[churchillbuff]

Bush won't call for bigger, sooner tax cuts. Like his dad, he stands-pat in the face of economic trouble, and he doesn't have an instinctive aversion to high taxes and regulations. He agrees with Daschle, for instance, that cap gains taxes shouldn't be cut. If the GOP suffers in the elections, don't be surprised.

[churchillbuff]

"""taken together, the recent rash of bad news - including a sinking stock market, concern about the economy's recovery, the demise of WorldCom and Arthur Andersen, and questions about administration officials' past business practices - is much more likely to affect the public opinion about the president. """"

A lot of freepers are wishing it won't be so, but common sense suggests otherwise.

[dead]

While polling has not yet recorded a dramatic turn in public opinion against President Bush or the GOP,

Solid fact.

events of the past few weeks have substantially increased the likelihood that the 2002 midterm elections will resemble other midterms, when the president's party is on the defensive and suffers losses.

Blatent speculation posing as "news."

[Grut]

Panic is not the friend of the Republicans, it's their teddy bear.

[Lance Romance]

I've seen Mr. Rothenberg on CNN several times. He's essentially Bill Schneider + 5 IQ points. He is definitely not a sage.

Midterm usually have dismal turnouts and not much changes. It's only when voters are motivated (1994 Congressional elections) that this swing occurs.

I think this is more of Mr. Rothenbergs wet dream than reality.

[warchild9]

What's going to cost the Republicans in the next few issues are blatant liberal policy shifts (I won't enumerate them here; we know about them). We're not stupid out here in the boonies, and know when an Administration is screwing us over. Add to conservative disenchantment a falling economy and no obvious closure to 9/11, and they're going to lose, lose, lose. (And I say good--see if they can replace me with a Mexican insta-citizen.)

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

The Republicans would do just fine if they got the following message out:

Show charts of the stock market pre-election 1994 and post-election 1994.

The big boom in the economy and stock market for which Bill Clinton took credit only occurred AFTER the Republicans took control of Congress.

For his first two years, Clinton was floundering and the economy was like a ship without a rudder.

If Republicans would make this clearly transparent argument, they could make big gains in November.

Will they?

No, because they are too lazy and too stupid and too gentle.

President Bush should make it an issue, because if he doesn't rally the base, his goose will be cooked in 2004.

[NonZeroSum]

He completely misses what is likely to be the most significant political event between now and the election--a beginning, if not an end, to the regime change in Iraq. Once this starts, expect the market to take off as the uncertainty ends, and the Dems chances to collapse.

[Leto]

Let's boil this down: Nothing has happened to Bush's popularity with the American people, BUT something could happen and it MIGHT be bad for the GOP.

When the anniversary of 9-11 comes along, with some military action against Iraq and the corp certifications are in, and the world doesn't end and the PE ratios are back at historical norms, and the accounting reforms are passed, the market will start ot recover.

Bush will take credit.

Liberial Stew is doing some carping on behalf of the DNC to try and form public opinion. No Big Deal.

[warchild9]

Actually, Bush's second term will be assured if he pulls of two critcally important feats: end Saddam's life and present us with Osama's head on a platter (or the media equivalent). Hoping the boobs equate tax cuts with presidential success is a wet dream, but they'll wake up when two dead, evil enemies are terminated.

[HamiltonJay]

IMHO Tax cuts sooner aren't going to save the Republicans.... Bush and Republicans sealed their fate when they made themselves the defender of corporate corruption in the past few weeks... like it or not the stock market fiasco is a mess, and republican leaders are not out going after the "economic terrorists" who have done more harm to america that 9/11 at least in terms of pure dollars.... Like it or not the Republicans are making themselves look like fools to middle america on this one..

A corrupt businessman is a corrupt businessman, they should be vehemently going after punishing and making it tougher for such shenanegans to continue going on or go on in future.. Republican's and Bush both misplaying their hands on this one, and its going to hurt em.

[Stultis]

COUNTER ATTACK, Dammit, by tying Dims to the trial lawyers!

The perception is that Dubya couldn't, and can't, move forward on tort reform (originally planned to be included in the first State of the Union speech) because of Cheney's connection with Halliburton.

Cheney engineered the purchase of a company while he was at Halliburton that ended up having huge liabilities wrt asbestos lawsuits. (This was as a result, if I understand correctly, of an intervening legal descision that basically allowed asbestos litigators to go after any company with even the most tenuous, indirect or historical connections to asbestos production or installation.) THIS is one of the main factors (probably something like 50 percent responsible) that caused Halliburton stock to crash in 2000/2001.

The perception is that if Bush pushes tort reform he will be seen as defending big business and CEOs like his own V.P. Cheney. But, if Bush does push tort reform, and the Dims squeal about Bush comming to the rescue of big business, this will provide an opportunity to do what the media by and large refused to do (with a few exceptions such as the Wall Street Journal): to clue the public in to the huge role out-of-control tort actions have had in destroying hundreds of businesses, thousands of jobs, AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF STOCK VALUE.

Trial lawyers donate overwhelmingly to Dims. Along with the NEA, other federal unions, and big labor, they are THE major constinuency of the Dims. This is a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to tie the Dims to loses in corporate value, and thereby in the value of Americans' IRAs!!!

[pankot]

This article is wishful (liberal) thinking.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Just look at the stock charts--the current free fall is probably the last phase of the Clinton downturn that started in January 2000. Clearly, the corrupt corruption that is being revealed now was initiated well within the Toon's watch. Someone has got to start getting this message out.

[CyberAnt]

I think this is good - if the GOP gets too cocky about how they are going to take the election in a landslide, they could end up losing from lack of action.

This is good - keep them on the go - keep them beating the bushes for all the votes - keep them out there telling the American people the conservative way - this is a good thing.

[leftiesareloonie]

We'd better hope that nonething comes of the SEC's investigation into Halliburton, or at least nonething connected to Cheney. IF (and I hope it's a big IF) something does come of it, the RATS are going to win back the house and maintain the Senate.

If they control both Houses, you can bet they will be into payback big time. The next Congress will investigage Bush and Cheney's previous financial dealings, every which way to Sunday. Plus they will use thier control to launch their independent probe of pre-9/11 fuck-ups.

Already, they are trying to force both Pitt and White to resign, and to turn Cheney into the poster boy of crony capitalism .

Unfortunately, neither Pitt, nor White, nor Cheney seems to have developed a reasonable strategy for dealing with dem attacks. Cheney's silence makes it look like he has something to hide. White was terrible in that hearing the other day. And Pitt seems to me to have all the charisma of a toad. The man has a tin ear for politics, quite frankly. I know being SEC chair isn't suppose to be a highly political post. But Pitt has been thrust into the political limelight and he seems to me to provide the dems more fodder every time he opens his fat mouth.