Posted on 09/17/2005 7:16:59 AM PDT by linkinpunk
I Will Rebuild With You, Mr. President
By Donna Brazile
On Thursday night President Bush spoke to the nation from my city. I am not a Republican. I did not vote for George W. Bush -- in fact, I worked pretty hard against him in 2000 and 2004. But on Thursday night, after watching him speak from the heart, I could not have been prouder of the president and the plan he outlined to empower those who lost everything and to rebuild the Gulf Coast...
I know, maybe better than anyone, that there are times when it seems that our nation is too divided ever to heal. There are times when we feel so different from each other that we can hardly believe that we are all part of the same family. But we are one nation. We are a family. And this is what we do. When the president asked us to pitch in Thursday night, he wasn't really asking us to do anything spectacular. He was asking us to be Americans, and to do what Americans always do...
Mr. President, I am ready for duty. I am ready to stir those old pots again. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.
The writer, a Democratic political consultant, managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I heard a FoxNews reporter say the other day to expect a bounce in Bushs poll numbers. He said all presidents get a bounce after a speech. He didn't cite any numbers so that tells me his poll numbers are up a quite a bit. My take was this reporter knew the poll numbers would come out and wanted to rain on our parade.
Proud Mary called his plan innovative and bold. Hold on to your wallet.
Major events can alter people's thinking - witness Geraldo and Christopher Hitchens, both very anti-Bush until 9/11.
Watch for Noggin and especially Blank-o to try to hog the credit with MSM and lib politicians aiding and abetting.
I wish you could sample them to.
I just heard a FoxNews info babe talking about Bushs "sinking poll numbers after Katrina" but she didn't offer any new ones. I think they are trying to chip away at the good will people had for Bush after the speech.
ping
Is that blog yours? I just e-mailed Donna Brazile and copied the post for 9-16-5 to her with your blog address.
Wow - I need my eyes checked. For a minute there, I thought this article was about a well-known democrat praising Bush. Well, they say the eyes start to go after age 40. :-)
If you will remember, right after the speech Kerry, Reid, and assorted pundits like Matthews were very negative. Suddenlly, yesterday, all of that stopped.
I don't think they had a change of heart. I think the numbers were in the basement and now they are doing damage control
You say it's poll numbers, not heart. I say that it's heart - in the sense that poll numbers are the Democrats' heart. See my tagline . . .
I've always liked Donna Brazil even when I disagreed with her. She seems a straight shooter. She would be a real asset if the Republicans could woo her to their side.
LOL! I caught Reid and Landrieu on TV saying solemnly that this is too big and too important for partisan politics . . . The last thing anyone wants is partisan politics here . . . No one feels more strongly than they that this is beyond partisan politics, etc., etc., etc. I almost barfed.
(I loved Rush on the speech -- our big chance to prove to the unconvinced that conservative policies will work while 40 years of liberal policies got us here.)
I had a suspicion and I googled to check: she was in fact born near New Orleans. Maybe she's sincere. (At least for the time being -- until she lies down and it passes!)
I believe you are on to something here. The president, by accepting his share of the responsibility has done 2 things. He has forced the Gov and Mayor in LA and N.O. to do likewise (have they) and he has taken all the wind out of the Dems sails. The libs are now left to sniping about the reconstruction efforts which they will certainly do because finger pointing and criticizing is all they know how to do. This will also come back to bite them o the butt as have all the other attempts to bring down a president that it seems is just to smart for them.
I remember how Democrats were mad at Brazille when she said how proud she was of Condi Rice achieving success as a black woman becoming Secretary of State. She spoke movingly of how tears welled in her eyes when Condi was sworn in.
This tells me that Donna Brazille can put aside partisanship from time to time. I believe her for this incident.
This is more than damage control...this is getting back into the game. They send out a "representative" of the Democratic Party. Not a big name, you see. There too chicken for that. So Joe American hears on the news that some Democrat is part of the solution now. Not a big name, at first. But now the door is open so all the rats can jump ON the ship. Because it's the winning ship and they are so far off it right now they're just wading in the water looking for the platform. And this was their oar. Did I put enough water references in it for you? First person to insert Kennedy into this water scenario gets 50 points!
I have communicated with Ms. Brazile via e-mail, and I must say she answered my e-mail with thoughtful, respectful responses, even though we disagreed dramatically. I believe she is one of the smartest woman in the Democrat Party. I have told her directly that she should abandon that losing party and join the Republican party where she would be more at home (you know, she and Karl Rove get along fairly well. I know the cynics on this site will bad mouth her, but I truly believe that she sincerely means the words she has written. She knows, in her heart, that the Democrat policies for aiding Black folks and erasing racism have failed miserably, and that Black folk must look inward into themselves to solve the continuing problems that surround them. Self-help, assimilation, education, stable family life, etc. are what is badly needed. Ms Brazile heard the POTUS say this, and she is with him.
Problem is, so many Dems took the road to Chappaquiddick to get to the boat. How's that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.