Bush the "normal" American

In A Note on Identity Politics, Paul Krugman quotes Peggy Noonan to explain why so many people joined the cult of George W. Bush:I was asked this week why the president seems so attractive to the heartland, to what used to be called Middle America. A big question. I found my mind going to this word: normal.

Mr. Bush is the triumph of the seemingly average American man. He’s normal. He thinks in a sort of common-sense way. He speaks the language of business and sports and politics. You know him. He’s not exotic. But if there’s a fire on the block, he’ll run out and help. He’ll help direct the rig to the right house and count the kids coming out and say, “Where’s Sally?” He’s responsible. He’s not an intellectual.Comment:  This explains why conservatives are foaming at the mouth at the thought of a Latina on the Supreme Court. It also explains how Obama got elected: by making himself seem as normal and unthreatening as the average white man. And it explains why we may be decades away from electing a homosexual, a Muslim, or an Indian.

We could go on and on about the ways Bush is a "normal" American. He's a scion of white privilege--born on third base but thought he hit a triple. He's ignorant of foreigners and their beliefs and cultures. He believes God and the Bible are the fundamental source of wisdom. He thinks invading countries and killing people is the way to solve problems.

These qualities also describe the typical Euro-American who helped conquer the Indians. Which suggests why Bush couldn't define tribal sovereignty when asked. Like most Americans, he probably thinks Indians are a primitive people of the past.

For more on electing an "exotic" president, see Searching for a Native Obama and No Natives for President? For more on "normal" Americans, see A Shining City on a Hill:  What Americans Believe and Adolf Hitler:  A True American.