Public Persona

Four years ago, when George W. Bush was engaged in three televised debates with vice-president Al Gore, voters saw a man portraying himself as a compassionate conservative, a uniter and not a divider, one who could bring the bitter divide of America together. Viewers saw a man who appeared calm, composed and supposedly “presidential”, that all-important adjective candidates seek to become when running for the most powerful office in the world. Bush sought to allay fears voters may have had for a politician with a relatively short resume. As hollow as they seem now from our vantage point in time, his comments were enough to help him squeak out a “victory” over Al Gore in the general election.

If we’re an arrogant nation, they’ll resent us. If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us. And it’s — our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that’s why we have to be humble. Governor Bush, October 11, 2000

rnYou see, in order to get something done on behalf of the people, you have to put partisanship aside. Governor Bush, October 17, 2000

However, the last four years have shown Bush to be anything but the candidate he proclaimed himself to be. His policies have been those of a cruel conservative than a compassionate one, and the gap between a divided America is wider than when he took office four years ago. America is more divided now than it has been in the last 35 years.

The current presidential debates offer the electorate a much starker contrast between the two main candidates than that of four years ago, and the first two debates have given voters a preview of the style in which the two candidates would govern as president. Four years under President Bush have shown America all to well his style of leadership and use of power. His “calming” words of four years ago now ring hollow, as his record as commander-in-chief has been one of two wars, deconstruction of government social programs, the raiding of the national treasury, environmental degradation and a ravaging of America’s reputation on the international stage.

Senator Kerry on the other hand has displayed a tremendous amount of patience and confidence throughout a very tough campaign despite an endless barrage of attacks on his character and policies. This and additional setbacks had the pundits writing Kerry’s political obituary, declaring a second Bush term all but certain. But each time Kerry has fought back, first in the democratic primaries and now in the midst of the presidential debates. More than $100 million in campaign advertisements that attempted to create a caricature of Kerry as weak and unfit for command collapsed in the first debate against a president who looked weak and unpresidential. The debates have only underscored Kerry’s standing as a viable candidate for the nation’s highest office. Kerry’s broad understanding of the issues in the debates have consistently undercut Bush’s performace, leaving the president to rely only on his image and posture to carry him through an uneven debate.

This year’s debates have put the candidates in a light that have allowed voters to gain a unique perspective on the personalities of the two men. Bush’s performance in the first debate reminded me of the moment he learned that the second plane had hit the World Trade Center while reading “My Pet Goat” to a classroom of first-graders in Florida. He had that same tense and perplexed look on his face while debating Kerry, realizing perhaps, as on September 11th, that he was in over his head. In the second debate, a roaring Bush strode the stage like a cowboy, consistently attacking Kerry and interrupting the moderator on a few occasions, particularly when defending England and Poland as members of the Coalition of the Willing. This aggressive stance was reminiscent to his shouting into a megaphone amongst the ruins of the World Trade Center standing next to a firefighter. It is also in this manner that he has conducted foreign policy, confronting nations with his “with us or against us” attitude, and punishing those that do not agree with him on matters of policy.

While Bush has a track record as President for people to judge him on, Kerry’s 20 year career in the Senate, as a prosecutor and as a Vietnam veteran and protester, has presented him as a man of strength and conviction with a core set of beliefs in which to act upon. He has shown great humility and respect for the President throughout the debates despite Bush’s poor perforamance in the first meeting and his aggressive attacks in the second. It is in such a manner that Kerry would likely carry himself as President of the United States and in his conduct when dealing with the rest of the world.