Sheesh, just how much more arrogant can this guy possibly get????

Eric in Hollywood

Since this blog (if not some of its commenters) seems to be suddenly doing an about-face and coming around to my way of thinking on Bush

made me spit water all over my screen …

Outflows are when the money is used outside of the American economy such as in foreign investment or purchases of foreign goods. This is why the trade imbalance is important to our economy.

I just spat a mouthful of water all over my computer.

Long live the Reagan Revolution!

and

Thank God Bush is not a defeatist.

What I think is interesting in this “Bush is the worst president EVER” is that people who say it seem to be most focused on some imagined unquestioning support of Dubya by the other side. But what’s in this comment thread but several people saying that he’s gotten two out of three issues wrong? Does it *really* have to be all or nothing?

I, personally, have a absolute negative reaction to the suggestion that Bush ought to “reinvent” his image. Reinvention is what Madonna does every little bit. That’s all fine for an entertainer but it’s a disturbing suggestion for a politician… unless someone thinks the two are the same. Bush isn’t going to win reelection in ’08. Why should he “reinvent” his image or care that “every decision is being debated?” Like he can use his awesome dark powers to control what other people choose to do. But clearly a whole lot of people who appear to be adults can’t pull themseves above petty partisanism or put the country ahead of their wounded egos or demonstrate leadership appart from the polls… including the Republicans in Congress, not just the Democrats.

There egos shouldn’t have to be stroked before they are held accountable for doing their jobs.

By any *Historical* measure, OEF and OIF are going swimmingly well. Our *economy* is doing fabulously… not something that is going to be mentioned unless by someone arguing for open borders as they point out that illegals are *not* taking jobs from *anyone*. Any other mention of the very low unemployment numbers and job creation, etc., is met with a distainful “tell that to the people who can’t find work.”

No Historical or any other sort of “context” is required, it seems.

Nothing is stopping anyone from questioning whatever they like, therefore the fact of the questioning is beyond irrelevant. Particularly as what we see is clearly reflexively finding a way to oppose *everything* that the President does, which is why we have the curious spectacle of our water ports needing to be “secure” and our borders needing to be wide open. Because NONE OF IT is about security… it’s all about opposing Bush.

And when people *fail* to take this “worst president EVER” thing and get on board with this reflexive opposition and instead say, hey, maybe we should try to get some stuff done? Maybe we should stop squabbling over how the war is being fought and make Congress fix social security or do something united to cut the pork spending and lower taxes… it can’t happen and it’s not the Presidents fault that this is true. Ignore the man if you don’t think he’s concentrating on what is important and get the important stuff done!

But no. Instead we get stuff like #23.

how you people can continue supporting this charlatan is amazing. he’s completely abandoned the conservative philosophy; spending more money than any president since LBJ. each and every decision this man has made is being debated and his effectiveness (if there ever was effectiveness) is gone, gone, gone.

history, imo, will be so very harsh on gwb…as it should be.

He called the major issue of our time correctly, now he is seeing it through. He also called a major domestic issue correctly – education – and set in place reforms that have to play out over the long term.

This ability to play the long game, while ignoring the demands of attention-deficit media America (which includes bloggers!) is his great strength.

He is leaving a lot of other issues to the Congress – which this overseas American finds increasingly difficult to believe is actually under Republican control. I’m grateful that I no longer vote for Congress as I am overseas – I would not know what to do this time.

Would it be worth the effort to try and counter the negative propaganda of the media? This is a thankless, sisyphian endeavor – and people are already voting with their feet against the media indoctrination.

- Secure borders; Mexican border fence.
- Making the tax cuts permanent.
- Cutting (not growing) government programs.
- Expanding private health and retirement savings accounts; if possible, privatizing Social Security.

I think they’re lacking moral confidence – confidence in the moral RIGHTNESS of those things and being able to just tell the Left to F*-off. As we’ve seen in this blog, the point of so many moonbat attacks, “the crazier the better”, is precisely to drain that confidence.

The Administration may also lack a willingness both to collaborate with Congress and discipline it. They should show Congress much more firmness in some ways – like Presidential vetoes, and telling Democrats to grow up and cut the baloney attacks – and greater collaboration on specific reforms, at the same time.

Morris is first and foremost a salesman and a self-promoter; he’ll say whatever he thinks will interest others in order to appear relevant. He’s trying to be the “common man’s voice”; he’s trying hard to stay in the punditry game. He’s argued that HE personally convinced Prez Clinton to do an “issue-a-day” while announcing new programs a day at a time during Clinton’s darker hours… the truth is, that’s hubris. In the end, Clinton left office disgraced and having to steal furniture and artwork from the WH for his wife’s home in NY.

Morris doesn’t have “the answer” to George Bush’s woes anymore than he had one for Prez Clinton or that he has one for Hillary-2-b-Prez. Nor do the other outsiders looking to score points while trying to kick the can down the road a bit… relevancy is earned in politics. It doesn’t come via self promotion.

To look at Bush’s approval ratings, the Congress, SCOTUS, higher ed, corporate America, the car companies, lawyers, cable TV, MSM or inner city mayors will net seemingly poor approval ratings from the general public. The only poll that matters is the one on election day and it involves voters who show up.

In Michigan, we have a Democrat Governor in deep, deep poo with a cookie cutter GOP candidate creaming her ass. We have a “dangerously incompetent” Democrat US Senator worried she won’t be able to hold her seat even by spending $6-8m MORE than her wanna-b GOP competitor. The state House and Senate will likely PICK UP GOP seats; our Congressional delegation won’t change from a majority GOP control. Wow. And that’s in a state that went Kerry in 2004.

Nawh, Morris isn’t relevant except to his agent, accountant, and the media looking for sound bites.

I’m of the opinion that Bush’s bad PR shows everyone *else* in a bad light since it shows them as more interested in the surface of things, in the nice-nice and mutual back patting than in the substance of the issues our country faces. And I’m supposed to get on board and blame Bush because he doesn’t have an effective enough public relations/congressional relations policy?

I’d rather have a president that out and out snubed people, for *real*, rather than all the hyped or even imaginary slights that pretty much are nothing but an attempt to shift blame. It’s like… it’s like if someone asked help for a third party but didn’t say “please” and the person who then didn’t help responds with “It’s not my fault, so-and-so was rude.”

PLUS I find it rather disturbing to suggest that Bush is supposed to “invent” new issues to breathe life into his adminisration. What? Lets find new things for government to do, new causes to justify our existance? Please. No.

Dubya is just too friggin stupid to even be president, let alone an effective one. He’s an embarrassment to our nation. I can’t even stand to hear/watch him speak. That’s a pretty pathetic leader for the most powerful nation on the planet to have. Thank God presidents can only serve two terms (one half of one was too many for h-dubya)
ndtovent

When the content is great, the packaging has a way of suddenly looking incredibly skillful.

No one would remember Reagan as media-savvy, if Reagan had been trying to sell the wrong philosophy / programs, because he would have failed.

Clinton was largely on the right side of the growth-of-government issue (at least, once HillaryCare collapsed, and Newt Gingrich and Dick Morris forced him to do welfare reform). Plus free trade. The economy benefitted. So Clinton, too, had SOME minimal content to sell. Without it, his media savvy would not have saved his ass in 1996 or 1998.

No thanks, I’ve already seen Dumb and Dumber.

Carroll seems to belong back in the Democratic and Clinton age, where the secret to disarming nuclear conflict was sticking our fingers in our ears and covering our eyes.

If you watch Ian and Raj long enough, they will categorically deny that Iran and North Korea ever had nuclear programs or were working on nuclear materials prior to 2001. Why? Because Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and the IAEA told them so.

Of course they, like Carroll, are now reacting to the fact that Bush was right in the only way they can — by blaming him.

I have never liked McClellan as press secretary, and think that the WH would rather avoid the media altogether, because they don’t understand how to use the media. Clinton may have had his problems, but he did understand the media and how to use it (or at least somebody in his administration). Even when he was getting bad press, he used the media to his advantage.

Bush and his admin just seem clueless as to how to use the media and to work the PR front. Their choice is often to say nothing at all, although I also think they subscribe a bit tot he “let them have all the rope they want, and then hang them with it” which has worked on some fronts, but isn’t the best method day in and day out. Reagan also knew how to use the media (he also knew when to shaft the media and then use them later). It is a shame Bush doesn’t have the same media Savvy Reagan did.