Second Term, Second Chance

Foxnews ^ | November 6th, 2004 | Radley Balko

[Gforce11]

Second Term, Second Chance Saturday, November 06, 2004 By Radley Balko

President Bush is now the first president since his father in 1988 to win the majority of the popular vote. Both houses of Congress are now under Republican control.

With this decisive victory, Bush no longer has to fight the “selected, not elected” rhetoric of 2000, nor does he have to worry about a divided Senate or his own re-election.

So what should a second Bush term look like? The president's own campaign promises would be a good place to start. During the campaign, President Bush said he’d like to move America more toward an “ownership society”—a society that values individualism, private enterprise, and personal responsibility over state paternalism. He said he trusts the American people more than he trusts Washington when it comes to deciding how best to spend their money.

Now is the time to prove his commitment to these ideals, because these were not the themes or results of his first term— which was disastrous in terms of promoting “ownership society” ideals. Bush and the Republican Congress doled out political favors, grew government like no administration in 40 years, and expanded the role of the regulatory state. It’s time to roll back the influence of government in our lives.

However, should the president make good on his 2004 campaign promises, he could establish for himself a Reaganesque legacy as a president who values freedom, responsibility and civil society over politics, power, and party control.

Here’s what President Bush should do in a second term:

[Imperialist]

9/11 forced Bush to grow government. No way around it. Not Bush's fault.

Never Forget.

[Gforce11]

No absolutely not and the spending+tax cuts are a way to boost the economy. But I can totally see the authors points. My bet this term is Bush cuts spending drastically and I hope, I hope they make an amendment to the constituion about the sunset law issue.

[Imperialist]

"Bush cuts spending drastically "

I can see that. He spent everything required to protect America during his first term. Bush made the right expenditures following 9/11, as demonstrated by the lack of an al qaida attack prior to our elections. Bush will not have that 'new' financial burden during his second term. That should help in the financial department. I'm sure he figured for Iran and Syria during his first term as well!