# Is George W. Bush REALLY stupid-or is it an act? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 21, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636 "2000-12-21T02:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/1 "2000-12-21T02:22:24Z")
Rolling Stone Magazine asked this question in a past issue. Their theory was that he is of average intelligence but with little intellectual curiosity. My Mom (Republican) says that he graduated from Yale (I say Dad got him in) and was a pilot (albeit in the Nat’l Guard) and they don’t let dummies fly planes in the army. Newsweek and many others say he is a great salesman, and very personable. I’ve also heard polls say he was more likable than Gore. Part of his charm might be his “simpleness”. Even Rush Limnbaugh has addressed this issue, claiming he uses a “bumpkin” image to “lure” the Democrats, and that he is a totally different individual behind closed doors in the negotiating room. I’m sorry, but everytime I see and hear this guy speak, there is NO way I cannot believe he is anything but a dope. He has that befuddled look in his eye, and when he opens his mouth, sentances like these come out: “There is only one President in this country. And that is President Clinton.” “I will be doing some listening while I am here . . . then I’ll do some talking.” “Un . . . ummmm…uh…ummmm…” “This is an important issue that I am going to proritize after I’m elected” (said a week after Gore conceded) This guy makes Dan Quayle sound like Mario Cuomo. Add that with failed business after business, cocaine, drinking, a DUI and general slackerness, (all of which can and has been debated elsewhere) and I say Thank God for Dick Cheyney. Does anyone have any information about his IQ? How DID he do at Yale? Any information that can ease my mind? * * * “We’re not here for your amusement . . . you’re here for ours!!!”- Johnny Rotten ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/2 "2000-12-21T03:06:50Z")
He was a slaggard (is there such a word?)at Yale. His dad got him in,kept him in, and got him his degree. He spent his time boozing and partying. He sure does sound like a simpleton. It may be all that booze and drugs have addled his brain. On the other hand, nobody who won an election can be as stupid as he sounds and looks. Thank God he’s going to have a good cabinet and staff. I’ve heard reports that his brother would have made a much better candidate (and now president). ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/3 "2000-12-21T03:11:05Z")
I just discovered another thread here on GB: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51170](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51170) That covers the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/4 "2000-12-21T04:48:26Z")
And then there’s poor Al Gore. Harvard has ruled him out as a candidate for University President, citing his lack of “scholarly” and “intellectual” credentials. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/5 "2000-12-21T08:48:33Z")
Vinnie, Vinnie, Vinnie… if you want to find quotes that make a person sound stupid, you’re going to have to do better than THAT. Try this… record five minutes of conversation with a friend, then commit that to written word, and post that online… and we’ll see how intelligent it looks. There’s a different between the spoken and written word. In a speech, thoughts are left half-finished, people correct themselves, and they make slips of the tongue. I don’t see how using the word “President” twice in a spoken sentence makes someone unintelligent. If you want amusing gaffs, you’ve gotta look for stuff like “Subliminable”. ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/6 "2000-12-21T09:06:55Z")
What can I say? …you guys voted for him. (Enough of you did, anyway) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/7 "2000-12-21T10:35:34Z")
I think the man looks a bit stiff when talking on TV. But we’ve some brilliant people here on the board. You think any of them might look like a deer in the headlights when the _entire world_ is watching them. I don’t know if he’s dumb. But nothing listed in the OP would lead me to believe he was. BTW, I didn’t vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/8 "2000-12-21T12:24:01Z")
Let’s see…what I’ve heard about Dubya is that he is not a very detail oriented person. He is also not a workaholic. No big suprise huh? He likes his down time. I don’t think the guy is a dummy. He’s just not a go getter. I think he’s an underachiever that has lucked out because of family connections. Like I said in the other thread his brother Jeb is the one who has worked harder and had more ambition. Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/9 "2000-12-21T15:14:28Z")
Evidence for Bush’s intelligence: Graduated from elite prep school Earned undergraduate from Yale, one of the finest universities in the US Became fighter pilot in the Reserves, scored high on aptitude test Earned masters degree from Harvard, one of the finest universities in the US Succesfully ran Major League Baseball team Twice ran successfully for governor of second largest state Ran successful campaign for President of the US Evidence for Bush’s not being intelligent: During a couple of the thousands of speeches and interviews he has given has mispronounced a couple of words, and did not know the name of the general who headed the coup in Pakistan. It seems to me that Bush is an intelligent person who has been stereotyped by the people who think anyone who talks with a southern accent must be an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/10 "2000-12-21T15:20:59Z")
Just to address one part of the OP that has been overlooked - the possibility that it is an act. If it is then he would truly be stupid - this “act” almost cost him the election. ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/11 "2000-12-21T15:22:45Z")
Puddle please…before any of Geo’s opponents pick that list apart… I can start with point one…graduation from an elite prep school requires money not intelligence. See what I mean… Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/12 "2000-12-21T15:31:05Z")
> [@](#): > > It seems to me that Bush is an intelligent person who has been stereotyped by the people who think anyone who talks with a southern accent must be an idiot. Like Bill Clinton? Al Gore? Makes me wonder which side actually won the Civil War. As for Bush the Younger, my take is: he’s smarter thatn he looks, but not as smart as he thinks he is. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/13 "2000-12-21T15:37:09Z")
I am surprised people continue to say W is stupid. Stupid, incompetent people do not get elected president. Their specific type of competence may not be what YOU desire in a president, but the very act of being elected attests to W’s ability to do something right and effectively. IMO, W bears many similarities to RR (whom I personally considered an embarrassment as president, but many others consider a great man.) Unfortunatly for W, he doesn’t enjoy a single target of the Evil Empire around which to paint his big picture ideas. “Compassionate conservatism” is much more nebulous, and I suggest the world is a more complex and faster moving place than 20 years ago. Now if you want to criticize W, he IS a smirker! ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/14 "2000-12-21T15:48:02Z")
I don’t think he’s genuinely stupid. I sure don’t think he’s cooly calculated every move and manipulation during the past year and a half, either. He just seems very uncomfortable with the position that he’s found himself in. I’ll watch a press conference with him, then I’ll watch a press conference with Cheney or Clinton, and the latter two seem so much more facile with the press. There’s more banter, more sparring. Bush just doesn’t seem like he’s in charge. He seems more nervous than anything, and that in turn makes other people nervous. Hopefully he’ll improve. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/15 "2000-12-21T16:08:49Z")
Why do you suppose half of the 2000 election voters selected him over intelligent Al Gore? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/16 "2000-12-21T16:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dinsdale \* > Stupid, incompetent people do not get elected president. I suggest you take a look at some biographies of Warren Gamameil Harding. He was of- at best- only moderate intellectual capabilities, and had extremely poor judgement (many of the people he appointed to his Cabinet were outright corrupt, and Harding continued to have numerous affairs even after entering the national spotlight). He was selected as the Republican nominee mostly through luck and exhaustion (as the party leaders were discarding name after name for one reason or another, eventually a Harding associate piped up with Harding’s name, and no one could think of anything immediately objectionable) and won the Presidency on a combination of looks, a pleasant voice, and the fact that God Himself could have run as a Democrat that year and not been elected. Now, I personally don’t consider W stupid; I think he’s bright but lazy, which in theory can be a very good combination (there was a German staff report on such prior to WW1, IIRC). He also seems to be picking a talented Cabinet. I think he’s a bit uncomfortable right now in the national limelight, but so was Clinton at the start of his presidency. I expect that W will seem better as time goes on, but we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/17 "2000-12-21T16:46:29Z")
I did not attend a prep school but from what I know of them, it takes money to get in but to graduate takes at least a modicum of intelligence. It is true that the prejudice against Bush is not just because has an accent. That was oversimplifying it. I think that some people just see him and his overall demeanor as folksy and him as NOTD. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/18 "2000-12-21T17:44:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > **On the other hand, nobody who won an election can be as stupid as he sounds and looks.** Nah, it just shows that good handlers can overcome a defective candidate. I’m _strongly_ convinced, for example, that the GOP’s recount-blocking efforts in Florida were all led by James Baker _et al,_ while George was told to go play on the ranch and wait for the grownups to “take care of things”… ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/19 "2000-12-21T17:46:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > **Why do you suppose half of the 2000 election voters selected him over intelligent Al Gore?** For the same reason “Survivor” ended up as “groundbreaking, gripping television”. Puh-leeze. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636/20 "2000-12-21T18:07:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by puddleglum \* > **I did not attend a prep school but from what I know of them, it takes money to get in but to graduate takes at least a modicum of intelligence. . . .** Well, I _did_ attend a prep school, and I can tell you that you’re half right: you need one of the above (money, intelligence) but if you have enough of one you don’t necessarily need the other. It’s well within the realm of possibility that a young Royal like W was pulled through school on papa’s pelf. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-george-w-bush-really-stupid-or-is-it-an-act/46636.md?page=2)