Bubble Boy’s thugs in Montana

Dan Froomkin noted yesterday that Jeffrey K. Tulis, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of “The Rhetorical Presidency,” recently explained that George Washington “was intent on establishing the precedent that the president was chosen to represent the whole country, not just his partisan supporters.”

Things sure have changed from one George W. to the other.

Bush backers were out in force at another rally, on Feb. 10 in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The president spoke for 15 minutes about what he said was Social Security’s path to bankruptcy, interviewed pre-selected citizens on stage who said they support him, and then called on the audience to urge lawmakers to approve the private accounts.

As during the presidential campaign, few people who oppose Bush’s plans have made it to the rallies, since tickets are distributed by Republican lawmakers.

“We were told automatically to stop people that had protest signs, or any type of sign, and if they tried getting that in then we would ask to see their ticket and then rip it up,” says Jesse Branch, a 21-year-old volunteer usher at a rally Bush held in Great Falls, Montana, which was attended by Rove.

We’ve known for a long while that the White House will go to extraordinary lengths to shield the president from anything resembling a hostile question. Now we’re seeing similar tactics to make sure Bush doesn’t even read hostile signs.

It might be nice living in a little bubble in which everyone thinks you’re always right.