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   Memo: The way forward on health care reform in 2010.
 A dark legacy of the Vietnam War is creating a whole new set of problems.
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July 1, 2009
THE DREADED 'BUSH-OBAMA' ECONOMIC AGENDA.... An interesting new House Republican memo, obtained by Greg Sargent, takes aim at George W. Bush's economic policies, and tries to connect the unpopular former president with President Obama.
If complaints about "Bush-Obama" economic policies sounds at all familiar, there's a good reason. Starting in February, Newt Gingrich started complaining bitterly about "Bush-Obama" economic ideas. The disgraced former House Speaker even had an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he used the phrase "Bush-Obama" four times in four paragraphs. Why House Republicans would want to follow Gingrich's lead is a mystery to me, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time they've made this mistake. And while it's interesting to see House Republicans -- you know, the ones who voted in support of Bush's economic agenda for eight years -- use the former president's name as a point of attack, this rhetorical strategy has at least one major flaw. For five months, these same congressional Republicans have argued that the Obama administration's agenda represents a radical and dangerous departure from American norms. Words like "socialism" and "communism" have been thrown around rather casually since January. With this in mind, it's a little difficult to turn around and point to what Newt has called the "Bush-Obama continuity" on economic policy. Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both. —Steve Benen 2:00 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (82)Comments
Yep, just another delusion that these rabid souls need to invent in order to justify their existence.... heaven forbid that they actually take a cold, hard, look in the mirror ... Posted by: stormskies on July 1, 2009 at 1:59 PM | PERMALINKit's interesting to see House Republicans -- you know, the ones who voted in support of Bush's economic agenda for eight years -- use the former president's name as a point of attack Especially since they were, in general, just fine with Greenspan holding interest rates at historic lows for such a long time -- ultimately creating the real estate bubble behind the current recession -- in order to create the illusion that Bush's tax cuts for the rich created economic prosperity. How ironic it is that Republican efforts to disguise the fact that their economic polices don't work still managed to wreck the economy. P.J. O'Rourke was right. Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both. Except that they do make "both" arguments when talking about Guantanamo, unitary executive and Iraq policy. Consistency is not an issue with these guys. "Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both." Why not? Posted by: steve s on July 1, 2009 at 2:10 PM | PERMALINK"Consistency is not an issue with these guys." by Danp Well, why should they? Logic was first formulated by Aristotle - and that guy was European. So why listen to him in the first place. Posted by: Vokoban on July 1, 2009 at 2:11 PM | PERMALINKIt's perplexing to say the least that they seem to have forgotten the fact that their RECORDS are a matter of public information, therefore it can be PROVEN they voted for the economic policies they now rail against as Bu$h - Obama economics. It's kind of like the public option debate; one one hand they say government is useless and can't run anything efficiently, then in the same breath they talk about the pubic option putting private insurers out of business. Everything is a game to these folks. I hope they pay dearly for this next election cycle. My hi8nch they will. Posted by: citizen_pain on July 1, 2009 at 2:17 PM | PERMALINK
Oh, come on. This is what the MSM was made for. Earlier charges of 'radical socialism' will be put down to post-election confusion. Perfectly understandable, nothing to see here, and in no way a reflection on the intellectual and political qualities of the GOP. Until it doesn't work, in which case the MSM will have to wait for the next brilliant strategeric master-plan to emanate from GOP Central and repeat the drama. Which will also be good for the Republicans, because their continued efforts to find a way of winning back power by thrashing around for pithy slogans are unique and special, and will inevitably work - eventually - because the GOP are the natural party of government in the USA, and the electorate are stupid. It's what they do, isn't it. Posted by: Tony J on July 1, 2009 at 2:22 PM | PERMALINKcitizen - Yes, but the media has been cowed and beaten into concretizing Repuke narratives driven by chutzpah, bluster, and repetition, regardless of "records" or objective consistency. As noted here and elsewhere repeatedly, Repukes still have a chokehold on the media (even, ahem, here at WaMo). I agree with you, though - I think pretty much everyone outside the 25%-ers sees their bullshit for what it is, and after a year of watching the economy stabilize and begin recovery we'll be seeing some more Dem gains in 2010. Posted by: Conrads Ghost on July 1, 2009 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINKLogic was first formulated by Aristotle - and that guy was European. -- Vokoban, @14:11 And not just any European, but a *Greek*. One of them homos, you know. As for Steve's: The Repub theory is pretty much the same; it *can* be both, so long a you "don't bother about the truth, please." Posted by: exlibra on July 1, 2009 at 2:29 PM | PERMALINKSo what are the differences between Bush and Obama's approach to the financial crises? Why are Gingrich and Sargent wrong? Posted by: anonymous on July 1, 2009 at 2:35 PM | PERMALINK"Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both." Why the hell not ? If the MSM allows the American RightWing to simultaneously claim that Obama is a Socialist AND a Fascist, who is going to stop them ? BTW, according to the MSM, Michael Jackson is still dead, until a blonde girl gets kidnapped. SO when has reality and truth ever mattered to the Republicans? Or even interferred with their message? Posted by: digger on July 1, 2009 at 2:47 PM | PERMALINK"Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both." Since when has "reality based" thinking been a constrain on Republithugh arguments? Posted by: dcsusie on July 1, 2009 at 2:49 PM | PERMALINKAnd unless these kinds of pre-school antics get repeatedly corrected, publicly, every time, it's a 'win' for the sociopaths. I want to ask the historians out there: when has one of America's major political parties been as degraded, shallow, venal, mendacious, small minded, and just plain...pathetic as the Republicanists at the present time? Who are these people? When did rising WAY BEYOND your level of competence become the norm for leaders of the largest economy in history? What cultural anomalies engendered/allowed cognitive and emotional retardation as prerequisites for public service? How has one half of our political discourse devolved into militantly asocial, Lord-of-the-Flies scat throwing? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we may be witnessing our very own "Inherit the Wind" moment, where the stupids, incapable of self-knowledge or correction, marginalize themselves beyond recovery. One can only hope. Posted by: Conrads Ghost on July 1, 2009 at 2:51 PM | PERMALINKI don't think Obama has joined the Bilderberger Group, yet. On the other hand, Hillary is a long time member. Posted by: Ten Bears on July 1, 2009 at 3:21 PM | PERMALINKRepublicans want it both ways, but Obama can't possibly be in two places at one time. He can't be both a card-carrying Socialist who wants to take the country in a radically different direction and AT THE SAME TIME embrace the failed policies of the guy conservatives like Gingrich are trying to throw under the bus to save the Conservative Movement -- George W. Bush, THE most conservative president in the past 100 years. Posted by: Ted Frier on July 1, 2009 at 4:01 PM | PERMALINKActually, I think this points up the rise of Austrian economic thinking among the hard right. Never mind that most GOP backbenchers have never heard of Hayek; if Newtie read The Road To Serfdom and liked it, it's good enough for them. Posted by: dr sardonicus on July 1, 2009 at 4:17 PM | PERMALINK"Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both." Aw, sure it can! Why not? After all, Obama can be a vicious fascist determined to impose dictatorship on the U.S., and an evil, scheming subversive except when he's a weak, feckless wimp who doesn't have a clue about national security. You can have it both ways if you're totally irrational. Posted by: T-Rex on July 1, 2009 at 4:45 PM | PERMALINK"Either Obama's approach is a radical change or it's Bush's agenda warmed over. It can't be both." Ah, but in the doublethink world of right-wingnuttery, it can. It's why they can still believe that Saddam and bin Laden were in cahoots. Or still believe a report that says cap-and-trade will cost every American over $3,000 a year, even after the author of said report has discredited it. Or that tax cuts generate revenue. Or that defense spending helps boost the economy and create jobs, but domestic spending doesn't. When you reject reality, the sky's the limit. Posted by: 2Manchu on July 1, 2009 at 7:09 PM | PERMALINKI'll go with it's Bush's agenda warmed over, because it's certainly not a radical change. Posted by: Adrian Fenty on July 2, 2009 at 12:47 PM | PERMALINKYeah, pitiful ironies here. I dig the crazy dissonancing caused by combining Bush and Obama. How can conservatives (the ones who still like Bush) get their grubby little conceptual fingers around that? Posted by: N e i l B on July 2, 2009 at 1:47 PM | PERMALINKCorrect. Bush, the former King of Spenders, is a soulmate of the debt president. Real conservatives recognize Bush as one of yours, not one of ours. Posted by: Luther on July 2, 2009 at 10:38 PM | PERMALINKI want to say - thank you for this! Posted by: low price tramadol on July 24, 2009 at 1:24 PM | PERMALINKExcellent site. It was pleasant to me. 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