file photo

Bush can thank his image for much of his success as a politician. He can thank it for his victory over Al Gore in the 2000 bid for president, he can thank it for salvaging any support after the obvious disaster that is the War in Iraq and, if he does win the November election, he can thank his image for that too.

Bush appears to be a man of the people, as he attempts to come across as a “down home,” everyday kind of guy. As far as this may be from the truth, he effectively has portrayed himself as the candidate most similar to the common people of the United States. He hunts armadillos with his dogs on his Texas ranch, he attends NASCAR events, he’s a baseball lover and, judging by the cowboy hat and belt buckle he often wears, he considers himself an American cowboy.

Yet, unfortunately, it appears as though Bush has succeeded in translating his image into votes.

Near the end of August, I found myself trapped in a traffic jam in downtown St. Paul, Minn., as hundreds of staunch Bush supporters flooded the streets en route to a Republican rally featuring a speech by Bush himself. A wave of young Republicans sporting yellow T-shirts that read “Sportsmen for Bush” passed my car. Then, I noticed a bumper-sticker on the truck in front of me that read “Vote Republican: The Hunting and Fishing party.”

This worries me. Relating to a candidate’s interests outside the realm of politics is great, but it’s no reason to dedicate your vote to him. Similarly, snowboarders and bass guitarists shouldn’t vote for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., simply because of their shared interest.

In an election season that has featured personal jabs, negative propaganda and an irrelevant debate over where candidates were during the Vietnam War, the issues can get lost in the mix. But these issues, such as healthcare, the economy and foreign policy, are what the American public should be focusing on and what we should be basing our vote on come November.

A key focus for top Bush adviser, Karl Rove has been securing the support of the white, male, industrial laborer. The Republican National Convention exhibited this intent with inescapable clips of Bush rallying construction workers at Ground Zero – it’s what one journalist described as a “macho love fest.”

But this macho love fest is blinding the American middle-class laborers from what Bush really has done to their world. The job outsourcing under Bush’s command has led to the first net loss of jobs under one president’s term in decades. Simply put, laborers voting for Bush is like Hillary Duff promoting Lindsey Lohan – it can only come back to hurt you.

Bush’s attempt at averting the political spotlight from the issues to his image has even found its way to Wisconsin. Last month, Kerry made an admittedly embarrassing slip of the tongue (especially here in Wisconsin) when referring to the hallowed Lambeau Field as “Lambert Field.”

Republicans, including Vice President Dick Cheney, jumped on this opportunity to convince Wisconsin constituents (our state is a dead-locked swing state important to both campaigns) that Kerry is not an everyday American, that he’s not a football fan and especially not a Packer fan.

“The next thing is he’ll be convinced Vince Lombardi is a foreign leader,” Cheney said.

Local republicans followed Cheney’s lead and took it from there with signs greeting Kerry in Madison reading “It’s Lambeau, Stupid!”

Scary but true, some pundits even are predicting that Kerry’s slip up will play a factor in the outcome of Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes.

“He tries too hard to fit in with the Wisconsinites, and he fumbles every time,” said Jennifer Millerwise, a Bush campaign spokeswoman.

Hopefully, Wisconsinites will take these events as an opportunity to prove those pundits wrong and show to the nation that the improvement of our educational system and the salvation of our international reputation are things far more important than whether our president cheers for the same football team we do.