Abstract

Ditch the Distraction in Chief

The article contends that an advantage of electing presidential candidate John Kerry, is that he is less of a distraction than U.S. President George W. Bush, who allegedly detracts from issues because of his personality. There is something about George W. Bush's combination of ignorance, piety and swagger that triggers a condition in progressives I've come to think of as Bush Blindness. When it strikes, it causes us to lose sight of everything we know about politics, economics and history and to focus exclusively on the admittedly odd personalities of the people in the White House. This madness has to stop, and the fastest way of doing that is to elect John Kerry, not because he will be different but because in most key areas he will be just as bad. The main difference will be that as Kerry pursues these brutal policies, he will come off as intelligent, sane and blissfully dull. That's why I've joined the Anybody But Bush camp: Only with a bore like Kerry at the helm will we finally be able to put an end to the presidential pathologizing and focus on the issues again.