Bush campaign ad offends 9/11 families

[sweepyhead]

From the article, a quote from a 9/11 widow:

"It's a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people," Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News for its Thursday editions. "It is unconscionable."

and from a fire-fighter:

"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270. "The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics."

The article is copyrighted material. The rest of it is here:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/04/elec04.prez.bush.ads.ap/index.html

Look out for some majorly political fallout as a result of the ad. Again, Bush will be out on his tush.

Sweepy:sleep2:

[pechuna]

NEW YORK (AP) - President Bush's re-election campaign on Thursday defended commercials using images from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including wreckage of the World Trade Center, as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror.

Some families of the victims of the attacks are angry with Bush for airing the spots, which they called in poor taste and for the president's political gain.

"With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of the American people will as well," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS. "September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country. ... Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that."

The first three ads, unveiled Wednesday at campaign headquarters in suburban Washington, will run on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks.



"It's a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people," Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News for its Thursday editions. "It is unconscionable."

Two of the spots show the destruction at the World Trade Center and include an American flag flying amid the debris. They also feature images of firefighters working through the wreckage.

"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270. "The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics."

The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, focusing instead on improving Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months.

"I would be less offended if he showed a picture of himself in front of the Statue of Liberty," said Tom Roger, whose daughter perished on American Airlines Flight 11. "But to show the horror of 9/11 in the background, that's just some advertising agency's attempt to grab people by the throat."

Hughes said the ads are a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years.

"I can understand why some Democrats might not want the American people to remember the great leadership and strength the president and first lady Laura Bush brought to our country in the aftermath of that," she said.

[Tametaz]

Is it appropriate for President Bush to use images from the 9/11 attacks in campaign ads?

Yes 36% 34804 votes

No 64% 61289 votes
Total: 96093 votes


This QuickVote is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole. The QuickVote sponsor is not responsible for content, functionality or the opinions expressed therein.

[pattyepye]

Looks like the OLS family sees the relevance of this, thanks for QuickVote info Tametaz.
Many Americans were brave, especially those who lost family members. It would be more compassionate to respect those families.

[sallykay]

Bushy says in the ad something to the effect that "I'm GB and I approved this ad.".

He had to know it would promote controversy with the familes of 9/11, and in fact all of us., didn't he? I find it reprehensble that he chose those particular images to advertise himself.

I agree that it would have been better to show him at the Statue of Liberty. They still could have mentioned 9/11; my gosh, that was the worst day of my life and lots of you, too, I imagine.

[Rapunzel676]

How our leader dealt with it? You mean by attacking Iraq, a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11? Are you going to defend everything the man does? I mean, I liked Clinton and all but I certainly didn't defend every single action he took like it was a personal insult to me. It's politics, people, don't take it so personally.

Ouro, I have the feeling that if you had lost someone in 9/11 you'd be singing a different tune. "National news event" or not, Bush and the rest of his ilk need to be a little more sensitive to people's feelings. What a glory-hound!

[pattyepye]

rapunzel :clap::clap:

I think Bush did a good job under the circumstances of 9/11, but I also think it is unfair to use the tragedy of a nation for one's personal political agenda. I heard today on Crossfire, that one of the objections was an ad where the flag-draped remains was featured in the ad.
And yes, if that was my family member I would be in tears and painfully reminded every time it played on television only for the reason of retaining one man's political career. May the victims of 9/11 rest in peace...gone but not forgotten, but not flashed on television like ads for sodas or fast food.

[bunny0519]

You move on, you get over it and you live your life.


I don't know if "get over it" is exactly an appropriate choice of words.

[Hhhyyyddd]

I know that deaths in the family can not compare to 9-11; but I thought I'd let you know that recently my dh's grandpa, my grandma and my dh's uncle died, two were from natural causes and one was from suicide. You move on, you get over it and you live your life.[/QUOTE]

I fail to see how parading deaths for commercial purposes across the tv screen will help the families of the victims "get over it" as you put it. In fact I can see how it would have just the opposite result.

[DrJohn]

Dubya dealt with it????BULLSH*%!!! He had AMPLE warning(s) and refused to even CONSIDER that something like this could happen!!!

Dealt with it???
Using a national tragedy for political gain is hardly "dealing with it".

I guess he needs to try and say something with military implications,since his much self-proclaimed military background is a joke and an insult to the people that DO serve our country.

[Current]

I think that using the tragedy of 9/11 for ANY kind of personal political gain is improper, insensitive, self-serving, and a slap in the face for the families of the victims. Using the deaths of the victims of 9/11 is just wrong.

It could be compared to a person who was running for a re-election as Sheriff in a county....and having that person run ads showing the news footage of bodies being removed from a crime scene over and over again, and then crowing about how the crime was solved under his watch as Sheriff. IMO, what Bush is doing by using the 9/11 tragedy in this way, it is just as bad as the people who used 9/11 to make false missing persons reports about so-called relatives who supposedly were victims, to gain money or attention.

I admit that I voted for Bush in the last election, and I have, in the past, strongly supported him.

But I have changed my mind. And not just because of this. This is just another reason that I will not vote for him again.


Just because 9/11 happened under Bush's watch, does not mean that he should try to capitalize on the deaths of people.

This is just my oh so humble opinion. :frown3:

[mfine]

So I read through all these nicely polarized comments by people using this scant evidence to substantiate their already established convictions one way or the other. Man, it's going to be a really long eight months.

[ouroboro]

[sallykay]

Hey, I used to be a Republican. :gvibes:

Was raised in staunch Republican home. Dad was as "big wig" in local Republican politics, and I was in the good ole' TeenAge Republicans.

Why, I still have lots of Republican friends and relatives. Why not? They sure don't hold it against me that I'm a Democrat. :gvibes: I might even vote for a Republican. In fact, I believe I have in certain elections.

I like to think that I keep an open mind about such things.

[pattyepye]

:clap: :clap: current

[bulldglit]

I pray that not one American gets over what happened to this country on 9/11. I pray that no one American gets over shedding a tear every time that image is now. I pray that not one American gets over mourning for the death of so many people.

"Get over it-Deal with it". I certainly hope that no one of the 30,000 OLS members lost a friend or family member. They certainly do not deserve to see that statement.

I don't care how many funerals George Bush attended. He should have attended every single one of them. But he certainly has no right to exploit the horrors of that day for political purposes. Shame on him. If he wants to show pictures of events that occurred during his presidency, he should certainly remember to show some pictures of the body bags being brought by this country from Iraq.

[ouroboro]

[marilyn lux]

I agree that 9/11 is a shared American tragedy. However, if the ads have already shown to cause pain to any of the victims families he needs to discuss the showing of them and his reasons with the families personally. It should not be left up to his PR people to defend something that is the source of such personal grief for the families.

I would hope that he now realizes how sensitive this is (and should have probably realized it before now) and has already taken that proactive step.

[pechuna]

Our opinions about this appear to depend on our political party preferences. Therefore, it is useless to argue.

[Current]

There is a big difference here.

When my Grandmother, or Grandfather, or my Father died, it wasn't plastered all over every major network, and their deaths were not featured in some dang political commercial. It was personal and it was kept in our family and with our loved ones. Their deaths were not used for anyone else's personal gain, like Bush is doing with these commercials. He is exploiting a terrible time in American history for his own personal gain.

In my case, my loved ones deaths were expected, for the most part. Cancer and such. Much different then what happened on 9/11.


Whether or not the ads show pictures of deceased people is not the point. All the images of what happened on 9/11 affect more then just the families....they impact any American who has any sense of pride in this country.

We all know what happened that awful day...and to use that terrible event to further one man's career is wrong. And that is exactly what Bush is doing. He is using 9/11 to try to win an election.

He and his wife attended funerals. Which is good. Personally, I feel that it was part of his job as our President, and I am glad they did. But now he is capitalizing on the whole dang tragedy for his own agenda.

The family members and anyone who knew anyone affected by 9/11 will never forget what happened. And most Americans never forget either. It is easy to say, "get over it". Easier said then done.


I really doubt that the families and friends and loved ones of the victims will ever need a reminder of what happened, especially seeing the dang thing being whored on TV in the name of a political tv commercial.


I also believe in life after death...heck...I belive in reincarnation...but that has nothing to do with the subject of Bush using 9/11 for his own gain.

[marilyn lux]

In my case that is not true. I remember watching the second tower fall the first time, just minutes after I arrived at work, and my co-workers already had a tv going. All of us were in complete shock. In the following weeks, that scene was repeated over and over again and most of us had been stunned and sickened just having viewed it once.

That scene will doubtless be repeated many times as a reminder of our National tragedy, and I think that sensitvity is a bi-partisan issue in regards to these families.

[Current]

Our opinions about this appear to depend on our political party preferences. Therefore, it is useless to argue.


I could care less about political party preferences. This is about using compassion and restraint and caring about the way other humans feel about this loss that the whole country suffered through.

[bulldglit]

Our opinions about this appear to depend on our political party preferences. Therefore, it is useless to argue.

I don't recall the victims of 9-11 being listed by party affiliation. Must have missed something. I can sure tell you that if Kerry uses that tragedy in his campaign, I'm going to vote for Nader.

[Rapunzel676]

"Get over it"?

I know you probably didn't mean it to come out that, but please, think before you write something like that; consider the consequences of your words, the effect they might have on others. My best friend's first boyfriend, who remained a good friend, lost his life trying to escape from the World Trade Center. Would you say such a thing to his widow and three young sons? I don't think you would because I know you are not that insensitive. However, it was a very callous thing to say and I hope in the future you think a bit more about your posts. People can interpret things all sorts of ways, especially on a message board.

Further, I'm really sorry you lost your family members, but to compare that to 9/11 is more than a little disingenuous. You know very well it's not the same thing. Are you just going to defend Bush at all costs, no matter what he does or what he says? I believe that you are intelligent enough to see that not everything a politician--any politician--does is necessarily in yours or my best interests. I don't pretend to agree with everything Bill Clinton did; far from it. Please analyze the situation further and try to approach it with a little more sensitivity rather than in a knee-jerk, reactionary, partisan sort of way. I think you'll see the point we're trying to make. :gvibes:

[ouroboro]

[tncorgi]

Relatives of 9/11 victims say the president's new ad campaign desecrates ground zero -- and demand that he pull it off the air.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Geraldine Sealey
March 5, 2004 | Andrew Rice, like many 9/11 family members, is speaking out against campaign commercials for President Bush that use television footage from the place where his brother died. Ground zero, fallen firefighters, the torched and toppled remains of the World Trade Center -- these images are sacred to Rice, and he doesn't want them used as fodder for anyone's political gain. "Taking images, sensitive images, like those firefighters carrying that coffin -- that's a dead body in that coffin," Rice said. "It's not Gettysburg 100 years after a battle. They are real firefighters carrying a dead body. That should be hands-off."

But Bush's spokeswoman and longtime advisor Karen Hughes told Rice and other family members on Thursday that they are plain wrong to be incensed that Bush-Cheney '04 is using 9/11 footage in a multimillion dollar ad campaign. "With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of the American people will as well," she said in a television interview.

Hughes, unlike many protesting family members of 9/11 victims, approves of the ground zero footage in the president's political ads, using the kind of language some use to describe softcore porn. "I think it is very tasteful," she said. "It is a reminder of our shared experience as a nation."

And those who disagree with her and the White House clearly have an agenda, Hughes says. They must be partisan. They must be Democrats. "I can understand why some Democrats might not want the American people to remember the great leadership and strength the president and first lady Laura Bush brought to our country in the aftermath of that," Hughes said.

Not all of the 9/11 families who oppose Bush's use of their greatest personal tragedy to win votes are Democrats, of course, although many will likely choose not to vote for Bush in the fall if he keeps this up.

REST of the article...
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/03/05/bush_ads/

[superchickee]

We are doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq. I think I have heard most all of our soldiers are happy fighting to restore some decency to this country. ( reminds me of the Hitler era) I don;t think the Presdient should have any shame. 911 probably would not have happened if the previous president would have addressed the problems back then.

[advantage2000]

We are doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq. I think I have heard most all of our soldiers are happy fighting to restore some decency to this country. ( reminds me of the Hitler era) I don;t think the Presdient should have any shame. 911 probably would not have happened if the previous president would have addressed the problems back then.

(Troll-feeding time)

1. The last poll in Stars and Stripes showed a MAJORITY of soldiers were disgruntled and sick of being used for bombing practice. Still more had no clear reason why they were there.
2. The people in Iraq were perfectly decent before we bombed the crap out of them. The only reason anyone has to "restore order" is because we caused DISORDER.
3. Why are you bringing up Iraq in a conversation about 9/11? They're NOT connected, and any imagined connectoin was disproved! (Or are "all Ay-Rabbs are the same?)
4. The shame arises from the fact that he is deriving glory from a tragic event. I didn't see HIM cleaning up dead bodies or consoling victims.

[pechuna]

Bush was the sitting president when the tragedy of 9/11 happened so he has every right to use images of what happened during his term. His response to go after the terrorists is commendable. Our previous president was to busy getting hummers in the oval office to take care of business. He took Osama Bin lightly, while Bush will hunt the killer down and bring him to justice.

[bulldglit]

We are doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq. I think I have heard most all of our soldiers are happy fighting to restore some decency to this country. ( reminds me of the Hitler era) I don;t think the Presdient should have any shame. 911 probably would not have happened if the previous president would have addressed the problems back then.


You are kidding right? I certainly hope that no other country decides to have such pity on the U.S. and bestow such wonderful things on us. I haven't watched the news today, are our soldiers now dancing for joy in the streets of Baghdad? last time I saw them, they looked tired, beat down and dejected (reminds me of the Vietnam era). I certainly agree with your statement that had the previous president addressed the problems when he should of, most of this never would have occurred. But then I think President Bush should be the one to take it up with his father. They should keep that in the family.

[sallykay]

You took the words right out of my mouth, bulldglit. My DH is fond of saying that Jr. is just trying to finish what his daddy started.

I personally know a young soldier who states that the soldiers are in Iraq to do their duty, but that a great majority of them do not agree with the president's policy. Don't know if it's a majority or not, but obviously, not all soldiers agree with Bushy.

[Hhhyyyddd]

We are doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq. I think I have heard most all of our soldiers are happy fighting to restore some decency to this country. ( reminds me of the Hitler era) I don;t think the Presdient should have any shame. 911 probably would not have happened if the previous president would have addressed the problems back then.

911 probably wouldn't have happened if the CIA hadn't taught Bin Laden everything he knows about killing- under the watch of the Repulicans. It wasn't the previous president, whom you are blaming, who trained Bin Laden and his terrorists to fight Russians.

[DrJohn]

Bush was the sitting president when the tragedy of 9/11 happened so he has every right to use images of what happened during his term. His response to go after the terrorists is commendable. Our previous president was to busy getting hummers in the oval office to take care of business. He took Osama Bin lightly, while Bush will hunt the killer down and bring him to justice.

Hmmmmmmm...So that makes it OK for dubya to f*#K all of the American people?

[advantage2000]

Hmmmmmmm...So that makes it OK for dubya to f*#K all of the American people?

I don't think that anyone had a problem with Slick Willie getting fellated... I think the problem was that he lied about it. That was kind of bad.

BUT

Here's a HUGE list of Bush lies for you:

http://bushwatch.org/bushlies.htm

Including this LIE that has everything to do with this thread: (From http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/05/opinion/05FRI3.html)

It is inevitable that such a pivotal event as the 9/11 attacks should surface in the presidential campaign. The fact that President Bush did not hesitate to underline the tragedy in his new wave of campaign commercials puts voters on early notice that they must bring their considered judgment to the bounds of the debate. The mix of painful, familiar graphics and pared-down electioneering slogans will be a test of a candidate's good taste as much as the electorate's political leanings. We hope the media strategists of the president and Senator John Kerry will avoid descending into low-road treacle and claims of primacy on a subject that we all recall as a dark cause of fierce national unity.

The first Bush commercial, with its stark glimpse back at the smoking shell of the World Trade Center, speaks to people's natural fear of changing leaders in perilous times. But it is also a reminder that the great sense of unity and national purpose of those days was lost. How to weigh those two factors is only one of the issues relating to 9/11 that are bound to surface. To choose the next president, Americans will have to judge whether the country is safer now than when the tragedy occurred, whether the proper response to the attacks was the invasion of Iraq and whether the president has been fully cooperative with the independent commission investigating 9/11.

When we think of 9/11, we think of loss, and of the heroism of average people who reached out in ways great and small to help their fellow men and women. Any political candidate who attempts to piggyback onto those emotions deserves to be shunned by the electorate. Speaking of 9/11 in January 2003, President Bush told The Associated Press that he had "no ambition whatsoever to use this as a political issue." We applaud that sentiment.

[Mary Beth]

We are doing wonderful things for the people of Iraq. I think I have heard most all of our soldiers are happy fighting to restore some decency to this country. ( reminds me of the Hitler era) I don;t think the Presdient should have any shame. 911 probably would not have happened if the previous president would have addressed the problems back then.

Excuse me? Are we talking about Clinton not doing anything about the Middle East? Um, er, where have you been for the last few years? It was the Clinton administration that was actually at least trying to make some progress in the Middle East (just like they tried in Ireland). The Bush administration scuttled all of those peace efforts when they took office.

I've never been a huge fan of Bill Clinton, but I can't stand by and listen to total fabrications.

Everyone else has jumped on your for the rest of that paragraph, so I'll just say that they're right when talking about the soldiers who are over there now and what we have brought to Iraq.

[sallykay]

I don't feel like researching this, but maybe someone else does.

Bill Clinton was president when the Oklahoma Bombing occurred.
He was in his first term.

Did Bill Clinton, during his run for office for a second term, use the Oklahoma Bombing in any way in his re-election campaign?