Victor Davis Hanson: Bush turns tables on Dems

JewishWorldReview.com ^ | Dec. 8, 2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Tolik]

You are right in saying that the Gingrich revolution is responsible for these accomplishments.

BUT. Clinton (or Dick Morris) deserve the credit also. He made a choice to go along. He could have choose to fight. With allies in media, who knows the result?

Rightly or wrongly, a President gets credit and blame for everything. So he gets a free credit here. I think VDH should have mentioned Newt in parentheses at least.

[kabar]

One of VDH's poorer efforts. Not well thought out and factually wrong.

[CBart95]

Glad you noticed the fact that VDH is a Dem.
Did you also take note of the sly setup he did on Bush by comparing him to the Sleeze ex-President?

This is age-old character assasination.

He gets your head nodding affirmatively, then delivers the shiv.

Few are mesmerized by ancient debate club tricks and the author stands to lose more than he bargained for when his prevarication is laid bare.

Hanson is brilliant no doubt. Despite his gifts,he's far from un-biased

[kabar]

Instead, they finally charged him with being a lothario who lied about his sexual antics. But he ended up with higher approval ratings than the Republicans who impeached him.

VDH knows better than this. Clinton lied under oath to a grand jury. He had his law license suspended and paid a fine. He settled out of court with Paula Jones. It was not all about sex and being a lothario.

[brothers4thID]

Good as always. Thanks.

[afnamvet]

Thanks for the ping. Great read.

[Nonstatist]

It was not all about sex and being a lothario.

But the fact is that he was popular from 1996 on, AND he did sign off on all that Republican legislation. Those are FACTS, like it or not.

And to top it off, that clown of a candidate Gore almost got elected. If you all have a better explanation than Hanson's for why that all happened, I'd love to hear it.

[Tenacious 1]

Thanks.

[conservativecorner]

If I remember right, the House passes 9 of 10 or 10 of 10 items listed in the Contract With America. Before they came out with the plan or Contract there was no chance of them becoming the Majority Party in the House. Newt deserves all the credit for this brilliant political move not with just the Contract, but also because each and every House Republican signed that Contract, and then they went out and did it to their credit. We fought Clinton on Welfare Reform and a Balanced Budget, and in both cases we won.

Give the electorate credit for liking plans with concrete steps to achieving a goal, and they will follow.

[conservativecorner]

TOUCHE' BUMP!

[StatenIsland]

I think VDH's point was not too argue the line-by-line laundry list if Clinton's failings but, to point out that in similar way each President frustrated his critics.

"It was the 1994 Election and the Contract With America that accomplished these things. "

I threw this in as a by-the-way. We can continue to trumpet - for now - that the Dems do nothing but take pot-shots at the administration, while offering no real alternative plan. However, the bigger the deal we make of this, the bigger will be the splash when they actually come up with one.

Well, they may be sleazy but they're not stupid. Indeed, I've already heard that they're fishing around for a title for a broad range of plans, knowing they can't use "Contract".

But we can. I think it's high time we tapped Newt on the shoulder and asked him to immediately help us draw up Contract with America II. It's never to early to start, and it would be great to steal a march on their derivative plan.

[kitkat]

***Hanson is brilliant no doubt. Despite his gifts,he's far from un-biased***

I'm glad I'm not alone in being disgusted with Hanson's article. It was a mixed-message, deliberate attempt to make Clinton look good.

[kabar]

But the fact is that he was popular from 1996 on, AND he did sign off on all that Republican legislation. Those are FACTS, like it or not.

When you have the MSM acting as a cheerleader and enabler, it is not surprising that Clinton was "popular", although he never receivced more than 50% of the popular vote. He signed off on most of the GOP legislation, although it took three times for the welfare reform bill to get signed by the WH. Under Cinton, the Dems lost control of the House and Senate. So much for popularity and political effectiveness.

And to top it off, that clown of a candidate Gore almost got elected. If you all have a better explanation than Hanson's for why that all happened, I'd love to hear it.

As the incumbent VP running for President in a boom economy in a country at peace and aided by an adoring MSM, Gore should have beat a relatively unknown governor with a famous name easily. Gore lost because the public was fed up with the sordid mess at the WH. Gore even lost Tennessee and Arkansas. So much for popularity.

[kabar]

But we can. I think it's high time we tapped Newt on the shoulder and asked him to immediately help us draw up Contract with America II. It's never to early to start, and it would be great to steal a march on their derivative plan.

Newt has already enumerated many of the big issues that should be on the GOP agenda now, slogans aside. His book, Winning The Future: A 21st Century Contract with America , provides some proposals on these issues.

"His updated contract, which comes a decade after the original Republican Contract with America that marked the high point of Gingrich's national power, calls for a dramatically simplified tax code that favors savings and investment; government investment in science and technology, particularly regarding space, energy, and the environment; transforming Social Security into personal savings accounts; overhauling the civil justice system to reduce the burden of lawsuits; and updating the federal government, including the privatization of some functions, so that it moves at the speed and effectiveness of the information age. And that's just the beginning. He also calls for tripling the size of America's intelligence community, reforming its election system, developing a more intelligent health care system that creates jobs and increases quality of life, and balancing the federal budget."

[Loud Mime]

I have to ping this for later reading, but on the surface I wouldn't give Clinton credit for passing welfare reform. He vetoed the bill twice then signed the third measure after it passed with veto-proof majorities.

Afterwards Clinton said that the bill was wrong and needed to be fixed. Later, he took credit for the legislation.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Hooray! We win! Bush is a bigger socialist than Clinton! Woo Hoo!

We showed those dems, eh?

[Grampa Dave]

[shrinkermd]

I am surprised such an eminent historian misses all the "war hero" RATS asking for peace at any price are emulating another war hero turned traitor--Benedict Arnold. Yes the early hero of the Revolutionary War turned traitor when he was not promoted. Now our RAT heroes turn traitor when they can't obtain power.

[Valin]

Instead, they finally charged him with being a lothario who lied about his sexual antics.

FYI
12/8/1998 The White House opened its defense against the impeachment of Pres. Clinton. A 184-page defense, written by White House lawyers, held that Clinton’s actions were “immoral” and “misleading” but did not amount to impeachable offenses.

[GOPPachyderm]

He was also impeached. I just wanted to add to the list!