Sunday, October 31, 2010

Those brilliant democrats.

Lessons from Bill
Clinton outfoxed a Republican Congress, but is Obama as nimble?

Just a week after Election Day, Henry Cisneros, then secretary of housing and urban development, was among those attending a small meeting at the White House. “The president was livid,” recalled Cisneros. “Frustrated. Angry beyond words . . . But in that same conversation came the beginnings of a concept, which was, if it’s going to be ugly, you may as well make it a showdown between yourself and Gingrich . . . Let it be a test of ideas.”

The White House adopted a new terminology. “Over and over again,” recalls Mike McCurry, then White House press secretary, “we used the words ‘radical’ and ‘extreme’ interchangeably to discuss the priorities of the new Republican leadership in Congress.” [full]


Clinton outfoxed Republicans? - There was no FOX

In a nutshell, here's how Democrats "won" the last two major budget show-downs with Republicans, and what promises to be another in 2011.

1990
1995
        2011
The Trigger
Bush-41 invokes his "Read My Lips-No New Taxes" campaign promise.  Refuses to sign Democrat budget w/ tax increase.
 Led by Speaker Gingrich, congress presents budget that cuts taxes and spending.                New Teaparty  congress moves to undo Obama's radical legislation.
Democrat Response
AFSCME assures Democrats that union will scream bloody murder if Bush shuts down government.

The culprit. George Bush who was forced by his own advisers to cave.
AFSCME assures Clinton that union will keep silent if he calls Newt's bluff and shuts-down government.

 The culprit: Newt Gingrich. Only informed citizens hate Clinton's guts.
Obamunists discuss building concentration camps behind closed doors; publicly call new congress Nazi-like (really)
President's popularity What Gulf War? Who cares? Newt Gingrich is the anti-Christ Where's that Muslum sob's birth certificate?
Media
Response

MEDIA interviews with disappointed school groups who weren't able to see the dinosaur, and vendors whose lives are shattered because hot dog sales have tanked clog the airwaves. MEDIA interviews with disappointed school groups who weren't able to see the dinosaur, and vendors whose lives are shattered because hot dog sales have tanked clog the airwaves.

'Very Afraid'

Patriot  Media
WSJ Editorial Page WSJ Editorial Page, Rush Limbaugh, FreeRepublic.com  The Internets; talk radio, Blogs, FOX NEWS
Result
Republican cave-in
Republican cave-in ?
What?  No, I don't advocate that congress cut all Secret Service funding.   Sheesh.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great chart. Rodge. But I think you have the Media Response for 1995 and 2011 switched. And what is a "bid dinosaur"? I assumed it was a typo but it's in there twice.

I really afraid that the 2011 result will be no different. The will of the people becomes a distant chatter in DC.
GrinfilledCelt

Rodger the Real King of France said...

In case you haven't figured it out ... I do live editing. That's right, I'm a lousy practice player. I cringe at the thought that someone reads the first drafts.

toadold said...

The tactics that the Democrats used in the past depended to a large extent on a biased media monopoly setting the meme. One reason Obama's popularity dropped so fast was that the technology of communications has changed. The system now catches, remembers, and reports the lies and has accelerated the loss of viewers and readers of the lame stream media. They think they can blame a government shut down on the Republicans, not realizing that the Tea Party would through a party this time if that happened.

molonlabe28 said...

Barry is no Billy Jeff, who had adroit (admittedly evil) political skills.

O still hasn't learned 1 thing about governing.

We need better leaders than Boehner and McConnell - they are both deplorable.

Anonymous said...

One problem with past shutdowns was that the government employees received back pay for time off after it was over. The unions have nothing to lose unless Congress reverses this policy.

Laurence

Alear said...

I'm sorry molonlabe28, I just don't see the evidence that Boehner and McConnell are deplorable. Care to back that statement up?

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Agreed. Lincoln Chafee is deplorable. Jim Jeffords is deplorable. Boehner and McConnell are good guys who've been in the barrel too long.

Anonymous said...

If they understood the way Americans feel these days, they wouldn't be talking about who gets the blame for shutting down the government, they'd be fighting over who gets the credit. We would be saving money hand over fist.
GrinfilledCelt

molonlabe28 said...

Gentlemen-

I concur that "deplorable" is probably a poor term to use with respect to Beohner and McConnell as members of Congress.

But, they both caved and voted for TARP, which is a bellweather issue with me.

I want leaders who are principled -not opportunistic.

And McConnell endorsed moderate Trey Hargett over Rand Paul in the GOP primary for Jim Bunning's open Senate seat.

And neither one will make an effective leader of our party in their respective chambers.

As recently as a few weeks ago, Boehner said that he would compromise on some key piece of legislation, which was met with the hue and cry of conservatives like myself.

The next day or the following day, McConnell said that he wouldn't compromise on the legislation.

But both of these men are creatures of the system which has brought our country to the brink of disaster.

They have spent their entire careers the political system that I find reprehensible (you know, compromising with Democrats and selling out my interests).

Mitch McConnell is pretty much invisible to most of the country.

I want someone with complete conviction leading the GOP in the Senate (Jim DeMint, for example) and I want someone as speaker of the House who has not spent his entire political career working the system I cannot stand.

I want someone who will constantly disturb the status quo in D.C. and I don't see these two gentlement doing it.

I hope they prove me wrong.

I respect your opinions to the contrary, but I don't want either of these guys leading the GOP in their respective chambers.

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