‘The most popular Republican in the country right now’

September 20, 2006

Dan Froomkin noted today that the White House is in the midst of a “full-on PR blitz” for one of its own. Oddly enough, it’s not the President or the Vice President; it’s the [tag]First Lady[/tag], who apparently is beginning to take on some policy responsibilities.

What’s more, the public relations efforts are apparently paying off. [tag]Laura Bush[/tag] is on the campaign trail (she can go where Bush is unwelcome); she’s helping raise money for GOP candidates; and she enjoys a standing in the [tag]polls[/tag] her husband can only dream of.

The president has been a polarizing political presence both at home and abroad, but his wife remains popular. A Gallup-USA Today poll in June found that 69 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the first lady, much higher than the president’s approval rating of 40 percent.

“I think she is the most popular Republican in the country right now,” said Myra G. Gutin, a first-lady historian at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.

I think that’s probably true. I compared Laura Bush’s ratings against some of the nation’s better-liked Republicans — McCain, Giuliani, Rice — and none of them could compete with a 69% favorability rating. (Colin Powell came closest.)

I don’t have particularly strong feelings about Laura Bush, one way or the other, but isn’t it a little odd that she’s the most popular Republican in the country?

Gun Toting Liberal raised a good point:

[W]hat does it say about a political party when it’s most popular member is a lady who seldom speaks at all, and when she does, she speaks a message of peace, togetherness, love and finding common ground… and apparently, stands completely alone amongst her brethren with a popularity rating rivaling only that of Jesus Christ’s Himself? I don’t know about you all, but it speaks volumes to me.

Jesus hyperbole aside, GTL’s point is well taken. The GOP has controlled the White House for six years, and Congress for 12 years, and after all these years of trying to execute a conservative agenda, the most popular Republican in the country is the one who a) doesn’t have any responsibilities; b) hasn’t really done anything; and c) doesn’t say much.

I suspect this has more to do with the plight of the Republican Party and less to do with the First Lady’s public appeal.

Of course she’s the most popular – after all, she’s the perfect Republican role model: she killed a guy (her traffic accident back in Texas in the early ’60’s after she ran a stop sign) and didn’t even get slapped on the wrist for doing so…

Imagine if a black guy in Midland had done the same thing at the time – he’d still be doing time in Huntsville…

These people are an inspiration to us still – they get away with everything…

  • “the most popular Republican in the country is the one who a) doesn’t have any responsibilities; b) hasn’t really done anything; and c) doesn’t say much.”

    Well, those in that party who do have responsibilities are never held accountable for them, so unlike the rest of us who do get held accountable for our responsibilities, they may as well not have any. None of them have really done anything (or at least anything useful or worthwhile or positive for the country). It must be she doesn’t say much that is really the thing that propels her so high, since the rest of them sound like a gaggle of screeching Orcs.

  • And if she becomes too vocal on political issues she risks exile to the Island of Outspoken First Ladies. I think especially with a person like L. Bush there may be a too high chance for the appearance of dissonance in the WH’s living quarters.

    I remember when she came out with a very different (because it was humane and sensitive) viewpoint on the gay marriage debate. That story went away pretty quickly, but it was interesting that she did not toe the party line.

    The more they trot her out the more opportunities there are for her to say something that makes Team Bush look worse. Unless they slap a burqua on her.

  • GTL’s point is well taken. The GOP has controlled the White House for six years, and Congress for 12 years, and after all these years of trying to execute a conservative agenda, the most popular Republican in the country is the one who a) doesn’t have any responsibilities; b) hasn’t really done anything; and c) doesn’t say much.

    It seems to me like you’re misconstruing GTL’s point. I think what they’re getting at is that, when she does speak, Laura’s message is a positive one of compromise and common effort– unlike her husband, she does strive to be a uniter, rather than a divider. Of course, that may well just be the role that Rove has selected for her to play, but it’s still telling that it has such greater political resonance than Dubya’s cowboy tactics.

  • Laura Bush seems like a nice lady. I can picture her as the helpful librarian at the local library and a mom who bakes cakes for the elementary school’s bake sale. How in the Hell she hooked up with Dubya is a mystery.

  • Blue Neponset has “a Norman Rockwell take” on Laura Bush. My take is less generous. While she tends to be the chatty Southern neighbor who applies make-up with trowel, her folksiness has masked the vile intents of the Bush administration. Like Oprah, Jim Lehrer (2000 debates), and others, Laura Bush has been a George W. Bush enabler. In fact, she has been Georgie Boy’s biggest enabler.–to the detriment to the nation and the world.

  • In fact, she has been Georgie Boy’s biggest enabler.–to the detriment to the nation and the world.

    That is quite a serious accusation to make about someone and unless you have seen Laura at an Al-Anon meeting or two you really have no basis to make such an intimate observation about someone. If you have seen her at an Al-Anon meeting then talk to your sponsor before you tell us about it.

    I can’t stand Dubya as much as the next guy, but let’s think twice before we tar those close to Bush simply because of their proximity to him.

  • People know very little about Laura, which accounts for her popularity. She has three strikes against her, though. George, Jenna, and not-Jenna. Make that five strikes. George is worth at least two.

  • Laura Bush seems like a nice lady with kinder, gentler instincts than her husband. Which is why she does better with folks on the street than George does.

    That being said, she is not now nor will she probably ever run for office herself so her good instincts and people skills are pretty much wasted for any practical purpose.

    The big mystery to me is why the fact that she’s a nice lady does any good for her husband, his policies or his fellow co-conspirators on the campaign trail. She’s not the one in charge, although frankly we might all be a little better off these days if she was. Way more common sense than George by a long shot.

  • Blue Neponset,

    Your deeply personal point of view made you miss the point with a narrow definition. I wasn’t talking about Bush’s alcoholism and recovery—or even his sociopathic personality. I was talking about political and policy enablers.

    The attacks of 9/11 killed thousands of people, knocked down twin towers, and damaged the Pentagon. But, the damage done to this country by George W. Bush will prove to far worst than that done on 9/11. No thanks to his public enablers.

  • Laura Bush is boring, that’s why you don’t have an opinion of her, CB.
    B-O-R-I-N-G. She is unimaginative, uninspring, underwhelming, and lots of other words beginning with un-. On the other hand, only a sweet little housewife could be a partner to such an overgrown frat boy. “Sit up straight, George.” Most First Ladies have some sort of do-gooder agenda, right? What is Laura’s, something about library books? Totally forgetable.

    Oh, how I longed for Teresa Heinz Kerry to be where L.B. is now… That would have been something to talk about.

    All this talk of Laura makes me miss Ann Richards; now there was a real Texan Woman.

  • I seem to remember a profile of Laura in the first term. I may have this wrong, but if I recall the article mentioned that she is a very heavy smoker which is carefully concealed to maintain the image. I’m a smoker so no issue here, but have I got that right?

  • ***…she speaks a message of peace, togetherness, love and finding common ground…***

    Note to Republicans, neoconservatives, and theofascists everywhere—“your first lady is a Democrat, in a very clever disguise….”

  • Wow, I don’t see Laura in any of the ways expressed above.

    In her own words, she reads, smokes and admires. I interpret this to mean she lives in a retreat inside her own head, until she is called upon to go out and throw bombs. She does that very effectively, and although the manner is preternaturally calm (kindly viewed) or with a zombie-like impenetrability (less kindly) what she says is often quite nasty.

    In my opinion she’s made a bargain with the devil–trading her right to decide who she is for all the perks of power and money and security. The only question is whether she had a choice–Bush women in general don’t seem to have much choice.

    In the course of making this bargain not only did she lose the right to decide who she is, she somehow also lost her children. Not only are the girls brats, they don’t have much of a relationship with their mother (if the reports are true).

    At one of her book events on C-span some time ago the interviewer asked her what she was currently reading. Her answer was “Reading Lolita in Iran.” How ironic. The book is about women having no right to decide who they are, rather they have to conform to the fantasies and needs of men with power. Wonder if it struck any chords.

    To me she is the ultimate Stepford wife. She gets back at George in passive-aggressive ways, like her speech at the WH Correspondents’ dinner which was anything but cute and sweet–it was hostile and nasty. (He never touches me and he does it with animals)

    I think she’s pretty though and she dresses well.

    I think she liked George cause he’s yin to her yang–he’s anything goes don’t worry, to her uptight obsessive compulsiveness.

    IMHO

  • Let’s put it all in another context:

    — B blew up frogs as a kid.

    — B mocked the pleading tones of woman who was sentenced to die under his watch as governor of Texas.

    — B has authorized the torture of human beings.

    — Laurel ran over and killed an ex-boyfriend.

    Here two questions for historians:

    1) Has there in the history of this country been a President that tortured or a First Lady that killed?

    2) Who is the bag of feces that sold this pair to Americans as being morally superior people? Could it be the same fella that won an early election for a client by calling his oppenent a pederast?

    For shame America.
    For shame.

  • That’s quite an honor, a bit like being known as the smartest guy on Dr Bill Frist’s staff, the most compassionate member of Team Hammer, the most competent member of Brownies entourage, and so on.

  • the most popular Republican in the country is the one who a) doesn’t have any responsibilities; b) hasn’t really done anything; and c) doesn’t say much.

    Dick Cheney?

  • Who would you say is the most popular Democrat in the country — and by, “the country” I mean on and off the internets. Do we even have one? If so, how do they talk?

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