Scenes from Dupont Circle, Take One

One of the more interesting (and in some ways disturbing) spectacles from today in D.C. In Dupont Circle, there was a 30-foot-or-so-tall inflatable effigy of George W. Bush at which people chucked shoes for hours.

Comments

[ev]

I gotta admit...I feel legitimately bad for him. I think he's arguably the worst president ever (certainly in my lifetime), but I don't think I could be so publicly rude, even to a public official.

Something about reap/sow or something.

[BDB]

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28784?Revisit

This is from the January 2001 edition of The Onion. Amazing who correct they were.

[thoreau]

Disturbing? He deserves worse than to be pelted with shoes. He deserves to sit in a prison cell for the rest of his days.

[WJZ]

You guys are surprisingly dysthymic.

[ktc2]

Nah, no prison time. We should hang him like Saddam.

[ktc2]

Yes, I am completely opposed to the death penalty (except for agents of any level of government). If they know that going in and still go in, it is thus voluntary.

[Russ R.]

Just be happy you live in a country where you're free to publicly display contempt for the head of state.

North Koreans, Cubans, and plenty of other folks around the world would love to be in your shoes.

[Fusion]

This is sad...I thought Obama was about unity, looking forward, "bringing red and blue together." I'm glad to see people who support him looking forward as well. What a load of BS...the whole thing.

[Bush wasn't a great Prez, for sure, but this is just disgusting].

[K.T.]

what's sad is that we go from bad to bad... all in the matter of one day.

[Rex Rhino]

People like this is why Bush never lost an election. As obnoxious, uncharismatic, and possible criminal as Bush was, there is always some smug douchebag lefty around to make Bush a likable and sympathetic figure by comparison.

For as "media savvy" as lefty social activists imagine themselves, you think they could hire a public relations expert or something to tell them how stupid this looks to normal people.

[ed]

thoreau | January 19, 2009, 8:09pm | #

Disturbing? He deserves worse than to be pelted with shoes.
He deserves to sit in a prison cell for the rest of his days.

I once had an English professor like you, thoreau. He incited us to march on the New York Capital one fine Spring day. I don't remember why. It might have had something to do with a tuition increase. Or Kissinger. We got stoned first. There was merriment. Nothing was resolved.

[domoarrigato]

hmm. pelting bush with shoes. Like the Iraqi "journalist" who electrified a nation with the same gesture. So now Americans are no better, no more reasonable or eloquent than that guy. What a bunch of stupid yahoos. I have no problem with disrespect, in fact I think he is deserving of the most vigorous upbraiding the nation can muster. But throwing shoes and implicitly paying homage to a culture that has no tradition of civil discourse is a pathetic showing for an american.

[ed]

Well said, domo.

[Hogan]

For those making the pilgrimage to DC this week, no hajj is complete without stoning the jamarat.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

I have no problem with disrespect, in fact I think he is deserving of the most vigorous upbraiding the nation can muster.

Yeah.

Except, those who are pelting him, in general are probably pissed at him because he's The Other Team.

The Democrats really don't have a problem starting stupid wars. They just like to bitch when they aren't the ones who got to start it.

The Dems have bitched nice and loud about Iraq. I'm still waiting to see them actually do something, like in Washington DC, that amounts to more than going along with it.

The Dems are complicit in at least 90% of what they condemn Bush for.

But at least us libertarians have it right. We oppose Bush on principle, and don't you ever forget it.

[MikeB]

I would have preffered to see effigies of GWB and BHO being pelted.

[domoarrigato]

Ebeneezer, I don't know why people are pelting him. I can assume a number of issues might be in their tiny angry brains - but just watching some guy toss his loafers doesn't tell me much. That's a good bit of my problem summarized, BTW. If you can't even articulate what your beef is, you just throw a shoe - you are a stupid asshole with zero credibility. The saddest part is that your parents probably spent 60k on a college education - would have been better of putting it in the stock market. At least then you'd still have half of it.

[GILMORE]

anyone notice that progressives have terrible throwing arms?

[domoarrigato]

BTW - not "you" ebeneezer - the show throwing tampon strings in the vid.

[domoarrigato]

in Dupont? GILMORE, let me clue you in on a little secret about teh boys in Dupont...

[Lester Hunt]

Ah, Dupont Circle, home of the The Brickskellar, the greatest place on earth to drink beer. Sigh.

[Anon]

Lester, as someone born and raised in DC, and who looks back (semi) lovingly on it's laughably horrible nightlife - I will agree that The Brickskellar is the best place to drink beer in DC - that staffers wouldn't be scared to go to.

[Joel H]

I don't believe for a second that the best place in the world to drink beer is anywhere south or east of Colorado.

[syd]

Lester:

Make it theme night when you're at the BS. Maybe "Axis Powers" and drink only beer from Germany, Japan and Italy. Maybe something from Ethiopia? Or drink only beers from countries (you've never visited) whose neighbors you HAVE visited. A fun way to experiment with beer you'd never otherwise drink.

It's a great bar when they actually HAVE the beers that you want, though...

[Schempf]

I am no fan of bush and he is most certainly the worse president in my lifetime - "so far" thanks homer.

With that said, I have not heard reasons for impeachment beyond "he lied" bumper stickers and vague rumoring. Can someone give me the crimes committed that should land him in a cell- didn't the majority of congress vote for the war?

Also, Portland is the best place to drink a beer.

[Ken Shultz]

"I don't think I could be so publicly rude, even to a public official."

Oh for goodness sake, it isn't even a public official--it's a freakin' balloon!

He's not going to be impeached--why talk about that now? And prison?! Ger real.

At least we can ridicule Bush for his stupidity and incompetence. ...as we should all public officials.

We should have a national holiday where we do nothing but ridicule public officials. ...throw dog poop at their effigies. Especially the President. Maybe we could incorporate it into the Fourth of July!

What could be more patriotic than flippin' off the President?

Seriously, I'm not a libertarian purity cop, but if you can't imagine yourself mocking a public official like that, maybe you should look into joining the progressives or something.

[Ken Shultz]

I don't know for sure, but theoretically, can't a President be impeached for incompetence?

Isn't the standard whatever Congress is willing to remove him for...so long as they face the consequences for removing him at the polls?

...not that it matters for President Bush right now. For Bush, right now, what difference does it make? And who's going to vote for impeachment now? The Democrats have lots of other ways to overreach, it's hard to imagine them falling for something so obvious.

A lot of 'em were around when the Republicans shot themselves in the foot that way--why would they do that?

No, no, that's never going to happen... And if he was indicted Obama would probably pardon him on the spot. Talking about an easy way for him to boost his own approval ratings...

Much better to make a big blow up Bush and throw shoes at it.

[B]

"Nah, no prison time. We should hang him like Saddam."

The classiness of some on this site never ceases to amaze me.

[B]

"I am no fan of bush and he is most certainly the worse president in my lifetime - "so far" thanks homer."

Then I am assuming you were born after January 1981.

[B]

"I'm glad to see people who support him looking forward as well. What a load of BS...the whole thing."

Hahahahaha, expecting tolerance from the "tolerant" left is the pinnacle of naivete.

[domoarrigato]

treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors are the only constitutional reasons to impeach a president. Of course, like the TARP and every other piece of legislation that has come to mean "whatever they say it means." So basically yes - bush could be impeached for anything. But he won't.

[oldtimer]

4000 dead kids, doesn't that warrant at least one shoe?

How can we have a revolution if we can't even throw a shoe at a piece of plastic?

As Jimmy Durante might say "What a revoltin' development this is".

[domoarrigato]

"Then I am assuming you were born after January 1981."

Nice one.

[Turtles]

Every once in a while you should hang, err impeach, a president, "pour encourager les autres".

To bad the "others" (dense leftoids) never have seemed to learn from history anyways. It would be a wasted gesture.

[domoarrigato]

oldtimer, don't know if your responding to me, if so I think your missing my point - which is: why throw shoes like some scumbag Iraqi fake journalist asshole. burn his effigy, fling poo, burn the texas flag - whatever gets your rocks off. But throwing a shoe like an arab is a display of self hatred for an american. It says "I'm so sorry my country is morally bankrupt and founded upon lies deceipt and corruption. Unlike your advanced and enlightened civilization to which I inspire - may I lick your boots please?"

Makes me sick.

[Gilbert Martin]

"I would have preffered to see effigies of GWB and BHO being pelted."

I would love to see the reaction if the shoe was on the other foot (so to speak) and it was an effigy of Obama being pelted with shoes.

The level of shrill screeching about it by the media and assorted talking heads would be earspltting.

[Papa Giorgio]

I think this extreme hatred shows how the secular left replaces a religious belief in a personal God with the religion of politics. So anything that is an affront to it (e.g., their politics) is responded to with violence.

It is this vacuum that leads to an almost psychopathic violent trend that I see here and elsewhere on the net. It is referred to (somewhat jokingly, but seriously as well) as the Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Hang him, impeach him, yada, yada... all that is more a commentary on the person saying it rather than anything Bush has done. It also shows the proclivity of the left, like its many socialist predecessors (National Socialism, Marxism, and the like), towards a violent means to its own ends.

[The Angry Optimist]

4000 dead kids, doesn't that warrant at least one shoe?

Oh, well, start launching them at busts of Truman, then, if death of TEH CHILDREN is the sole arbiter of ethical behavior.

[Kreel Sarloo]

"4000 dead kids, doesn't that warrant at least one shoe?"

Excuse me, but how many "kids" died while Clinton maintained the sanctions on Iraq?

Bush II may have screwed up but the fact is we had been at war with Iraq since Bush I decided we needed to respond to Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.

[The Angry Optimist]

Why do people blame America for the results of sanctions? I don't like them, but the dictator (Castro, Saddam, whomever) is more responsible for failing to comply.

[ktc2]

Iraq war II was pure Bush 43 intel cherry picking. Of course they knew they were cherry picking and they'd have to be full on retarded not to know that the intel they were selecting was bullshit (read Curveball).

So while the legislature capitulated and bears some responsibility it was Bush's determination to invade Iraq from day one that is the principle cause of that needless war and the needless deaths of thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

And don't give me that "the war is a success" bullshit. It makes no difference even if it were (which it isn't). It's still wrong from the start and an unnecessary waste of lives and tax money.

I stand by my statement.

[The Angry Optimist]

gee, thanks for the longer version of "Bush lied, people died"...maybe you want to say "No Blood For Oil!" next?

[oldtimer]

Having watched (and participated ) in the war that killed 58 K of my generation and 3 million VN I cried real tears when George I launched Desert Storm. I knew that many Iraqis would die, I watched the sanctions and saw those babies die. My position is that today's war kills not only American youngsters but it kills the innocent of the other countries as well. For what purpose ? Is this the price of what is called "civilization"?

[oldtimer]

My whole life has been one war, one military adventure, after another. I can only hope those of you that are younger than I will find the peace we all justly deserve. After all, it's for your children and my grandchildren.I am not optimistic, as long as we have politicians.

[cunnivore]

But throwing a shoe like an arab is a display of self hatred for an american. It says "I'm so sorry my country is morally bankrupt and founded upon lies deceipt and corruption. Unlike your advanced and enlightened civilization to which I inspire - may I lick your boots please?"

1. Middle Eastern culture, historically at least, is nothing to sniff at. They kept the Greco-Roman tradition alive while our forebears were busy braining each other over a couple of acres of land. Oh yeah, and they invented the number system that we use today.

2. You're taking this way too seriously. Do you think every time you eat a burrito you're thereby proclaiming the superiority of Latin American politics?

[cunnivore]

Disturbing? He deserves worse than to be pelted with shoes. He deserves to sit in a prison cell for the rest of his days.

Not gonna happen. But I'm taking comfort to know that he's going to be shut out of the corridors of power for the remainder of his existence, just as Nixon was. No one will want the Stink of Bush on them. (This almost certainly goes for Rove, Gonzalez, Rice, etc as well.)

For a guy whose life has been all about the taking and the holding of power, that's going to be as bad as a prison sentence.

[cunnivore]

treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors are the only constitutional reasons to impeach a president.

Perjury is a high crime and thus impeachable (or so the GOP used to believe). And I can come up with two instances where Bush gave a false oath with his hand on the Bible and the Chief Justice presiding: 1/20/2000 and 1/20/2004.

[Ken Shultz]

"It is this vacuum that leads to an almost psychopathic violent trend that I see here and elsewhere on the net."

I understand they're doing wonderful things with Paxil these days.

[joe]

The contemporary term for "Bush Derangement Syndrome" is "perceptiveness."

Get a load of those loonies who hate Bush so much that they can't admit Saddam has WMDs.

[R C Dean]

But I'm taking comfort to know that he's going to be shut out of the corridors of power for the remainder of his existence, just as Nixon was.

Historically, of course, Presidents have pretty much retired from public/political life after holding the Presidency. Something about the good of the republic. The most (and AFAIK only) notable exception before Carter and the Clinton Clan was Teddy Roosevelt.

So Bush not stalking the corridors of power is actually a healthy return to tradition, however it comes about. Who can argue that we would be better off if Carter and Clinton hadn't adhered to the example of their historical betters, after all?

[The Angry Optimist]

even though it's terribly derided as a term, BDS is real. There really isn't much in the Bush legacy for the Left to quibble over, but they go nuts about the guy anyway.

Let's see:
1. Farm subsidies? Yes.
2. Vast expansion of the regulatory state? Check.
3. Humanitarian-based overseas adventures? Oh yeah.
4. Keynesian Economic Policies? Yes.
5. No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D? Yes.
6. BCRA? Yes.

As far as I can tell, the only thing Bush did that is really against progressive beliefs is the "enhanced interrogation/torture" policy. Apparently violations of privacy (FISA) isn't even enough to get lefty blood up anymore.

[Jennifer]

But throwing shoes and implicitly paying homage to a culture that has no tradition of civil discourse is a pathetic showing for an american.

No, justifying the use of torture, lying to start pre-emptive wars, trashing civil liberties and flushing America's international respect down the toilet is a pathetic showing for an American. Stop pretending there's no legitimate reason for Americans to be furious at GW Bush and grateful that the sociopathic son of a bitch is finally gone.

[ktc2]

When you assume all that know Bush is a criminal are "on the left" you reveal your own partisanship. Many here, myself included, are opposed to farm subsidies, increased taxes, government expansion on any front including social engineering, foreign aid, etc.

Instead of assuming anyone who wants Bush held accountable is a "leftist" who must be motivated by partisanship and not the facts, perhaps you should actually review those facts through a non-biased looking glass (i.e. not Fox or any fundy nutjob outlet) and see if it is your partisanship that prevents you from seeing what the rest of us find so obvious.

[The Angry Optimist]

ktc2 - I don't see where I said that. I am dividing the "war criminal" discussion from the Leftist hatred of Bush given that he did a pretty good job fulfilling their agenda.

[Ken Shultz]

I remember being dismissed as a "Clinton Hater" too. Now I have Bush Derangement Syndrome?

My guess, by the way, is that Obama will be an awful president.* So I guess now somebody has the chance to coin a term for people who, um, notice what a rotten president he is? Now's the time.

Maybe they'll just go with "Obama Hater" but, like I said, "Clinton Hater" has already been done and it really doesn't bounce off the tongue like say "Bush Basher" does.

*McCain would have made a rotten President too.

[ChrisO]

If Bush had been a Democrat and had done the exact same things, none of this tacky shit like the example above would have occurred, and joe would currently be in line to fellate the ex-prez for a 'job well done'.

The partisan shallowness is the issue, along with the resulting childish displays.

Bush was a terrible president, just like his predecessor was and his successor most likely will be. The point of seeking a limited government is to prevent these clowns from having much impact upon actual event. Simply attempting to find a better grade of clown is futile.