A Loud Message for Bush (NYTimes)

[Drum]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/politics/08assess.html?hp&ex=1163048400&en=654cbccf9b779806&ei=5094&partner=homepage


A Loud Message for Bush

By ROBIN TONER
Published: November 8, 2006

Everything is different now for President Bush. The era of one-party Republican rule in Washington ended with a crash in yesterday’s midterm elections, putting a proudly unyielding president on notice that the voters want change, especially on the war in Iraq.

Mr. Bush now confronts the first Democratic majority in the House in 12 years and a significantly bigger Democratic caucus in the Senate that were largely elected on the promise to act as a strong check on his administration. Almost any major initiative in his final two years in office will now, like it or not, have to be bipartisan to some degree.

For six years, Mr. Bush has often governed, and almost always campaigned, with his attention focused on his conservative base. But yesterday’s voting showed the limits of those politics, as practiced — and many thought perfected — by Mr. Bush and his chief political adviser, Karl Rove.

snip

Nearly 4 in 10 voters said they saw their ballot as a vote against Mr. Bush, about twice as many as those who said they had cast their ballots for him. It was a remarkable turnaround for a president who just two years ago emerged triumphant from his re-election campaign, declaring that he had earned political capital and intended to spend it.

[cui bono]

1. Well guess what?

He done spent it all and went bankrupt!

[tsuki]

3. And the national treasury also. Now, we're bankrupt. n/t

[rodeodance]

2. LOUD and Clear

[truthisfreedom]

4. hi bush!

you're an idiot!

and you're a useless piece of shit as of tonight! bye!

[still_one]

5. Never forget that Dasille trusted this administration

and NOT only got defeated in South Dakota, but left the Democrats impotent

This administration MUST NEVER BE TRUSTED AGAIN

[radfringe]

6. my partner asked about Vetos

although bush has only VETOed one bill in the past 6 years - my partner expressed some concern bush will start stamping vetos more often

perhaps - but Congress does have the ability to override vetos, and perhaps DEM control will "embolden" some Moderate Repubs to vote with Dems on overriding vetos

remember the neo-cons have spent 6 years twisting arms and bashing members who were hesitant about voting as directed by the repub leadership....

[Lexingtonian]

7. Vetos of popular legislation

often cost a political price. And there's the inverse version, the Congressional veto of what the President wants by refusing to fund and refusing to appoint underlings.

There was talk before the election of plenty of Pubbies in Congress being 'tired' of the constant bullying and abuses by the WH and their own leadership. Beaten Wife Syndrome.

The real Bush problem is that the bottom is falling out on the policies/projects that are really only the executive branch's. The whole game of finding and extirpating Al Qaeda is going badly at the moment; Bush's cred on it collapses if/when bin Laden succeeds in another significant attack on U.S. soil. And there's the operational military and political effort in Iraq, which is about trying to save an Iraqi regime that can't endure and give it a city from which to attempt to rule.

Simply put, there is very little left for Bush to do. Voters won't back him against Congress on social and economic stuff. In Iraq there's a straight line from execution of Saddam Hussein to collapse or toppling of the Maliki government to civil war to necessitated American withdrawal from Baghdad and the civil war zone in central Iraq. Bin Laden has the initiative in the War On Terror.

[JDPriestly]

8. Let the investigations begin!

Unless Democrats win tremendous public support for Democratic initiatives, Bush will just veto
everything and the Republican propaganda machine will persuade the public that the Democrats' ideas are "dangerous." We will need a lot of information before we can sell the American public on new, creative, Democratic approaches to our nation's problems.

How about investigating the following for starts:

Honesty in government: How about investigating the money flow between lobbyists and the Republicans.

The right to vote -- and to be an informed voter: How about investigating the White House control and manipulation of the MSM.

The right to association and communication: How about investigating the best way to ensure freedom on the "internets."

Tax reform and balancing the budget: How about investigating Halliburton and other government contractors.

Energy independence: How about investigating the Bush administration energy policy.

Affordable health care: How about investigating the health insurance industry.

Security: How about investigating 9/11 and the Saudi ties of the Bush family and administration.

Iraq: The word, the place, the war, investigate it all and now.

North Korea: How about investigating Bush administration policies toward nuclear proliferation and how to PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING, not just how to respond to it after it happens.

Afghanistan: How about investigating American policies toward Pakistan and its harboring of Taliban extremists.

Securing our borders: How about investigating American wage policies.

Social security: How about investigating what ever happened to the money that employers promised for pensions for the baby boomers. How about revising ERISA, the law on pensions and employee benefits. Why not give it some teeth so that employees who trust the promises of their employers don't end up with empty pockets.

Our trade balance: How about investigating what effect "free trade" is really having on American workers, American wages and the American tax structure.

Taxes: How about investigating who has really benefited from the Republican tax cuts. I want to see their mansions on TV. A quick peek at the richer and more famous lifestyles of the beneficiaries of Bush's tax doublecross is about all I'll ever get from it.

Military: How about an investigation of the conditions in VA hospitals and the quality of care our veterans are receiving? And while we are at it, how about investigating the quality and quantity of the equipment being issued to our military. And, even more important, how about investigating whether more soldiers are needed.

Privatization: How about investigating just how efficient, effective and inexpensive it really is to hire private companies to do public work. Are the taxpayers getting their money's worth? Who is getting richer, and who is getting poorer from privatization?

Wow! The list just goes on and on. Congress has been in the Dark Ages for the past twelve years. We need to open the curtains and allow the sunlight of information into the halls of our government. We need to open the windows and let some fresh air in. Just breathe in folks. Finally, we can inhale.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Yes, there's a lot of work to be done to

clean up. Much as I loathe James Baker, he will probably be key in getting Bush to get troops home.

[AntiWarPoster]

10. God bless the NY times

They're one of our allies in the media

[ulffromgermany]

11. first step to get rid of bush and his politics...

i hope that this was the first step which will be followed by electing the democratic candidate (hillary or who ever) in 08. because of my american family i am very interested in the u.s. politics. in the last 6 years it was very hard to understand (for me as a german) how a man like g.w. bush could stay in charge and could be reelected. i love to be in the u.s. and it was very sad for me to see democracy drowning. i hope these days are over now...