1115.org

I’ve been thinking for quite a while now about why George W. Bush is still a viable candidate for re-election. As we have demonstrated here over the last year, there are as many reasons to send the President back to Crawford, TX as there are stars in the sky. Yet he is still ahead in some polls and favored to win another term. What is keeping him in this race?

The answer I have for you is “Battered Wife Syndrome,” or in this case, “Battered Voter Syndrome.”

In January 2001, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, Americans married George W. Bush. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, and in sickness and in health, we have been joined with this man.

We have watched as he has enacted policy after policy that has subjugated the good of the vast majority of the public to the interests of corporations and the wealthiest among us. We sat in disbelief as he squandered international goodwill in the wake of 9-11. We wept as he sent $200 Billion dollars and the lives and health of our soldiers to burn in the desert of a country that posed little or no threat to us.

Yet he still is in a position to win another four years.

In the pre-debate coverage on MSNBC last night, Tom Brokaw relayed a story about a meeting of Wall Street heavyweights. 80% of the executives at the meeting indicated that they “wanted” to vote to re-elect Bush, but just hadn’t completely made up their minds. When that group was asked if they would vote for Bush if he agreed to “do almost everything differently” in a second term, almost all of them indicated that they would.

These are some of the most successful people in this country, and in effect what they are saying is: “He’s been a miserable failure so far, but if he changes his policy bias, we would support him 100%.”

Tell me what the difference is between that and a woman who by all rights should leave her abusive husband but doesn’t because if he only would stop beating her, everything would be just great.

George W. Bush isn’t going to change his policies if he receives four more years with which to run this country any more than an abusive husband would stop beating his wife if she moved back in with him. Bush, who can’t name a single mistake he’s made in 4 years in the White House, will only accelerate implementation of his radical agenda, just like an abuser would take advantage of any opportunity to batter his wife. With no more elections to face, Bush would claim a mandate and be free of any constraints he might otherwise be forced to endure, the same way a controlling husband who knows his terrified wife will always come back no matter how much punishment she has to endure.

The biggest similarity of course, is fear. Battered women fear that anything they do could lead to another beating, which has the effect of total domination by their husbands. The President and his advisors have used fear for three years now by speaking of “imminent threats,” “mushroom clouds,” and countless other buzzword scare tactics. His Vice President plainly stated that should John Kerry become President, we would face a higher probability of being attacked.

This culture of fear has obviously had a major effect on our collective psyche. Some media personalities have barely concealed the fact that they are figuratively hugging the President’s leg, begging him to keep them safe. Watched Dennis Miller lately? Chris Matthews? It’s sad that these examples are representative of a large voting block in this country.

John Kerry’s chances on November 2nd hinge on voters realizing that they have been battered, abused, and taken advantage of for the last four years by George W. Bush.

It’s not as easy as it seems. Ask anyone who’s ever dealt with it personally.