Democratic pundits who haven’t quite lost their minds yet, reminding viewers that as bad as Trump is, he still hasn’t done anything remotely as bad as Bush’s full-scale ground invasions of nations where US troops are still involved.

Anyone with even a drop of self-awareness knows that the cuddly wuddly new image Dubya is enjoying in mainstream America is taking Trump hysteria a bridge too far. Even MSNBC stooge Chris Hayes said not long ago that “The Iraq War was worse than anything Donald Trump has done (so far).”

Yeah, they like to say that. What they never, ever like to do is acknowledge the far more uncomfortable fact that as bad as Trump is, he also still hasn’t done anything as bad as what the Obama administration did to Libya.

It’s true, though. For all the many, many, many evil things that this administration is guilty of, none of them come anywhere close to the destruction of an entire nation killing tens of thousands of people and creating a failed state where people are now sold as slaves. The destruction of Libya and attempted destruction of Syria that the Obama administration is guilty of have caused far more death and suffering than Trump has at this point in the game.

So I don’t think it’s accurate to suggest, as Ferrell’s Dubya character does, that Bush’s newfound popularity among Democrats is due solely to comparisons between the current Republican president and the last one. It’s impossible to hold Bush as the horribly evil butcher that he unquestionably was while cheering on his successor for eight years who only continued and expanded those same bloodthirsty agendas. In order to support Obama, you necessarily had to compartmentalize away from the horrors of the Bush administration.

But I think there’s an even more important factor at play here, and it’s this: Democrats spent 2016 gaslighting themselves into believing that a warmongering neocon who supported the Iraq invasion would make a fantastic president.

Time and time again in the lead-up to the 2016 primary and general elections I debated Hillary Clinton supporters from the perspective that her support for the Iraq invasion utterly disqualified her for the role of Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military force in the history of civilization. And they argued right back, often on the grounds that the Iraq invasion wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be. Conversations and debates like this would have been happening all across the country that entire year, and Clinton supporters on that side of the debate would have to have found a way to contort their sense of reality into making Bush’s barbarism seem understandable and acceptable. They had to psych themselves into supporting their candidate.

The more rank-and-file Democrats have been forced to find a way to get okay with the idea of warmongering neocon presidents, the more they’re going to get okay with Bush. And this is why members of the so-called “Resistance” would rather spend time drawing pictures of Robert Mueller riding on a shark than on trying to curb Trump’s Orwellian surveillance powers and unconstitutional war powers: those are Bush’s policies, and Democrats have been forced to gaslight themselves into falling in love with Bush.

Democrats are Bush now. Everything they once opposed they have now been manipulated into supporting, and the smiling, blood-soaked face of establishment politics is allowed to lull us all deeper and deeper into insanity.

Wake up. For God’s sake, wake up.

 

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5 responses to “The Real Reason Democrats Love Bush Now”

  1. Harry S Nydick Avatar
    Harry S Nydick

    In today’s United States, people who have been brainwashed into believing nonsense predominate. However, that is one of many instances in which the majority is not accurate, but wrong.
    Arguing about which is worse, Dubya or Trump is pretty much the same as arguing whether it is better to have your right or left foot amputated. And, if you throw Hillary Clinton into the equation, all you need do is include your dominant arm as an option.
    And, I do see an absurdity in even bringing Will Ferrell (his next competent acting job will be his first) into this discussion. None of them are worth the time of day, nor are those who support the obsolete and fascist-creating electoral system. They are all part of the duopoly that has us fighting one another instead of them. As I’ve said before, they used to use a magician-like misdirection to distract us from seeing how they steal a little more of our country every day. Nowadays, they don’t even bother with that. They just buy politicians to openly do it for them, pretend that they are fighting the (apparent) opposition and keep us otherwise occupied fighting among ourselves. When a Trump supporter’s children are going hungry, they are more amenable to opening their ears, for which among us would stop at nothing to prevent his or her children from starving to death? It is easy to blame someone else, but not when that person is the only one giving you the helping hand you so desperately need.

  2. Maria Rose Avatar
    Maria Rose

    It all goes to show that one has to become an informed voter and don’t base your vote on the obvious (looks, popularity, etc). I work as a poll worker at the ballots and so many people don’t even know what is on the ballot. I can’t tell them how to vote but I can explain how to read it and how to make their choices. You be surprised how many people want to write in a name on the ballot.
    As for the newly admired Bush, the only thing I remember about him that stays in my memory was that time he flew himself to visit the troops (against all advice from the Secret Service). He was very quick to temper an angry reaction, apparently most people like angry drunks over a teetotaler ( which Trump is) and forgive their transgressions better. Having lived with an alcoholic, I prefer someone who doesn’t drink or need to get high.

  3. D.H. Fabian Avatar
    D.H. Fabian

    I pretty much lost track of whatever the Democrats are up to. One thing is certain: Within a matter of weeks now, liberal media will begin hailing the next batch of Democrats running for Congress, putting “Bold Progressive” buttons on their lapels. We’ll forget that since Bill Clinton, Democrats have enacted more of the hard right agenda than the Republicans would have dared to try.

  4. sal Avatar
    sal

    Thank you! I made a similar point last week in a twitter comment but no one cared. The Obama policies in Syria have, in effect, let Bush/Cheney off the hook for the Iraq war debacle, otherwise you would have to make the case that Assad was WORSE than Saddam. That’s not credible, so George W. must be reimagined.

  5. Vida Galore Avatar
    Vida Galore

    Brava, Caity! This is so spot on. The Democrats are normalizing war criminal and neocons because that’s what they ARE. And sadly, most of their supporters are duped and don’t even know it. Then some do, and don’t care. Why I left the Democratic party years ago.

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