Compassion
Con Credits |
Topic |
George
W. Bush's original position |
George
W. Bush's flip-flop/broken
promise/waffling /"reinvented" position
subsequent compassionate conservatism |
Source(s)
for
evidence |
| A1 |
Morality
and
conviction |
10?/00
Will be guided by
principles and conviction
that will not change
[Bush] "...I
will be guided by principle and convictions
that will not change..."
9/4/00
Will say what I
mean, and do what I say
[Bush]:
"...When we tell you something,
we mean it. When we say we're going to
do something, we're going to do what we say..." |
This
whole page is about how his principles and
convictions changed ad infinitum - and how he almost
seems to have a natural tendency to
repeatedly NOT do what he said - and prove again and
again that he is indeed a Compassion Con.
AN ASIDE
Dwight
Meredith (P.L.A.):
"...In the Republican Party’s 2000
platform, we
find (link via Jeff
Cooper) the following:
Reducing that debt is both a sound
policy goal
and a moral imperative. Our families and most
states
are required to balance their budgets; it is reasonable
to assume the federal government should do the same.
Therefore, we reaffirm our support for a constitutional
amendment to require a balanced budget.
(Emphasis added)
President Bush has argued that the current budget
deficit results from factors other than his
irresponsible
fiscal policy. If balancing the budget is a moral issue
that should be enshrined in the Constitution,
it is a matter of principle..." |
UNLIMITED |
| B1 |
Economy |
3/27/01
Tax cuts will be
implemented without budget
deficits, even in a recession
[Bush] "...we
can proceed with tax relief without
fear of budget deficits, even if the economy softens.
Projections for the surplus in my budget
are cautious and conservative. They already
assume an economic slowdown in the year 2001..." |
Budget
deficits under Bush hit a record high
even in a recovery (let alone recession) |
Jonathan
Chait
(The New Republic) |
| B2 |
Economy |
3/3/01
Will not pass on
our budget deficits
(borrowings) to future generations; we owe
this to our children and grandchildren
[Bush]:
"...Future generations shouldn't be
forced to pay back money that we have borrowed.
We pay back money that we have borrowed. We
owe this kind of responsibility to our children
and grandchildren..."
1/03
[Bush]: "...we
will not deny, we will not
ignore, we will not pass along our problems to
other Congresses, other presidents,
and other generations..." |
Budget
deficits under Bush hit a record high and
expected to remain deficits as far as the eye can see.
National debt hits record high and gets passed on to
future generations. |
Citizens
for
Tax Justice |
| B3 |
Economy |
2/27/01
Will retire $2
Trillion national debt in 10 years
[Bush] "...We
owe it to our children and
grandchildren to act now, and I hope you
will join me to pay down $2 trillion in debt
during the next 10 years. At the end of
those 10 years, we will have paid down all
the debt that is available to retire..."
[Bush] "...It
will retire nearly $1 trillion in debt
over the next four years. This will be the largest
debt reduction ever achieved by any
nation at any time..." |
What
national debt? Please Congress, let me
borrow more!
Outstanding U.S.
public/national debt as
of 3/10/04 is ~ $7
Trillion |
DNC
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum)
DailyKos |
| B4
B5
|
Economy |
2/27/01
Will protect
Social Security surplus in its entirety
[Bush] "...To
make sure the retirement savings of
America’s seniors are not diverted into any other
program, my budget protects all $2.6 trillion of
the Social Security surplus for Social
Security and for Social Security alone..."
10/3/00
A promise made on safeguarding Social
Security
surplus will be a promise kept
[Bush]: "...The
revenues exceed the expenses in Social
Security to the year 2015, which
means all retirees
are going to get the promises made. So for those of
you who [Gore] wants to scare into the voting booth
to vote for him, hear me loud and clear:
A promise made will be a promise kept..."
3/22/01
Will never dip
into Social Security Surplus to
finance spending
[Bush] "...For
years, politicians in both
parties have dipped into the Trust Fund
to pay for more spending. And I will stop it..." |
Not
only did he not protect the Social Security surplus,
he has used up the surplus to finance gigantic budget
deficits due to massive tax cuts for millionaires
and massive spending.
[Daniel
Gross]: "...In his first three budgets, Bush
(who had the good fortune to take office at a time
when the surpluses were growing rapidly) and
Congress used $480 billion in excess Social Security
payroll taxes to fund basic government operations
—about $160 billion per year!
By so doing, Washington spenders have masked
the size of the deficit. For Fiscal 2004—which began
in October 2003—if you factor out the $164 billion
Social
Security surplus, the on-budget deficit will be
at least $639 billion, rather close to the modern peak
of 6 percent of GDP. And according to its own projections
(the bottom line of Table 8 represents the Social
Security
surplus), the administration plans to spend an
additional
$990 billion in such funds between now and 2008. That
year,
according to the Office of Management and Budget's
projections, the on-budget deficit will be about $464
billion.
Only by using that year's $238 billion Social Security
surplus
does the administration arrive at a total, unified
deficit of $226 billion...." |
Daniel
Gross
(MSN/Slate)
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum)
CTJ
Paul
Krugman
(New York Times)
Daily
Howler
Daily
Howler
William
Gale
(Washington Post)
DNC
|
| B6
B7
B8
|
Economy |
10/18/00
Will not spend
more than Gore would [have]
[Bush] "...If
this were a spending contest, I
would come in second. I readily admit
I'm not going to grow the size of the
federal government like [Gore] is..."
Policy
Will enforce
spending discipline on Congress
[Bush] "...The
President will enforce fiscal
discipline on Congress, because when
spending is out of control, deficits increase
and our economic growth is hindered..." 10/3/00 Increasing
federal spending is a sure way to
make the economy go bust [Bush]:
"...the
surest way to bust this economy
is to increase the role and the size of the federal
government..." |
Federal
spending has grown twice as fast
under Bush compared to what it was under Clinton/Gore
Enforced no
spending discipline in Congress and almost
never vetoed anything
Bush is the
biggest spending President in a long time |
Timothy
Noah
(MSN/Slate)
Jonathan
Chait
(The New Republic)
Dwight
Meredith
(P.L.A.)
Jonathan
Weisman
(Washington Post)
Democrats.org |
| B9 |
Economy |
6/17/00
Tax cuts should be
for everyone who pays taxes.
I won't pick and choose who gets taxes and who won't.
[Bush] "...We're
not for targeted tax cuts. We're
for saying anybody who pays taxes in
America ought to get tax relief..."
10/3/00 [Bush]:
"...[Gore]
says he's going to give you
tax cuts; 50 million of you won't receive
it. He said, in his speech, he wants to make sure the
right people get tax relief. That's not the role of a
president to
decide right and wrong. Everybody who pays taxes
ought to get tax relief..." [Bush]:
"...I
can't let [Gore] continue with fuzzy math.
It's $1.3 trillion, Mr. Vice President. It's going to go to
everybody who pays taxes. I'm not going to be one
of these kinds of presidents that says,
"You get tax relief and you don't." I'm not
going
to be a pick-and-chooser..." |
Tax
cuts did not provide "relief" for those who
paid only payroll taxes and millions of other
taxpaying families - people who tend to
be poor and most in need of aid.
Millions of Black and Hispanic families
did not get tax cuts. |
Robert
Greenstein
and Isaac Shapiro
(CBPP)
Isaac
Shapiro,
Allen Dupree and
James Sly (CBPP)
Spinsanity |
| B10 |
Economy |
3/1/01
Tax cuts should
provide most help for
those at the bottom end of the income scale
[Bush] "...If
you pay taxes, you should get
tax relief...I agree with my critics, however, that
those on the bottom end should get the
most help...." |
Tax
cuts provided the bulk of the tax "relief" to
higher income Americans. |
Robert
Greenstein
(CBPP)
CBPP
Paul
Krugman
(New York Times) |
| B11 |
Economy |
4/26/03
2003 Tax Cuts will
help
everyone who pays income taxes
[Bush] "...My
jobs and growth plan would
reduce tax rates for everyone
who pays income tax..." |
About
8 million lower and middle-income (income)
taxpayers did not get tax cuts |
Robert
Greenstein
(CBPP) |
| B12 B13
|
Economy |
8/7/02
Recession was
inherited from Clinton
[Bush] "...When
I took office, our
economy was beginning a recession..." |
FLOP
Recession was due to war
[Bush: "...We have got a recession
because we went to war..."]
FLIP
AGAIN
Recession was inherited |
- |
| B14 |
Economy |
10/3/00
Economic growth
has more to do with people's
ingenuity, hard work and entrepreneurship than
the President's actions
[Bush]: "...I
think the economy has meant more
for
the Gore and Clinton folks than the Gore and Clinton
folks has meant for the economy. I
think most of the
economic growth that has taken place is a
result of ingenuity and hard work and
entrepreneurship..." |
[My]
Tax cut plan and economic policy are the
reason the economy is recovering and growing
[Link]:
"...The White House claimed credit today for the
surge in economic growth, saying the $1.7 trillion in
tax cuts championed by President Bush had helped
the nation overcome recession and the economic
effects of the terrorist attacks, two wars and
corporate scandals...
"The tax relief we passed is
working," Mr. Bush
said to workers at an aluminum plant in this
state that is seen as crucial in his re-election
bid. "We're making progress,"
the president said
earlier at a fundraiser for his re-election campaign.
"But
we will not stop until there are jobs aplenty for
those looking for work."...." |
Dwight
Meredith
(Politics, Law
and Autism) |
| B15 |
Economy |
1/6/03
Income should not
be taxed twice
[Bush]:
"...it's unfair to tax money twice. There's
a principle involved. The government ought to
be content with taxing revenue streams or
profits one time, not twice..." |
Social
security taxes are STILL subject to double
taxation since they are not exempt from
federal income taxes.
Sales taxes are
also STILL
subject to double taxation.
These
disproportionately affect poorer people.
Bush has done nothing to remove this "unfairness". |
Various |
| B16 |
Economy |
2/10/04
On average 320,000
new jobs per MONTH
will be created in 2004
[Bush CEA report,
signed by Bush]:
"...the President's Council of Economic Advisers
(CEA) is forecasting about 320,000 new jobs
will be created every month this year..." |
Bush
refuses to back up that claim and retreats from it,
acknowledging it is NOT reality.
MSNBC:
"...The president is interested in
actual jobs
being created rather than economic modeling," White
House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
"We are interested in reality," added
McClellan, who
quoted the president saying: "I'm not a
statistician. I'm not a predictor."..." |
eRiposte
Bush
jobloss recovery
compilation |
| B17 |
Economy |
2001
I advocated, and
Congress passed, tax cuts
which expire
[Bush]:
"...This tax relief plan is principled.
Today is a great day for America. It is the first
major achievement of a new era, an era of
steady cooperation. And more achievements are
ahead. I thank the members of Congress
in both parties who made today possible. Together,
we will lead our country to new progress and new
possibilities. It is now my honor to sign the
first broad tax relief in a generation..." |
Job
creation requires certainty in the tax code and
taxes should not go down one year and go back
up the next. Tax cuts should not expire.
Bush:
"...The tax relief we passed is scheduled to
go away...For the sake of job creation, there needs
to be certainty in the tax code [CG emphasis]..."
Bush:
"...And finally, we need to make sure
the tax cuts are permanent. See, the tax cuts
are set to expire. That's what a lot of people don't
understand. This is an important part of the dialogue
in Washington, D.C. now, is how to make
sure the economy continues to grow. These job
creators need certainty in the tax code. You
can't have taxes go down one year and up the next.
They need certainty when it comes to planning.
They need to be able to have certainty when
it comes to their investment deductibility.
That's what they need..." |
Kash
(Angry Bear)
Brad
Delong |
| B18 |
Economy |
02
Economic
weakness/uncertainty is due
to SEC overreach
[Bush]:
"...The economic uncertainty
is because of SEC overreach..." |
Corporate
misdeeds and dishonest executives
must be found and punished by the SEC to reduce
economic weakness/uncertainty (link)
Of course, after this
he decided
to underfund the SEC
(which I could consider a flip but will leave aside for now) |
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| C1
C2
|
Trade |
6/12/99
Will work to end
tariffs and not erect new ones
[Bush]: "...I’ll
work to end tariffs and break down
barriers everywhere, entirely, so the whole world trades
in freedom. The fearful build walls. The confident
demolish them. I am confident in American workers and
farmers and producers. And I am confident that
America’s
best is the best in the world..." |
FLOP
Bush added new tariffs on steel, textiles, and
(Canadian)
lumber and revoked Caribbean trade privileges. He signed
outrageous agricultural subsidies bill. He signed
outrageous Medicare Bill providing huge subsidies to
rich pharmaceutical companies. He is pushing
a huge subsidy-laden Energy Bill for energy companies.
(Partial)
FLIP AGAIN
Bush eliminates steel tariffs |
Dana
Milbank
(Washington Post)
Paul
Krugman
(New York Times)
Jonathan
Chait
(The New Republic)
Center
for
American Progress
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| C3 C4
|
Trade |
6/12/99
Confident in
America's farmers and producers
- and the need to therefore reduce tariffs
[Bush]: "...I’ll
work to end tariffs and break down
barriers everywhere, entirely, so the whole world trades
in freedom. The fearful build walls. The confident
demolish them. I am confident in American workers and
farmers and producers. And I am confident that
America’s
best is the best in the world..." |
FLOP
NOT confident in American steel workers
and producers
as of 2002 and tariffs enforced on imported steel
(among other things)
FLIP
AGAIN
Once again confident (in Dec 2003) that U.S.
steel
producers can survive without tariffs |
See
above |
| C5 |
Trade |
12/4/03
Tariffs should be
imposed because industry growth
and industry jobs are at risk
[Bush]: "...I
took action [by imposing steel tariffs] to
give the industry a chance to adjust to the surge
in foreign imports and to give relief to the
workers and communities that depend on
steel for their jobs and livelihoods...The
industry made progress increasing productivity,
lowering production costs, and making America
more competitive with foreign steel producers. Steel
producers and workers have negotiated new
groundbreaking labor agreements that allow
greater flexibility and increase job stability" |
Tariffs
should NOT be imposed because that would
put jobs and growth at risk. Those who impose
tariffs are economic isolationists.
[Bush]:
"...There are economic isolationists in
our country who believe we should separate
ourselves from the rest of the world by
raising up barriers and closing off markets...
'If we are to continue growing this economy
and creating new jobs, America must remain
confident and strong about our
ability to trade in the world..." |
TNR
(&c) |
| C6 |
Trade |
5/13/02
Agricultural
subsidies are a good thing
[Bush]: "...I
am pleased to sign the Farm Security and
Rural Investment Act
of
2002...This
bill is generous
, and will provide a safety net for farmers.
And it
will do so without encouraging overproduction and
depressing prices...The
farm bill supports our commitment
to open
trade, and complies with our obligations to
the World Trade Organization..." |
Agricultural
subsidies are a bad thing
[Bush]:
"...When wealthy nations subsidize their
agricultural exports, it prevents poor countries
from developing their own agricultural sectors. So
I propose that all developed nations, including our
partners in Europe, immediately eliminate subsidies on
agricultural exports to developing countries..." |
Peter
Beinart (TNR) |
| D1 |
Education |
Bush
Want young
Americans to join Teach for America
[Bush]: "...I am
proud to stand up and talk
about the best of America and Wendy Kopp...
I hope young Americans all across the
country think about joining Teach for America..." 10/3/00 [Bush]:
"...Well,
I tell you, we can make a huge
difference by saying, "If you receive federal
money,
we expect you to show results." Let me give you
a story about public ed, if I might, Jim. It's about KIPP
Academy in Houston, Texas. It's a -- it's a charter
school
run by some people from Teach for America, young
folks that said, "Well, I'm going to do something
good for my country. I want to teach." A guy named
Michael runs the school.
It's a school full of so-called at-risk children.
It's how we, unfortunately, label certain children.
It means basically they can't learn. It's a school
of strong discipline and high standards. It's one
of the best schools in Houston. And
here
are the key ingredients: high expectations, strong
accountability. What Michael says is,
"Don't put all these rules on us. Just let us
teach and hold us accountable for every grade."
And that's what we do. And as a result, these
young, mainly Hispanic, youngsters are some
of the best learners in Houston, Texas. That's my
vision for public education all around America..." |
Eliminated
all funding for Teach for America. |
Joe
Klein (Time) |
| D2 D3
|
Education |
6/17/00,
10/26/00
Believe in local
control of schools, not
control out of Washington
Schools should be
given enough resources and authority
[Bush]: "...I
believe in local control of schools..."
[Bush]:
"...I believe education is a
national
priority, but it's also a local responsibility. I want
to give schools -- I want to give schools the
resources and authority to chart their own path
to excellence. My opponent thinks Washington
knows best..." |
Through
the Orwellian No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Act, Bush imposed Federal control over schools.
Additionally by
underfunding NCLB he has
NOT given schools the resources
"to chart their own path to excellence".
As
a result multiple states are either
challenging or opting out of NCLB. |
Drake
Bennett and
Heidi Pauken (The
American Prospect) |
| D4 |
Education |
10/19/00
States should
be forced to
offer school vouchers
[Bush proposal]: "...[all
states should] offer parents
of these students [those in schools judged to be
failing after three years] portable funds, which can be
used to obtain for their child an education at a school
of their choice or supplemental education services.
These funds (worth an average $1,500 per child) will
consist of the student's pro rata share of Title 1
funds, provided by the Local Education
Agency, and an equal amount provided by
the state from its federal or state funds [italics
added]...."
|
Vouchers
should be up to the states (to fund)
[Bush]: "...Vouchers
are up to states. If you want
to do a voucher program in Missouri, fine.
See, I strongly believe in local control of schools.
I'm a governor of a state, and I don't like it when
the federal government tells us what to do...." |
Jacob
Weisberg
(MSN/Slate) |
| D5
D6 |
Education |
01
Not in favor of
pushing federally funded school vouchers
since it could lead to a battle in Congress
|
FLOP
WILL push
federally funded school vouchers
in Congress
[CNN]:
"...President Bush told an intimate
audience in
Washington Thursday that he stands behind his
campaign pledge to give parents more ability to remove
their children from unsafe or academically inadequate
public schools. Such ability, he said, could be
in the form of school vouchers..."I
campaigned vigorously
on this idea, and I think it is right," he said.
That was somewhat more direct than what he said
Wednesday as he launched a reinvigorated push to
persuade Congress to support his agenda to overhaul
the nation's public school systems.
He told a middle school audience in Concord, North
Carolina, that he wanted to avoid some of the
so-called choice issues, saying that choices such
as vouchers would prompt an extended, spirited
debate in Congress..."
FLIP-again
Will NOT push
federally funded school
vouchers in Congress
[WaPo]:
"...On Jan. 2, The Post reported that the
incoming administration had decided there was
"insurmountable" Hill opposition to private
school
vouchers and would offer such a plan only as
"a symbolic gesture to satisfy conservatives."
Fleischer called the report "very puzzling and
incorrect." But when a Senate committee took
vouchers out of the education bill this month,
the White House made no public protest.
..." |
CNN
Howard
Kurtz
(Washington Post) |
| E1 |
Children |
1/30/03
Eulogized Boys and Girls Clubs as role
models
for children
[Bush]: "...I
want to thank the Boys & Girls
Clubs across the country…The Boys & Girls Club
have got a grand history of helping children
understand the future is bright for them, as well
as any other child in America. Boys & Girls Clubs
have been safe havens. They're little beacons of
light for children who might not see light. And
I want to thank them for their service to the country..." |
Proposed
cutting funding for them by
15% in 2003 after having proposed cutting
off all funding for them
in 2002 |
David
Sirota
(House
Appropriations
Committee) |
| F1 |
Energy |
6/27/00
Would ask OPEC to
increase oil supplies to
reduce oil prices
[Bush]: "...I
would work with our friends in OPEC to
open up the spigot, to increase the [oil] supply...Use
the capital that my Administration would earn,
with the Kuwaitis or Saudis, and convince
them to open up the spigot."..." |
Did
not ask OPEC to "open up the spigot" but
rather
put faith in cartels to adjust supply on their own |
Paul
Krugman
(New York Times)
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum)
|
| F2 |
Energy |
10/3/00
Will fully fund
LIHEAP
[Bush]:
"...First and foremost, we got to make
sure we fully fund LIHEAP, which is a way to
help low-income folks, particularly here
in the East, to pay for their high fuel bills..." |
Proposed massive cuts to LIHEAP even
in
his very first budget |
Democrats.org
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| F3 |
Energy |
11/2/00 Tax
credits for owning hybrid-electric vehicles
is no good and a joke
[Bush]:
"..."How many of you own
hybrid electric-
gasoline engine vehicles? Raise your hands.
” Not a hand in the crowd could be
seen. “Well,” Bush said, “not too
many of you
are targeted for that tax cut. Now how many of you
own a rooftop photo-voltaic system?” Again, no
hands. “You’re beginning to get the drift of
‘targeted,’ ” Bush said. “It’s always the same
in
my opponent’s plans - it sounds good until you
read the fine print.”..." |
Tax
credits of up to $3B proposed
for owners of
hybrid and fuel cell vehicles |
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| G1 |
Gay
rights |
?/00
States should have the right to decide on
gay marriage
[Bush]: "...The
state can do what they
want to do [on gay marriage]..." |
Wants a Constitutional Amendment banning
gay marriage and will not defer to the states |
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| H1 |
Minority
rights |
1/17/03
University of Michigan's Affirmative
Action Policies
are fundamentally flawed and Supreme Court
must find them illegal
[Bush]: "...I strongly support
diversity of all kinds,
including racial diversity in higher education...But the
method used by the University of Michigan to
achieve this important goal is fundamentally flawed..."
(stated when Bush filed against U. Mich. at the
Supreme Court) |
Later
said he was happy with the Supreme Court decision |
Dwight
Meredith
(Wampum) |
| I1 |
Judiciary |
10/3/00
Will appoint
judges who will not seek to legislate
and who will consider the Constitution sacred
[Bush]: "...I'll
put competent judges on the
bench, people who will strictly interpret the
Constitution and will not use the bench to
write social policy...I believe that the judges ought
not to take the place of the legislative branch of
government, that they're appointed for life and that
they ought to look at the Constitution as sacred.
They shouldn't misuse their bench..." |
Bush
appointed, among many others, William Pryor -
a person that Congress did not approve - during
Congressional recess. Pryor fought against giving
homosexuals civil rights, and called
Roe v. Wade an "abomination". He was alone among
50 attorneys general in challenging the Clean Water Act
and the Endangered Species Act. |
Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
EarthJustice |
| J1 |
Politics
Partisanship
and
Responsibility |
9/4/00,
10/3/00, 10/26/00
Will change the
work ethic from blaming
someone else, to taking responsibility. Will take
full responsibility for decisions I make.
[Bush]:
"...in stark contrast to the last
few
decades, which has clearly said, "If it
feels good do it, and you've got a problem
blame somebody else," our vision says each of us
must understand we're responsible for the
decisions we make in life..."
[Bush]: "...For
too long our culture has sent this
message: if it feels good, do it. And if you've
got a problem, just go ahead and blame
somebody else. Each of us must understand
that's not right. Each of us must understand that
we're responsible for the decisions and choices we
make in life..."
[Bush]: "...I
think that people need to be held
responsible for the actions they take in life...people
in the highest office of the land must be responsible
for decisions they make in life. And that's the
way I've conducted myself as governor of Texas.
And that's the way I'll conduct myself as president
of the United States, should I be fortunate enough
to earn your vote..."
10/3/00
Will stop the
finger-pointing in Washington
and get things done
[Bush]: "...We
need somebody who
can come up to Washington and say, "Look, let's
forget all the politics and all the finger-pointing
and get some positive things done..." |
Bush has almost always
refused to take responsibility
for
anything that goes wrong on his watch. He has
largely looked for someone else to blame
each time. This has taken finger-pointing to a new level.
EXAMPLES
1. When it was
reported that national security
was underfunded, Bush blamed the GOP-led
Congress for it even though he played a full role in
the underfunding.
2. When
Democrats objected to lack of labor
protections in the Homeland Security department
that Bush initially opposed, he outrageously
claimed that Democrats are not interested in the
security of Americans.
3. When it was
revealed that he used a false statement
in the 2003 SOTU (Uranium
in Africa), he refused to take
responsibility for it initially, placing blame
squarely
on the CIA. Only after being reminded repeatedly of his
campaign pledge did he accept "responsibility". 4.
Bush claimed someone in the navy was responsible
for the "Mission Accomplished" banner when in
fact
the White House played a key role in putting it up
in his aircraft carrier speech. |
Dwight
Meredith
(P.L.A)
Josh
Marshall
(Talkingpointsmemo)
Compassiongate |
| J2 J3
|
Politics
Controlling
authority
and
truth |
3/7/00
Will bring honor to the office of the
White
House and repair the "bond" of trust with Americans.
Americans don't want a White House
with
"no controlling legal authority"
[Bush]: "...I
will bring honor to the process and honor
to the office I seek. I will remind Al Gore that
Americans
do not want a White House where there is 'no
controlling legal authority.' I will repair the broken
bonds of trust between Americans and their
government..."
10/3/00
[Bush]:
"...We need to have a new look about
how we conduct ourselves in office. There's
a huge trust. I see it all the time when people
come up to me and say, "I don't want you to let
me down again." And
we can do better than
the past administration has done. It's time for a fresh
start..."
2/26/02
Will tell the
American people the truth at all times
[Bush]: "...We'll
tell the American people the truth..."
(responding to questions about whether
the US would lie on defense policy) |
Unfortunately,
a combination of lies, deception and
misleading statements compassionate
conservatism
did exactly the opposite of "bonding" or
establishing trust
On top of that he
did nothing much when
two of his senior staff illegally outed an
undercover CIA officer in an act of revenge.
Paul O'Neill's expose on TV about his
administration, using legally cleared data prompted an
"investigation" immediately, while the Valerie
Plame expose took months to even get to the
Justice Department.
Time and again,
his Cabinet members or officers make
offensive or contradictory statements or claims and
Bush rarely bothers to correct/dismiss them or show his
"controlling legal authority". (A recent example
is Rod
Paige's labeling on the NEA as a "terrorist
organization").
|
Compassiongate
Moral Clarity
Murray
Waas
(The American
Prospect)
John
Marshall
(Talkingpointsmemo)
Too many to list |
| J4 |
Politics
White House
sleepovers |
10/3/00
Will not entrust Government to the
Lincoln
Bedroom, but rather keep it in the Oval Office
[Bush]: "...I
believe they've moved that sign,
‘The buck stops here,’ from the Oval Office desk
to ‘The buck stops here’ on the Lincoln bedroom,
and that's not good for the country. It's not right.
We need to have a new look about how
we conduct ourselves in office..."
(referring to sleepovers in the Clinton WH) |
Bush
essentially converted the Oval
Office into the Lincoln Bedroom
CBS:
President Bush and first lady Laura
Bush
have invited dozens of friends and relatives to
sleep over at the White House, from Republican
fund-raisers to Texas pals such as pro golfer
Ben Crenshaw and country singer Larry Gatlin.
WaPo:
It didn't take too long for the Bush White
House to make the same discovery as its predecessors:
the enormous money-raising potential of an incumbent
administration. Vice President Cheney soon opened
the vice president's mansion to big givers. Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson briefed
donors in his government office. Now, with the
2004 campaign officially underway, and the president
poised to vacuum up $170 million or more, a
new lure is being dangled to those who can
raise the big bucks: lunch with
presidential adviser Karl Rove.
More
from 2003 |
CBS
News
Washington
Post
Nick
Confessore
(TAPPED) |
| J5 |
Politics
"Permanent
Campaign" |
Cheney
for Bush
Bush/Cheney Government will mark the end
of the
"war room" mentality and the "permanent
campaign"
[Cheney for Bush]: "...The
days of the
so-called war room and the
permanent campaign are over..." |
Bush has
done more "permanent campaigning" than
Clinton did, through his travels. His advisers confer
regularly with "their base". |
Ryan
Lizza
(The New Republic)
John
F. Harris
(Washington Post) |
| J6 J7
|
Politics
Uniter not
Divider
Changing the
tone in
Washington |
5/99
Will be a uniter not a divider. Will work
to build
bipartisanship and move away from bitterness.
Will be civil, fair and have respect and forgiveness.
[Bush]: "...I'm a uniter, not a
divider..."
?/00
[Bush]: "...It requires a different
kind of leadership
to do it, though. You see, in order to get
something done on behalf of the people,
you have to put partisanship aside..."
10/3/00
[Bush]: "...I
also want to go
to Washington to get
some positive things done. It's going to require
a new spirit, a spirit of cooperation. It's going to
require
the ability of a
Republican president to reach out
across the partisan divide and to say to
Democrats, "Let's come together to do what's
right for America." It's been my record as
governor of Texas. It'll be how I conduct myself
if I'm fortunate enough to earn your vote as
president of the United States..."
12/13/00
"...I am optimistic that we can change
the tone
of Washington, D.C...I believe things happen for a
reason, and I hope the long wait of the last five weeks
will heighten a desire to move beyond
the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past..."
1/20/01
[Bush]: "...A civil society demands
from each of us good
will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness. Some
seem to believe that our politics can afford to be
petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our
debates appear small... We must live up to the calling
we
share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is
the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of
community over chaos. And this commitment, if
we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment..." |
Objectively, politics and policy has
become more bitter
and partisan on Bush's watch than it ever was
under Clinton (or even prior to Clinton).
The
U.S. and Congress are more divided than
before Bush took office - thanks largely to him.
Bush wastes no time attacking Democrats
who work with him in bipartisan fashion.
He has also alienated the world.
Bush bitterly
campaigned against Democrats who
worked with him setting aside partisanship. He
forced Bills through Congress using the GOP leadership
without any qualms about "unity" - and watched
without complaint as the GOP leaders used
scotched-earth, uncompromising tactics to ramrod
the Bills through Congress. He appointed
divisive, incompetent, haters as judges going
around the Democrats in the Senate even though the
Democrats confirmed far more of his nominees than
the GOP ever did in the case of Clinton's nominees. He
watched and did nothing as Tom DeLay engineered the
nastiest redistricting in the country in recent history. He
instituted new rules requiring Democrats to get any
questions for the White House to be sent through
GOP committee chairmen. He derides "liberals" and
"elite". He demonstrated vindictiveness to those who
dared criticize him - and in one case refused to do much
about his senior staff who illegally outed an
undercover CIA official. He enraged allies in his
march to war against Iraq and continued to
be vindictive towards them in the aftermath.
Where to stop with all the compassionate conservatism? |
Jonathan
Weisman
and Dana Milbank
(Washington Post)
Dana
Milbank
(Washington Post)
Alan
Fram
(AP/San Jose
Mercury News)
Charles
Babington
(Washington Post)
David
S. Broder
(Washington Post)
E.
J. Dionne
(Washington Post)
E.
J. Dionne
(Washington Post)
The
New Republic
John
A. Farrell
(Denver Post)
Dwight
Meredith
(P.L.A.)
Jonathan
Chait
(The New Republic)
|
| J8 |
Politics
Polls |
Bush
Will govern based on principle not polls.
Politicians
who follow polls are doomed and don't lead.
[Bush]: ...endlessly insisted on the
campaign trail
that he governs "based upon principle
and not polls and focus groups."
Bush
[Bush]: "...Politicians, by the way,
who pay attention
to the polls are doomed, trying to chase opinion
when what you need to do is lead, set the tone."
10/3/00 [Bush]:
"...We've
got too much polling and focus
groups going on in Washington today. We need
decisions made on sound principles..." |
Bush
is a frequent, regular consumer of polls,
(used extensively to find the best way to spin Bush's
policies to voters).
In the aftermath
of his declining approval ratings
due to the mess in Iraq, Bush said that "There was
a
poll that showed me going up yesterday, not
to be on the defensive" - proving he very much
pays lot of attention to polls. |
Joshua
Green
(Washington
Monthly)
John
Harris
(Washington Post)
via Bushwatch
Mike
Allen and
Claudia Dean
(Washington Post)
Joe
Conason
(Salon) |
| J9 |
Politics
Release of
documents |
1/27/01 Executive
Privilege should be invoked to prevent
disclosure of documents relating to conversations
that the President or Vice President have with
individuals This is important
for all administrations and
it is to stop the decline of the power of the
presidency
[Cheney for Bush]: "..."What
I object to, and what the
President’s objected to, and what we’ve told the GAO
we
won’t do, is make it impossible for me or future vice
presidents to ever have a conversation in confidence
with anybody without having, ultimately, to tell a
member
of Congress what we talked about and what was said."..."
1/28/02
[Bush]: "...told reporters that his
administration should be
allowed to hold private consultations in order to
“get good, sound opinions” while developing policies.
“This is part of how you make decisions,” Bush said.
“We’re not going to let the ability for us to
discuss
matters between ourselves to become eroded. It’s not
only important for this administration, it’s an
important
principle for future administrations.”..."
{Fleischer for Bush]: "...“I think it
is to stop the decline
of the power of the presidency that have taken
place the last 35 years or so,” Fleischer said...." |
Documents
can be disclosed without recourse to
Executive Privilege as long as they come from
a Democratic Administration
[Link]:
"...President
Bush and Vice President Cheney
have taken a different approach to the release of
records from the Clinton White House than they
have taken to the release of their own records or
the records from the Reagan White House. In
the case of records from the Bush Administration,
such as the records of the White House energy task
force, the President and the Vice President have
vigorously opposed release. President Bush has
also interceded to block the timely release
of records from the Reagan White House. In contrast,
President Bush has approved the release of
thousands of pages of records from the Clinton White
House, including e-mails from the Office of the
Vice President and records of presidential pardon
decisions..." |
Minority
Staff
(House Govt.
Comm.) |
| J10 |
Politics
527 groups |
3/5/00
Ads by independent groups is freedom
of
speech and are part of the American process
[Bush]: "There
have been ads, independent expenditures,
that are saying bad things about me. I don't
particularly care when they do, but that's
what freedom of speech is all about...People have the
right
to run ads. They have the right to do what they want to
do, under the -- under the First Amendment in America..." |
8/26/04
Ads by independent groups is NOT freedom
of
speech and should NOT be part of the American process
[Link]:
"...President Bush said Thursday that he wants to
pursue court action against political ads from
"shadowy"
outside groups that have bankrolled more than $60
million
in attack ads against him since March...The announcement
also
represents a reversal of Bush's position on 527s during his
first
preside |