The Boston Globe has a piece on
the backdrops that President Bush uses to reinforce the message of his speeches.
The banners are a very interesting way of reinforcing the President’s message. One can be sitting in a bar or restaurant with the sound turned off and still get an idea of what the President is talking about. They keep speeches from running into each other and provide a focus to the President’s message. Yes, they’re supposed to be simple to understand, but that doesn’t mean that they’re designed to make the American people look stupid. If anything, they’re a brilliant adaptation to the sound bite culture of American media, as well as being something that reporters can’t distort. I have the suspicion that the reason so many liberals are complaining about their use is due to their jelousy that the Bush administration has made them their own media signature.