RNC Blog: Political Wire: About Those Bush Girls

Political Wire: About Those Bush Girls: "Ryan Lizza says the Bush twins introduction of their father last night fell flat:
'I understand that self-deprecation can be a useful political tactic for elected officials. Bush's jokes about himself have always been incredibly disarming, for instance. But I was sort of shocked to see that the conceit of Jenna and Barbara Bush's speech tonight was that they are, well, dumb.

'The reason that self-deprecation works as a rhetorical device is because the person using it has developed at least some level of credibility that cuts against his or her caricature. But if the only thing people have heard about you is that you are a hard-partying, spoiled, not-so-bright, rich kid, well wouldn't it be more useful to tell them a different story about yourself, instead of reveling in your immaturity and ditziness?'

However, Andrew Sullivan thinks differently: 'I have to say I loved it - if only for its authenticity, for the sudden interruption of an actual reality into the sometimes surreal script of this convention.' "


Barbara, left, and Jenna Bush, twin daughters of the president, address the Republican National Convention in Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004 in New York. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)