Broad Outline of Where W Went Wrong — Bullet Points
Given my tendency to write essays, I sometimes bury the meat of my posts after the jump. So, I decided to separate post to list the conclusion of my prior post where I list the broad areas of President Bush’s failure. I flesh them out a little in the post, so check it out to read my explanation.
But, if you’re pressed for time, here are the main reasons (in my view) for the slide in the president’s popularity in his the second half of his first term and his second term.
- Taking his popularity in the wake of 9/11 for granted and not doing enough to defend his character and promote his programs. (And as per Jack Goldsmith, this applies to the way he dealt with Congress.)
- Not realizing that the increased security expenditures in the wake of 9/11 should mean cuts from other areas of the budget.
- Seeing his reelection a a personal vindication and appointing cronies instead of competent conservatives to posts of power and influence.
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4. Neglecting border enforcement for six years, then trying to rush through an Amnesty Bill with zero credibility on the issue of enforcement.
5. Never vetoing a single spending bill when his party held Congress.
6. Naively expecting the Democrats to put aside partisanship for the good of the country.
Comment by V the K — January 15, 2009 @ 7:56 pm - January 15, 2009
I’d put V’s 4, 5 and 6 before GPW’s #3.
I also think its a slight mischaracterization of Bush to think he “took his popularity for granted”, I think he simply doesn’t think in terms of popularity unless he has to, namely at campaign time.
His mistake, and I think you are exactly right that it was one of his biggest, was to not tend to his popularity and combat the spate of lies and phony accusations liberals made. His rationale, according to those who know him was that he made a promise to improve the tone in Washington, and he intended to keep up his end of the bargain. Mostly, he didnt want to diminish the office by dignifying Democrats loathsome behavior with a response. But a lie repeated often enough becomes truth, as they say, and when you dont defend yourself against such accusations, people are left with no alternative but to believe they are true.
This was his worst shortcoming, not only because it lowered his popularity and effectiveness, but because it also affected perceptions of his party and lowered morale among his supporters. When he refused to defend himself, he was also refusing to stand up for the people supporting him.
And it was all so unnecessary. When people (as opposed to the rabid mouth breathing left) hear president Bush tell his side of the story, his ratings go up. Polls show to this day that despite his unpopularity, people think he is a good man. The bogey-man caricatures the left has drawn simply don’t survive the obvious sincerity of his beliefs and rationales.
He harmed his presidency, lowered his effectiveness and weakened his party by allowing the loathsome left to define him.
Comment by American Elephant — January 15, 2009 @ 9:12 pm - January 15, 2009
AE, fair point on taking his popularity for granted. He likely doesn’t think in terms of popularity.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — January 15, 2009 @ 9:33 pm - January 15, 2009
#3
I truly believe that we had a president who, more often than not, did what was right instead of what was popular. Compare that to lord BJ who would never do what was right unless there was something in it for him (like money).
Comment by ThatGayConservative — January 16, 2009 @ 5:02 am - January 16, 2009
It’s easy to be a critic, Obama will soon find out. However here are my concerns.
1. The War in Iraq was dumb, Daddy Bush knew that owning the real estate was like a landlord how buys an apartment whose tenants are drug addict criminals, even with government vouchers each month you will have problems.
2. Lack of oversight in Housing, Realtors, Pop Up Mortgage Brokers, went un-regulated. All the Dot com stock salesman went into mortgage lending.
Bottom line, if you can’t save, have bad credit, you don’t deserve to own a home.
3. Failure to grant immigration amnesty, Capitalism caused this surge in immigration, we wanted them to pick our food, work in our factories, wipe our butts in hospitals, cut our lawns, cook our food. They were exploited in working harsh hours, lack of benefits and treated like crap. If we gave them driver licenses, at least we could identify them, if they worked here for 5 years with no incidents, Swear them in. The latino community share alot with the early immigrants, had the Republicans treated them right, the party would grow. Instead we have ” ICE” raids on working folks, this is hypocrisy at the highest levels.
DADT- had push stated ” we are all free to associate with whom we want as defined in the constitution. However, the Constitution states all men are equal and as such I wont’ permit my administration or the government to treat any man or women as 2nd class.
Last, is the bailouts and perhaps the worst. Paulson was hooked up with Goldman Sachs, he bailed out his friends, and those of Goldman. He gave them money with no strings, and I think that the window of thought on this was way to short and deference to the Wall Street Crowd unjustifiable and way too trusting.
I have never been so worried about my nation, Bush gave out a lot of Chemotherapy – but the patient our nation is gravely ill. Good Luck Doctor Obama
Comment by Don — January 16, 2009 @ 8:09 am - January 16, 2009
He also should have admitted that Iraq was an occupation. I call it an occupation, only because there isn’t a better word. After the ‘Mission Accomplished’ landing on the carrier, Bush should have said that the easy part was over and now the true work begins. Building a democracy is not an easy proposition. I really think if he had warned the American people of the long hard slog ahead, public opinion of the Iraq war would be drastically different.
I also completely agree with the other comments about Bush and Republicans in general defending themselves. I’m tired of lies being accepted as truth by mainstream America. I’m tired of Pelosi, Frank, Reid, etc. getting a free pass on all their indiscretions. Until the average American stops staring at CNN for their news, we have an uphill battle ahead of us.
Comment by Aaron — January 16, 2009 @ 10:07 am - January 16, 2009
Ditto V the K.
Comment by Roberto — January 16, 2009 @ 11:46 am - January 16, 2009
Ditto, V the K.
Comment by Roberto — January 16, 2009 @ 11:46 am - January 16, 2009
Posted in other W thread:
W is and will remain, I believe, an enigma. He’s a strange man — erratic, yet seems to have some sort of core; incredibly speech-challenged but clearly not an idiot (to those who are somewhat objective); tone-deaf to public opinion, that being both good and bad; defiant to terrorists, yet willing to serve Congressional Democrats in an unprincipled spirit of bonhommie. His inability to communicate has and will always damage his legacy, whatever that may be.
Bush’s biggest failure has been that he never clearly defined himself, allowing both his enemies and friends to weaken his ability to make his own case. I found myself often wanting to like him, but I’ve always found it difficult to like those for whom I’ve little respect. Some will say that I’m over-thinking it and that standard expectations of politics and philosophy don’t apply to an essentially simple man, but who does that indict?
Comment by Ignatius — January 16, 2009 @ 12:50 pm - January 16, 2009
Re: Bush’s not holding the line on excess spending. President Bush’s 2006 budget, for example, proposal would have killed 99 federal programs and substantially cut funding for 55 more — if enacted.
Every proposed budget 2003-2008 called for cuts in such a way without this recession, the (on-book) budget would have balanced May 2008.
Also, D.O.A. , 2009, the proposed Budget terminates or reduces 151 discretionary programs, reducing 2009 spending by $18 billion. These include 103 terminations saving $7 billion and 48 reductions saving $11 billion. The Budget also proposes mandatory spending reforms that will achieve an additional $16 billion in net savings in 2009, and result in $208 billion in savings through 2013. Mandatory savings proposals totals $19 billion in 2009 and $233 billion through 2013.
Comment by CharlesB — January 16, 2009 @ 6:27 pm - January 16, 2009
If that’s the case, the effort to arrest Aidid and Milosevic must be the dictionary definitions of asininity.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — January 17, 2009 @ 5:07 am - January 17, 2009
[...] a previous post, I outlined, what I believe to be, his major flaws . Reader V the K added three more which seem about [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » On Bush-Hatred and the Bush Legacy — January 19, 2009 @ 2:10 pm - January 19, 2009
[...] noting additional failures of the Bush Presidency not identified in my Broad Outline of Where W Went Wrong, commenter (and blogger in his own right) V the K points out that president naively expected [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Bush Misunderestimated MSM’s Malice — January 19, 2009 @ 7:40 pm - January 19, 2009
[...] Last week, I wrote that “taking his popularity for granted in the wake of 9/11 . . . , , [Bush] didn’t work hard enough to burnish his image and defend his policies in the wake of unrelenting attacks on his character and motives.“ In comparing Bush’s popularity in the wake of 9/11 to Obama’s cult of personalty, Ann Althouse writes today: Any glorification of [Bush] was a consequence of those events [attacks of 9/11] and not through a conscious campaign to inspire a cult of personality. . . . When the love subsided, he and his people did little — too little — to pump us up again. [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » The cult “was the campaign” to bring Obama “into power” — January 22, 2009 @ 12:43 pm - January 22, 2009