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(WaPo) Democrats can't blame Bush for their troubles
Washington comPost ^ | 12/17/2009 | EJ Dionne

Posted on 12/17/2009 7:21:31 AM PST by markomalley

Here's what Democrats need to ponder: Can they prosper in the absence of George W. Bush?

His presidency was a tonic for Democrats and led to a blossoming of political creativity on the center-left not seen since the 1930s. No tactic, no program, no leader ever did more to catalyze the party than the rage Bush inspired.

The whole effort was summarized nicely by the party's slogan in 2006, "A New Direction for America." There was no need to specify north or south, east or west, up or down. Compared with Bush, any alternative destination seemed appealing. And by becoming the apotheosis of the fresh and the new, Barack Obama emerged as the most attractive guide to this unknown promised land.

(snip)

But politically, the Democrats are in trouble. They are at one another's throats over health-care legislation that should be seen as one of the party's greatest triumphs. They are being held hostage by political narcissists and narrow slivers of their coalition.

When Democrats make deals, they are accused of selling out. When they fail to make deals, they are accused of not reaching out. Moderates complain that their party has gone too far left. Progressives chortle bitterly at this, asking: What's left-wing about policies that shore up banks and protect drug companies?

Rural-state centrists insist on more fiscal discipline -- as long as it doesn't affect farmers and small-town hospitals. Progressives ask why debt should be the priority when so much more needs to be done to relieve unemployment.

This is a recipe for political catastrophe. An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections, but Democrats definitely can lose them.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bds
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Expect to see more of this as Bambi's "Into the Abyss" metric continues to tank:


1 posted on 12/17/2009 7:21:32 AM PST by markomalley
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To: markomalley
The Democr@ps can't hide behind Bush any further. The leaves have fallen and the public is crying, "Leaf Me Alone!"

The Cr@P is exposed and it stinks. If we want to green our country, then scoop them up and throw them into history's trash bin?

SARC OFF!

2 posted on 12/17/2009 7:27:36 AM PST by Young Werther ("Quae Cum Ita Sunt - Julius Caesar "Since these things are so!")
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To: markomalley

“An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections”

I don’t know about bitter but negative in the context of opposing this socialist nightmare is a plus. It’s for certain they can’t propose an agenda of their own since they don’t have the power to do so. Hence the negative charge.

As to the bitterness in the R party the writer professes to see, he might want to have a look at the behavior of the Democrats in regards to their relations with Republicans. Locking them out of hearings and implying they are descendants of pro slavery, anti women’s vote, etc. policies might tend to distract some members of the most collegiate body of lawmakers on the planet.


3 posted on 12/17/2009 7:29:28 AM PST by saganite (What happens to taglines? Is there a termination date?)
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To: markomalley

Feel your pain, E.J. Feel it long and deep.


4 posted on 12/17/2009 7:29:41 AM PST by billhilly
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To: markomalley

Feel your pain, E.J. Feel it long and deep.


5 posted on 12/17/2009 7:30:45 AM PST by billhilly
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To: markomalley

“An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections, “

Huh?
Dream on!


6 posted on 12/17/2009 7:31:15 AM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: Young Werther

The Democr@ps can’t hide behind Bush any further.

So true, now America has been re-introduced to the Dem party and they now remember why they hated them in the first place. Big change, this time around, they proudly claim their socialism, so there has been some movement towards honesty in elections.


7 posted on 12/17/2009 7:31:47 AM PST by equalitybeforethelaw
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To: SmokingJoe
An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections,

but Democrats definitely can lose them.

8 posted on 12/17/2009 7:32:55 AM PST by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley

And the 7 years of bashing Bush was all BS.

He was 100 times the president Obambi is

The bigest thing wrong with bush was the press telling the world over and over again how evil he was.

I deal with a lot of overseas foks and the first thing they ALL say when I complain about Obambi is “well he’s better than Bush” (WORD-FOR-WORD)

Then when I ask them why they have no answer. NONE!

I explain to them about Global media brainwashing- and the funny thing is most of them hate communism and socilalism - so when I point out what ‘Obambi’ is doing there is a big disconnect


9 posted on 12/17/2009 7:33:22 AM PST by Mr. K (This administration is wearing out my capslock key..grrrrrr)
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To: markomalley; mkjessup; stephenjohnbanker; rabscuttle385; Impy; sickoflibs; Landru; classified; ...
RE :"Here's what Democrats need to ponder: Can they prosper in the absence of George W. Bush?" Wash Post quote above , not sickoflibs this time LOL

NOOOOOO! Not a chance!

My point exactly! Back in 2007!

Yes, the country is being destroyed!

Then why be cheerful?

American is finally realizing it and agreeing to oppose it with us!

You cant defeat them till that happens!

This is REALLY a Merry Christmas!

10 posted on 12/17/2009 7:33:54 AM PST by sickoflibs ( "It's not the taxes, the redistribution is the government spending you demand stupid")
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To: markomalley

Democrats are the kings of victim politics.


11 posted on 12/17/2009 7:37:16 AM PST by Weird Tolkienish Figure
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To: markomalley

“”””An increasingly bitter and negative Republican Party may not be able to win the midterm elections,”””””

You just couldn’t do it, could you WAPO? You were going along fine but just had to throw that in there.


12 posted on 12/17/2009 7:38:18 AM PST by envisio (The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.)
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To: markomalley

I don’t remember the Republicans having this much trouble in the first year of Bush’s term.

SnakeDoc


13 posted on 12/17/2009 7:40:02 AM PST by SnakeDoctor ("Talk low, talk slow, and don't say too much." -- John Wayne)
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To: Young Werther; 70th Division; oswegodeee; freekitty; Free ThinkerNY; jesseam; basil; nutmeg; ...

Animosity from the voters towards Bush was created and pushed hourly, 24/7, for eight years by the MSM and fostered by RATs (same ole same ole). Add to that the refusal by Bush and the leadership of the GOP to call the MSM and RATs out on their lies and propaganda.

The hourly propaganda of the Leftist MSM coupled with obvious massive voter fraud, left unchecked by the Republican Party, led to the 2008 ushering in of a Socialist thug dictator to the White House whose background was cleansed and not exposed. The MSM and RAT’s scheme brought us this Socialist/Elitist tyranny and treason of this Congress.

Time to clean the sewer that is this Congress in 2010 nd 2012. Based on everyone I talk to and everything I hear, the hatred for the current US Congress is massive. Pelosi is sniffing something if she doesn’t think she’s in the toilet with her cohorts.


14 posted on 12/17/2009 7:41:45 AM PST by ExTexasRedhead (Clean the RAT/RINO Sewer in 2010 and 2012)
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To: sickoflibs

Hey sicko, you’re one optomistic SOB, God bless ya. Must be hard, too...living in MD and all. Merry Christmas!


15 posted on 12/17/2009 7:44:40 AM PST by genetic homophobe (They hate Sarah because she lovingly carries a failed abortion on her hip.)
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To: Mr. K

The biggest thing wrong with Bush was that he was NOT a conservative. A globalist/socialist big government child of elitists, he handed us Marxism on a silver platter.


16 posted on 12/17/2009 7:47:28 AM PST by genetic homophobe (They hate Sarah because she lovingly carries a failed abortion on her hip.)
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To: markomalley
For his part, Obama has not appreciated until recently how closely he has been tied to Wall Street and the banks. He has been too reluctant to underscore how much of Washington's dysfunction has been pushed to new levels by the Republican Party's decision to grind the Senate to a halt

The Dem caucus has 60 votes, EJ - it is truly ironic that, in a column that castigates Dems for continuing to blame Bush, you blame the Senate gridlock on the GOP when the Dems have enough votes to technically do anything they want.

17 posted on 12/17/2009 7:48:20 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: Mr. K

Yes, good point. The zer0 defenders don’t have much to back up their ideas with. They always start with “Bush wrecked everything.” And of course this took place over the entire 8 years. His astronomical approval ratings of 2001-03 mean nothing. If he really had been that bad he would have been defeated in 2004. Though of course they think he stole that election too. Ha ha.


18 posted on 12/17/2009 7:54:59 AM PST by TNCMAXQ
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To: genetic homophobe

you are right

if he had NOT fallen for the liberal communists ‘sky is faling’ big bailout they would NOT be hanging the bad economy on him

Things were fine for 7.5 years until 6 months before the election

Then suddenly they talked the economy into the tank

They should have LET THOSE BANKS FAIL and explained why the government caused it!!!


19 posted on 12/17/2009 7:55:58 AM PST by Mr. K (This administration is wearing out my capslock key..grrrrrr)
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To: genetic homophobe
The biggest thing wrong with Bush was that he was NOT a conservative. A globalist/socialist big government child of elitists, he handed us Marxism on a silver platter.

It is hard to argue with this statement; however, the bushbots still do sometimes. As a president, the man was a disaster, just not to the proportions of the current TOTUS.

20 posted on 12/17/2009 7:56:08 AM PST by pt17
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