For their 10th anniversary, Slate is reprinting some of their most memorable articles. This one, from two years ago, is a fascinating look into the mind of Bush. Please don’t comment unless you’ve read the entire article.

How Bush chose stupidity

The question I am most frequently asked about Bushisms is, “Do you really think the president of the United States is dumb?”

The long answer is yes and no.

In Bush’s case, the symptoms point to a specific malady–some kind of linguistic deficit akin to dyslexia–that does not indicate a lack of mental capacity per se.

Bush also compensates with his non-verbal acumen. As he notes, “Smart comes in all kinds of different ways.” The president’s way is an aptitude for connecting to people through banter and physicality. He has a powerful memory for names, details, and figures that truly matter to him, such as batting averages from the 1950s. Bush also has a keen political sense, sharpened under the tutelage of Karl Rove.

What’s more, calling the president a cretin absolves him of responsibility. Like Reagan, Bush avoids blame for all manner of contradictions, implausible assertions, and outright lies by appearing an amiable dunce. If he knows not what he does, blame goes to the three puppeteers, Cheney, Rove, and Rumsfeld. It also breeds sympathy. We wouldn’t laugh at FDR because he couldn’t walk. Is it less cruel to laugh at GWB because he can’t talk? The soft bigotry of low expectations means Bush is seen to outperform by merely getting by. Finally, elitist condescension, however merited, helps cement Bush’s bond to the masses.

But if “numskull” is an imprecise description of the president, it is not altogether inaccurate. Bush may not have been born stupid, but he has achieved stupidity, and now he wears it as a badge of honor. What makes mocking this president fair as well as funny is that Bush is, or at least once was, capable of learning, reading, and thinking.



  1. Max Bell says:

    “So which is the stupider party?”

    Oh, what a world, what a world, what a world. All my beautiful snarkiness ruined by a malformed pseudo-tag.

  2. Brenda Helverson says:

    pseudolus said Actually if you ever saw him speak during his run for gov. of Texas . . . .

    Over the weekend I saw an episode of an A&E show that featured the Texas Governor’s Mansion. They interviewed then-Governor GWB several times. He was articulate, clear, well-spoken, and made sense. It was like looking at an entirely different guy.

    Conclusion: There is something seriously wrong with GWB that has happened within the last 10 or 12 years.

  3. Sounds The Alarm says:

    #32.

    Yeah, he got off coke, stopped chasing skirt, and got GOD.

  4. hamgrl says:

    You liberals will never stop whining will ya….do you hear that….listen closely….its my little violin playing you liberals a sad sad tune …wahhhhhwahhhhhwahhhhhh….

  5. god says:

    Don’t feed the troll…

  6. David says:

    Don’t forget the dry drunk symptoms that have been speculated on by many.

  7. Frank IBC says:

    traax –

    Er, did you have a little problem cutting and pasting that?

    I’ve never been a huge fan of Clinton, but if you think he was a “spoiled rich boy”, you’re high as a kite.

    Where Clinton had no women or minorities in his Adminstration

    State Madeleine K. Albright 1997-2001 FEMALE
    Justice Janet Reno 1993-2001 FEMALE
    Agriculture Mike Espy 1993-1994 AFRiCAN-AMERICAN
    Commerce Ronald H. Brown 1993-1996 AFRICAN-AMERICAN
    Norman Y. Mineta 2000-2001 ASIAN
    Labor Robert B. Reich 1993-1997
    Alexis M. Herman 1997-2001 AFRICAN AMERICAN-FEMALE
    HHS Donna E. Shalala 1993-2001 FEMALE
    HUD Henry G. Cisneros 1993-1997 LATINO
    Transportation Federico F. Peña 1993-1997 LATINO
    Rodney E. Slater 1997-2001 AFRICAN-AMERICAN
    Energy Hazel O’Leary 1993-1997 AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE
    Federico F. Peña 1997-1998 LATINO
    Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown 1993-1997 AFRICAN-AMERICAN
    Togo D. West, Jr. 1998-2000 AFRICAN-AMERICAN

    [Editor — Frank, traaxx’s Comment was being edited down apparently while you were composing your response]

  8. David says:

    #17, I think they finally came out and admitted it was a bullet-proof vest. Of course you have to take their word for it…

  9. paddler says:

    A great quote about W I once heard… What George Bush doesn’t know would fill volumes… and he is not interested in reading them.

  10. MQ says:

    Loads, dolts, and weasels, you’re all spending way too much time thinking your smarter than you all really are. Probably wetting your pants insulting the president, and you wonder who are the real dopes are?

  11. god says:

    Guess we’re getting beyond the occasional troll. The patriot bed-wetters have arrived.

  12. AB CD says:

    >if you think he was a “spoiled rich boy”,

    Not like the Bushes, Gore, Kerry, or Kennedy, but his house did have a 4 car garage and a swimming pool. The whole thing about calling him poor was the media looking down on Arkansas.

  13. Dan says:

    Intelligent or stupid the Emperor wears no clothes.

  14. JHS says:

    GWB became Governor of a major state, was elected President twice, and might solve the Middle East problem which no one has figured out in 90 years. Then some stringer for a second string rag like Slate calls him stupid, spouting oedipal psychobabel and everybody is supposed to roll over and say, Amen. BTW, Mr. Kerry’s gentleman C grades at Yale did not exactly qualify him for valedictorain. What’s he done lately?

  15. Frank IBC says:

    I’m still waiting for the Democrats to take any action on a constitutional amendment which would abolish the Electoral College and institute direct popular election of the president and vice-president, thus eliminating the possibility that a candidate who did not receive a majority or plurality of the popular vote would still (legally) win the election.

  16. moss says:

    I have no disagreement with the few journalist willing to characterize the decade or so of Republikan control of Kongress as one of the most corrupt in history — the Democrats’ willingness to be junior partners is typified by their collaboration in perpetuating the electoral college.

  17. Mike Voice says:

    47 GWB became Governor of a major state, was elected President twice, and might solve the Middle East problem which no one has figured out in 90 years.

    If I was from Arkansas I’d be pi$$ed.

    As we used to say in the Navy: “I got your major state right here!

    “…might solve the Middle East problem…” ?!?

    Are you high? Solve it with what, nukes??

    Clinton was a Rhodes scholar, elected Attorney General before being elected Governor , was elected President twice, and was working on Israeli/PLO peace talks [ & Northern ireland & Bosnia]…

    So your list of accomplishments for Dubya apply equally to Bubba.

    The thing I love about being an Independent is that when Republicans bring up Kerry or Hillary or Gore, I can just laugh…

    45 The whole thing about calling him poor was the media looking down on Arkansas.

    Probably some of that, and probably some because of his dad dying a few months before he was born.

  18. John Paradox says:

    Quoteth Chris:
    Ignorance is not something to be mocked, as it often cannot be helped. However, WILLFUL ignorance can be helped…so I generally liken that to stupidity (why wouldn’t you want to know more?)

    I have a saying from years ago:
    Ignorance is curable
    Stupidity is terminal.

    J/P=?

  19. ECA says:

    43,
    Very brave words, when you REALLy dont know whom is speaking here.
    HOW about 1 consideration. You CANT rule the poor from the top.
    Basically, you have had to be AT or near the bottom to know whats down here/there. And with his family, ALWAYS backing him up, or helping him when he has had problems or when he has run home to Mommy. Some one has bailed his BUTT out. Probably to his OWN detriment.

    47,
    And you think this is the FIRSt complaint??
    HOw about the IDEA, that we MADE promises to Afghanistan, as well as supplied weapons to them, to defend against the Russians. THEN after the WAR, BUSH SR, said ‘NO we wont fix your country as Russia is NO MORE’ , Soon after, the terrorism/bombing started.
    The middle east has been fighting for over 3000 years. Why are we STICKING our bloody NOSES into their fight. This is like Jumping into an argument, between a husband and wife, and THEY BOTH turn on you.
    I pointed out to many long ago, that 2 things were going to happen.
    1. civil war..Internal strife, UNLESS they can get together, and FIGHT those coming into their country THAt are causing most the problems.
    2. EVERY MOLAH in the area, is going to jump on the band wagon to have THEIR OWN country. they are going to send their groups into this nation and take it, by Blood and murder. And BLAME it on, the US…’We are sorry, we were aiming at the Americans’

    If we arm every man women and child, This will happen.
    IF we take all the weapons, rocks, knifes…They will STILL beat each other to death.
    There is only 1 thing NONE of his Military advisers dodnt tell him, or HAVE DONE which MAY have stopped most of the problems. Close off the country. Patrol the borders, and shot ANYONE coming into this country. Otherwise, its a TOTAL waste of time. This is NOW a 10 year war.
    UNLESS we can marshall an army 10-100 times the size we Faught, and train them NOT to shoot each other, or themselves, and NOT to take a side in their OWN religions, to protect and SERVE this country. ALL of this is for NOTHING.
    The ideas he has are based on CITY governmant, to help BUSINESS to flourish. But this is NOT how a nation is run.
    READ as our fore fathers SAID IT….
    FOR the PEOPLE……..BY THE PEOPLE…. Not business.

  20. TKane says:

    Hmm. dvorak.org quoting or referencing Slate? Isn’t that a little like the 700 Club quoting Fox News?

    I don’t care one way or the other about what folks think of Bush anymore. I just want the next Presidential election over and done with so people can stop whining about the 2000 election. If everyone will recall, before Nov 5 2000, everyone was complaining about the relative lack of choice in candidates. I am amazed at how much people are still chafing over that.

  21. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    GWB became Governor of a major state, was elected President twice, and might solve the Middle East problem which no one has figured out in 90 years. Then some stringer for a second string rag like Slate calls him stupid, spouting oedipal psychobabel and everybody is supposed to roll over and say, Amen. BTW, Mr. Kerry’s gentleman C grades at Yale did not exactly qualify him for valedictorain. What’s he done lately?

    Comment by JHS — 6/20/2006 @ 7:36 pm

    Bush became Governor because of his family name. He had nothing in the way of accomplishments before that.

    Bush was appointed President by the Supreme Court in 2000and stole the election in 2004.

    Slate is a much better on-line magazine then any conservative rag. You call it second rate because they use two many polysyllabic words and you don’t get the jokes.

    Bush is the one demonstrating his stupidity.

    This is about Bush, not Kerry or a comparison of the two. Besides, after Kerry’s tour he returned to school, got a law degree and worked in the Prosecutor’s office before winning office. After school Bush went AWOL, got drunk and stoned, arrested for DUI, and lived off of his daddies name.

  22. Frank IBC says:

    Hahah… that’s funny, Mr. Fusion.

    In your world, Democrats never actually lose because they can’t convince enough people to vote for them, right?

    Even the New York Times admits that Bush won Florida in 2000.

  23. Frank IBC says:

    THIS is the reason Gore lost Florida, Mr. Fusion.

  24. kris2pe says:

    Yes this persona has bode well in the public. Many celebs, especially female have adopted this kind of strategy, so that ppl will not expect nothing more than the hilarity of stupidity rather than talent.
    I’m talking about the dumb blondes of Hollywood like Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson & the newest member of the bunch Kellie Pickler! You may think their dumb. But the way the made their to stupidity into business deal makes you wonder if you should act dumb also just to get by in life!
    I aside from blondes girls I haven’t seen guys who have profited themselves from being except 4 Bush & Ashton!
    Maybe I should try it? Who knows I maybe become CEO just bcoz of it! 😛


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