ONE FADES AWAY, THE OTHER STEPS UP. "America Has Never Seen Anything Quite Like This"

[babylonsister]

ONE FADES AWAY, THE OTHER STEPS UP

"America Has Never Seen Anything Quite Like This"

Obama's unusual transition: Already a co-president

By David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers



WASHINGTON — America has never seen anything quite like this: The president and president-elect acting like co-presidents, consulting and cooperating on the day's biggest crises.

"It's pretty unusual," said George Edwards, a presidential expert at Texas A&M University, in College Station.

What Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer calls "the split-screen presidency" is the result of several historic forces converging this fall:

* The 24-7 nature of the global economy, which demands timely reaction.

* Incoming and outgoing presidents who have personal and political reasons to show that they can manage a crisis.

* A president-elect, Barack Obama, who "believes in strong government and wants to get things under way immediately," said William Leuchtenburg, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor who's written extensively about the presidency.

* A lame-duck president, George W. Bush, who's leaving office voluntarily. "Bush was not defeated. That makes for an easier relationship," Leutchtenburg said.

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/56399.html

[Captain Hilts]

Bush is THE most unpopular prez since Hoover. Even Nixon's #s weren't this low. nt

[ShadowLiberal]

19. Bush broke Truman's old disapproval record, and Bush won't have a 180 turnaround like Truman

Really, Truman probably wasn't quite as bad off as the polls say he was, since polls showed back then that they unpolled democrats, so even at his lowest Truman was probably a few points higher then the polls say.

But still, despite taking Truman's spot of the lowest approval ratings ever there's big differences in how those 2 men became so unpopular.

Truman was willing to ignore public opinion and make the tough decisions that were very unpopular (but that got proven right overtime). One of Truman's least popular acts was firing General MacArthur, still a very popular general for leading the fight in WW2 against Japan. MacArthur had to go because he wanted to expand the Korean war into WW3 by using atomic bombs on China (who was fighting against us in Korea).

Bush's decisions that made him unpopular however won't get him much improve I'll bet. I mean even if the situation in Iraq goes to hell the second Obama does a thing to it, it will only reinforce the idea in historians minds that Iraq was an unnecessary war we should have never gotten ourselves into.

The time of the economic collapse under Bush is also not so conveniently timed to partially save Bush's legacy as it was for Hoover. Under Hoover the great depression started just a few months after he took office, just about everyone agrees that Hoover got screwed over from the failed economic philosophies of the previous two presidents all falling apart under Hoover's reign. True Hoover shared their philosophies, but still much of the problems that caused the great depression were already deeply in the makings when Hoover took office, ready to destroy the market soon.

For Bush however this economic meltdown came when he had just a few more months left in office. People can't really look back at Clinton and blame it on him, much of what helped caused the current collapse started to build up the last few years under Bush, and Bush failed to stop it before it was too late.

[WinkyDink]

1. Bush has been bored for years. It's not like he actually GOVERNED.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Like a reverse Midas touch. Everything Bush touched turned to shit.

[Starry Messenger]

2. Well, one is being a President...

the other one is using up oxygen in the White House. EVERYONE has done that jerk's job for him. Now we just have someone GOOD AT IT!!

[ecstatic]

3. If Bush didn't kill so many people, I might feel sorry for him right now

He's not even trying anymore. What a loser.

[nevergiveup]

7. My exact sentiments

Sometimes I start to feel sorry for him but then I am shaken by the reality of the horrors he created.

[sufrommich]

11. I imagine he has to be forcibly uncurled from

his fetal position these days.

[rug]

5. It's like Sinatra supplanting Rudy Vallee.

[paparush]

6. Bush Looting the Treasury and piling on mountains of debt is hardly what I'd call "fading away."

[FrenchieCat]

9. He certainly is leaving his mark.......

And getting Obama involved this quickly will most likely shift the blame over to him, so Hannity hopes.

Hope the American people's memory isn't too short like say in about six months, on how we got to where we are right this moment....cause Obama didn't have shit to do with it. He's just wrestle the shovel out of Bush's hand and has flung it away....but still, until he is President, he's still dealing with this shit with one hand tied behind his back. Well at least, the Wall Street talking heads understand that their neck is on the chopping block and are talking Obama up. Good on them, but they are really doing it only for them. Plus they like the delayed tax increase on high income earners quite a bit, so I guess they ought to be grateful, for however long it lasts. Bunch of assholes that they are.

[pscot]

8. Bush is being given the bums rush

One hand on his collar, the other on the seat of the pants, and out the door into the alley. I've never seen anything like it.

[Cha]

10. bush may not have "lost" an election

in order to leave office but Obama ran against him and bush did his part the last 8 years to make all this possible.

bush looks like shit, btw.

[Zomby Woof]

12. Bush is leaving because of Amendment XXII

Not "voluntarily".

[babylonsister]

13. Do you honestly think he wants to be there anymore? I don't.

He's broken just about all he can break, though he is making efforts to destroy the rest.

I think he just wants to slink away myself.

[Zomby Woof]

16. That may be true

But I want to remind myself of why I am grateful for that amendment. :D

(In all seriousness, I am in favor of an amendment for one 6-year term, as found in the Mexican constitution - no re-election campaign, and as history has usually shown, the second term is usually more problematic than the first).

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

14. The Chimp checked out a long time ago.

The only things he has cared about for months are his perks as Pretzeldent, like getting to go to the Olympics and getting hammered, and getting everything he and Darth stole into nice, safe Paraguayan banks.

Someone has to be in charge. Who better than PE Obama?

[RollWithIt]

15. Regardless of Bush's dreadful failure over eight long years, I have been impressed with cooperation

I know I'll get flamed for saying that, but I have been.

[Colobo]

17. Bush wants to play nice now to see if people remember him a bit kindly.

[political_Dem]

18. There are always intentions behind such a public display of kindness.

While Bush is appearing in public to be overly gracious in the transitioning efforts, let no one forget these things:


1) That he has enacted signing statements to preserve some of the things he wanted to stay in place (such as the law that would allow those in the medical field to not perform abortions if it is against their faith)

2)He helped transition a lot of the federal employees in his administration into civil service jobs so Obama cannot fire them.

3)He has a whole host of pardons on his desk, ready and waiting.

Never mistake for one moment that Bush's devious mind is not working.

It also makes you wonder why Obama must be reaching out to the right, the corporations and the centrists when this is happening in the background. Are they that more important than progressives?