# Nothing (?!) Accomplished **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 7, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957 "2004-07-07T15:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/1 "2004-07-07T15:28:28Z")
I find it incredibly sad that people actually agree with this [bumper sticker](https://www.moveonpac.org/images/Mission_xsm.gif) slogan from MoveOn PAC: > [@](#): > > [crossed out]Mission[/crossed out] Nothing Accomplished > Deafeat Bush in '04 Not as much as most people hoped for? Yeah. Less than advertised by the administration? Certainly. But nothing? _NOTHING_? I pity the sick, ignorant fucks who actually believe that. I work with one, in fact, and it’s sad to see her live such an angry, gloom-filled life. Nothing at all, huh? What about … oh, never mind. They won’t listen anyway. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/2 "2004-07-07T15:41:49Z")
These tend to be the same people who have the bumper sticker that says “Anybody but Bush 2004”. :rolleyes: How about David Duke? Would he be an improvement? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/3 "2004-07-07T15:44:24Z")
I feel really sorry for [MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org) if they’re printing bumperstickers with the word _deafeat_ in them. I’m not much for this current administration but you’re right in the fact that they’ve accomplished a lot. OTOH, accomplishments are not always good things. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/4 "2004-07-07T15:44:45Z")
Well, to be fair, it’s a bumper sticker. Sure hospitals and schools have been built, and a tyrant has been taken down. But there really is a lot more to the whole story, obviously more than I want to bring up in one little thread. I take that short little quip as a pot shot at the administration for obviously taking a PR stint and prematurely claiming hostilities over. I think most people can agree that the Bush PR machine kinda screwed up on that one. I know that some will play semantics on this, but the overall message they tried to convey kinda blew up in thier face. I think that is all the sticker is trying to convey. A pretty played out message really. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/5 "2004-07-07T15:52:46Z")
Eh. It’s a bumper sticker. A wordy idictment of the president isn’t going to fit on 12 square inches of plastic. T here’s no suprise that it uses hyperbole instead of finely crafted points. Anyway, all bumber stickers leave out important points. You may see “After the Rapture, this vehicle will be unoccupied.”, but you don’t ever see “After the Rapture, this vehicle will be unoccupied because I’m going to ditch this piece of shit and steal the popemobile. Man, that’s one sweet ride” ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/6 "2004-07-07T16:05:14Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > You may see “After the Rapture, this vehicle will be unoccupied.”, but you don’t ever see “After the Rapture, this vehicle will be unoccupied because I’m going to ditch this piece of shit and steal the popemobile. Man, that’s one sweet ride” “Warning: In case of Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned.” Sometimes with the first word, sometimes without. I think it was **RTF** who came up with (and a bumper stick I’d swear I’ve seen before) “In case of Rapture, can I have your car?” ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/7 "2004-07-07T16:12:06Z")
> [@Fox Paws](#): > > Nothing at all, huh? What about … What about giving al Qaeda a new area of operations and a recruiting boost like never before? Yeah, that’s one sweet mission Bush accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/8 "2004-07-07T16:43:55Z")
One could argue that the drawbacks of the war outweigh the positive effects, but then “Nothing accomplished, in a net-wise fashion” isn’t as pithy. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/9 "2004-07-07T17:07:31Z")
> [@Fox Paws](#): > > Not as much as most people hoped for? Yeah. Less than advertised by the administration? Certainly. But nothing? _NOTHING_? I pity the sick, ignorant fucks who actually believe that. I work with one, in fact, and it’s sad to see her live such an angry, gloom-filled life. > > Nothing at all, huh? What about … oh, never mind. They won’t listen anyway. > . Well, as pointed out by Nurse carmen, it’s hyperbole directed at the equally silly hyperbole of the Bush administation using that exact phrase when it was more than clear that the “mission” was at best just starting. That said…well, Saddam has be deposed and that’s lovely. It remains to be seen if the Iraqi people will end up much better off because of that. Other than that, I’m hard pressed to think of what the administration has done at home or aboad that I would call “accomplishments”. “Inflictions” springs to mind… If you want to finish “What about…”, I’m listening. Angry gloom filled lives??? Because they don’t think Bush is accomplishing anything? You remind me of the people who insisted I was angry and gloom-filled because I wore a lot of black in high school. I still wear a lot of black. I’m still not angry or gloom filled. It is with hope in my heart and a song on my lips that I will go and vote against accomplishment free Bush in November. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/10 "2004-07-07T17:18:38Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Well, to be fair, it’s a bumper sticker. > > Sure hospitals and schools have been built, and a tyrant has been taken down. But there really is a lot more to the whole story, obviously more than I want to bring up in one little thread. > > I take that short little quip as a pot shot at the administration for obviously taking a PR stint and prematurely claiming hostilities over. I think most people can agree that the Bush PR machine kinda screwed up on that one. I know that some will play semantics on this, but the overall message they tried to convey kinda blew up in thier face. > > I think that is all the sticker is trying to convey. A pretty played out message really. Well, yeah, it’s just a bumper sticker. I’m not looking for an extended treatise titled “Why MoveOn doesn’t like President George W. Bush” or anything like that. But it seems there are plenty of other options for good bumper sticker slogans that stick to the same theme, but without being so, well, wrong. I’m no marketing genius, but consider: [ul] [li]Mission Unaccomplished[/li][li]Mission Flubbed[/li][li]Mission [crossed out]Accomplished[/crossed out] Fucked Up[/li][li]Global security down, oil prices up: Mission Accomplished? (This is sort of along the lines of what **Squink** mentioned)[/li][/ul] Saying that “nothing” has been accomplished sorta ignores the whole arresting an evil tyrant thing. Do these people really want to convey the message that ridding the world of a guy like Hussein is not an accomplishment? I can’t see how that helps MoveOn relate to the masses. A Hussein-free Iraq is, without question, an accomplishment to be celebrated. That doesn’t mean that the current situation is _progress_ however. To me, that’s the distinction MoveOn should be emphasizing. I shudder when I think about people who have tasted freedom believing that Hussein-removal is not a Good Thing. Even if that’s not what MoveOn means, it is what they are strongly and unapologetically implying. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/11 "2004-07-07T17:26:30Z")
I like your stickers better. There really has been a serious lack of creativity and thought in the ads and marketing of this election season. On both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/12 "2004-07-07T17:44:16Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I like your stickers better. Thanks! I like #3 the best. I’d get it printed up for myself, except I think it’s inaccurate. I suppose I could print it on bumper stickers and t-shirts for other people to wear. Just because I don’t agree with it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to make a buck or two off of it, right? 🙂 > [@NurseCarmen](#): > > There really has been a serious lack of creativity and thought in the ads and marketing of this election season. On both sides. Psh, no kidding. Did you see the Republican response to Kerry’s selection of Edwards as VP candidate? Ugh. It was so filled with cliches and tired talking points that I would bet good money is was written by some teenage intern who is president of the Teenage Republicans club back at his high school. But then, that’s a different rant, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/13 "2004-07-07T19:11:04Z")
I have ten of these bumper stickers at home as we speak. I intend to illustrate my angry, gloomy life by slapping them up wherever I won’t get arrested for doing so. But then I’m a sick, ignorant fuck who believes that Bush and company will devastate this country, given another four years to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/14 "2004-07-07T20:05:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I have ten of these bumper stickers at home as we speak. Ten? For Pete’s sake don’t put them all on one bumper. I hate it when people do that. I get bored reading the same thing over and over again. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I intend to illustrate my angry, gloomy life by slapping them up wherever I won’t get arrested for doing so. Well, if you’re in Alaska I’d recommend slapping them on cruise ships, or at least near the docks. You’ll reach more people that way. > [@Chefguy](#): > > But then I’m a sick, ignorant fuck who believes that Bush and company will devastate this country, given another four years to do so. If you’re a sick, ignorant fuck for _that_ reason, then it’s self-proclaimed. The class of fucks that _I_ think are sick and ignorant is more narrowly defined than that. While I can’t really relate to hating a politician with all my heart and soul, I can certainly relate to not liking Bush. He makes not liking him easy. (Oddly enough he also makes liking him easy, at least for some people.) And really, **Chefguy** , devastate the country? If he were going to do that, why didn’t he do it in his first term? If you consider what he has done so far to be devastation, then you have a really weak internal definition of devastation. I mean we’re facing an economic recovery. Any good despotic regime would’ve had us all living in the sewers by now. Unless, of course, you think the whole economy thing is just an election year ploy… If that’s the case, then 1) you have a warped sense of the president’s effects on the economy, and 2) I think your tinfoil hat is on a little too tight. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/15 "2004-07-08T13:55:07Z")
> [@Fox Paws](#): > > I mean we’re facing an economic recovery. :eek: I just took a look: my portfolio, which is well-diversified in solid investments, is up a grand total of 3% this year, down 30% from the year before. It’s not a loss (yet), but it’s only because of MY attention to it, not because of a booming economy. As Iraq continues to suck up every spare dollar and more, and we continue to sink further and further into trillion-dollar debt, services continue to be cut and state dollars are withheld. In the middle of this financial disaster, the fucking moron _cuts taxes_. Fuck your tinfoil hat comment. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/16 "2004-07-08T14:28:36Z")
> [@Fox Paws](#): > > And really, **Chefguy** , devastate the country? If he were going to do that, why didn’t he do it in his first term? He did the best he could. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_Paws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85e7bf/32.png) [@Fox\_Paws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_Paws)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/17 "2004-07-08T15:01:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I just took a look: my portfolio, which is well-diversified in solid investments, is up a grand total of 3% this year, down 30% from the year before. It’s not a loss (yet), but it’s only because of MY attention to it, not because of a booming economy. As Iraq continues to suck up every spare dollar and more, and we continue to sink further and further into trillion-dollar debt, services continue to be cut and state dollars are withheld. In the middle of this financial disaster, the fucking moron _cuts taxes_. Do you really think your individual economic status is what I’m talking about here? The status of your portfolio isn’t really relevant. Like it or not, the economy – which exists in a non- **Chefguy** -centric universe – is improving. It may not be improving according to your tastes, but it is improving. Besides, you’re changing the topic. I never said President Bush was a saint, or that the man’s policies are The Best Policies Ever. History may say that’s true, but it isn’t likely. (Unless your paranoia about Bush & Co. is on target. In that case, history is likely to judge Supreme Leader Bush rather favorably.) My only beef, for the purposes of this thread, is that something more than nothing was accomplished in Iraq, contrary to MoveOn’s assertion. If you want to spar over specific Bush administration policies, or over various aspects of the Iraq War, or whatever, plenty of others have started threads where you can do just that. Or start your own. This isn’t a pro-Bush thread so you shouldn’t feel so obligated to insert your anti-Bush rhetoric. On the other hand, feel free to share your opinion of MoveOn’s bumper sticker. > [@betenoir](#): > > He did the best he could. Now see, there you people go misunderestimating the guy again. I happen to think he could have done much better, had he really put his heart in it. ---
**Author:** ![Legolamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@Legolamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legolamb)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/18 "2004-07-08T15:20:45Z")
> [@Fox Paws](#): > > And really, **Chefguy** , devastate the country? If he were going to do that, why didn’t he do it in his first term? Because he wanted to get re-elected? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/19 "2004-07-08T19:52:48Z")
This just goes to further illustrate my idea that all bumperstickers are inherently stupid. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957/20 "2004-07-08T20:14:14Z")
> [@iampunha](#): > > “Warning: In case of Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned.” Sometimes with the first word, sometimes without. I think it was **RTF** who came up with (and a bumper stick I’d swear I’ve seen before) “In case of Rapture, can I have your car?” I can’t claim credit. I stole that idea from **pldennison** , IIRC. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-accomplished/253957.md?page=2)