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.
I am out of here as well many things to do before I go to sleep to and to annoy some on this thread I will be on the dose later.
"As onyx has said I have tired of you as well you refuse to even look at other points of view."
I don't accept your opinion as fact by fiat, true.
He'll get more done with the RATS than he did with conservatives because he's liberal just like the RATS are! He loves the big spending, just like they do, and they're for amnesty just like he is. In fact, they'll probably get more done with Bush than they did with Clinton in office. We have surrendered our Constitution and have become part of the "Americas!" We have been screwed, big time, and I suspect, it's going to get much, much worse!
Thanks for that info. I'm having a hard time watching him speak the past few months, he seems so insecure and unsteady. I really feel sorry for him. He has been screwed by a lot of people inside the government and outside in the media.
Unfortunately a minimum wage increase will hurt small business most likely.
Union contracts are also tied to increases in the M.W. Many wages will then have to rise, then some will lose their jobs. It's a tough situation, and the old media will somehow make him look bad for anything he decides to do.
I hate the media. They won this election and are ruining this country.
I see a terrorist act occurring worse than 9/11.
Ronald Reagan was hobbled by an overwhelmingly democrat congress, and did not have the benefit of talk radio, the internet, fox news and other independent media sources. W. had both houses of congress before Tuesday, plus an alternative media machine to help him. There's no comparison.
Right............. but the media would distort the Republican position anyhow! It's an nearly impossible position.
"conciliatory gesture by wearing blue tie"
I'll bet Nancy was wearing blood red.
Right again.
Libertarians are too often selfish people with no sense. They did fail the country in these elections.
But I'm sure they feel good about themselves...../sarc
"I see a terrorist act occurring worse than 9/11."
One of Osama's highest priority targets has always been San Francisco. Why? Because it stands for all the moral degradation of the West and against all that Osama finds anthema.
I have always thought that after Washington, D.C., and our Economic center (New York) that S.F. would be the next High target.
I would also put Seattle on the list because of Bill Gates.
lol
****
You know you're a libertarian when:
You dream of starting your own country.
You either love Miss Rand - or think all her followers are robots.
You define government as "organized force" on your poly sci exam.
The very thought of dope-smokin' gun-totin' wife-swappin' atheist Ayn-Rand-worshippers running the country gives you a warm feeling in the cockles of your heart.
You hate politicians so much that even if they tell you they lied, you don't believe them.
You're pro-choice on everything.
You'll vote against a policitian who wants to abolish the IRS because he's against decriminalizing pot. You think that politicians should be limited to two terms. . .... one term in office and then one in jail.
****
LOL
It would be rather interesting if S.F. would be the next hit since Pelosi Galore is going to be The Screecher of The House soon.
LOL! That is hilarious! Where did you get it?
A trivial result but at least it took up a lot of words in your cut and paste of bureaucratic tail-chasing.
How about something more succinct?
LOL-LOL-LOL
"It isn't a conservative one either."
Yes, conservatives like myself sit back and seethe. At the rate we're going we'll be like Brazil, a third world, heathen, country with extremes in economic class.
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.