Death of a Salesman

by Gene

It's been said that we are all salesmen. No matter what it is you are doing, you are selling something. You are selling your ability to do your job. In essence, you are constantly selling yourself to meet either your own or someone else's agenda.

Also, you can't be a truly superior salesman unless you have the right props to support your message. Sure you can talk the talk at a job interview, but does your tie match your shirt? I know you have an important date tonight, so does that mean you are putting on the Limp Bizcuit pit-stained tour shirt, or are you snazzing it up with a little ditty from the Eddie Bauer collection?

Well, if there were an award for the most hungry and passionate salesperson in the world, the winner would have to be President Bush for his tiresome defense about the United States' plan to attack and go to war with Iraq.

From a personal salesman standpoint, he's been absolutely tremendous. Karl Rove has done an impeccable job of making sure that anytime Bush speaks, he's not only selling himself and his message, but he is never short of props. Whether it's the "mission accomplished" banner on the aircraft carrier declaring the end of all major battles, his staged "town-hall" meetings where "regular folk" can be seen shaking their heads agreeing with everything he says (never mind the fact that all of these people are screened more often than a Muslim at an airport), or his constant propping-up of U.S. soldiers in the background. Everything this man does, he has an effective "prop" to help pound his message him by evoking symbols that elicit emotions of pride and patriotism.

When you see a TV commercial with little yellow lab puppies rolling around on the ground in feathery-soft toilet paper, why do you think that is? It's to get you to react positively because of the emotion you'll feel. The company wants you to feel positive emotions when you see the product. If they can do this, you'll buy the product wholeheartedly…never mind the fact that you may, in reality, wind up rolling around on the ground in dog excrement with the animal. Because once you buy it, it's too late to go back.

The same goes with the President sticking soldiers up in the background during last night's message.

Let's get right down to brass tax. This "strategic" speech was conjured up in the last three days by Bush's brain, Karl Rove, in an attempt to quell the concerns and the declining popularity polls that show people simply don't trust this guy anymore. So, Bush and friends scheduled a prime-time news conference where he could walk around and talk about how great it is to be a soldier and how soldiers are of "a higher calling". I mean, who's going to stay mad at a guy and have bad feelings when there's soldiers in the background risking their life for our country? They are human after all aren't they? What are you, un-American and against the soldiers? And oh yeah…recruitment has fallen wayyyyy short of their goals since the war began so what a better way to pump people up by saying soldiers are of "a higher calling"?

I'll give the man credit. When the chips are down, his staff does its best to humanize things by bringing emotion into play, while ignoring their facts and major failures. This is a man, who after all, was literally elected because of the emotions that stuck with people from 9/11. This brings us to the second form of a prop that the Bush people have used effectively. Speech. Speech can be an emotional factor because it allows people to envision whatever it is you are telling them. Mom and dad and apple pie and baseball and America. It's a country-musicians wet-dream.
For instance, all facts have shown there is absolutely ZERO, NONE, NADDA, ZILCH link between Iraq and the tragic events of what occurred on 9/11. Yet, polls have shown that more than 70% of Bush's supporters still believe that Iraq had something to do with what happened on 9/11 and his handlers aren't that stupid. They know they have a trump card they can play whenever they want to try and turn the tide. That card was played again last night for the first time in quite a while.

The President invoked images of 9/11 six times during his 30 minute speech. The sad thing is that the war in Iraq has nothing to do with what happened on 9/11. Of course the President and the majority of his supporters want the rest of the American public to believe it does.

Based on the sad turn of events in Iraq in recent months and the images and stories people are just now starting to learn about, a growing number of the public is becoming openly skeptical about the U.S.' involvement in Iraq and what the plan is. It's sad and tragic that it has cost more than 1,700 American lives to get some people to begin questioning this administration, but hopefully something good can come of it yet, and something good can come from Iraq.

The funny thing about props is this. Over time, things change. Surroundings change. Perceptions change. And with this change, the props begin to lose their effectiveness and they wear out. In the case of Bush and company, they are learning that you can only put up the same props (9/11 and our soldiers) so much before people start looking the other way and they stop buying what you are selling.