Posted on 11/11/2006 4:08:13 AM PST by MadIvan
On the morning after the mid-term elections, a humbled President George W Bush called it "a thumping".
But yesterday he described the disastrous result for the Republicans, when Congress turned from Republican red to Democrat blue, as a "great opportunity".
His aides were briefing that he now had the chance to build a domestic policy legacy and use his final two years in the White House to prove that politicians could get things done in Washington.
After a White House coffee meeting yesterday, Mr Bush chuckled as Senator Dick Durbin, part of the new Democratic leadership in the Senate, joked: "I do want to say thanks personally to the president and vice-president for their conciliatory gesture by wearing blue ties today.
"From our side, we think that is a symbolic indication."
Conservative Republicans and wary Democrats fear that Mr Bush might indeed try to steal the Democrats' clothes. "They talked about issues that people care about, and they won," he told the senators.
As a lame-duck president after years of poor relations with Democrats who were bitter about being frozen out of the decision-making process, turning opportunity into legislative reality will be one of the biggest challenges of Mr Bush's political career.
The message from the voters was that they rejected one-party rule in Washington and wanted to see whether divided government could lead to the kind of results Mr Bush was unable to achieve when Republicans were the kings of Capitol Hill.
Having been swept into power on the backs of their condemnation of a "do-nothing Congress", there will be pressure on Democrats to demonstrate that they can do business with Mr Bush. The president will want to leave office with achievements under his belt and use his power of veto sparingly.
"The Democrats should adopt a good government strategy rather than a take-no-prisoners strategy," said Senator Birch Bayh, a Democrat who served in the Senate for 18 years.
He believed that Republicans in Congress would adopt a new approach. "They've gotten the signal that people didn't like what was going on, that the well was poisoned. They're not going to be bomb throwers."
In 1996, President Bill Clinton and a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives introduced a welfare reform Bill that became a landmark piece of social legislation. Both parties claimed credit for it. Republican presidents have also signed legislation sent to them by Democratic houses of Congress.
To the dismay of conservative Republicans, Mr Bush has already indicated that he agrees with the Democratic proposal to raise the minimum wage. But the centrepiece of his last 24 months in office could be a comprehensive overhaul of America's immigration laws.
His desire for tough border security measures combined with opportunities for many of America's 12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens is shared by more Democrats than Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Gardner Peckham, a senior aide to Newt Gingrich, speaker of the House after the Republican takeover of Capitol Hill in 1994, said: "Democrats will have to be very careful not to appear like they're looking backwards and wanting retribution.
"They won't want to look like they're the source of the problem. But they're not going to want the president to look good on any of these issues. The prize is the White House in 2008. Control of Congress is great, but without the White House you can't control the agenda."
Immigration, he suggested, would be "an interesting test" of whether genuine cooperation was possible.
The President needs to remember that he won his election in 04, it was the Senate and Congress that lost theirs in 06. GWB is still the elected leader of our country, it's the democrats who need to help him with his agenda not the other way around.
BUMP!
Go ahead and ignore the achievements of President Bush if that suits your agenda.
"Go ahead and ignore the achievements of President Bush if that suits your agenda."
My point is that not everything in that list would be considered an achievement for the CONSERVATIVE AGENDA.
Read the list.
If you truly live in a neighboring state of mine, then you ought to know that the South has been saving the Union from the democrats for a number of years.
In battle ground states, it's next to impossible to statewide elect "real or true" conservatives. Rick Santorum was defeated, but Spector won. It is a fact that the GOP needs the Spector's and others in order to sustain a majority.
I am sick to death of the purists who slam the Maine girls, because they're not conservatives, but they're about all Maine will elect and we should be grateful to have them. Their ACU ratings are both in the 50's --- so they vote with us a little over half of the time, whereas the much heralded Lieberman has a lifetime ACU rating of 17%.
Now, you mention that you do not support liberals in our party. Care to name them?
How old are you?
There is NO congress that is totally conservative. Good grief.
Great post as you say each race is local and we have to be realistic like I am about David Cameron.
They will long for those days when the GOP was in charge.
A basic truth that those who are so willing to condemn the President across the board refuse to accept.
Since 9/11 everything comes a distant second to his burden and desire to protect the American people from death and destruction.
We may not like some of the moves he makes to compromise, but his vision is clear. If we don't survive, nothing else matters.
I just wish that FReepers would try to understand that fact....
I'm out of here for awhile.
Taking my trophy bride to a play in Sacramento.
Have fun enjoying the lessons given to us by the Bush Haters this past Tuesday.
Have fun
LOL! The unwashed are now clean and good to go!
Thanks to all the 'teach the Gop a lesson' voters who stayed at home.
Damn fools didn't realize that they blew our chance to have a conservative majority on SCOTUS. Here we were ked to beleive that they really wanted a conservative SCOTUS. Har! I guess they much prefer the abortion "issue" than a court to over turn it.
All of sudden Alberto Gonzales is looking pretty darn good, but he won't pass litmus test number one!
In the years to come, 43 will be blamed for appointing a moderate who will surely turn left.
Exactly right, snugs. You're a smart and pragmatic voter. We have pouting, shrill children here pitching hissy fits.
"If you truly live in a neighboring state of mine, then you ought to know that the South has been saving the Union from the democrats for a number of years. "
Yes - and we did our part this time too, even if my District had no national election to vote for (why the Republicans do not keep trying to unseat Bud Cramer (D) (49%) I can't fathom). My two Senators are solid (Sessions with a 98%) and reasonably solid Shelby (74%).
"whereas the much heralded Lieberman has a lifetime ACU rating of 17%. "
He was certainly not praised by me. I do wonder why there was so much Joe support on this site. He was only on our side on the WOT. Nothing more. That he was marginally better than the hard Left running the DNC now doesn't change his political orientation.
"Now, you mention that you do not support liberals in our party. Care to name them? "
McCain, for one. I did notice CFR is off the list as a plus. I think it was still there the last time I read it about a week ago. Now, delete NCLB and billions more to Africa and it'll look better. Any Republican in the Senate who voted for the Senate immigration bill for another.
BUMP! You're exactly right and if truth be known, a lot of poeple aren't really concerned with the spending, they just want it spent on them or on their pet issues, and not on the war in Iraq!
That President Bush, in spite of having to deal with a Dem senate (thanks a lot, ubercons!), will find the right appointee who will be able to get past the Dems, and end up voting for life and the Constitution.
It will be far more difficult now, but God is a God of the impossible, and I am trusting Him to lead the President to the right SC nominee.
I personally do not care for McCain he is too much of a media whore but liberal that is going too far.
At the end of the day McCain is a Republican and will support the party maybe his views are not yours and mine but Liberal grow up.
Strikes me anyone who does not agree with you 100% is either a RINO or a liberal.
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