GW Bush booed at Nationals' opener

[12thMan]

I'll try to make this the last thing I'll say on this. Good topic, by the way.

I think when you get people in that environment, they feel embolden to do and say things they would never other say or do. Throw a little tapped beer in there and it's on.

Sometimes I do wonder, however, if those same people that boo public figures would have a totally different demeanor if they just bumped into them on the street somewhere. I wonder if they'd say, "hey George Bush is an asshole" or go "hey Mr. President, mind taking a picture with me?"

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I'll try to make this the last thing I'll say on this. Good topic, by the way.

I think when you get people in that environment, they feel embolden to do and say things they would never other say or do. Throw a little tapped beer in there and it's on.

Sometimes I do wonder, however, if those same people that boo public figures would have a totally different demeanor if they just bumped into them on the street somewhere. I wonder if they'd say, "hey George Bush is an asshole" or go "hey Mr. President, mind taking a picture with me?"

Probably the latter of the 2 because they don't want to get tazed.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I'll try to make this the last thing I'll say on this. Good topic, by the way.

I think when you get people in that environment, they feel embolden to do and say things they would never other say or do. Throw a little tapped beer in there and it's on.

Sometimes I do wonder, however, if those same people that boo public figures would have a totally different demeanor if they just bumped into them on the street somewhere. I wonder if they'd say, "hey George Bush is an asshole" or go "hey Mr. President, mind taking a picture with me?"

Personally, there's no way I'd want to take a picture with that prick. And I wouldn't pretend to be his best friend either. I wouldn't even want to shake the guy's hand to be honest.

[redsk1]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Personally, there's no way I'd want to take a picture with that prick. And I wouldn't pretend to be his best friend either. I wouldn't even want to shake the guy's hand to be honest.

So you are saying that GW is a prick...how so? Do you think he honestly doesn't have our country's best interest at heart?

I think as US Americans (um...Americans) we should have some sort of respect for the President whether Rep or Dem. Booing the president is everyones right but i kind of look at it as a little rude and disrespectful IMO.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Personally, there's no way I'd want to take a picture with that prick. And I wouldn't pretend to be his best friend either. I wouldn't even want to shake the guy's hand to be honest.

Do you think he's really evil or just incompetent? And which would bother you more ultimately, to have a bad president or to have a mean president? What if you had the opportuntity to shake his hand on September 12, 2001? Was your perception different then?

I personally don't know what booing the President really accomplishes (other than some self satisfaction, I suppose), unless one thinks that by booing your influencing the opinions of others. But what will it matter if they don't go out and vote. And if they vote one way or another based on cheers/boos at a baseball game then what does that say about the people voting?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Do you think he's really evil or just incompetent? And which would bother you more ultimately, to have a bad president or to have a mean president? What if you had the opportuntity to shake his hand on September 12, 2001? Was your perception different then?

I personally don't know what booing the President really accomplishes (other than some self satisfaction, I suppose), unless one thinks that by booing your influencing the opinions of others. But what will it matter if they don't go out and vote. And if they vote one way or another based on cheers/boos at a baseball game then what does that say about the people voting?

I think he's too dumb to be evil.

I was no more of a fan of his on 9/12/01 than I am now. Him yelling through a bull horn on top of a pile of WTC rubbish really didn't change my opinion of him.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I think he's too dumb to be evil.

I was no more of a fan of his on 9/12/01 than I am now. Him yelling through a bull horn on top of a pile of WTC rubbish really didn't change my opinion of him.

Understood. I think though that using the word "prick" usually implies mean-spirited or "evil". What would you "prefer" if you had to choose though. A President who with good intentions but no clear plan or one with the wrong ideals but flawless execution? Of course, that maybe more of a hypothetical question that doesn't necessarily need to be answered here.

As to the second part of your post, I respect that. And I'm not trying to pigeonhole you of course. I just think that for a lot of people the cheering in Yankee Stadium 7 years ago and the booing at Nationals Park last week were more a result of the mob mentality of "hey everyone else is doing it, I should too." I'll "boo" when I check the ballot box

[itvnetop]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

What would you "prefer" if you had to choose though. A President who with good intentions but no clear plan or one with the wrong ideals but flawless execution? Of course, that maybe more of a hypothetical question that doesn't necessarily need to be answered here.

This is actually an excellent hypothetical SS... a little OT from the OP, but out of everything on this thread, this got me thinking the most.

This may sound weird, but I'd actually prefer the latter type of President. If he/she was elected in the first place, there's obvious sizable support for that platform. On the other hand, all Presidents face dissent- "wrong ideals" are somewhat subjective. Unless we're talking about a President who does a 180 from a platform he/she ran on once they are in office, we've elected someone whose ideals aren't going to be universal.

Specifically, I don't agree with GW's decision to invade Iraq (I'd have preferred to keep Sadaam in power, but that's an argument for another day). It's a given that (for whatever personal reasons), people either agree or disagree with such decisions. But even though I disagree with his decision, I expect the President to be successful in his execution. Perfect execution may be too much to ask, but with advisors at his disposal for such a magnanimous action, I'd want something close to flawless. And the results have been anything but.

To flip up the point, I'm a firm believer that universal health care wouldn't work in our country... imo, it's just not economically feasible with the unique factors inherent to the US, compared to the rest of the socialized health care world. But if Obama gets elected to office and he tries to reverse the entire industry from a private to a universal system, I'd expect him to execute it successfully.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I think he's too dumb to be evil.

I was no more of a fan of his on 9/12/01 than I am now. Him yelling through a bull horn on top of a pile of WTC rubbish really didn't change my opinion of him.

I understand your opinion of Bush is negative, but if you are going to condemn him for being an idiot and getting us into Iraq, then you must also condemn the liberals in Congress who supported the war.

I don't think the President should be booed in the environment of throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game. As much as I dislike/disagree with President Clinton, President Carter, I wouldn't boo them in that setting. At the State of the Union address the opposite side of the President never boos, they just remain silent.