Aside from Gonzo are any of the high profile appointees out of work?

I can understand Gonzo by the way. What law firm would want a partner who pretended to be stupid to avoid perjury? The stupid defense might work with the judiciary committee, but it doesn't play when applying for work with a law firm. In any event Bush's hostility to the legal profession was one of his core principles.

I doubt it's the end of movement conservativism. But I wouldn't be surprised if they were reconsidering the value of competence.

Bush's appointees were singularly stupid, corrupt, or evil - hence it isn't just a matter of current circumstances. Too bad so many of them are "burrowing" into government/s - there should be something we can do about that.

there's a "wingnut welfare" system in place that, ordinarily, practically guarantees full employment for experienced Republican officials who lose their jobs in government.

Meanwhile, Tom Daschle had to take on a paper route when he left office.

Luckily, he could hurl his papers while standing in the sun roof of his provided limousine.

Neil B said:
Bush's appointees were singularly stupid, corrupt, or evil - hence it isn't just a matter of current circumstances. Too bad so many of them are "burrowing" into government/s - there should be something we can do about that.

Just give them something to do to keep them busy and to prevent them from causing trouble -- like assigning them to assemble multi-volume reports that document the liberal side's arguments about whatever issue they hold most dear.

I've been saying this for a while. The vast majority of Repub Big Money Donors are in the hardest hit areas of Real Estate, Finance and now energy. In this day and age, even Repubs have no desire or money to subsidize EPIC failure.

Take the case of Sheldon Adelson, noted SWIFT BOAT funder and former sponsor of the now defunct "freedom" Watch.

He was supposed to throw $250 million at various 527s to destroy Obama during the Prez election campaign. That didn't happen because he lost $24 Billion dollars of his $30 billion dollar fortune in the span of 9 months.

Sheldie is the most dramatic example but not the only one. For example, Richard Mellon Scaife just finished up an ugly divorce, plus the fact that his trust fund took a major pounding.

The RW noise machine won't disappear entirely and the big "tink" tanks will still be around like AEI and the Heritage, but my guess is that a lot of the small fry are going to disappear (and for the beter, I think) as the corps and gazillionaires will be focusing on survival rather than funding RW bullshit spouters.

Look at the ex-Bushies from an employer's point of view; many of them graduated from bottom-of-the-barrel Christian schools, most of them were appointed to their jobs on the basis of ideology rather than any demonstrated competence, and all of them contributed to one of the worst disasters in American history.
That they managed to foul things up so completely that wingnut welfare is starved for funds is just poetic justice.

Incompetents - Yeah, top legal firms just love to see Regent U on a resume. Although, Harvard did take a hit from Gonzo.

But, after seeing "W", just love the song by Willy Nelson, "Mama, Do not let your Peter Principles grow up to be either Prez or work for one"

You mean there's no market demand for corrupt talentless incompetent hacks?

"The vast majority of Repub Big Money Donors are in the hardest hit areas of Real Estate, Finance and now energy."

Hey, there's a bright side to every economic meltdown!

Well, there is a market for gate guards at a certain Preston Hollow cul-de-sac.

What law firm would want a partner who pretended to be stupid to avoid perjury?

I don't think many of them were only pretending.

Where's Sandy Berger working nowadays?

After what these Bush Administration cronies did to this nation, why would anyone want them doing similar things to their own firm. Granted, the Bushies prize loyalty above all else, but to whom and what now?

And what virtues do the Bushies bring with them? They can't follow rules, they show disregard for the general welfare of others, they lie repeatedly with a straight face (or conveniently "can't remember" in Alberto's case), they will indulge the interests of their friends at the expense of the true mission they were asked to serve, they are extremely secretive and obscure the truth from others, they have low moral standards and are rude and insulting to anyone that is seen to cross them.

Republicans don't mind it when Republicans mess with other people's money, but by hiring Bushies, they see the threat to their own.

You mean there's no market demand for corrupt talentless incompetent hacks?Posted by: Stefan on February 22, 2009 at 10:23 AM | PERMALINK

I guess the Invisible Hand of The Market has flipped them off.

I guess the Invisible Hand of The Market has flipped them off. - jcricket

Good one!

Moving beyond any sense of Schadenfreude here...

Y'all move on if you need to. I'm gonna be here a while.

I've got the perfect job for Mr. Gonzales and his WH associates: Some one should hire these clowns to get Kicked To The Curb 8 hours a day, 5 days a week until they get that they have damaged our nation economically, politically, internationally, scientifically, and spiritually!

I don't know, maybe pay them $12.00 an hour to get kicked to the curb. But allow family and friends to watch, and help our fledging economy by selling viewing tickets for whatever the market would bear! -Kevo

Like most of the preceeding commenters, I think there are plenty of conservatives left. Their conviction has withstood reality for a long time and will undoubtedly continue to do so. I think there is a diminishing market for anyone connected to the name "Bush."

Justice will be served when the big banks are forced into receivership, the executives are fired without Golden Parachutes, and the banks are reorganized with new investors.

Maybe our state universities can take up some of the slack. When I recently saw Bill Mercer --Montana's US Attorney who didn't quite make it to No. 3 at DOJ -- heading intently into Main Hall here at the University of Montana I wondered whether he might land at the law school or the Center for the Rocky Mountain West (a haven for wise former politicians). Cynical me.

Where's Sandy Berger working nowadays?
Posted by: dead freight mike

He has a thriving business sneaking comic books out of local five and dimes.

Only 25% to 30% of ex-Bush officials seeking full-time jobs have succeeded,[...] -- WSJ

And that's only those who are seeking full time jobs... It doesn't account for those who aren't looking because Bush managed to burrow them in, insulating them from the lousy odds in open job market. If we were to add the burrowers into the mix, the percentage of those hired would, probably be even lower.

Dennis-SGMM above had my thoughts.

Oddly enough, there's a point at which even conservatives insist on enforcing a minimal meritocracy.

I guess the Invisible Hand of The Market has flipped them off. Posted by: jcricket

Yeah, the Invisible Middle Finger...

Also,

The RW noise machine won't disappear entirely and the big "tink" tanks will still be around like AEI and the Heritage, but my guess is that a lot of the small fry are going to disappear (and for the beter, I think) as the corps and gazillionaires will be focusing on survival rather than funding RW bullshit spouters.
Posted by: Former Dan

I agree with your overall premise, that the money trees lost a lot of coinage, and that is hampering everything at their end of the income spectrum.

I imagine that the funders will be TRYING to do both survive AND fund the RW insane asylum, but with much more limited capacity to do damage. We can only hope that they fail equally badly at both - if and when they re-stock their bank accounts, we can be sure they will be back to doing us all wrong once again.

I'm with Decatur Dem. I do not intend to move beyond a "sense of Schadenfreude" anytime soon. it comforts me to feel that there is some inherent justice in the universe, and that the Karmic wheel, though slow to turn, grinds exceedingly small.

You can't post too many stories like this one for me.

I do not intend to move beyond a "sense of Schadenfreude" anytime soon. it comforts me...
Posted by: Jon

Sorry to quote you out of context, but the sentence nails this site.

But it appears that wingnut welfare is breaking down when it comes to former Bush officials. Is this the beginning of the end for movement conservatism?

Probably not; probably, instead, its just an internal purge within the movement.