The Daily Grasshopper

President Bush thinks you’re a moron. I’m serious. That’s the only possible explanation for what I’m about to describe. Or maybe you’ve already seen the picture. It’s on the front page of today’s New York Times, and I’ve pasted a copy onto the bottom of this message. Scroll down and check it out, and then come back.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem too strange. But take a closer look. All those boxes in the front have packing tape strategically placed on the lower left hand corner. The tape is there to cover up the three little words George W. Bush doesn’t want you to read: “Made In China.” Now look closely at the backdrop. We’re all accustomed, at this stage, to the president appearing in public with a backdrop behind him that hammers home the theme of his topic du jour. Yesterday, it was “Strengthening America’s Economy.” But this backdrop isn’t just some navy blue number with bold white lettering. It’s a sham picture of shelves full of boxes that say “Made In U.S.A.”

I’m certain that you think I’m making this up, so read the stories yourself:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/23/politics/23BUSH.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/23/politics/23BOXE.html

And I know some of you think the Times, which endorsed Bush’s opponent in 2000 and will endorse his opponent next year, has it in for Bush and somehow made this story up. So here’s the Associated Press report of the same stunt, from the Common Dreams site:

The caption under the photo on the front page of the Times reads:

“Tale of the Tape
President Bush speaking yesterday in St. Louis about his proposed tax cut. Behind him, a canvas printed with boxes saying “Made in America [sic].” In front, real boxes, with the “Made in China” taped over.”

Like I said, this guy thinks you’re a dope. I mean, it’s one thing for Bush to kiss a baby, or go to a black church on Martin Luther King Day and sing spirituals. You know, a photo-op. Politicians do it all the time. But this is something entirely different. The people who covered up the offending words on the boxes and then hung the bogus canvas behind Bush (kind of like those phony shelves full of books that they have at the professional photographer’s studio to make your family look classy) DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER to try to make it believable. They think we’re so stupid that we can’t see they’re lying to us even when the truth is as plain as day on the front of the New York Times. The reporters called it “Boxgate,” but reported the rest of the story straight. If they had any shame, which they clearly don’t, they would have refused to take part in such a farce.

The problem with the “Made in China” tags on the boxes is that they didn’t fit in with Bush’s theme of the day (“Strengthening America’s Economy,” remember?). So they get covered up – literally. Because the reality is that just about everything in this country is made in China. Just go into any mall and look on any box. And the reasons are known, to anyone who wants to look into it: China has a population of over a billion people, and a ruthless government that cracks down on workers who try to demand higher wages. So Chinese workers earn a fraction of what U.S. workers do. Our government used to have a problem with that, but then the Business Roundtable (200 of the biggest U.S. corporations) convinced our Congress and President that human rights abuses might be a bad thing, but the profits from moving manufacturing to China were a good thing. Those billion people also represent the world’s biggest untapped group of consumers. And they’ll buy our stuff. That’s called “engagement.” So Bill Clinton gave China PNTR – permanent normal trade relations status. And we stopped pretending to care about human rights abuses in China. You can read about it here:

http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2000/00may/urbina.html

But back to Bush, and his little “Real World” photo-op in St. Louis. The fact is, when reality has the nerve to intrude on Bush’s little fantasyland, where everything is black and white, he simply covers over the uncomfortable parts and goes on reading from the teleprompter like nothing’s wrong. But those of us who still have a few gray cells functioning should be mighty concerned with the president’s disdain for our powers of perception.

Because some day, and I’m guessing it’s going to be pretty soon, the very same guy who stood in front of a bogus backdrop touting his tax plan is going to be standing in front of another bogus backdrop that says “Iraq: Let’s Roll,” or something equally mindless. And he’s going to have some bit of absolute proof that Saddam is sitting on a weapon of mass destruction, and “our troops” need to go in and take him out before he uses it on “our friends in the region.” And he’s going to ask us to trust him. But just remember, when reality gets in the way of George Bush’s plans, he just alters the facts so that they conform with what he wants to say and do. The evidence is at the bottom of this message, and on the front page of the New York Times. Look no further.

I’m actually wondering if he thinks we’re stupid, or if he thinks there’s nothing we can do to stop him, and he’s just having fun with us. I’m thinking it’s probably the latter. As Lily Tomlin once said, “No matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up.” This president is giving even the biggest cynics a run for our money.