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March 05, 2006
The Best Laid Plans
In the wake of a recent CBS News/NY Times poll showing President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low, today's Times takes stock of Mr. Bush's prospects for his second-term policy agenda.
The article notes that Mr. Bush has rebounded numerous times from political difficulty during his presidency, and his ability to do so again should not be dismissed. Mr. Bush is a cagey political fighter who has demonstrated he can turn around a tough situation, particularly given the weakness of the Democratic opposition these days.
What makes the current situation more difficult for the president to turn around, is that many of the biggest obstacles to his agenda for the next 2+ years come from within his own Grand Ole Party. That's right, folks. That disciplined political juggernaut of the last 12 years, the Republican Party, has restless natives.
Whether it's domestic wiretapping, outsourcing port security to Dubai, or just the administration's continued expectation that Congress will continue to cede its authority to the executive, Congressional Republicans have had enough. After all, unlike Mr. Bush, they're on the ballot in 8 months, and may well be punished by voters in November for Mr. Bush's failed policies.
And so slowly but surely, GOP members begin to distance themselves from the once politically golden Bush, now fearing his radioactivity may wound them, perhaps mortally. They seek that appearance of enough independence from the White House to give them political cover from an angry electorate.
While it may seem remarkable that such a disciplined machine as the modern Republican Party could show such cracks while on top of the political world, upon reflection it makes some sense. Think about it, this is a bunch who came to power in 1994 riding a wave of anger against the establishment. This is a party that for 40 years fought its way back from the political wilderness after the 1964 Barry Goldwater debacle. This is the crowd that rode the talk radio vehicle of outrage to electoral success.
This gang won by railing against the machine, fighting City Hall, and lusting after seemingly unattainable power. Well, now they have it all, but how do they channel the outrage? How do you fight City Hall when you are City Hall? Democrats have been vanquished for now, so it's time to eat their own.
Whether viewing events in Washington or here in Texas, the rest of us can only sit back and watch the internicene warfare. Whether we're puzzled, alarmed, bemused, or even secretly enjoying the fight, in this one-party America of today, it's the biggest story in town.
Posted by houtopia at March 5, 2006 08:22 PM