Troubles Mount in White House, Bush Agenda Bogged Down

[ailsagirl]

by William Douglas, James Kuhnhenn and Steven Thomma
April 23, 2005

WASHINGTON - President Bush painted his second-term vision in bold, aggressive strokes: He would reform Social Security, continue to reshape the nation's education system and remodel the nation's judiciary by appointing more conservative judges to the federal bench.

=snip=

Three months into his second term, however, Bush's bold agenda is bogged down by public skepticism about some of his proposals, growing resistance from Democrats, dissension within his party's ranks and what some analysts consider second-term hubris.

With gas prices near record highs and stock markets jittery, Bush's drive for privatized Social Security accounts has been met by deep public skepticism. His judicial nominees are stalled, his choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is stuck in committee, and his job-approval rating recently dropped to 45 percent, the lowest of his presidency and well below that of other recent second-term presidents.

Recent surveys have found a disconnect between most Americans' mainly economic priorities and the White House's and the Republican Congress' preoccupation with issues ranging from Terri Schiavo to plans to kill the filibuster. "The average American sitting out there in the country is still very skittish about jobs, health care costs, gas prices," said Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. "Overall, right now, Bush is down on anything we put in front of them. It's kind of like the American public is generally more depressed." Bush's misfortunes, particularly the unexpected setbacks over his choice for U.N. ambassador, John Bolton, have emboldened Democrats, who are uniting against him in ways they didn't during Bush's first term, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks eclipsed partisan politics."


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0423-07.htm

[phusion]

1. Sweet...

Why don't ya just go home now, Georgie.

:headbang:

[ailsagirl]

3. Maybe the big, huge, ugly rethug machine is finally running down

And the article doesn't even mention that scum Delay!! No, it doesn't even cover all the woes assailing * and his effed-up "administration."

:evilgrin:

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Seems to me

they're getting desperate to show how they're good politicians so that's
why they want to get rid of the filibuster but it's working against them. I'm surprised. I wonder how they'll get more wars though??

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. I've been looking for an excuse to use the "no pity" smiley...

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity:

:evilgrin:

[ailsagirl]

6. Yes, I'm very sad too...

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity:

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:
:toast: :woohoo: :eyes: :smoke:

[AVID]

5. Boy is it ever time for a Teror Alert nt

[ailsagirl]

7. Or worse n/t

[Inland]

8. They might go for the actual terror attack this time. nt

[DearAbby]

9. Even the Terra Alert crap wont go....

Why would Osama Bin Laden attack the American people? B* and company are doing a better job at destroying America and her people. And Osama didn't have to do anything but sit and watch.

If Osama pops out of the woodwork now, it would show for certain that he is on the B* payroll...paid boogerman. Drag him out when needed.

[Joebert]

11. I figure we'll do something behind the scenes to piss off North Korea

Something that isn't terror related, so the Bush+Osama team don't get fingered.

[Nite Owl]

10. I hate to put it like this

but we were right and they were wrong. Well maybe I don't hate saying it! Where were all these people before the election when the left was saying he wanted to destroy SS and the economy? None of this is a big surprise to those who read and put the facts together.

[senseandsensibility]

12. Don't hesitate to say it

The problem with our side is we don't say it enough. We should be screaming it from the rafters!;-)

[deadparrot]

13. Unfortunately...

it's too late now.

We're stuck with this freakshow until early 2009.

[calimary]

17. Not necessarily...

If this keeps up, and our people are smart enough to take advantage of it (Democrats are emboldened... - let's help them stay that way - call/write/fax/email them!!!), we can take back the House of Reps in 2006, and THEN...

IMPEACHMENT proceedings can begin.

Wouldn't that be sweet?

And perhaps we could even push it to IMPEACHMENT followed by REMOVAL FROM OFFICE - if we got the Senate back, too, or the Senate was sufficiently cowed by the demoralizing of 2006 that they'd cave...

I don't think we should rule this out. I'm pleasantly surprised by all the press this is getting - the "republi-CONS are reeling, Democrats suddenly emboldened, White House policy on this or that is stalled" stuff. Now we just need our folks to exploit this, and it's practically a done deal. I think the MOMENTUM - and better yet, the PERCEPTION OF MOMENTUM is now with US, for a change.

[dkofos]

14. So much for his MANDATE

and where is all that POLITICAL CAPITAL he had to spend.

I guess that was BULLSHIT too.

[mrdmk]

15. Of course, bullshit only goes so far and that is that!

:crazy:

[hector459]

16. Maybe Bush and Rove are drinking too much "Gannonade?"

Somebody in the WH is.