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A Conciliatory Bush?

By TChris, Section Elections 2006
Posted on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 01:27:38 PM EST
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After ignoring (at best) or attacking (at worst) Democrats for the last six years, the president is suddenly in the mood to search for "common ground," starting with the minimum wage.

President George W. Bush on Wednesday said increasing the national minimum wage is likely an issue on which he could cooperate with Democratic leaders in Congress.

Bush knows a minimum wage increase will be on his desk, and he knows that a veto won't sit well in light of the overwhelming support for a minimum wage increase, as evidenced by ballot measures in Nevada, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado, Arizona, and Montana. He also knows that he'll receive a bipartisan bill because Republicans will be afraid to oppose a minimum wage increase. The best he can do for conservatives is damage control, and that will require a conciliatory posture that the president isn't used to assuming. Does he have it in him?

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    A Conciliatory Bush? | 16 comments (16 topical)

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    only until he thinks he can get away with not (none / 0) (#1)
    by scribe on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 01:57:06 PM EST
    He just cracked up the family sedan, staggered home drunk, and made enough noise sneaking into the house that he woke up Dad.

    Listening to an interview with Sen. Pat Leahy (putative Chairman of Judiciary) on NPR, he's going after the can't-even-tell-your-lawyer-about-being-tortured-policy, in response to a question about revisiting Abu Ghraib, says he wants to "unrepeal" habeas corpus, and then says

    "Removing the rights of people is something we don't do in this country."  

    The damage to the family sedan isn't the half of it - when Bushie cracked it up, he hurt a lot of people, and there's going to be a lot of uncomfortable questions.

    His conciliatory demeanor is transitory - don't forget it.

    "unrepeal" habeas corpus (none / 0) (#5)
    by Edger on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 02:43:23 PM EST
    The federal appeals court just may do that by the end of this year....

    Parent
    Conciliatory Bush? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Archmichael on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 02:06:38 PM EST
    Conciliation, such as George is capable of, has begun:  Rummy is out.  

    Can you hear us now, George?!

    Conciliatory? Bush? Hah! (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 02:26:12 PM EST
    If at all only to further an agenda and provide cover, I think. I don't trust him. I never trusted him. He's lied thru his teeth so often on nearly every single issue since day one that he'd probably have a stroke or go mute if he tried to be truthful.

    Why believe him now?

    I hate to keep harping on something, but Bush being conciliatory sounds too much like Muravchik here:

    "Neoconservatives have the president's ear, but they also have lots of baggage. To stay relevant, they must admit mistakes, embrace public diplomacy, and start making the case for bombing Iran."
    In other words ... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 02:33:03 PM EST
    ...if Bush tells the truth it will only be to hide a bigger lie.

    Parent
    C'mon (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 03:03:59 PM EST
    He fights a min. wage increase tooth and nail thru his congressional co-conspirators for 6 years...and suddenly has a working class awakening?

    Politicians crack me up.

    Worried about my leftie bloggers (none / 0) (#7)
    by Slado on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 04:35:46 PM EST
    Sounds like you guys are stuggling to come to grips with winning an election.

    See that's how it works.  You win and you get a mandate and you get to do what you want to do.

    That's what Bush and the Republcians have been doing and now the democrats get to try.

    Next thing you know you guys will be making appearances in righty blogs because you can't get used to getting your way.

    Bush will be like Reagan during his years in the Whitehouse.   He'll stand put on Iraq, like Reagan did the USSR, fight tax hikes, like Reagan did but work with the democratic congress to keep spending down.

    The truth of the matter is a democratic congress with a Repulican president will probably spend less then the Republican congress and president did.   Bush will learn how to Veto things becasue he doens't have to run again and repulicans will start acting like republicans again.

    Yeah... (none / 0) (#11)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 05:24:01 PM EST
    I think we will see less spending,  more checking and balancing,  as well as a little government gridlock...all always good things.  

    Government...like life...requires balance.  The country has been walking like the guy who needs a V-8 for 6 years....he just got his V-8.

    Parent

    I'm not worried (none / 0) (#15)
    by Repack Rider on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 08:28:43 PM EST
    Bush will be like Reagan during his years in the Whitehouse.

    Even Reagan could not touch Bush's corruption, although I will concede that only Nixon and Reagan come close.

    Parent

    Agreed (none / 0) (#16)
    by scarshapedstar on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 11:46:17 PM EST
    Bush will be like Reagan during his years in the Whitehouse.

    You mean he has acute, irreversible brain damage? Tell us something we don't know.

    To be fair, though, Bush won't be basing all his actions on the advice of his astrologer. He prefers a Magic 8-Ball. (Pun unintended, I swear.)

    Parent

    i'm with "the rude pundit" (none / 0) (#8)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 04:36:31 PM EST
    trash him, beat him to the ground, kick him while he's down. after a while, when he's stopped moaning, then you might consider throwing some cold water on his face, maybe.

    he's a lame duck, in the lamest sense of the term, who the f needs him?

    Me too. (none / 0) (#9)
    by Edger on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 04:40:03 PM EST
    Love the idea. Reminds me of the story of HST wanting to tie Nixon to the bumper, drag him a around the WH a few times, then cut him loose and dump him in front of the Rose Garden.

    Good clean fun. No?

    Parent

    Did he really say (none / 0) (#10)
    by Maggie Mae on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 04:55:37 PM EST
    President George W. Bush on Wednesday said increasing the national minimum wage is likely an issue on which he could cooperate with Democratic leaders in Congress.

    Did he really say Democratic leaders?

    I watched the presser and with as many times as he said the word, I could have sworn he never put the ic on the end of Democrat.

    I know, I know, the Republics use that as a way of needling and marginalizing the Democrats in the country, but I've always found it quite ironic that those who most frequently use that ungrammatical tactic are usually the ones who want the official language in the US to be English.  

    Bush proposes date rape (none / 0) (#12)
    by msobel on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 06:31:55 PM EST

    You know, there is an expression IOKIYAR It's OK If You Are  Republican.  If Democrats governed like Republicans they would impeach Cheney, the block the approval of his replacement nominee, then impeach Bush, creating President Pelosi.  To quote John Dean, purportedly quoting Richard Nixon, "We could do it, it would be easy but it would be wrong."

    And as for Bipartisanship on the part of the President,  from today's presser's opening statement:

    "I told Congresswoman Pelosi that I look forward to working with her and her colleagues to find common ground in the next two years. As the majority party in the House of Representatives, they recognize that in their new role they now have greater responsibilities. And in my first act of bipartisan outreach since the election, I shared with her the names of some Republican interior decorators who can help her pick out the new drapes in her new offices. (Laughter.)"

    To quote Capital Hill Blues
    And the horse they rode in on

    Man Overboard? (none / 0) (#13)
    by rbottoms on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 06:40:24 PM EST
    Rumsfeld.

    Gone Baby Gone:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSxkAZcnMPA

    anyone heard............. (none / 0) (#14)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 07:06:38 PM EST
    from cheney? when last seen, he was headed into the woods, to do a little shooting..............

    A Conciliatory Bush? | 16 comments (16 topical)

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