Robert Reich: "W's Second Term: If you think the first is bad..."

http://www.prospect.org/printfriendly-view.ww?id=7507

W.'s Second Term: If you think the first is bad ...

By Robert B. Reich
Issue Date: 04.01.04

Musings about a second Bush term typically assume another four years of the same right-wing policies we've had to date. But it'd likely be far worse. So far, the Bush administration has had to govern with the expectation of facing American voters again in 2004. But suppose George W. Bush wins a second term. The constraint of a re-election contest will be gone. Knowing that voters can no longer turn them out, and that this will be their last shot at remaking America, the radical conservatives will be unleashed.

A friend who specializes in foreign policy and hobnobs with subcabinet officials in the Defense and State departments told me that the only thing that's stopped the Bushies from storming into Iran and North Korea is the upcoming election. If Bush is re-elected, " Cheney and Rumsfeld are out of the box," he said. "They'll take Bush's re-election as a mandate to wage the 'war on terror' everywhere and anywhere."

The second term's defense team will be even harder line than the current one. Colin Powell will go. Condoleezza Rice will take over at the State Department. Rumsfeld will consolidate power as the president's national-security adviser. Paul Wolfowitz will run the Defense Department.

Domestic policy will swing further right. A re-election would strengthen the White House's hand on issues that even many congressional Republicans have a hard time accepting, such as the assault on civil liberties. Bush will seek to push "Patriot II" through Congress, giving the Justice Department and the FBI powers to inspect mail, eavesdrop on phone conversations and e-mail, and examine personal medical records, insurance claims, and bank accounts.

more... and it is truly frightening

Our country will become a Christian Fundamentalist fascist theocracy with the Bush appointments to the Supreme Court; no doubt.


I've studied the Religious Right probably more than many people, and that is essentially their goal for America.

The Bush people would become very entrenched with oil money that all elections would become hard for dems and others to contest. A little push would trickle down. The organization of these moralists is solid. I look at the movie "The Passion". It made how much $$$$$$$$$?
This was a concerted effort to take Jesus to a new high and he has become THE name this year. I worry about these people. I wonder why the neocons are so over-the-top about Move-on. It is though they want to corner all thought in this country. Discourse is out. Stepping in line is in.

Saving my money now for the move, just in case. America will no longer be recognizable as a free democracy. Unless of course, there's a revolution. I'd stay and participate in that, but if W gets another 4, I'm outta here. Just the taliban in America under the guise of Christianity.

Four more years of Bush....wouldn't that be fun.

Well, after * has his way with energy policy, global warming should make Canada ideal in terms of climate.

on the coast. Then again, where might the coast be when the seas rise?

...and it's only cold from mid November till March 1st. :-)

I doubt most Americans would support bush if they really new what was happening.

Same here.

Let's make sure that as many potential Nader voters read this article as possible.

With knowledge comes responsibility and it is much easier to keep your head in the sand, so to speak.
The other part is that most people get their info from the major news shows and the local paper which, as we know, is worse than useless.

A second term would be devastating, but... the Republicans must be thinking about who follows George, and some of the actions Reich talks about *might* be too radical and make it too hard on Jeb, Giuliani (too socially liberal?), or Schwarzenneger (if talk of changing the citizenship thing is to be believed) in '08.

Yikes.

Especially the stuff about the fundies consolidating their power and pushing their twisted agenda. I hope that everyone who's thinking about voting for Nader reads this article.