Spectator quotes admin official: "We're more than listless, we're sunk"

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8762


Washington Prowler
That Sinking Feeling
By The Prowler
Published 9/19/2005 12:10:33 AM

DEAD AGENDA

Publicly, the White House will tell you that it intends to push ahead with two of its big legislative issues throughout the fall: making permanent the first term tax cuts and Social Security reform.

Even privately, with the political and policy debacle that the White House created with its Clintonian response to Hurricane Katrina, policy and political types at 1600 Pennsylvania insist what's left of an agenda is still viable.

But at this stage of the game, barring some imaginative political moves that bear some resemblance to the Bush Administration circa 2002, Republicans on Capitol Hill and even some longtime Bush team members in various Cabinet level departments say this Administration is done for.

"You run down the list of things we thought we could accomplish and you have to wonder what we thought we were thinking," says a Bush Administration member who joined on in 2001. "You get the impression that we're more than listless. We're sunk."

-snip-


I'm editing, after seeing the first replies here, to ask that you read the entire article, at the link above, to see the later reference that explains the "Clintonian" adjective -- it apparently refers to how Republicans see the programs and spending Bush has proposed.

Several more paragraphs there, also mentioning that some Bush loyalists are "looking to jump."

This isn't a source that I'd normally consider credible, but I decided to check out the article after seeing a headline for it on The Huffington Post website, which stressed the "We're sunk" wording I quoted in my subject line. I thought that was what was important here -- the view of administration officials that "the administration is done for."

What kind of world do these people live in, anyway? Under Clinton, FEMA became a lean, mean, disaster-fighting machine that swooped in quickly and got things done. And THEY whine about others trying to "rewrite history."

heartless non-response of the chimp regime.

And, yet, still manage to be lying.

A later paragraph in the article refers to Republicans being "stunned to hear about programs that read as if cribbed from the Clinton Administration."

I absolutely do not get that. One thing you cannot lay at Bill's feet is being slow to respond to crises.

Unless they're referring to how he handled the Monica scandal. But it still makes little or no sense. :shrug:

Of course, this IS the American Spectator, which is about as right wing as it gets.

Notice how you've heard lots of people commenting on the contents of bush's speech last Thursday making references to "FDR," "almost liberal," and in the same spirit, I think, even "Clintonesque."

Once upon a time in a far, far better country than we now have (even after george-the-first) the Clintons spoke publicly about their governmental philosophy - that they believed government could be a force for doing good (I think that's the wording they used). That translated into a government that upheld the social safety net - the same one republi-CONS sneer is "too much wasteful government spending." There were also lots of details. Clinton himself would hvae suggested a number of specific things, considering how fast and creative his mind is (and how he surrounded himself with similarly nimble-thinking people).

This whole thing is anathema to republi-CONS and violates their sense of being able to make it on one's own, without help. I mean, look how much time and further good will bush wasted, either taking his time responding to offers of help from other nations, or simply rejecting them altogether. by contrast, a liberal/progressive/Democratic view would be more along the lines of "we've all gotta look out for one another," or "we're all in this together." To bring the weight, power, and purportedly large purse of the federal government into this is skewing the federal response way more toward something Clinton would describe and set in motion, rather than something the "I, me, mine" GOP would prefer.

It also throws a lot of money at the problem, which is something the bad guys always accuse our side of doing, from Clinton onward and outward. The republi-CONS' instincts would be far more - um - conservative. Remember just after the tsunami hit, when bush was also AWOL for a little while and slow to react, and when he finally did, it was to pledge a whopping 450-thousand dollars in immediate aid? Yeah, that's enough for now, they'd say. We have other things we need to do with that money (like divvy it up among themselves and all others on their lofty economic category and higher. Or to go kill people who won't see it our way in other countries).

It's worthwhile to remember that the reason they even invoke Clinton's name like this is a default recognition that something that he'd come up with would be clearly and fully designed to help the needy. Of COURSE he'd be the one to come up with creative options for this. THAT'S WHERE HE CAME FROM. I read that both he AND his FEMA chief, James Lee Witt, hailed from areas where there were MANY people below the poverty line. They weren't brought up with silver spoons in their mouths and silver coke spoons up their noses when they should have been studying and working and learning what it is to have to make a living for yourself and/or yourself and your family. So they KNOW this stuff. They lived it. They grew up with it. This is something bush can NEVER know or understand. He never lived it, never saw it or HAD TO see it, no less experience it. How on earth could he know?

Also, remember this: it's becoming increasingly clear that the only template we have for government that actually worked and did (or tried to do) something for people NOT among the elites in the past, what, 25 years? - was the Clinton Administration. ESPECIALLY in this case, with the strong, effective, trusted, and highly-respected FEMA organization that Clinton put together, up to and including the guy he named - Witt - to head the whole thing. Among the good cards Clinton passed to bush when bush shoved his way into Clinton's chair were a damned good, new and improved FEMA, one evidently restored from the caricature it had become during bush-the-first's tenure. That's the FEMA bush-2 inherited, and the very same FEMA he then chose to defund and downgrade.

I tell ya, any and all comparisons or references now to Clinton-anything is good. You tell me who winds up looking better in such comparisons? You tell me who winds up looking more like a real leader? You tell me who looks like a superior supervisor and more effective CEO? You tell me who looks like the guy you want to turn to when you're in trouble? You tell me who looks like the guy you know would understand at least some of what going through trouble is?

I submit that the references to Clinton from here on out, for the most part (unless it's made by someone who is clearly using it as a diss) will be tantamount to harkening back to "the good old days."

Back in the Clinton era. When we had paid down our debt. When we had a little wiggle-room, financially. When the government actually tried to do something for those not in line for selfish, stingey republi-CON tax cuts. When somebody actually was fond of saying "I feel your pain," and you could chuckle about it and poke fun but deep-down you knew there was some sincerity and truth to it. When our biggest federal travail was the president getting himself an extra-curricular blow-job and then lying about it.

I happened to be out with my daughter, buying her some school socks, when I got into a conversation about all this with the salesperson. It was she who blurted - "yeah - boy, Bill Clinton is starting to look reeeeealll good!" And I hadn't mentioned Clinton at that point in our conversation.

I remember seeing a man in a parking lot about a year ago, and somehow a similar bush-vs-clinton conversation was sparked between the two of us. Or what would swiftly turn into one. I think I was doing my usual quick "vote for John Kerry" fly-by, when this guy just blurted out, unprompted, "yeah - a lot of people are staying 'Hey, Clinton! All is forgiven!'"

I think we're gonna start hearing a LOT MORE of this. The fog is finally lifting, and too much of America has finally seen exactly that: too much.

I'll save my sympathy for New Orleans.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

It doesn't make sense on any level.

A Clintonian response to Hurricane Katrina would have meant a lot, lot more people alive and well, and a lot less agony and suffering.

If they're referring to the blank check that Bush now wants to funnel his cronies' way, that's pure Dubya.

Of course, as mentioned, it is American Spectator.

of The Arkansas Project, an organization whose sole purpose was to destroy the political career of Bill Clinton. It is no surprise that no matter what the subject, they must cut him down in some way. It doesn't make a difference how gratuitous or ridiculous it sounds.

Since Clinton obviously did everything wrong, then whenever * screws up, he was being "Clintonian." Makes sense - when you consider their agenda.

they will get into less trouble if they are tired and listless.

I'd rather they get into less trouble by being fired and jobless.

people just have to learn to read with more discernment and less emotion.

and we need water and food. It will be my best FEMAonian response effort. :eyes:

I'm sure I could compile a list of cliffs and/or high bridges, if they're really serious about it. Seeing as how they blindly supported the evil idiot disaster-monkey throughout all of his various fuckups, they've got a lot of nerve crying about how it's difficult for them to get jobs in the private sector so they can get out of his administration.

Rumors are flying through various departments of longtime senior Bush loyalists looking to jump, but with few opportunities in the private sector to make the jump look like anything more than desperation.

What? The economy is BOOMING! There's jobs for EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE?!This Rethuglian economy has provided Americans with soooooooooo much opportunity, these staffers are just making excuses. They shouldn't have to worry about looking desparate because there's hundreds, thousands, millions of jobs everywhere! :sarcasm:

Isn't this what the pResident has been bullshitting us with for the past 5 years?

before he saw the light.

Everyone is making a big deal out of the use of the word "Clintonian," but this is the comment that stands out for me:

"Republicans on Capitol Hill and even some longtime Bush team members in various Cabinet level departments say this Administration is done for."

Bush is toast.

I checked a little while ago to see if there was any freeper reaction to this, but haven't seen them mention it so far.

those freeper-types have trouble reading articles written in multisyllabic words. :)