There's another billboard in Minnesota, asking if we're missing a recent American president.
No.
I look forward to the day he dies, so I can plan a trip to Texas to piss on his grave. I much prefer the alternative billboards, but even they fail to my required standard of measured vitriol for this scumbag.
There is a poll to answer the question.
A billboard has appeared in Minnesota, showing a picture of George Bush and asking: 'Missing me yet?' Is it time to start feeling nostalgic about the Bush era?
31.3% Yes. We miss his firm resolve
68.7% No. You're joking, right?
30% yes? Unbelievable. Bush was a catastrophe for our country, and several others.
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Of course we miss him. He always knows just when to duck.
You won't find me pissing on Bush's grave.
I hate standing in long lines.
Miss him? About as much as I'd miss Salmonella or shingles.
This one was good:
Dang. Forgot to add
.. and when we're out of snowballs.
I miss him about as much as I miss things I leave in the toilet and then flush...
We know Muntadhar al-Zaidi missed him...twice!
I thought I was in teh Twilight Zone when I first saw a picture of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tim5nU3DwIE
I do miss a president that can clear brush. You should see how over grown the rose garden is now. I also miss being able to say that I am smarter than the president.
The beginning and the end.
Ugh! I go there and see a link to this in the "most commented":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/feb/12/religio…
Andrew Brown gives me conniptions. There's so much wrong with his pieces, he's such a sloppy writer and a sloppy thinker, that I don't know where to start and generally give up rather than try to pull them apart.
An ex President? What was his name again???
In short: no.
In long: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Saw this response yesterday: "That's like asking me if I miss cancer because I have a cold."
If I was photoshopping this:
+ I quit my job and still have health care benefits. How 'bout you?
+ Miss me? Try the other shoe.
+ You ain't still mad about that war thing, are you?
I don't miss Bush and didn't think very much of him as a president, but I agree with what I understand to be the general sentiment of the billboard, that Obama's making a mess of things. Obama hasn't impressed me as any better for our country than Bush was, he's just bad about totally different things.
Arm yourself: http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/05/25/giant-shoe_mPWNW_6648…
Miss him? Frankly, it feels like he never left.
I liked the comment that was used as the headline on Reddit:
Well I don't like Obama, like I been saying since the start... Politician. Of course he makes everything bright and shiny during the elections, they're all like that. Of course he was gonna disappoint.
But to the point of missing HIM?! Heck no.
I won't take a piss on his grave though (I mean, I'm a girl... I'd have to wear no panties and a skirt or something...)
I hope there'll be some way we can just mail in our piss to get sprinkled on his grave, so I won't have to go to Texas.
Further to my comment #1: I feel I should add that I in no way advocate or condone violence against Mr Bush, or anyone else for that matter.
In other words,
It's a joke, son!
The one that reads "You'll come back, America. You always do." is depressingly accurate.
No, no no no no I don't miss the doofus. No. Voted,
No. You're joking, right? at 68.6%; Yes. We miss his firm resolve at 31.4%.
Michelle R (#19)
Pff, you just need something like this.
I don't know what to say. I wonder who's the clown, Bush? Or the people who elected him the second time aruond. Oooh, I forgot, yes: the people at large are automatons programmed by the right-wing media-owned Orwellian manipulators.
But wait! Barack Obama and the Democrats have allowed the Bush criminals to escape without being held to acccount for a single one of their many crimes.
So what has really changed? And where is the justice in this so-called democratic system that's supposed to be guided by the rule of law?
I look forward to the day he dies, so I can plan a trip to Texas to piss on his grave.
Pretty harsh words considering that Obama's policies are mostly a continuation, if not an amplification, of everything that was terrible about Dubya's policies.
It seems for many knee-jerk liberals style and rhetoric is more important than substance.
Fattirefinaly:
This Eagle cannot fly, it has both wings on the right. Both "official" parties are property of Corporate Transnationals.
The appropriate music to go with the sign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuIQJ-l16b4
Yes, I miss Junior, but my aim's improving.
Pretty harsh words considering that Obama's policies are mostly a continuation, if not an amplification, of everything that was terrible about Dubya's policies. - BluesBassist
Assuming that to be true, why is it a reason not to piss on Bush's grave? It would simply be a reason to piss on Obama's as well, you glibertarian fuckwit.
Personally, I think that this assessment of Dubya is rather apt.
http://tinyurl.com/yelxr5l
A retard wrote:
Assuming that to be true, why is it a reason not to piss on Bush's grave? It would simply be a reason to piss on Obama's as well, you glibertarian fuckwit.
I agree, retard.
A reasonable assumption given PZ's current and previous posts is that he considers Obama to be an improvement over Dubya. If that's not true I happily stand corrected.
BTW I'm not a libertarian, idiot.
Even some of the tea baggers hate him. But they still love Cheney and his Muslim-torturing ways.
Obama hasn't impressed me as any better for our country than Bush
What?! Sure, Obama is just another politician, but really, Cheney and his sock-puppet Bush were fucking evil god-bot Dominionists, two of the most dispicable humans of our time.
BluesBassist wrote:
Perhaps not, but you are an insensitive, ingorant ass to use the word "retard" in an attempt to demean someone else's intelligence.
The only time I ever miss W is when I hear Sarah Palin speak.
Riiiight, there's absolutely no difference between GWB and Obama. In fact, if GWB had somehow managed to stay in office for a third term, no one would have noticed a difference.
There's no doubt that Bush would have received a Nobel for all of his hard work toward achieving world peace. And we're certain that Bush would have dialed down some of the religious speak and recognized non-believers as members of society. And there's no doubt, that if GWB was still in charge, there'd be serious talk about repealing DADT.
In fact, we're almost certain we saw something in the news about Obama planning an invasion of Iraq to put an end to Gog and Magog's reign in the middle east.
Seriously, Obama's not exactly a progressives' dream, but jesus christ in a wet suit (dildo not included) to say that there's no difference between this admin and the last one is a bit of a stretch.
How long has that been up? Seriously America I'm disappointed, over here it would have been 'corrected' in a day or two. It's got a gantry and everything. Hell I'll donate my climbing gear.
It still boggles the mind that we elected Schrub to a second term.
Firm resolve is no virtue when one is persuing such a debilitating end. We are all better off with dubya giving motivational speeches. Fuck no, I do not miss him at all.
I don't cringe now when I hear the president giving speeches, so there's that.
Oh, you meant substantive changes? Hrrm.
As far as the billboard goes, it's like having had an unfunny, murderous version of the Three Stooges in charge for eight years. We had our period of irresponsible, macho idiocy, and some people are still pissed off about finally having to clean up the mess.
BTW I'm not a libertarian, idiot. - Blues Bassist
You've got a superfluous comma in there.
You still give no grounds for your claim that PZ's saying he would piss on Bush's grave constituted "pretty harsh words". Bush is a lying, thieving, murdering scumbag - I'd say wanting to piss on his grave would be the reaction of anyone with a spark of decency.
@19 Michelle R, Thanks for the visual.:)
BTW I'm not a libertarian, idiot. - Blues Bassist
You've got a superfluous comma in there.
You still give no grounds for your claim that PZ's saying he would piss on Bush's grave constituted "pretty harsh words". Bush is a lying, thieving, murdering scumbag - I'd say wanting to piss on his grave would be the reaction of anyone with a spark of decency.
Apologies for the double post. On previous threads, BluesBassist has licked the arses of von Mises and Hayek, and described public healthcare as "massive government enslavement". He has, admittedly, described himself as a "classical liberal". I admit I can't be bothered trying to distinguish between subtly different shades of market-worshipping fuckwit. So sue me.
The talk of pissing on Bush's grave brought to mind one of my favourite songs, "Tramp The Dirt Down" by Elvis Costello. The dirt he wants to tramp down is on Margaret Thatcher's grave, but I think he should piss on it first. A wonderfully vitriolic version of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BZIWSI5UQ
It's interesting to note that no one is taking credit for putting the billboard up. So far, all I've been able to find out is that it was done anonymously.
I don't miss Shrub at all. I thought I would miss the excellent fodder he and the sociopath who occupied the Vice Presidency provided for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but watching Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert ream the Dems for being the spineless corporatists they've become is even better.
Obama is center-right, and we need someone who is willing to more fully embrace Keynesian economics, but he is much better than a far-right lunatic and the pure, industrial strength evil that is Dick Cheney.
Dear Pharyngula Readers,
Of course we should all miss President Bush. During his presidency there were no terrorist attacks, the economy was strong, we had a rational science policy, a balanced budget, and a clearly outlined plan to successfully prosecute and end to internationally-supported wars.
And if you don't believe me, just read the above paragraph about 500 times aloud to yourself until you do.
Sincerely,
Karl Rove
Fox News commentator
About 30% support for Bu--sh-- sounds exactly correct.
The only, indirect favor Bu--sh-- did was tell us that just under one in four citizens, the 23% often seen in the final year as still "strongly supportive," was irremediably evil, stupid, or ignorant. Another 15% have no ability to judge, well, ANYTHING for themselves.
This is your Faux Noise base, in both senses of the word.
In some ways, used correctly - as the Democrats and Obama have NOT done - it is powerful knowledge. Anyone from or drawing support from this sort of voter is someone to be marginalized to the greatest degree possible: they are either dangerous or corrupt.
Don't piss on Shrub's grave--do the Jane Austen on him:
"I haven’t any right to criticise books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticise Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Everytime I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."--Samuel Clemens
Oo oo! I am trying to get a movement started to install a pay toilet over Reagan's grave. We can work together on this.
Hmm...why be classist about it. Everyone should be able to piss on Reagan's grave. Make that a FREE toilet.
Knockgoats #47
Classical liberalism died as a political philosophy when William Gladstone resigned as Prime Minister in 1894. Certain L-worders try to give their socio-economic fallacies a facade of credibility by usurping the name of a respectable but defunct political movement.
@A. Noyd #24: EGAH! NO THANKS! I don't need no adapter!
@marcus #45: Well his visual was worse!
72%
28%
A strong resistance in this poll I sense.
#51
I think the Bush area was basically 8 wasted years for the US of America.
Nobody took him serious until some terrorist managed to exploit the incompetence of his government style and wrecked some buildings in NY.
Then he started a half-hearted war in Afghanistan and an uncalled for overkill masacre in a UN member state, Iraq, which had nothing to do with the whole islamic terrorist affair.
And before I hear anything about Iraq defaulting UN resolutions, just count the number of resolutions the Israelis ignore and interpolate the appropriate action needed to stop the Isrtaelis from doing so based on the bloodshed commited by US troops amongst innocent Iraqi civilians. And yes, Iraq really didn't have any weapons of mass destruction, Israel HAS nuclear bombs.
I do not really want to start critizing all the other things GWB messed up in detail, but I would like to summarize my position as follows:
GWB was the biggest failure in office since Nixon and most likely worse than Nixon himself.
I was reading the comments and was amazed to see how many people are worried about how their kids and grandkids are going to be paying to catch us up and blaming it on Obama's spendy ways. And I'm wondering if they are morons or weren't paying attention five years ago or have some sort of memory disorder. It took me about 15 seconds to find warnings in 2006 that if the Bush tax cuts went into effect, not only would it cost our grandkids but would like send the economy into a spiral.
And I'm wondering if they are morons or weren't paying attention five years ago or have some sort of memory disorder.
I'll take (d), all of the above.
This billboard is an advertisement for Obama. It's a stern reminder to all of us complaining that Obama is too conservative, that he hasn't accomplished much yet, and so forth, that not too long ago, things were much worse.
More like 30 years ago. Ronald Reagan, Republican Extraordinaire, ran up huge deficits during his term, but he's idolized by the same people.
Should I write a letter to my congressman?
'Each politician has got two ends:
a sitting end, & a thinking end.
& since his whole existence depends upon his seat
...why bother, friend?'
---E.Y. Harburg
Yeah, can someone explain this to me? Why is it the conservatives, who are always harping about fiscal responsibility, that rack up huge deficits? Is there supposed to be some magic to this cut taxes and increase spending formula they always seem to use?
ckitching,
Haven't you heard? Conservatives make their own reality. In conservative world, when Dems run up deficits to fight legitimate problems it's irresponsible. When Repubs run up deficits to fund outlandish defense projects and corporate handouts that's the very definition of responsibility. /sarcasm
Ok, so his incompetence let's terrorists destroy two of the tallest buildings in our country and kill 4,000 Americans. Then he lies to us to get us into a war that kills 4,500 more Americans and wounds another 35,000. Then he spends all of our money on who knows what. Then he lets American business use our money without any regulation leaving us in the worst recession in modern memory. So what exactly would I be missing?
I will admit that Obama is not the president I was hoping for. But he is no George W. Bush and I am happy about that.
What a weird synchronicity; this afternoon in the drugstore parking lot, I spotted this bumpersticker (on a large GMC SUV): "I Miss Ronald Reagan".
there was a time when I might have slashed the tires
But don't hold back, PZ, tell us how you really feel!
WARNING! TMI follows:
When I was in the Navy I SOMEHOW managed to get a drug resistant variant of the clap which burned, dripped, and itched like crazy. During the diagnostic phase the Doctor used an eight inch Q-Tip which he jammed into my urethra until it poked through my kidney. I was given these enormous two inch long horse pills called Septra which, being formulated from sulfur, made me wish I was dead long before I had finished them. All in all it was just about the most miserable I had ever been.
I miss that clap more than I miss George Bush.
They threw shoes at him.
We rooted for the shoe.
I missed George Bush on January 20, 2009.
Not all non-religious people are leftist statists.
Sally Morem,
You haven't been around here for very long have you. Walton is a known conservative and atheist.
Anyway, you don't have to be a leftist or a statist to hate GWB. Eisenhower wouldn't recognize this jackass as a conservative. GWB was a wingnut. Obama is neither a leftist nor a statist. Thanks for displaying your appalling ignorance, though.
OK, Sally, I'll bite.
What do you miss about Dubya? Why?
Why do you call us "leftist statists"?
You can't just drop a pair of turds like that and not explain what you mean. Dubya screwed this country up in a way previously unimaginable. Obama is far from perfect, but his main flaws are that he is too meek and too centrist.
Please clarify your remarks or go away.
Fixed.
Just to reinforce what most of the rest have already said: we don't miss him much here in NZ. Even from the other side of the world he was an embarrassment to modern society. I do miss the way he messed up his speeches though and used the wrong words, that was sort of cute. Not quite so keen on the way he dragged the world into war and financial disaster though!
Okay, I don't think you have to be some kind of liberal to have a hard time imagining that this billboard was meant seriously, as I do. Apparently it was, but…
Bush had the lowest approval rating of any president. I have trouble imagining that someone else would imagine that billboard would get people to turn on Obama.
If anything, it re-invigorates us all to support him. Democrats can complain all we like about Barack, and justifiably, but damnit, at least he's not his predecessor. And at this point, that sentiment doesn't seem strictly "liberal", but American.
When McCain said, "I am not George Bush", he said it to reassure Mr. and Mrs. America. That gives me a small dose of happy, although what it took for us to get there certainly wasn't worth it.
I wonder if anyone has dared put up one of those billboards in the vicinity of New Orleans. Now that would be a magnet for a variety of projectiles.
He should be in a maximum security prison. And, I don't miss him either.
Thanks Rorschach :) I knew that didn't sound quite right.
May he go hunting with his pal, "Big Dick" Cheney.
First reaction:
Yes, every chance I get.
Second reaction:
But, doesn't the billboard beg a certain response? I mean, there _are_ tomatoes in the supermarkets, even this time of year. ("No, you bastard! And I can prove it!")
thomas.paul@ #66
Whilst I agree completely with your sentiments can I gently remind you that there was also quite a few people of other nationalities amongst the deceased in the World Trade Towers. My dear friend Andrew was amongst them and he was as Australian as vegemite.
Do I miss Bush yet?
Not just NO, but HELL NO.
Does that say it plainly enough?
Just saying good riddance doesn't begin to describe my feelings for W. Though I must admit that I wish Obama had a few of W's less desirable characteristics. I remember thinking before the election that it would be nice to have a president that didn't think that all decisions should be unilaterally made and who would try to work with both sides of the aisle. Now that I've seen the blind opposition that the republican party has been laying down, I'm starting to wish that Obama was a little less Ghandi and a little more Rambo. I hated Dubya's strategery of "damn the consequences, we're doing this my way" but I now find myself, quite hypocriticaly, wishing the current admin would make use of it.
The Laffer Curve.
The slideshow is missing the obligatory "What, me worry?"
Y'know, it's pretty much a universal feature of backwoods areas everywhere that roadside signs will ultimately be used for target practice. Can't wait to see the "after" picture.
I would never follow you on that pissing resolution PZ. What if some evil little thingy would swim up the stream inside my private parts? Not a lovely thought.
I missed George Bush on January 20, 2009.
Not all non-religious people are leftist statistssane. - Sally Morem
There; fixed for you.
I agree that Obama is not a leftist. But I would argue that he is, to some extent, a statist and an authoritarian. So, in many respects, was GWB. The statist-authoritarian mindset is visible in many parts of the political spectrum; it's a near-universal temptation for governments.
Everytime I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."--Samuel Clemens
I wonder if he'd enjoy the updated version, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith?
why all so prissy about the pissy? here in the 21st century it is every individuals right to piss where and when they want. admittedly if you find yourself on public transport you can always use a bottle (don't forget to pack that funnell, ladies!).
pissing on the graves of people you dislike is an integral part of any well-functioning society. personally, i'm still waiting for thatcher to snuff it so i can take a shit on hers.
The man has to work with and within a political system that is mostly not open to rational argument, caught in lobbyist restraints, and choked by religionist and bigot propaganda.I reckon he is manoevering through this mess as best as he can without committing political seppuku.
Think of the republican alternatives to Obama.I think that country is probably doomed to lose its world influence, but that guy is the best they can do at this point.
If only there were a practical way to shuffle billboards around...
The next one down the road from the one shown above should say,
I'm the President of Twin Towers,
Hurricanes, and Bridges.
A man who's a head of government is a statist? Say it ain't so. Who'd athunk such a thing might be possible?
I'm shocked! Shocked!
1. If you miss Bush, you weren't paying attention the last 8 years, not to mention his parting gift.
2. To describe Obama as authoritarian is simply asinine in every way. The main complaint from the left is that he hasn't done enough. As for the right, anything he does is wrong, as evidenced by our Republican members of Congress.
He is within his rights to issue a stop loss order on DADT. He hasn't. He pointed Congress in a direction on Health Care then walked away. Issued an executive order on Guantanamo which has subsequently been ignored. He has accomplished quite a bit in the first year, but within the law.
The previous felon-in-chief, however, seemed to think that the executive branch was above any law. Wiretapping, waterboarding, and suspension of habeus corpus are just at the top of the list of his crimes.
The GOP are seeing to it that they can call Obama a "Do-Nothing President" by virtue of threatening to filibuster everything and thus force a vote to invoke cloture, which requires a 60 vote majority, which, thanks to the election of Mr Brown of MA they no longer have. Unless someone does something, and soon, President Obama is pretty much done.
But, considering the make-up of the democratic party majority at this time, I see no good outcome.
As to his politics, it's a tough read, but I think Obama is somewhat like Bill Clinton -- he talks left and then moves just left of center, trying to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
As often quoted lately: The Republican party is the party that gets elected on a platform that government can't do anything right, then proves it.
The wreckage of the Bush years is still there, so what's to miss?
Walton,
Obama is too authoritarian to me, but the comparison Sally was making was to GWB who was a far more authoritarian. GWB was just this side of a fascist dictator during the years the Repubs held Congress.
Another suggestion, inspired by looking at the letters:
+ Miss My Pet Goat?
Oh yes, it's the Panglossian Presidency.
@ #40. You still trying to get your head around the second time he was elected? I'm still struggling with the first "election". We did here in Australia after all, have Howard, that other waste of otherwise useful carbon bonds. Bush's lick spittle.
"Dubya screwed this country up in a way previously unimaginable."
How did he screw up this country? Terrorists attacked this nation in a manner it hadn't been attacked since Pearl Harbor. Are you mad because you're a pacifist and he fought back? As a result of Sept. 11, America lost a trillion dollars in economic activity. Bush worked hard to bring confidence back to a very badly shaken economy? Are you an anti-American socialist and are mad that he succeeded?
"Obama is far from perfect, but his main flaws are that he is too meek and too centrist."
If you believe Obama is a centrist, your version of the American political spectrum is badly skewed to the left. Hence, you're a leftist.
Please clarify your remarks or go away.
I just clarified. Can you clarify your hatred of Bush, or do you just dislike a Texas accent. Shallow, oh so shallow.
Obama is a centrist. He's governing from right of center.
Here's the map from political compass.org. Obama is right of center. The Republicans are on the far-right. Notice that Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader and Brian Moore are all left of center.
Do you see on that chart where Brian Moore is? Moore is an actual socialist. Do you see how Obama is much closer to McCain than he is to any of the left of center candidates?
You don't know what socialism is. You have no idea about the relative positions of American politicians on the political spectrum. You're an ignorant jackass trying to talk about things you don't get.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.