Loyal Core of Support for Bush
A major piece in today's New York Times focuses on folks in Provo as the core of President Bush's remaining political support. Here's a sample:
The redemptive narrative that Mr. Bush has often told about his life -- a frequent drinker who found God and his political purpose in early middle-age -- has greater resonance here than in other parts of the country. And people say they are willing to overlook major problems, or not blame Mr. Bush for trouble spots, because they like his personality.
The article goes on to note that the president does not necessarily have much support even among this core for such specifics as the conduct of the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and, particularly, immigration. But they stand by him because they see him as a God-fearing conservative who understands them.
-- Posted by George Pyle
The redemptive narrative that Mr. Bush has often told about his life -- a frequent drinker who found God and his political purpose in early middle-age -- has greater resonance here than in other parts of the country. And people say they are willing to overlook major problems, or not blame Mr. Bush for trouble spots, because they like his personality.
The article goes on to note that the president does not necessarily have much support even among this core for such specifics as the conduct of the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and, particularly, immigration. But they stand by him because they see him as a God-fearing conservative who understands them.
-- Posted by George Pyle
4 Comments:
I didn't read the NY Times article but the summary of it and why many people still support President Bush, inspite of disageements with his policy, is not surprising, just from what I hear people say. It is, however, very scary and disappointing. Ideally, I want leaders whom I trust to be moral and honest and whom are likeable to me and who I think will fight for positions which I hold dear. But, if these leaders, in this case the President, are making major policy decisions which don't seem right, at the least, and dangerous, at the most, I would hope I would be willing to reconsider my support or somehow voice my discontent, inspite of how much I liked the leader or felt that he understood my values, etc.
This article from the NY Times and the article from the Washington Post earlier this year both seem to follow a similar pattern. They read like reports from an anthropological excursion that stumbles upon an unknown tribe in the Borneo rainforest that has never had contact with the outside world. The writers seem amazed that such isolated pockets of support could exist for George Bush.
The writers seem to ask, "don't these people know what's going on?" And they give their own answer. "This core group is a highly concentrated version of the Bush base, one that appears to be motivated more by general principles and a comfort level with the president than by specific issues or political trends. They tend to be impressed by Mr. Bush's faith and convinced that he understands their lives and values."
Considering George Bush's low approval in Manhattan, it's possible the NY Times writer never met a Bush supporter. Perhaps it's an unsuspecting compliment to the early Mormon pioneers that settled in Utah to remain isolated from the thoughts and fads of the east coast.
Is it a coincidence that this article is published the same day the Salt Lake Tribune talks about the LDS and GOP support of Mitt Romney? If Romney is a legitimate candidate for president, his religion is a legitimate topic of discussion. Perhaps you should view the NY Times article as the mainstream media's attempt to explain Mormonism in political terms. The message is that Mormons consider what's in a candidates heart more important than what's in their head. That may be a hard sell this time aground, even to the GOP's evangelical wing.
Perhaps one should also consider that Adolph Hitler was a Christian,too & the Wermact wore belt buckles inscribed"Got ist mit uns"
This is just a case of blind sheep following a blind shephard.
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