Why Did Americans Elect Bush as Their President?

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Zargawee
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the reasons behind the election of George W. Bush as President of the United States, exploring perceptions of intelligence, political systems, and public opinion. Participants engage in a debate about the implications of Bush's presidency, the electoral process, and the broader context of American democracy.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that the perception of Bush as "dumb" is unfounded and that intelligence is not a prerequisite for election, suggesting that campaign management plays a significant role.
  • Others assert that the American political system allows for the election of leaders who may not be the most intelligent, and that public perception can be influenced by media portrayal.
  • A few participants express that the electoral process is flawed, allowing leaders to act contrary to public interest after being elected.
  • Concerns are raised about the consequences of Bush's policies, particularly regarding foreign affairs and military actions, with some attributing terrorism to U.S. foreign policy decisions.
  • There is a discussion about the complexity of American society and how it can lead to poor electoral choices, with references to historical context and public sentiment.
  • Some participants emphasize the right of the American electorate to vote out leaders they disapprove of, while others question the legitimacy of the electoral process itself.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no clear consensus on the intelligence of Bush, the effectiveness of the electoral process, or the implications of his presidency. Disagreement persists regarding the characterization of American voters and the motivations behind their choices.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various assumptions about intelligence, media influence, and the nature of democracy without resolving these complexities. The discussion reflects diverse perspectives on the political landscape and the factors influencing electoral outcomes.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in political science, electoral behavior, and the dynamics of public opinion may find this discussion relevant.

Zargawee
Why Did Americans' Elected Bush ?

A president represents his comunity and he is the best one of them .
and as everyone agrees , Bosh is considered a VERY STUPID PERSON ...
So ... ( Compare To Above )

Why some of you agreed for him to be president ?

EDITED
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
No, Americans are not "dumbs". I imagine that we are pretty much of average intelligence. We have a political system in which the people almost choose the president directly. It doesn't require that much intelligence to get elected. It is actually seen as a hindrance to be too intelligent. Most people, not just Americans, don't like or trust those who are smarter than themselves. Bill Clinton used to pretend to be a "dumb hick" to win votes.

In most countries, the leader is someone most capable of killing off or intimidating his rivals. This requires a good deal of intelligence. Most democratic countries have parliamentary systems, in which the leader is chosen by the political party in charge. Convincing your party to choose you usually requires more intelligence than convincing the general public.



Njorl
 
No Americans are NOT DUMB and no President Bush is not dumb!

and By the way zargawee your country is in the coalition that is on our side so why are you against us?
 
if you are sorry for the offensive title of this thread, then why did you post it?
it seems obvious to me that you dislike americans just because of our ape of a president..before making an ignorant claim as this, you may need to do your research and really see how our president is voted in...and once you become EDUCATED on the process, you will see that when it comes to the american president, the american individual does not have the final say..

i also find this topic non-productive of the support of humanity...you are able exercise your free speech in what you think, but that does not mean it will be positive in what you are attempting to communicate...it is this attitude that is (in my opinion) supportive of terrorism, war, and hate crimes...ultimately, there is only one race, and that is the human race..
 
and By the way zargawee your country is in the coalition that is on our side so why are you against us?
That's Right ... Jordan Is With USA .
But You Have to Remember That Some of Jordanians are from palestinian roots ( I'm not ) , So , since Bush is the biggest supporter to Israel , we hate him .
ad Everyone has the right to give his opinion , and most of the US Poeple think that Bush is dumb , and doesn't deserve to govern the most powerful country in the world.
 
Originally posted by Njorl
Convincing your party to choose you usually requires more intelligence than convincing the general public.
Umm ... not quite.
You do not have to be intelligent yourself to be elected, your election campaing must be intelligent, and that does not mean you are intelligent.
It is possible that you are totally dumb, but the person that is managing your campaign is extremely intelligent (and has experience), so you win the elections.
I am not saying you only need to have a good campaing manager to win the elections (you will need to be well known, conveince people you will make their life better ... etc), but i am talking about the intelligence part of it.
 
one more comment to post here:

in america, as we are in iraq fighting an (unnecessary) war, we are also encouraged to not be prejudiced against the people of the arabic nations, only saddam hussein...i find your topic most hypocritical..
 
this attitude that is (in my opinion) supportive of terrorism, war, and hate crimes...
Not True !
If Bush was removed from Us Government , Wars like Gulf war 3 , Afghanistan ... etc. Wouldn't happen , and would stop.
Remember that Wars is the reason why terrorist make actions, for example , France Is always a supporter of peace , that's why none of the Terrorists Attack it .
 
  • #10
most of the US Poeple think that Bush is dumb
How in the world can you make this conclusion, especially living in Jordan?
 
  • #11
How in the world can you make this conclusion, especially living in Jordan?

France Is always a supporter of peace
lol
 
  • #12
Are Americans Dumbs?
ROFLMAO. Is any response really requried?
 
  • #13
Originally posted by Greg Bernhardt
How in the world can you make this conclusion, especially living in Jordan?
I Read a lot ... Specially English And American newspapers .

Or Maybe Your Madia Wants Him to Look Like that ?
 
  • #14
If September 11 had not happened, the invasion of Afghanistan would not have happened. If Saddam Hussein had complied with the United Nations resolutions on disarmament, Iraq would not have been invaded.

Before September 11, Bush had very little interest in foreign affairs. He would have been happy to let countries get on with their own affairs had it not been for September 11.

Bush is not dumber than most. What makes him better than Saddam Hussein is that he believes in democracy and freedom and is willing to step down if voted out of office.
 
  • #15
So because someone has been more intelligent that the US defenses, Bush is taking revenge of the whole world ?
 
  • #16
Let me Point to something about this topic .
Week Ago , I read about a book titled "Why do poeple hate america ?" , I Wanted To Buy It , But It wasn't available yet.
Anyway , The article written in the newspaper said that the book says :"The Peoeple hate america because of The US Government Actions" ( I'm Not Sure Of The Text ) ...

So I Think That The Person Who Is Responsible for this Government Should Be Repolaced.

That's What Inspired Me To Start This Topic.
 
  • #17
Zargawee,
We have elections in America. If people are dissatisfied with Bush at election time, they will vote him out of office. If they have confidence in him, they will re-elect him. It is as simple as that.
 
  • #18
Well , this Means That It's Allowed To Act Like An angel Befoire Election , And like Devil After it ...
the constitution of election has bugs ... I Believe than No system is perfect , but this is a very big bug ... and very bad one
 
  • #19
Without the support of the political system and the people of America, this war would not have been possible. This is not one-man's war against Iraq. It is the result of Iraq's refusal to disarm and its continued attempts to deceive the world about its weapons.

You are witnessing a new American foreign policy of pre-emptive action.
 
  • #20
N_Quire, you make it sound as if the popular vote elected Bush in the first place. granted i supported him but i did not support the supreme court decision that made him president and he lost my support at that and has not been doing anything to get it back either.

as for the topic, it is not so much that we are "dumb", but rather that it is a very complex society and many of us get confused into making poor choices. Njorl point out an excellent example:

Originally posted by Njorl
It is actually seen as a hindrance to be too intelligent. Most people, not just Americans, don't like or trust those who are smarter than themselves.


we do not leave much room for progress with a mentality like that.
 
  • #21
Kyleb, The president is elected for a term of office. My point is simply that he can be voted out of office if the electorate wants a change. Whatever Bush's many failings, he will not cling to power as a dictator does and if he tried to do that, he would be removed.
 
  • #22
he came to power with the support of the minority, just like a dictator does; and he has many ways to help cling to that power as well.
 
  • #23
Something tells me this thread wouldn't exist if Clinton was supreme dictator of the US.
 
  • #24
Kyleb, it is not quite the same. The American system of democracy is not perfect, everyone knows that. But it is relatively free within its limits. Everyone knew the rules going into the election and everyone respected the outcome (even if Bush got fewer votes in total than his opponent but won the electoral college).

This cannot be compared with the way that a dictator comes to and clings to power. When Bush's term of office ends, he will have to stand for reelection. If he loses that election, he will hand over power even if he does not want to. He will not use the military to cling to power. He will accept the voice of the people as it is expressed via the presidential election, however flawed that electoral system might be.
 
  • #25
so i take it by "everyone" you are considering people like me to be nobodies? furthermore, from what i see he very much is using the military to cling to power, as well as influence over the media. also, why would you believe that he will accept the voice of the people in the election next time when you know as well as i do that he ignored such things last time?
 
  • #26
Zargawee the United States was allies with Israel before President Bush and we were helping them before President Bush too. I assume this means that you hated the former president too? The one who sold secrets to known enemies to the US for money. The one who cheated on his wife then lied to the country. The one who just missed getting kicked out of office. You know. That one.
 
  • #27
i never cared for Clinton by any means but his wife stood beside him after his infidelity; and considering that, i find it disturbing you use it as something to chastise the man for. also, i am disappointed with Clinton's support of the Israeli expiation, i imagine Zargawee feels the same.
 
  • #28
he came to power with the support of the minority, just like a dictator does; and he has many ways to help cling to that power as well.
A dictator by definition need not come into power with the support of ANYONE. He simply siezes it.

so i take it by "everyone" you are considering people like me to be nobodies?
If you are unaware of the rules of the game (such as how the president is elected) you should READ them.
from what i see he very much is using the military to cling to power, as well as influence over the media. also, why would you believe that he will accept the voice of the people in the election next time when you know as well as i do that he ignored such things last time?
Um, during that last election, Bush was not president. He had no power whatsoever, much less power to ignore the voice of the people. And influence over the media? Are you kidding? Have you even READ a newspaper lately?

I heard a similar conspiracy theory when Clinton was in power. It was said that Clinton was going to use the Y2k disaster (yeah, disaster) to invoke FEMA and sieze dictatorial power. As far as I know that didn't happen. This theory is no less rediculous. I was certainly no fan of Clinton, but he was no dictator. No US president has ever been. When Bush's second term is up he will willingly relinquish his power.

Another important thing to note is that the President does NOT own the military. The military exists to support and defend the CONSTITUTION, not the president. If the president tried anything like has been suggested, he'd find no support from the military.

I realize these concepts are alien to many of you - you haven't ever experienced the amazing thing that is american freedom and, prosperity. I encourage non-Americans to read the US Constitution (and Americans to reread it). Its an astounding document.
 
Last edited:
  • #29
i never cared for Clinton by any means but his wife stood beside him after his infidelity; and considering that, i find it disturbing you use it as something to chastise the man for. also, i am disappointed with Clinton's support of the Israeli expiation, i imagine Zargawee feels the same.


First off are you American?

God knows why his wife stood by him but it is most likely to make her look good. She is senator now and she is running for president so that settles that. But if that isn't enough for you she practically ran the administration while Clinton was in office and they both caused major problems like I mentioned before they sold secrets to enemies they broke down our army they caused thousands of dollars of damage for President Bush's administration to clean up in the white house.


Is that enough?
 
  • #30
Originally posted by russ_watters
A dictator by definition need not come into power with the support of ANYONE. He simply siezes it.

could you exlpain what you mean in detail by "siezes" please? also, how does one do such things all alone? lastly, would you be so kind as to present real-world examples?



also yes Nicool003, i am an Amercan. as for your question of if that was enough; i didnt even need to hear that from you so if you are leaving it up to me, yes that was more than enough. :wink:
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Replies
21
Views
5K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
8
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
9K
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
7K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 45 ·
2
Replies
45
Views
8K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
5K