I’d say the Rovians have meddled with the primal forces of nature — or at least, with their own dogmatic view on the importance of always pandering to the most reactionary elements within their own political base. It will be interesting to see how the forces of nature respond.
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September 19, 2005
WB: Base Emotions
Comments
If I may state the obvious:
Bush didn’t announce this reconstruction of New Orleans to improve himself politically, he did it to make some cash. Bush doesn’t care about polls anymore, because he was already reelected. They have probably written off 2,008. This will actually give all the Administration sycophants a good chance to make a fortune in the “private sector,” the same private sector they are letting feed off the American taxpayer trough. I’m sure they realize that Americans, who have memories slightly longer than goldfish, will forget all about this by about 2,010 (I look into my crystal ball and see a big SUV with a “Jeb 2012” bumper sticker on it). Meantime, they and their buddies will make millions on the bogus “reconstruction” projects and will happily sneak in a bunch of other right-wing legislation over the next 3 years, while the Democrats sit on their asses and never mention the word “IMPEACHMENT.”
Posted by: steve expat | Sep 19 2005 7:38 utc | 1
OFFTOPIC – ATTENTION: BLOG ADMIN 2
Add FeedDemon to the list also. Everything worked fine in both Google Homepage and FeedDemon until sometime shortly after 9/17/05 9:01 (Big Spender post).
If Rove had any thoughts that the evangelical/dixiecrat base would support helping poor blacks, rather than being a genius, the man’s an idiot.
Posted by: ken melvin | Sep 19 2005 13:55 utc | 4
And, … the bulk of the party, sub-burbian-whites, would off poor blacks and whites if they could.
Posted by: ken melvin | Sep 19 2005 13:58 utc | 5
Cuckoo’s Nest, 2005
What an excellent article about 16 mentally ill men who stay together to stay alive and as well as possible.
Posted by: fauxreal | Sep 19 2005 14:30 utc | 6
Today’s WSJ commentary, “Welcome to the GOP’s New New Deal,” by worried wingnut Stephen Moore may interest you all (Billmon, in particular).
You’ve got your: FEMA-card queens, “rapacious trial lawyers,” millions wasted on “‘counseling’ to traumatized families” after 9/11, etc., etc., etc.
I can’t tell if the column is subscription-only. If it is–and you don’t have access–sorry about the tease.
I think you are making several bad assumptions. If Bush past history is any indication… (Africa AIDS, NYC 911 aid (They still have not received all the money promised!!), NCLB, etc.)
1. Bush never delivers as much money as he initially promises. A PR stunt for the cameras followed by takebacks when no one is looking is his MO.
2. Who says ANY of the money will go to poor, or blacks or even private citizens? Certainly not Mr Bush. (Read the fine print, not the media spin.)
3. 200 Billion is not a lot of money given the extensive infrastructure damage. By my calculations, this is not even enough money to rebuild the roads, bridges, levees, shipping channels and repair damage to buildings OWNED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT throughout the area.
4. Bush is intentionally vague. He lets the media say he is helping people and doesn’t bother to correct them on how the money will actually be spent.
5. Even IF $200 Billion were enough, Bush will make sure his corporate sugar daddys will get more than a few crumbs from the cookie jar. Is there any Bush program that does not include Billions in corporate welfare? (Farm Bill, Prescription drugs, NCLB, Iraq…)
6. You assume that Bush is both competent and honest. He is incompetent and corrupt. The corruption will take over.
7. The key is to keep an eye on the money and the corruption and document, document, document. The key to the 06 and 08 elections will be GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION and what to do about it. The Dems need to be very hard nosed and severely punish corruption in their own party and then make a case to the voters that the purge of the corrupt will be extended to the government.
Posted by: bakho | Sep 19 2005 16:20 utc | 9
Bakho, I think you are making several bad assumptions.
1) Can the IDIQ Cost(+) contractors do anymore than play
in the dirt between now and 2008? Have they shown in Iraq
any ability at all in reconstruction? Do you have any idea
of the magnitude of design and permitting delays/expenses?
2) “The Dems need to be very hard nosed and severely punish
corruption in their own party…” What are you smokin’, bro?
The Dems are in shambles, regardless of Repug PR disaster.
You’re going to see the biggest “Big Dig” in all US history,
with our tax money going to oil and shipping reconstruction,
then a massive vote-bribe downtown building payola in 2008.
Do you doubt that … even for an instant?
Posted by: Terrence Michaels | Sep 19 2005 16:58 utc | 10
The Dems, the dems, need to do this, the dems need to do that. Goddamn, I’m sick of hearing about the dems, Americans and the World need to grasp that “the dems” are anesthetized BEYOND THE POINT OF RETURN. Corrupt w/indifference, palsied w/nonchalance debauched w/aversion and complicity.
As, F.Kafka is qouted as saying,”the messiah will only return when he is no longer needed.”
THE DEMS WILL NOT SAVE US!!!
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 19 2005 17:45 utc | 11
Uncle $cam is right. The Dems are worthless. To use a thoughtless but unfortunately apt analogy, they’re like the battered wife who really believes it when George says, “I’m sorry, I really love you, I’ll do better, please trust me, can’t we start all over again?”
To quote the immortal Alice Cooper
What we need is a new party
A third party
A wild party
Now I’m going to go listen to some Clash. New Orleans is drowing, and we all live by the river.
Posted by: Aigin | Sep 19 2005 18:15 utc | 12
Terrence I agree completely (see #6). We might as well have JR Ewing as president. Bush is all hat in front of the TV but no cattle as far as delivering. Bush will promise money but won’t deliver anything beyond corporate welfare to his buddies. The Dems are worthless because the GOP controls everything in DC. If we could get Rangel and Waxman in charge of some committees to investigate Bush, they would start to make an impact. Right now, the GOP won’t even let them have a meeting room.
Posted by: bakho | Sep 19 2005 19:43 utc | 13
There will be enough handouts and corruption to spare a crumb or two for the opposition. The Democrats are at this point distinguishable from the current administration only by their political incompetence.
Posted by: PeeDee | Sep 20 2005 0:03 utc | 14
Credit due, where credit deserved — heard it first here. So tell me,and sure the old school fiscal conservatives not withstanding, that there is just a tad more wiff of the stink of a moonshine fart wafting through the red-neck ranks not unlike when paw 41, read my lips, no new taxes transformed the patriotic leadership into scum of the earth revenue- eurs’ goina mash my still take my money and stop all the lynchin. Man, talk about desperation, they be missin with that other side of the shinny blade, and how sharp it is, having seen so little use.
Posted by: anna missed | Sep 20 2005 8:35 utc | 15