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.
Really? From where will this "pressure" come? From the media? Ha! From the leftist base of the Democrat Party?! Ha!
If it comes at all, it will come from conservative voters deluded into voting for Democrats. And that is a fairly small number.
Just goes to show that the people who vote for it don't know what the effect is, or don't care. The minimum wage passed here in Missouri last week, and beginning Jan. 1, it will be $6.50. The only entity that will benefit in the long run is the government, as payroll taxes will be increased.
Carolyn
Although I've seen some similar stuff from people as far back as '98.
Makes me think they're Hillary infiltrators from when her HINO was in the Oval Office and they've been under rocks since then and just pop out when they think they can go unnoticed..
Some of these people seriously cannot be conservatives. And we are noticing them....
We are NOT losing the fence because of President Bush.
And he has NO plan to replace us with hispanics. That was an absurd comment and your conversation with me is OVER.
Bash to your little heart's delight. I'm not coming back for it. I respect the President even though I disagree with him on this issue, and I have NO tolerance for the hysteria that misrepresents his position for effect.
I'm DONE here, Nav.
The hysteria on this issue cost us the House and the Senate, IMO.
And because of that, we lost the fence.
I hope you are correct. But mind you, I am one of the voters on here who was stunned by the Democrat take over.
I voted straight ticket (R) and the fact that the democrats won on absolutely zero platform was a huge blow.
You speak of a "common sense" alternative...What exactly is that? And I repeat, I have not spewed hatred, I have "spewed" frustration & confusion. For that I have been called a Troll and hysterical. So I ask you, who in fact is "spewing hate" ?
I don't really want to get into a spewing hate" battle, which would be a monumental waste of time for both of us. And if it makes you feel any better, I personally was called a troll earlier today. So it goes.
I understand your frustration and confusion, and I'm sorry you didn't see this loss coming. You certainly had to know it was a possibility watching the discussions around here. I never give in to thinking we are going to lose before we actually do...but we ALWAYS have to KNOW it is possible. Every single election, every single candidate. Never forget that and it will never come as a surprise. Frankly it's shocking that it took until year six for it to happen to this administration. It only took two, with much more serious damage, during the Clinton years! We are very fortunate.
This border issue is a topic that has been discussed forever around here. Rather than rehashing old material, I strongly suggest you do some research of your own. And be sure to actually read the primary source material, not just the comments. I've been caught in that trap before myself. LOL.
Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for! Have a great evening.
If I am not mistaken, I believe that President Bush tried to work with the Democrats when he was first elected.
In fact, if memory serves me right, he appointed a Democrat to his Cabinet and let Ted Kennedy write part or all of his education bill a/k/a as No Child Left Behind Act.
Are you aware of the results of these attempts?
Thank You
I will take your suggestions~
Pray for the Troops.
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