NYT: Bush's Road Gets Rougher(Dem's don't fear him/Rep's "my lifeboat 1st)

[Pirate Smile]

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
Published: June 20, 2005
WASHINGTON, June 19 - Five months after President Bush was sworn in for another four years, his political authority appears to be ebbing, both within his own party, where members of Congress are increasingly if sporadically going their own way, and among Democrats, who have discovered that they pay little or no price for defying him.

-snip-
In others, the damage is more than cosmetic, as in the case of stem cell research, an issue on which a good portion of his party is breaking with him. In a few instances - most notably the centerpiece of his second-term agenda, his call to reshape Social Security - he is dangerously close to a fiery wreck that could have lasting consequences for his standing and for the Republican Party.

On Monday, Mr. Bush will face another test of his clout, when the Republican-controlled Senate tries again to overcome Democratic opposition and confirm John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. And with his poll numbers sinking as voters grow more restive about Iraq and the economy, he faces additional big challenges in coming weeks and months, from legislative battles over energy, trade and immigration to the possibility of a divisive Supreme Court confirmation fight.

-snip-
"Congress is like Wall Street - it operates on fear and greed," Mr. Lichtman said. "The Democrats don't fear him anymore, and they're getting greedy, because they think they can beat him. The attitude you see among Republicans in Congress is, my lifeboat first."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/20/politics/20assess.html

[ruggerson]

1. But, but what about all that "political capital" he was going to use?

[deadparrot]

2. The man date didn't pan out.

:)

[Pirate Smile]

4. Bushie is getting testy.

"In the last week, Mr. Bush has responded by lashing out at Democrats, casting them as obstructionists, a strategy that carries some risk given that it seems to acknowledge an inability by Republicans to carry out a governing platform. Searching as well for a more positive message, the administration, which has always been reluctant to acknowledge that events are not unfolding precisely as planned, has embarked on a public relations campaign intended to reassure Americans that Mr. Bush is attuned to their concerns."

[marmar]

5. What else should we expect from a petulant brat...

who can't get his way. Daddy, the bin Laden family, Katherine Harris and the Supreme Court can't help him right now.

[maxrandb]

31. I Wouldn't Be Too Sure

that Bin Laden couldn't help him right now.

One more attack is all it would take, and suddenly, miraculously, polls would show that 95% of Americans support the pResidnet. One more attack may also lead to martial law...

This Republican "junta" and their fundy supporters WILL NOT SURRENDER POWER PEACEFULLY!!!

[magnolia]

39. I don't know about that.

One of their talking points to prove how much safer we are now because of his good leadership, is that we haven't had an attack since 9/11. If we do have an attack, that blows their point. It would be proof that he made a big mistake going to Iraq instead of focusing on OBL.

[maxrandb]

40. Won't Matter

It's bad enough right now. If we are attacked again, we might as well put his face on Mount Rushmore. Nobody....and I mean NOBODY will be allowed to criticize our "great" leader while we recover from a terrible attack from those "cold-blooded killers". Anyone who criticized the pResident would be labeled an "anti-American, terrorist supporter". Protesters would be able to enjoy their own tax money by visiting the new $30M Halliburton jail in GITMO.

Dissent would all but disappear from this country.

IMHO anyway.

[yodermon]

42. I don't think so!

I think if we are "attacked" again, public sentiment would turn strongly AGAINST shrub. He is supposed to be protecting us, after all--that's the whole point of the War on Terra n'est-ce pas? Mop up all those terriss so that we are safer?

An attack would mean he failed, and miserably; and the momentum of public opinion is already against him.

[progressivebydesign]

10. Wonder what Jeff Gannon IS up to now.. speaking of Bush's man dates N/T

[Javaman]

7. moron* was never good at managing money let alone capital, poof gone!

[Richard Steele]

11. Most of that went toward INTEREST on the advance he got in 2000.

[Straight Shooter]

14. That political capital is just a few pennies rattling around in his pocket

*snarf*

[dchill]

18. Actually,

it's probably just IOU's, like the ones in the Social Security filing cabinet...

[depakid]

15. Well, he hasn't lost a battle yet-

Whether it's Bush's capital- or the Dems cowardice- the results have been the same.

[comsymp]

32. I dunno

Looks like his SS piratization plan is pretty well DOA.
And, at least for the moment, Dems are still holding the line on Bolton.

(hey, it's a start)

[depakid]

34. Nothing would please me better

I'm just not ready to get my hopes up again.

Had 'em dashed on the rocks too many times, I'm afraid. After what happened with Pryor, Brown and Owen- and the Dems claiming 'victory'- well, many more victories like that and we might as well pack it in.

[comsymp]

37. Couldn't agree more

But I'm actually beginning to believe that, combined with the R's overreaching, the maladministration may actually surpass the D's in the ability to skillfully shoot oneself in the foot. It's a bizarre feeling when you find yourself actually rooting for the sorry likes of Bob Barr and Walter Jones, because they're the ones demonstrating the courage to criticize the Empire.

Part of me says "take any victory, no matter how small, any way you can get it," and the other part is chronically disgusted by the spineless behavior of our neutered Dem leadership, and pitifully grateful when they don't end up kneecapping the handful of D's who are actually trying to accomplish something.

[magnolia]

38. In a fraudulent election....

...political capitol has the value of Monopoly money!

[mirandapriestly]

3. It was a mistake for them to ignore the

democrats because, like the article says, the democrats have realized they have no price to pay in defying him. How much worse can it be than it already was?

[BattyDem]

6. Start with nothing ... you've got nothing lose

It's about time the Dems figured that out!

[Javaman]

8. Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose.

Janis Joplin

[warrens]

9. J. Rotten: It's all falling to bits, GLORIOUSLY

With any luck, we can weed all those fuckers out this time and launch a full frontal attack on their cancer cells, the Federalist Society, the Conservative Union, and the rest of them. Just shine a light on their cockroach nests and force them to run. And clean up K Street.

[NVMojo]

12. I can't believe this. So who the f8#$ voted for the idiot, legally??

[countmyvote4real]

13. “They’re getting greedy.”

That’s a partial quote from Allan J. Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University in Washington referring to Democrats, as reported in the referenced NYT article.

Excuse me, but when I link greedy with any notion of Democracy whether it’s the Democratic Party or the ancient Greeks, greedy and almost anything else comes up Republican.

Why are all the electronic voting firms controlled by Republicans? It could be that their investors were attracted by fat government contracts, but I don’t think that’s the short -term profit they’re looking for. Democracy is the last thing in this world they would champion here.

And yet it’s not like it was the first thing they upheld as a reason to invade Iraq either. But their greedy motives had to eventually settle on that notion when all other justifications failed. And Democracy for Iraq and Iran will fail, too, because it’s not about that. It's about their greed to control and profit from the oil while they despoil our nation in the process.

Anyway, I question the value and choice of the verb “greedy” in this context. Were our forefathers and founders of the Constitution “greedy” when they framed that document? Is that the verb that would be chosen to describe their opposition to King George? I don’t think so.

Once again the MSM tries to slur our Party’s newly acquired backbone.

[cliss]

16. Guess what? I just rubbed my crystal ball,

I asked it, "what will happen to George "Einstein" Bush this year? It says, "George Bush will be a big failure this year. In fact, he will be Overthrown. There is a tsunami building up right outside the Oval Office in Washington. It's going to pick him up, and carry him away.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Adios. Bon Voyage. Skoal and all that.

[rodeodance]

24. but Jr has invited them them to lunch. one never knows how big the

carrots are that he will offer them. Be vigilant folks.



.......At a recent meeting with Republican Congressional leaders, Mr. Bush told them, "We're on the verge of getting a lot of things done," according to a White House official who was there. The 55 Republican senators have been invited to hold their weekly policy luncheon at the White House on Tuesday, a gesture that is part of an effort by the administration to respond to grumbling among Republicans that the White House has failed to open good lines of communication with Capitol Hill.

"While it's been a rough 45 days, Bush can and will get back on track, and all those jitters will go away," said Scott W. Reed, a Republican consultant who managed Bob Dole's 1996 campaign for president.

[kurtyboy]

17. And this scary, creepy line from the same article...

And barring some crisis that creates another rally-round-the-president effect, analysts said, Mr. Bush's best opportunity to drive the agenda may be past.

That's the event I'm afraid of....

[ngGale]

19. You make a good point here...

that line is way too creepy. :scared:

[DemBones DemBones]

20. Considering all we know about the SNAFUs in airline security

since 9/11, the lack of port security, etc., would Americans really rally around * if there was a "terrorist attack" now? His base would, but everyone else? Over 1700 Americans dead in Iraq, more in Afghanistan (remember Afghanistan?), we haven't gotten Bin Laden and * has said he's no longer a priority, and your grandma gets groped at the airport in the name of national security -- could make for some very unhappy campers if anything else goes wrong.

[Iowa]

22. Great line Dembones!

"...your grandma gets groped at the airport in the name of national security". I needed a good laugh and you delivered.

I agree with you. I think there's a sense that there has been a great cost for all of this "security". Bush has sold it aggressively, and my guess is that the reaction would be to blame him for failure to deliver.

You know, I think part of the Bush appeal to the knuckle-draggers has been his similarity to them - every experience they encounter must be addressed in very simple two to four word thought processes (ie: "Muslims bad", "soldiers good", "flag make penis big", etc.). Bush is like that too, and when they see someone who mirrors their mental capacity rise to the presidency, it provides affirmation that they aren't really as dumb as everyone always said they were. It must be an exhilarating feeling for them. But I suspect that if something disastrous were to occur, even the knuckle-draggers will want to put adults back in charge. I could be wrong.

[llmart]

29. Your psychological analysis of the Bush supporters.......

is right on! Couldn't have said it better myself. And I love the way you refer to them as "knuckle draggers". Thanks for the laugh.

[Kber]

41. Speaking of Bush supporters' psychology

yesterday I saw a "I'm so glad I voted for Bush" bumper sticker right next to "I love Hooters".

Family values voter I guess.

[kath]

44. "muslims bad", "soldiers good", "flag make penis big" - BWAH!!!!

:rofl:

[tavalon]

26. That's why it needs to be even more terrifying

Nuclear, my friend, nuclear. Scares the shit out of you to even contemplate, doesn't it? It does me. But, it's dawning on me that that is what will happen.

Actually, I'm lying. It isn't just dawning on me. It's been occuring to me for about the last year.

[rodeodance]

25. scary isn't it.

[tavalon]

27. That's called a test balloon

They want to soften the ground.

[burrowowl]

21. Damn lying MSM type

"Congress is like Wall Street - it operates on fear and greed," Mr. Lichtman said. "The Democrats don't fear him anymore, and they're getting greedy, because they think they can beat him. The attitude you see among Republicans in Congress is, my lifeboat first."

Conyers, the Black Caucus are NOT like Wall St! They are real heros and not about GREED. What a case of projection of Fascist/Coprolites!

[glitch]

43. Agreed - they can't see beyond their two-dimensional world

Can't even imagine the depths other people have. It is really sad.
What the hell went wrong with these people?

[rodeodance]

23. but jr. has delayed his tax 'reform'----anything reformed by Bushco

has not been to advantage of the people-but to some industry.

.....It is far too early to dismiss Mr. Bush as a lame duck. He remains exceedingly popular among Republicans, he has a skilled and aggressive political team around him, and he has had a way in the past of teasing full or partial victories from dire-looking situations. Even if he has to wheel and deal, he stands a good chance of signing an energy policy bill and a trade agreement with Central American nations this summer.

But he has already had to postpone his next big initiative, an overhaul of the tax code. And barring some crisis that creates another rally-round-the-president effect, analysts said, Mr. Bush's best opportunity to drive the agenda may be past.

[Catfight]

28. The fact they feared him before is pathetic. He's just a man that stole

an election, he's never had the majority behind him, it's all make believe Bush world.

[elizm]

35. Man that stole TWO elections!! n/t

[llmart]

30. But......but......but........

I thought he was a "popular wartime leader?"

I'm soooooo confused. (NOT)

[GalleryGod]

33. Prez Pee-pee Pants: Our Beyatch at last !!

:spank: :banghead: :rofl:

[Paradise]

36. "The Picture Of Dorian Gray"