Posted on 11/11/2006 4:08:13 AM PST by MadIvan
On the morning after the mid-term elections, a humbled President George W Bush called it "a thumping".
But yesterday he described the disastrous result for the Republicans, when Congress turned from Republican red to Democrat blue, as a "great opportunity".
His aides were briefing that he now had the chance to build a domestic policy legacy and use his final two years in the White House to prove that politicians could get things done in Washington.
After a White House coffee meeting yesterday, Mr Bush chuckled as Senator Dick Durbin, part of the new Democratic leadership in the Senate, joked: "I do want to say thanks personally to the president and vice-president for their conciliatory gesture by wearing blue ties today.
"From our side, we think that is a symbolic indication."
Conservative Republicans and wary Democrats fear that Mr Bush might indeed try to steal the Democrats' clothes. "They talked about issues that people care about, and they won," he told the senators.
As a lame-duck president after years of poor relations with Democrats who were bitter about being frozen out of the decision-making process, turning opportunity into legislative reality will be one of the biggest challenges of Mr Bush's political career.
The message from the voters was that they rejected one-party rule in Washington and wanted to see whether divided government could lead to the kind of results Mr Bush was unable to achieve when Republicans were the kings of Capitol Hill.
Having been swept into power on the backs of their condemnation of a "do-nothing Congress", there will be pressure on Democrats to demonstrate that they can do business with Mr Bush. The president will want to leave office with achievements under his belt and use his power of veto sparingly.
"The Democrats should adopt a good government strategy rather than a take-no-prisoners strategy," said Senator Birch Bayh, a Democrat who served in the Senate for 18 years.
He believed that Republicans in Congress would adopt a new approach. "They've gotten the signal that people didn't like what was going on, that the well was poisoned. They're not going to be bomb throwers."
In 1996, President Bill Clinton and a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives introduced a welfare reform Bill that became a landmark piece of social legislation. Both parties claimed credit for it. Republican presidents have also signed legislation sent to them by Democratic houses of Congress.
To the dismay of conservative Republicans, Mr Bush has already indicated that he agrees with the Democratic proposal to raise the minimum wage. But the centrepiece of his last 24 months in office could be a comprehensive overhaul of America's immigration laws.
His desire for tough border security measures combined with opportunities for many of America's 12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens is shared by more Democrats than Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Gardner Peckham, a senior aide to Newt Gingrich, speaker of the House after the Republican takeover of Capitol Hill in 1994, said: "Democrats will have to be very careful not to appear like they're looking backwards and wanting retribution.
"They won't want to look like they're the source of the problem. But they're not going to want the president to look good on any of these issues. The prize is the White House in 2008. Control of Congress is great, but without the White House you can't control the agenda."
Immigration, he suggested, would be "an interesting test" of whether genuine cooperation was possible.
Increasing the minimum wage was one of the 1st subjects Bush spoke on and said he could support an increase so long as Small Businesses were not hurt (something to that effect).
It sounded like a tax-break or a federal subsidy for the increase.
Someimtes, it's just so easy! On a good day, I can spot trolls from 3 threads away. Top that! LOL
List authored by Freeper Southack
105 posted on 11/11/2006 11:52:42 AM CST by 1035rep
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Of course , if he follows the Clinton model. W is not our Party leader. He thinks he is right domestically and he is very wrong. So, do not expect a new or even lame duck Pub Congress to do much for him now and for the next two years. It will be a Dem domestic agenda and that will kill the Pubs Congressionally in '08. Unless the Senate and House Gop goes for new fresh conserv communicators, the Dems will be in power to eternity. Unfortunately, Hugh Hewitt is wrong about his optimism about taking back Congress in '08. How can they if they do not stand up for their ideals and issues?
Maybe you're right though. Maybe she's just an irrational newbie with a bad temper and an even worse case of ignorance, but the combination of comments she has made here makes me think otherwise....
There have been trolls crawling all over the place since Tuesday night, onyx, trying to demoralize and divide. I see this emotional outburst as fitting into the overall goal of the left....
Can't top that, onyx. You're the best. :)
Try reading the last line.
The deal will go soemthing like this: the Dem leadership in Congress might go easier on the subpoenas if Bush nominates judges more like Souter and Stevens. I suspect that this is exactly what will happen.
Unfortunately the emotional, out of control malcontents here make it easier than it ought to be.
Those of us with our brains still in gear need to hold the fort until things calm down around here.
Nobody hooks them better than you!!!
Amen Ohio!
A troll in my book but others may say ultra right wing conservative.
Sorry if I hurt your feelings, Enoch.
Well sure - but other than THAT what as he done?
(Bookmarking for a great list - thanks!)
Pathetic fantasy. Not even worthy of a "toaster" on that photo thread/sewing circle.
Your Bush has spent four days crowing about how now he can finally get his leftist immigration plans in action. Next year he's going to sign into law a massive explosion in third world migration that will permanently kill American conservatism, effectively merge the USA with Mexico, and generally speed our homeland's slide into the abyss.
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