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Originally Posted by Revolution
education does not equal intelligence. i am very well educated, that does not make me smart. if bush and cheney are not bright, what does that say about the opposition party that they have been running circles around for six years?
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Right, and I don't think anyone would say Americans are naturally stupid-- look at all the guys who only know about politics what Fox news feeds them but can give you the batting order for their favorite team's last twenty games. It's not a lack of natural intelligence; it's a lack of intellectual curiousity, and I think that goes back to our country's current disdain for intellectual achievement. And I think to some extent, it contributes to Bush's past success. Americans aren't interested in pursuing intellectual topics and so they're happier getting a simpler message, which the Republicans are much, much better at framing. Did any of you read the full story behind Kerry's "I was for the war before I was against it" thing about his Iraq votes? When taken in context, his two votes make complete sense, but he couldn't articulate it simply and the opposition was happy to jump on it and make him "flip-flopper," which is simple and easy for people to grasp (never mind that Bush has done his share of flip-flopping).
I also, honestly, blame the media. Most media outlets are owned by big corporations, and if anyone thinks these corporations don't have a vital interest in keeping the Republicans and their system of corporate welfare in power, they're kidding themselves. TIME Magazine had a ton of stuff prior to the 2004 election that they refused to release because they "didn't want to influence the outcome." What? Isn't giving the American people all the facts, both good and bad the JOB of a news magazine?
And the Republicans are better at dictating the arguments. No question there. They're masters of it.