How many of you have seen rhetoric from the progressive camp recently that attacks Bush's rich background?
========
Very, very little that I've seen.
The small number of critiques of Bush as a rich guy who has enjoyed the perks that come with being a rich guy (like having the social and financial means to wreck companies yet somehow still emerge with investment cash intact and more to come) is a serious oversight - a blind spot really - preventing well-targeted counter-offensives.
This became crystal clear to me months ago when one of my right-wing amigos sent me an email with attached jpegs of John Kerry's palacial estates.
Of course, the point of this email was that Kerry is a spoiled rich guy - as opposed to Bush who, the subtext read, was a simple man of the people. My friend has a hard time remembering I'm not a Kerry supporter (or even a Dem) and sends me this sort of stuff to get a rise - it seems to work on a certain sort of Dem so why not good ol' liberal Dwayne?
...
I suppose I could have reacted to this with a listing of Bush's many shortcomings and the dangers unearthed by his admin's recklessness but, for some reason, I responded with a simple and, I think, logical objection:
"Yup, that's right, Kerry's a rich SOB who doesn't share the money problems of you and me - but I have it on good authority Bush is too. So if, in your opinion, being rich is the problem why are you voting for Bush?"
Very effective. We actually got into our first true debate (as opposed to near shouting match).
.d.