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Dubya
Cannot Hide His Spots
July 5, 2001
by Ken Alford
The sharp pencils are out at the White House. Karl Rove has
assembled all his nervous poll takers and heavy political
thinkers to map a strategy to get the pResident back on the
right track. Or perhaps to get him off the "right" track?
Recent numbers have shown the "Great Pretender" dropping
dramatically in the polls. Even his right-wing co-conspirators
in the House and Senate have deserted him on recent votes.
His crowning achievement, the irresponsibly huge taxcut, is
not that popular with the general public. It could turn into
a millstone around his neck if the surplus disappears more
quickly than now predicted. He could be forced to use the
Medicare or Social Security surplus to mask the deficits that
are likely to appear before the 2002 midterm elections. And,
as we all know, both Parties have promised not to touch these
funds. So what scheme can Rove and his merry band of pranksters
contrive?
First of all, they now realize what a mistake it was to "diss"
the enviromental issues. Approving more arsenic in our drinking
water was not a wise decision. Neither was the decision to
support their oil friends to drill in the Arctic Wildlife
Refuge. Their dilemma is to convince the American people that
they are more "environmental" than portrayed in the "liberal
media" or to convince them that they are not that cozy with
the Big Oil companies. The odds are that they will attempt
the former.
Also, his true nature is beginning to take shape in the public's
eyes. Most politicians run their campaigns from the left or
the right - to appeal to their base voters - and then govern
toward the center. Uncharacter- istically, this pResident
campaigned from the center and has governed from the far right.
His nominations of John Ashcroft, Ted Olsen, and Elliott Abrams
have only validated the fears of many of his supporters in
the center.
So, what should be the new strategy? Thanks to Jim Jeffords,
the Democrats are now in control of the Senate. Their first
vote was on the very popular Patient Bill of Rights - which
the pResident has threatened to veto. As governor of Texas
and for the first few months in the White House, he thought
"bi-partisanship" meant getting one or more Democrats to go
along with his "programs." It has never dawned on him that
"bi-partisanship" may mean he has to compromise with someone
else's programs.
The "Great Pretender" must do more than simply shovel taxcuts
and platitudes to his supporters. When he loses the House
in the next election, they will turn on him like a wolf with
rabies. Abraham Lincoln once asked a friend, "If you call
the horse's tail a leg, how many legs would the horse have?"
"Five, of course," said his friend. "No," said Abe, "Calling
a horse's ass a leg doesn't make it so." And so it is with
the present Resident in the White House. A leopard cannot
change its spots.
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