August 29, 2004
THAT WOULD BE HIS PLATFORM, KEVIN:
What you won't hear: GOP hopes images can beat reality (Kevin Phillips, August 29, 2004, Boston Globe)
Here are some key issues to note, either in their image-making intentions or in their all-but-certain omission.* Terrorism and homeland security: No one should expect the convention to let disillusioning facts and the results of 2003-2004 investigations get in the way of attempts to cast George W. Bush as a reincarnation of Superman and the Lone Ranger, dedicated to the fight against evildoers like Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. Whether it will be politic to mention the not-yet-apprehended Osama bin Laden, though, is one of the few unpredictables. [...]
* War with Iraq: No US war policy has been more thoroughly bungled since James Madison let the British burn Washington during the War of 1812. [...]* The uncertain economic future: It's unclear which flaw in administration economic policy is the most dangerous -- weak job creation, feckless global oil strategy, or the ballooning US trade and current account deficits.
Under the circumstances, economic boasting is unlikely to be a hallmark of this week's speeches, save for the obligatory salutes to tax cuts and the inevitable cliches about how focused George W. Bush is on small business and the jobs it creates. If current trends continue, though, he is about to finish the autumn of 2004 as the first president since Herbert Hoover to preside over a net four-year loss of jobs. If the TV pundits are interested, even George Bush Senior did somewhat better.
* The influence of the religious right: Don't look for the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons to be in the spotlight at this convention. Back in the 1980s, the religious right didn't trust Bush Sr., and at the 1992 convention in Houston, he had to pander -- letting Pat Buchanan make a prime-time speech and then jetting up to Dallas for a presidential meeting with preachers and televangelists.
Anyone want to bet that the President himself won't mention the war on al-Qaeda and the noticeable lack of domestic terrorism since 9-11; the victory in Iraq and the handover of sovereignty; the growing economy; and the Culture of Life? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 29, 2004 3:59 PM
I think it was John Ellis who said that W doesn't have to pander to the Religious Right, he IS the Religious Right.
I think I read that in a very interesting recent book, The Bushes, by Schweizer
Posted by: John Weidner at August 29, 2004 4:15 PMGiven the current kerfuffle about what John Kerry did or didn't do in Vietnam 35 years ago, I guess it's appropriate to hear from Kevin Phillips, who has been milking his correct prediction about the future political landscape for the past three-and-a-half decades as much as Kerry has done with his four months upriver on the swift boats (and like Kerry, Phillips would rather everyone forget his 1980s musings, which already were openly hostile to the Reagan Administration and made him the Democrats favorite Republican at the time).
Posted by: John at August 29, 2004 4:33 PMWar with Iraq: No US war policy has been more thoroughly bungled since James Madison let the British burn Washington during the War of 1812.
I would have expected that Mr. Phillips knew enough history to know that this is just hysterical partisan blather. On the whole, the Iraq War, including the aftermath, has been an incredible victory. Were mistakes made? Well, duh, of course. In retrospect, even the winners in any war make mistakes and miss chances. But it went very well, all told, especially compared to the pre-war predictions of doom by opponents.
Posted by: PapayaSF at August 29, 2004 6:27 PMThe real question is: why does anyone even call Kevin Phillips a Republican anymore? He hasn't had one good word to say about a GOP President since Reagan was first elected, and he's been attacking conservative evangelicals for just about as long.
Posted by: Joe at August 29, 2004 8:07 PMPapayaSF:
Right on -- it's unbelievable to listen to these guys. Afghanistan will be a quagmire...no wait, scratch that, Baghdad will prove unconquerable...hold on a sec, we missed the boat there but believe us, America may have won the war but is on its way to losing the peace!!!
Someone needs to step outside of the echo chamber and get some fresh air.
Of course, they never learn.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at August 29, 2004 9:52 PMFunny thing is that Phillips has actually writen one of the most interesting books on american history that I have seen:The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America. Unfortunately he has in almost every other respect become a standard issue academic socalist.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at August 30, 2004 2:05 AM>Someone needs to step outside of the echo
>chamber and get some fresh air.
And maybe run into someone who isn't one of your suck-up yes-men?
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/
vanity fair movie have
http://vanity-fair-movie.celebrities-portal.info/