News Alert
Breaking Story
Lo and behold, I turned on the TV just now and saw General David Petraeus' (our proposed new leader in Iraq) confirmation hearings, and heard him saying much of what I was asking for in yesterday's post, My Fellow Americans.
I am astounded. I realize that I'm not that powerful, but it's as if I sent a request out to the ether and got an answer, the very next day!
Anyway, I am happy, and dumbfounded.
Petraeus spent many minutes going over the Iraq War, speaking honestly, going into depth, explaining the risks, exploring the uncertainties, and discussing the plan in detail for the troop surge. These were my advice for Bush in yesterday's post:
- Do talk about Iraq at length.
- Level with the American people as much as you can, and give them the feeling that you have a plan for all contingencies.
- Think of a way or ways to involve the American people in the sacrifice for this war.
General Petraeus answered the first two requests, in depth!
Now, Mr. Bush, if you are listening, do some of this kind of talking yourself, and involve the American people in the sacrifice for this war, and we've got something.
Now, on to my more negative tone for today's post:
Bush
ashes himself.
A Sinking Presidency
I know some of my conservative readers are not going to agree with me on this post, so I apologize ahead of time. My liberal readers might agree with me, but not for the reasons that I come to my conclusions.I reach my conclusions from frustrated conservative principles, deeply disappointed in a President who is choosing the Arnold Schwarzenegger route to popularity.
Nixon, Carter, Bush
Bush, at Low Point in Polls, Will Push Domestic Agenda - New York Times:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2007. Carrying some of the worst public approval ratings of any president in a generation, President Bush is heading into his State of the Union address on Tuesday night seeking to revitalize his domestic agenda but facing stiff resistance over the initiatives the White House has previewed so far.
According to a CBS News poll conducted Thursday through Sunday, 28 percent of Americans approve of the way the president is handling his job, and more than twice as many, 64 percent, disapprove. It is the lowest approval rating the president has received in a CBS News poll, though it is statistically little different from the rating of 30 percent he received earlier this month.
Only Jimmy Carter has received a lower approval rating, 26 percent, in 1979, in surveys conducted by CBS News or its polling partner, The New York Times. In a Gallup poll conducted in August 1974, just before his resignation, Richard M. Nixon had a 24 percent approval rating.
In a new ABC News/Washington Post poll made public on Monday, only 33 percent approved of Mr. Bush’s job performance, and 65 disapproved, tying the record for his worst marks in that poll.
Disastrous Misreading of the Polls
Asked about the new batch of low ratings, Mr. Bush’s spokesman, Tony Snow, attributed them to discouragement over Iraq that could be overcome at home.
“George W. Bush as a president,” Mr. Snow said, “is not somebody who is going to cease to be bold because there has been — because right now people are concerned about the progress of the war. Instead he understands his obligation as commander in chief is to go ahead and address forthrightly big problems and come up with solutions that not only are going to have political appeal, but they’re also going to be effective in making life better for Americans.”
Administration officials said Monday that among Mr. Bush’s proposals would be a plan to help states provide health care coverage to people who lack insurance by diverting federal aid from hospitals, especially public institutions. The provision is likely to draw loud criticism from municipalities across the nation and will significantly affect the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the nation’s largest municipal health care system.
Officials said Mr. Bush’s speech would include proposals to address the nation’s energy needs and global warming, partly by promoting the use and development of alternative fuels. He is also expected to renew his call for an overhaul of immigration law and to propose altering tax policies to help the uninsured.
Mr. Snow and President Bush's advisors are dead wrong. Bush's low approval ratings are due to what this blog has been saying for months, that Bush is simply not leveling with the American people, and not communicating well with them. He is not paying sufficient homage to the Truth.
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It May be Too Late for Bush
Republicans, it's not too late. Learn a lesson.
For Mr. Bush, it does appear too late. He will exhibit his pandering self tonight in the State of the Union, and his polls will not rise because of it.
(Again, add the positive caveat of what I saw today with General Petraeus. If this is a sign of things to come, perhaps Bush will rise a bit in my estimation.)
Rock
(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)
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He is not unpopular because of the Iraq War per se. He is unpopular because he has tried to be popular in the way he wages this war, and he has not explained Iraq well.
(See Breaking News at the start of this post. Is Bush finally leveling? Let's keep our fingers crossed. He definitely is changing strategies and tactics, which is a good thing.)
Nice Guy Bush
He is also unpopular because he has tried to be a nice guy, and have everyone like him, with the opposite results.
Regarding Iraq, again, he has fought a politically correct war, tying the hands of our armed forces.
(Again, is this going to change with the new commander, Petraeus? Let's hope so.)
With regard to immigration, Bush has tried to buy the votes of Hispanics, angering many conservatives, dooming our country to third-worldedness, bankrupting our hospitals, overloading our entitlement programs, and filling our jail cells.
He has outspent any Democrat.
He now is pushing phony causes like global warming, so the Democrats and Independents will like him.
They won't.
(Here, as I've said before, I don't mind our country going green. I hate mercury in ocean fish. I just don't want the hysteria and pandering that feed off fear. Al Gore is a demagogue folks, believe it.)
Why the Schwarzenegger Approach Won't Work on a National Scale
Arnold's left veer worked in California because my state is basically a leftist encampment. Many people in California are limousine liberals who want nothing but feel-good politics that make them think they are being nice to everyone, from the environment to the poor, but without really being nice to anyone.
My theory is that real goodness, really being nice, means a kind of tough love. It involves making hard choices as well as goody-goody choices. You can't have everyone love you. If you try, then you become a populist or a demagogue.
Veering left has worked for Arnold because the people are getting what they deserve, the feeling that they are nice. In reality, they are ruining the state for everyone, and this is not nice.
The Schwarzenegger approach won't work for the entire U.S.A. For one thing, half the country really is red. The left will always hate Bush. This means he'll get about 50% disapproval from America even if he is perfect. Yes, the Iraq war exacerbates this, so make that a 55% disapproval when you include Iraq. Then include another 5% disapproval for Bush fighting a politically correct war. Then, add and another 10% disapproval from conservatives as Bush veers left, and makes a shambles of issues like government spending and immigration. Add another 2% disapproval for Bush's pandering to everyone. This adds up to a 72% disapproval rating. It is Bush's perfect storm of disapprobation
One Conservative's View of Bush
I am a conservative. Ask me if I approve of the way Bush is handling his job and I will be counted among the people who disapprove.
Issue by issue, I rate him high on the decision to invade Iraq, on the War on Terror, and on the economy. I rate him the lowest of the low on his conduct of the war in Iraq, his communicating with the American people, immigration, government spending, and his pandering to the left and trying to be a nice guy.
This is the tricky part to understand: though I disapprove of President Bush's overall performance, he still has performed admirably on arguably the two most important issues for me—on invading Iraq, and on the War on Terror.
So, while I disapprove of Bush's performance overall, I do not regret voting for him, as no other politician in America, I believe, would have invaded Iraq; and no other politician, I believe, would have kept us safe from terror. On these issues, all the other politicians are wussies, and Bush is the giant.
Quite a conundrum.
2008
For the next election, I believe, with all due respect, we have had enough of Bush, and are ready to move on to new leadership. The Republicans, though, like Mr. Bush, are dramatically misreading the 2006 elections and the recent polls. They sense a need to move left and be the nice guy Republicans. They are so wrong, and they will pay for this with even more losses in congress.
The only Republican who even comes close to what I want in a leader at this time is John McCain.
Has his pro-surge stance hurt him in the polls? No. Just the opposite. McCain has the reputation, even among liberals, as a straight shooter, and they respect him for this, even when they disagree with him vehemently.