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A Failed Presidency?

By Stephen Pizzo, News for Real. Posted November 23, 2005.


Instead of focusing on this administration's screw-up du jour, isn't it time for the mainstream media to start taking real account of the messes Bush has created already?
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The door is locked, George.

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The first nine months of the George W. Bush presidency foretold what was to come.

If you recall, pre-9/11 George was the quintessential deer in the headlights. He had landed the biggest job in the world, and had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

I was reminded of that look on Monday, when I saw the photo of W. trying to escape reporters' questions in Beijing. It was a telling moment. He ended a news conference with a perfunctory, presidential "Thank you." He strode from the podium, employing his most serious presidential stride. So far, so good. Then his act abruptly collapsed. He pulled the door handle, but the door was locked.

And there he was again, for the whole world to see, pre-9/11 George, lost, adrift and looking for help. Help had always arrived for George before. It arrived and saved him in the nick of time on Sept. 11, 2001. But that kind of help doesn't grow on trees, and now he's on his own again.

September 11 did for George W. Bush what cocaine does for losers; it makes them feel and act like winners. If you've known a cocaine user, you know what I mean. They brim with energy and self-confidence. They listen to no one but their inner buzz. They are cocky, smug, obnoxious. Still, if they are able to focus that buzz, they can create an illusion that they actually know of what they speak, that they are driven -- even leaders.

As long as the cocaine lasts, the illusion can, too. But when it runs out, or stops working, the loser is all that's left. 9/11 has stopped working for George -- so Bush, The Loser, is back.

Not that he was ever gone, which explains why virtually everything he has done since 9/11 has come to naught, or worse. Had 9/11 never happened, W. would be long gone already, a one-term President, like his father before him.

Therefore, the media needs to begin a conversation we would have had around the third year of Bush's first term: Is this a failed presidency? And if so, how?

Let's begin by taking the pulse of America's majority population: Working families. (More)

  • Pre-tax incomes fell for middle-income families of every type
  • After taking into account changes in both pre-tax income and taxes, the finding remains that most middle-income families lost ground
  • Family spending on higher insurance co-pays, deductibles, and premiums has escalated in recent years
  • Inflation-adjusted income of the median household was unchanged and remains $1,700, or 3.8 percent, below its most recent peak in 1999, according to Monday's release by the U.S. Bureau of the Census


How about those Bush tax cuts and all the jobs they were going to create?

On Monday, General Motors announced it was cutting 30,000 jobs. This continues a trend we've seen throughout this presidency. One picture is worth one thousand jobs:

Graph


How about Bush's free trade deals? How's that working out for us?

The trade deficit so far this year is running at a record annual rate of $706 billion, putting it on track to far surpass the old record of $617.6 billion set last year. We are selling less and buying more from aboard.

Why? For one reason, outsourcing has resulted in everything being manufactured abroad now. Way to go. How bad does the trade deficit have to get before the dollar collapses? Stay tuned, we are well on our way to an answer.

Those tax cuts that were going to stimulate the economy so much, Bush said, would cut the budget deficit in half. How's that going? (More)

The National Debt continues to grow by $3.14 billion per day since September 30, 2005. The total national debt now stands at just a tad over $8 trillion, or $27,200 of debt for all US citizens -- yes, including the kids.

Bush inherited a government operating, not just in the black, but in surplus. How'd he build on that?(More)

First Bush went on a gifting spree, giving nearly $2 trillion of it away in tax give-aways to companies and the already-wealthy. Then he went shopping with the nation's platinum card. Surpluses quickly disappeared and were replaced by end-to-end budget deficits. We'll be adding another $320 billion to that this year. Hell, Bush ran up another $50 billion in debt in October alone. What's in your wallet?


Graph



(Note: Bush blames the deficits on the war. But during war, countries raise taxes -- they don't cut them. So either we are not in a real war -- in which case Bush is not only a spend-thrift, but a liar, or else we are in a real war and he's stupid. Take your pick.)

Every year, more and more Americans find they can no longer afford basic health insurance. Bush said he would fix that. How's that fix going? (More)

The only thing Bush has done to address this growing crisis is to cook a plan that lets large pharmaceutical firms and private insurers call the shots. He called it the Medicare Drug Benefit Program. But to get the drug companies onboard, he had to agree to a provision that prohibits Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. Not only that, but now that the plan has been implemented -- as designed by this administration -- no one can understand how it works. A retired accountant with an MBA called NPR and said even though he was member of Mensa, he couldn't make heads or tails out of the Medicare Drug plans. Nevertheless, the program will add billions to the budget deficit. Clearly it's working for somebody, just not those it was supposed to help.

Bush sells himself as "strong on defense." So, how strong are our defenders? (More)

The war in Iraq, added to ongoing commitments in Afghanistan, is exhausting both our military machinery and manpower. Military experts warn that the US could not respond now to another major military challenge. And enlistment in our all-volunteer force is declining, just as demand for fresh troops increases.

That's quite a list of failures. Instead of just focusing on this administration's screw-up du jour, isn't it time for the mainstream media to take an accounting of the messes this guy has created, already?

Do they add up to a failed presidency yet? Or do we have to wait until he does something really stupid… again?
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Stephen Pizzo is the author of numerous books, including "Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans," which was nominated for a Pulitzer.

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The Idiot
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Tom Degan on Nov 23, 2005 2:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The media is, no doubt about it, one of the major villians in the tragic, pitiful situaton this once-great country has found itself in. Talk to someone who has no access to a computer and you'll be amazed at how jaw-droppingly out of touch with reality they are. The point is, were it not for websites like AlterNet and writers like David Corn, Molly Ivins Bob Herbert et.al. we wouldn't know anything! One cannot rely on the main stream media anymore. The job of the 110the Congress will be to re-regulate the FCC (that particular body WILL be controlled bu the democrats, count on it). Deregulation was a dreadful mistake, we can all agree on that. The media monopoly as it stands today must be destroyed. Remember that British headline after the 2004 elections? "HOW CAN 52,000,000 PEOPLE BE SO STUPID"? Good Question! The Answer? The so-called "liberal" media.

Here's the tragedy: That at the dawn of the 21st century, the American electorate was so mind-numbingly ill-informed, they actually believed sending this corrupt, hideous, half-witted cowboy to the oval office, TO THE WHITE HOUSE was a good idea - not once, twice. That, my friends is the unspeakable tragedy and that is reason to weep.

Tom Degan
tomdegan@frontiernet.ent

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» I agree, Ed! Posted by: qrswave
» I agree, Basenjis... Posted by: qrswave
» FCC Posted by: Iconoclast421
» RE: The Idiot Posted by: Mewsician
» RE: The Idiot Posted by: Shakti
» RE: The Idiot Posted by: BlueTex
» RE: The Idiot Posted by: noles1st
drew
[Report this comment]
Posted by: drew on Nov 23, 2005 2:22 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
this was a start. A bill of particulars should also at least include environmental issues which have also been a disaster. The success of the war on the poor haas rendered this "christian" nation one that ignores the real needs of weakest members. I have found even more subtle crimes. There has been, for example, a "tightening" in qualifying persons for qualification for medicaid supported services for persons with disabilities. This has resulted in pushing out persons in real need- persons that were formally recognized and provided miminal support. Have you looked beyond the hype of no child left behind.
While it is some comfort that w will go down in history with other republican greats such as warren harding and u.s. grant that is cold comfort when you face the real damage that has been done. As an aside it is interesting to consider that both of those presidents were also well promoted incompetents who let administrations noted for corruption such as we are now seeing.

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Bush's Greatest Failure
[Report this comment]
Posted by: david.model@senecac.on.ca on Nov 23, 2005 3:43 AM   
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Legally, morally, militarily and economically Bush's greatest failures are the illegal foreign adventures that have undermined the United Nations and the confidence of the world community in American foreign policy and have been very costly in terms of American, Iraqi and Afghani lives.

For example, the 2003 war on Iraq and the military occupation violate the UN Charter, Geneva Conventions, UN Convention on Torture, UN Ban on Conventional Weapons and the UN Convention on Chemical Weapons. That makes G. W. a war criminal.

By bypassing the United Nations, G. W. has weakened its mandate to resolve disputes without the resort to force unless sanctioned by the Security Council.

The two wars and military occupation have cost over 2,000 American lives, over 3000 afghani lives, and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives needlessly given that America is less safe now than it was prior to these misguided uses of military force.

I think that the damage caused by W. is at least worthy of mention.

Author of "Lying for Empire: How to Commit War Crimes with a Straight Face"

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» RE: Bush's Greatest Failure Posted by: Rod in 83706
» RE: Bush's Greatest Failure Posted by: Pepper
» RE: Bush's Greatest Failure Posted by: Falang
» RE: Bush's Greatest Failure Posted by: ShaSpirit
» I VOTE FOR crachlis!!! Posted by: qrswave
» HOORAH, knitter!!! Posted by: qrswave
Why is it even a question?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: jon_jon on Nov 23, 2005 5:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Total failure on all possible home-fronts!

And on the unnecessary war-front, the Congress approved elimination of threats to the US was accomplished with the overthrow of Hussein&sons, and the removal of the (nonexistant) WMD risks.

Murtha is 100% right-- the war has been over for over 2years.. we are now in an illegal & immoral occupation hopelessly fighting non-terrorists that VP Cheney stilll (as of 11/23/05) links to 9/11/01.

btw, chickhawk Cheney was also a Vietnam deferment, as were Rumsfeld & three other senior administration neocons... along with Naitonal Guard deserter Dubya, of course.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Gold Star moms, George-- you miserable pathetic lying idiot.
http://www.goldstarmoms.com/agsm/Home/
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/28434/

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lizzieg
[Report this comment]
Posted by: lizzieg on Nov 23, 2005 5:31 AM   
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I agree with the phrase "mind-numbed" electorate. I decry to my fellow educators as often as I can that as long as we deliver school curriculum MINUS critical thinking skills, we will promulgate exactly what we have - a general public that has never learned to ask the hard questions or analyze the hard consequences. American History teachers still deliver a curriculum that reflects the history of imperialism. They plan their courses hoping to "just get through World War II." Maybe a week on Vietnam. Why don't we start there and work our way back? Our kids must be more enlightened voters than we have been.

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» Half correct Posted by: Iconoclast421
» RE: lizzieg Posted by: churchofone
Your graphics are excellent.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sgtmartin1 on Nov 23, 2005 5:40 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Thanks Stephen for creating this stark and eye-opening piece.

I'll forward it to friends and ask them to forward it to friends. And I'll link to it in an economic piece I'm doing on EWM for tomorrow.

Hopefully along the way several million "swing voters" will see this. We are probably a bit like preaching to the proverbial choir here on AlterNet, but we got forward buttons.

Happy Turkey Day sir, you are a good American.

(For holiday giggles) New on EWM: “Schmidt calls Bush Coward after President Pardons Turkey”

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Yesterday's Perfect Example
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Posted by: cyclone on Nov 23, 2005 5:45 AM   
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Yesterday, the "New Democratic Iraqi Government" called for a timetable for withdrawal of ALL FOREIGN TROOPS. One would think that the akward position that this puts Boosh in would be HEADLINE NEWS. Not one mainstream media outlet (television) that I am aware of even mentioned it. In fact, when it was first announced, MSNBC and CNN had it Headlined on their online sites. Two hours later, POOF, it was gone, and could not be found on either site. Why in the hell these people will not hold Booshco to the fire on this, especially after Murtha's statement last week, is simply mindboggling. This is news that we have been waiting for, puts Boosh in an impossible to justify position, and you have to go someplace like my blog to learn about it. It is shameful what the Mainstream Media has become in this country.

Cyclone

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» The media loves Bush Posted by: Iconoclast421
» RE: The media loves Bush Posted by: Pepper
» RE: The media loves Bush Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: Yesterday's Perfect Example Posted by: Lincoln fan
» CNN did discuss it Posted by: harpy
» RE: CNN did discuss it Posted by: cyclone
Poor George
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Lincoln fan on Nov 23, 2005 6:25 AM   
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This article makes one assumption that I disagree with. That is, that Bush is leading the country down the wrong path. I think it is the military/corporate/media complex that is leading us into ruin. Wiping out the present regime will not change anything. This establishment controls both parties and is gradually moving them further to the right. Until the voters recognize the real adversary, we are like the bull who charges the cape instead of the torreador. The average citizen, the middle class must take the bull by the horns and force both parties to campaign on issues and to state clearly their political agenda before the 2006 election. Parties and candidates are irrelevant, the platforms are all that matters. I don't care who ends the war, provides decent health care, repairs the economy, or reforms campaign funding - I just want it done! Click on we can do it

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» RE: Poor George Posted by: Pepper
» RE: Poor George Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Poor George Posted by: ChrisP
» RE: Poor George Posted by: brasilaron
» Lesson #1: We are the losers Posted by: Bic Pentameter
» RE: Poor George Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: Poor George Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Poor George Posted by: dphel
Good Job...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Rod in 83706 on Nov 23, 2005 6:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
of listing Bush's failures. It's hard to decide which one is the worst. I'll go with blowing the surplus and creating the deficit. But he couldn't have done that without the tax-cuts-for-the-rich scam. He also couldn't have done that without detouring from the war on terror to depose Sadaam.

And why are we still calling it a "war" in Iraq? It's not. It's an occupation. The war in Iraq was over the day we defeated Sadaam and his pitiful army. We are occupying Iraq and that occupation is being resisted by a large segment of the population, and by most in the Islamic world. We are also occupying Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. No wonder the whole world is pissed at us. We support Israel, no wonder the whole world is pissed at us. The only war the Bush administration is fighting is the war on the Middle Class with the goal of transferring our assets to the rich. I'm pissed at us.

Honestly, what passes for logic, common sense, and rational thought these days is just beyond belief. The Republicans are evil, the Democrats are stupid, the news media is incompetent. What's an American to do?

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» RE: Good Job... Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: Good Job... Posted by: KUCING
That list was being kind to GW!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Pepper on Nov 23, 2005 6:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What about all of this:

1. Forced vaccinations while exempting drug companies from responsiblity for harming, killing or maiming citizens with their polluted and inadequate vaccines. Check out the 14 teens in Japan who died from the Tamiflu shot while Rumsfeld got richer from the exercise. That is what we can look forward to ourselves. I would rather go to jail than take that shot.

2. Use of ORPHANS & HANDICAPPED CHILDREN for experimental subjects for the chemical companies. How come I never hear anyone complain about this one? Both of these first two are crimes against humanity??

3. Use of illegal chemical weapons, namely White phospherous against civilians and even soldiers that kill and eat at the body while protecting property? This is particularly offensive and again, against international law.

4. Harvesting organs from Iraqi's for sale in the American market.

5. Total destruction of the Iraqi banking and currency system, how come we don't mention that one? Its not even recognized by the mainstream press. Stealing 19 billion in gold bullion from their banks on the day the war was declared over.

6. Torture both physically and sexually of Iraqi's, especially children in front of their mothers, which is against our own values and international law and the geneva conventions.

7. Using medicare recipients (old people) for drug and medical procedures experimentation or else the recipient is barred from treatment. Its extortion of the worst and most perverse kind.

8. Immigration ILLEGAL KIND is promoted. Border stations are built on the US/Canadian border to prevent Americans from entering Canada for sanctuary, while the southern border is wide open with no protection and drug running is rampant.

9. Increases in H1B Visas by 350,000 of third world workers while 14 million Americans are out of work and growing as we saw from the Ford announcement.

10. Total violation of the campaign financing laws with impunity.

11. Using the SEC as their personal robbery vehicle. Everyone put in charge is connected in some way to the very people they are suppose to regulate.

12. Purging of the CIA and putting a dual citizen in charge of our entire intelligence community who is also an ISREALI CITIZEN.

(see next comment for continuation)

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That list was being kind to GW! (a continuation)
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Pepper on Nov 23, 2005 7:01 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
13. Giving obscene amounts of foreign aid, over 50% of the entire budget to a small country that has no impact on our national security. If they can't support themselves and defend themselves as a viable nation, they should not exist.

14. 1 Trillion dollars missing from the Pentagon? Huh, how did that happen?

15. Responsible for 9-11, and all the diseases currently plagueing our nation.

16. A surplus provided by Bush of a FEAR diet fed to the American people which has allowed unprecedented assault on our civil liberties.

Well, there is much more but the list int his article/commentary above are all the things I have read in the mainstream press somewhere, but the ones I have listed here I have only found in foreign press and alternative media on the net which all have been documented and proved.

These are far worse that I had ever imagined an American President would ever do.

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Help!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: portly on Nov 23, 2005 7:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My dad, the arch-conservative, says that since Bush's tax cuts have been in place, the overall revenue coming into the Treasury has been steadily increasing. Can that be right? I don't think so, but i can't find anything in the media about it. I need some "ammo" for the after-Turkey political discussion... and i don't wanna hafta eat my cigar...

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» RE: Help! Posted by: Artkansas
» RE: Help! Posted by: portly
» RE: Help! Posted by: zap2scott
» RE: Help! Posted by: zap2scott
Does A Bear Do It In The Woods?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Stonecutter on Nov 23, 2005 7:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Mr. Pizzo has once again nailed president George E. Neuman to the proverbial wall. The scene at the Japan press conference was more SNL than real life...for a moment, I thought I was watching Will Ferrell in a sketch, until I realized it was really president doofis in his own frozen flesh.

The overwhelmingly painful reality of this empty suit and the crew of ruthless fascists that prop him up is the damage they've done to our shared concept of America, not only as a physical country but, as Olivier's character General Crassus intoned about ancient Rome in "Spartacus", as "an eternal thought in the mind of man".

All the truly sublime principles of individual liberty, freedom of expression, social justice, due process, civil rights, on down the list, attributes to which most politicians in their smarmy cloaks of phony piety only pay lip service, but for which legions of ordinary Americans during the last century have died, and continue to die in Iraq...these principles have been spit upon by Bush and his gang of puppeteers and racketeers.

It's the daily torture of watching this happen, feeling helpless on the sideline as self-serving politicians, primarily of one party, continue stripping away the bark from the Constitutional tree that has made us what we were. It's this torture that is eating away at our hearts and minds, the once shared belief in the values of cooperation, inclusiveness and compromise for the common good. Where is the common good now? In the dumpster, along with our international prestige and any claim to the moral high ground.

Instead, we have this hyper-polarized blue state-red state disease only growing more virulent as Bush, Cheney, the Congressional leadership of both parties and the likes of Jack Abramoff and his clones continue their assault on the fabric of our closely held beliefs about the righteousness, the fairness of the American political process. We now know incontrovertably that our so-called "democracy" is really an auction house of rampant corruption and influence-peddling to the highest bidder, a closed loop of insiders with virtually all ordinary Americans on the outside, cynically earmarked as either cannon fodder for the "war" (what war?...if it walks like occupation, quacks like occupation...) or ignorant vote-widgets to be led by the nose like cattle through the power of cutting-edge propoganda. George Carlin knows what he's talking about.

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The apple don't fall far from the tree!!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: stoney13 on Nov 23, 2005 8:38 AM   
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George goes to Japan and makes an idiot out of himself just like daddy did! The Bush family is the greatest comedy act on the road in Japan right now!! Is it any wonder the world at large, thinks we are a bunch of idiots? WE ELECTED THIS CLOWN TWICE!!! I know that some of you are going to say that he stole the elections and you're right! We still let the weasle in the hen-house and stood by twidling our thumbs while he did what we all knew he was going to do, so we did it to ourselves TWICE!

If we elect any Republicans into office in 2006, we deserve the bastards! The only way to mitigate the damages is to take back Congress from the Neocons! I don't care how bad the Democrats are! They're better than what we got now!!!

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Presidential Failure?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Lincoln fan on Nov 23, 2005 8:45 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Mr. Pizzo is looking at the accomplishments of the president from the perspective of the average middle class citizen and sees failure. Look from the perspective of the establishment and you will se nothing but success. He and his cronies will be kicked out to the delight of the populace but the establishment will remain unscathed. The Republican Lite Party will come in to further carry out the agenda of the establishment. The Democratic Party is not the friend of the middle class and the Republican Party is not their enemy. Both parties are controlled by the real enemy of the people, the military/corporate/media complex. To take control, the middle class must force both parties to run on the issues most important to them. Parties are irrelevant; the issues are the only things that matter.. Who cares which candidate or which party settles the tough issues in favor of the common people? we can do it!

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» Can WE do it??? Don't think so... Posted by: Ely Whitney
» RE: Can WE do it??? Don't think so... Posted by: Edward George
not failure but stunning success
[Report this comment]
Posted by: alert on Nov 23, 2005 8:51 AM   
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I am finding myself increasingly frustrated with "liberal" commentary on the "mis-cues", "blunders", and "failures" of the Bush presidency. Bush, who is only the straw dog of a sinister cabal, is precisely the Grand Smiling Fool he was supposed to be. The Administration's actions, orchestrated by Rove and others we probably don't know, has been wildly successful in achieving their aims: looting the Commonwealth, bankrupting all socially responsible programs, and transferring wealth and power irrevocably to the chosen Elite. Their mission IS accomplished. Cheney is now a hugely rich man, and will get richer. Ditto the Bush family, and their friends. The American Military Industrial complex, our only remaining heavy industry, has their business guaranteed for the forseeable future, because Bush's handlers have successfully created more embittered terrorist factions than the modern world has known. If stated as a Business Plan, this Administration has been an undeniable success -- and nothing the Liberals say or do now will change that. Liberal thinkers should wake up to why this is so -- and try, in some small way, to conjure an alternative scenario. After all, once the "rabble" is eviscerated, who will finance the escapades of the Elites?

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A clarification (hopefully unnecessary)
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Knowmad on Nov 23, 2005 9:23 AM   
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Thank you Stephen. An excellent analysis, though I do feel there is one thing missing; not only here, but in the majority of criticism of this dysfunctional administration . . . that it is just that, an entire administration. I fear that by always referring to what happens as the result of what "the president", or Mr. Bush" or "Bush" or "Dubya" or whatever decided, we do the progressive cause a disservice.

Imagine being an average GOP supporter these days. Unless you're totally uninformed or mentally ill you can't help but be at the least dissatisfied with your party's affect on your life and country. However, by definitiion, as an average Republican you probably don't do a lot of analysis of the issues, activities and consequences of inept governance.

Therein lies the danger. These mid-stream Republicans get the message that, "Hey, we just replace Bush and we'll be okay. He's just not right for the job, but the Party's still wonderful". Then come 2006 and 2008 these could be the very ones that put another disaster in charge, complete with the whole Cheney, Novak, Jeb, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice, Delay, Frist, Bremer, and on and on and on cabel. It's this collection of the unconscionable and insecure that created and allow the mess, and just getting rid of Bush will only inconvenience them to the degree that they have to groom and promote another puppet. Indeed it's likley they're already doing so; these people are misguided and dangerous, but they're definitely not stupid in the ways of deception and manipulation. And really, do you think a smart person would give someone like Bush a say in anything?

So, let's holler it from the rooftops until GOP supporters can't help but hear: It's not only Bush (if it weren't him it would be someone else). If we're to fix this,
"The entire administration has to go!"

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» That includes McCain Posted by: harpy
» RE: That includes McCain Posted by: badkitty
clinker
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Posted by: cottontail on Nov 23, 2005 10:03 AM   
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Imagine, if you can, that your wonderful, loving son was just killed in Iraq. How could you go on living? How could you control the impulse to murder? This mindless idiot in the White House obviously does not recognize all the blood on his hands. Getting rid of the slime machine (the Republican Party) that now controls everything will not make much difference as corporate America calls the shots and the deaths of young American boys and girls are just a cost of doing business.

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» RE: clinker Posted by: Edward George
Where are they?
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Posted by: brasilaron on Nov 23, 2005 11:18 AM   
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Where are all the hateful dousche-bag water carriers of the right wing sound-chamber? This is the sort of article that used to bring them like flies to a rotting carcass. Where is that certitude that they were so right and we were wrong and history was soon going to teach us how right they were? Don't get me wrong, i love to read these pages w/o having to encounter that feces-encrusted drivel, but they're not around for us to kick them while they're (going) down!

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A wolf in sheep's clothing
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Posted by: knitter on Nov 23, 2005 12:03 PM   
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The idea of a failed presidency, of incompetence is, as one poster put it, looking from the middle-class point of view. The question mark in the title of this article suggests a shift in viewpoint.

One analogy that has been common for the past few years is to refer to the emperor as having no clothes. I think that conveys the idea of incompetence. Let's start using a different reference: "A wolf in sheep's clothing."

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YOU ARE
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Posted by: Mewsician on Nov 23, 2005 12:16 PM   
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SSSOOOOO right on with your comment. That is EXACTLY where the blame lies. I constantly remind friends when they're bashing Bush that it's not Bush we should be worried about - HE'S not the problem. We have met the enemy and it is US. Or rather, "them" - the overfed crackers who bought into BushCo's line of bull from the get-go. With the media's help, they're taking us all down with them, too. WAKE UP AMERICANS.

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Ooops
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Posted by: Mewsician on Nov 23, 2005 12:18 PM   
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Disregard above post. That was meant as a response to someone else's comment. My bad.

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» RE: Ooops Posted by: Knowmad
Media Informs / Citizens Act
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Posted by: linuxluver on Nov 23, 2005 12:25 PM   
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The article seem to imply that the media must also be our memory. I'm not sure that is fair. I would tend to see analysis as being the role of commentators, politicians and citizens.

However, I should say that any media report should be placed in the public domain and be readily available to everyone. The news is OUR news.....not "theirs". Having news content copyrighted and use / redistribution inhibitied by ownership rights is in opposition to the need of citizens to have access to such information when they need it, over time, in order to compile and develop their own analysis and engage in public debate.

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Litany of failure
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Posted by: bookwoman on Nov 23, 2005 12:25 PM   
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This is the kind of consolidated list of failures which needs to be publicized. Over a five year period, the reporting of "W"'s multiple failures and foolishnesses have become confusing to the citizenry of this country. The other day, Senator John Kerry, recited a list of the stops on the road to Iraq and NPR is also doing a consolidated report of why, if the Congress was foolish enough to vote to allow Bush to attack Iraq", they and many of the people in the United States can now talk about being misled by the Administration.

However, Alternet, Senator Kerry's news conference from Boston and NPR;s report will not reach the wider audience which networks such as NBC, CBS and ABC would. My question is, therefore, when are these last three media centers going to step up to the plate and speak out in this way so an organized list of the misteps, both inside and outside the problems with Iraq, is presented to the nation at large.

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» RE: Litany of failure Posted by: Knowmad
Bumper sticker
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Posted by: Edward George on Nov 23, 2005 2:37 PM   
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Anybody else interested in a bumper sticker consisting of one of those ribbons followed by
SUPPORT OUR CEOS

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» RE: Bumper sticker Posted by: gooch_x
Deb Park
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Posted by: debpark on Nov 23, 2005 4:51 PM   
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I have a couple more disasters to add to the list:
A medicare plan that has seniors so confused that most of them are opting not to sign up for it. The new law reinforces the notion of a "for-profit" health care industry boosting profits for HMOs and pharmaceutical companies but leaving patients and physicians with a confusing and complex system which creates more barriers to affordable health care.
The "No child left behind" act which some States like Utah are rejecting outright. Even improving schools will be penalized under the arbirary standards imposed by this law. Now the Secretary of Education appears to be back-pedalling on some parts of the plan. Is there anything they have not bungled?

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Uhh...
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Posted by: BillC on Nov 23, 2005 8:13 PM   
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Yeah! What they said!

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» RE: Uhh... Posted by: BillC
While you do have some valid points
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Posted by: popsicle67 on Nov 23, 2005 11:11 PM   
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Who in their right mind is going to stand up and say with any certainty that John Kerry would have been better. We all know that 2004 was a throwaway election because the republicans had their incumbent and the democrats couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the instructions on the heel. So!
What do we do different this time around? I think we need to let both parties gather up all their drones and trot them out one at a time and after they show us what they have in the bullpen we go find our own people and rebuild the parties from the bottom on up, just cut the legs out from under the wonks. Can we do that? Do we need the party aparatus to
pick our leaders? Could we do this whole democracy thing without the experts? I would like to try.

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» I'm ready! Posted by: Artemis3
There are too many people who refuse
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Posted by: hyphenate on Nov 24, 2005 12:13 AM   
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to listen, and who are keeping their heads buried in the sand. They refuse to look at the things GWB has done, and the deeds and urgings made by other members of his cabal.

And yet, Faux News is their greatest propaganda machine--their own network spreading their own version of news. An entire network of liars, co-conspirators, and PR ministers just for Bush and the neocon agenda. And besides Rupert Murdoch, another media giant, Richard Scaife, is also a major influence on the conservative side. There are others, but their horrendous legacy is finally catching up with them: Conrad Black, another conservative, has finally been indicted: Black owned Hollinger International, owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, and (I believe) the Jerusalem Times, a company on whose board sit two major neocons, Richard Perle and Henry Kissinger.

Not only has the radical right been able to hobble the American press corps with its insidious infiltration, but since many people only look to network television as their major news source, it makes it far more difficult to convince many people in our country of how far to the right we have gone, but also of how blatantly skewed the news is to begin with. It takes a show like Jon Stewart's Daily Show, not even a real news show--to show how bad things really are.

I wish I knew a solution. But as many of us already are well aware, Cassandra of Troy was treated about as well for her predictions as well. When will it end? When will people beginning to suspect that this cabal is anything but forthright? I believe that the starting point (Katrina) has come, and slowly but surely, the tide will turn. Just how long it will take is anyone's guess.

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tuestep
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Posted by: tuestep on Nov 24, 2005 12:34 AM   
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How many of you have ever seen the old scifi movie Soylent Green? Is that disturbing world that the movie depicted becoming a reality? In the story the governnment was called
"the company", and human beings were no more than just
another comodity with little or no value.

For all of it's wealth creating power, "free market" captialism has yet to solve the problems of poverty. Indeed, it creates poverty in the wake of building wealth for some. What the Washignton/Wall Street insiders are doing is robbing the country and it's people in order to create a world without borders or civil government.

The bottomline mentality that has driven America for the past
twenty five years will create just the kind of world that Hitler
had envisioned for Nazi Europe. Fascism exists when the state and business become one. And sinse "effeciency" is the key
to profitability, it stands to reason that top down authority is the best path to that "effeciency". Democracy then becomes
the enemy of profitability.

To achieve this state without a revolt by the populace, you must control: 1. The media. 2. The electorial process. 3. The
govenment. I could go on and on, but I think it becomes clear
that this process began with deregulation of business and the financial sectors. Once the door of Pandora's Box had been opened, the rest followed the dominoe effect.

This started in earnest with the election of Reagan in 1980. It
reached it's zeneth with the Republican take over of congress.
Reversal of the process of "hollowing out" of America means reinstituting the power of the people over their government. And it also means taking extrordinary measures that simply are not possible under the present
regime in Washington. You can't begin healing until you stop the bleeding and the causes of that bleeding.

We Americans deserve a government that responds to the wants and needs of all it's people, not just the investor class.
We are fast approaching a point where civil unrest will begin to surface in the streets, and that can lead to all out rebellion because people will put up with injustice only so long before
they take action. I wonder if anyone in power is listening?

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» RE: tuestep Posted by: beckphil
Inflation...
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Posted by: gmmonko on Nov 25, 2005 3:19 PM   
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Face it! That's how GOP wants to fight inflation, by having more imports from low paid countries. This keeps the merchandise in the shops low and at the same time more jobs have to be exported - a vicious circle.

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WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS CLOWN???!!! LOOK AT THAT PICTURE!!!
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Posted by: stoney13 on Nov 26, 2005 3:10 PM   
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My God!!! He looks like somebody gave him a Tobasco enema!! This is the face we're showing to the world as our leader??!!

No wonder Al Queda hasn't attacked us again!! They're too busy laughing!!! Either that, or they feel sorry for us for having to put up with the silly son of a bitch!!!

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Be productive...or be GONE!
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Posted by: nise52 on Nov 26, 2005 5:42 PM   
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The powers that run this country are pushing us into a future that has one commandment....be productive, or be gone! As workers, you are only needed if you create product for the corporation. Don't get hurt, sick, disabled because the govt won't financially help you. They would prefer you slink off somewhere and die (keeps down govt expenses!).

You must be an asset, not a liability, to Mother Corporation. Health care...hah! Sickleave, vacation time, no way.

And Bush is the poster child for the uncaring, unseeing Corporations.

God help us. No one else will.

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montana freeman
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Posted by: trace on Nov 27, 2005 3:59 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
pepper i will smoke a bowl to that ,god damn i love this site you people really trip me out thank you

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