Thursday, April 27, 2006
How Do Your Rate the President?
According to FNC, President Bush's approval ratings are at 30%. It reminds one of Nixon's nadir during the throes of Watergate. President Bush has some great ideas but he must learn that one can't rule unless he/she has the heart and/or confidence of the American public. He has stood strong on terrorism, defense, and judicial philosophy; he took good initial steps on tax, oil, and regulations policy; and he has been a friend to democracy and freedom in the Middle East. However, he and his party in D.C. seem to be impotent in taking on the Democrats and the media on taxes, energy, and "the vision thing" (as his father once said) during his second term. Say what you will about Clinton but he knew how to rally an American plurality to his side regardless of the rightness of his position. Maybe, Tony Snow will help get him on message and to do so in a manner that will resonate with the public. I give him a B+ in his first term and a C+ in his second term.
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7 comments:
The President has always been sort of light on big C conservatism.
What should Bush do?
* Push hard for ANWR and point out the Dems constant obstructionism
* Call for a moratorium on all federal gas taxes
* Push for making his 1st term tax cuts permanent
* Push for the repeal of the death tax
* Support small and mid-size business coalitions for purchasing group insurance
* Push for an Iraqi vote on whether or not American troops should remain
* Develop a limited migration pact
What should Bush not do?
* Blame oil companies for higher oil prices
* Repeal any taxes
* Push for amnesty/guest worker program
* Use "diplomatese" with Iran and terrorist-sponsoring countries - need clear, concise language
Joseph, you should have taken over Andrew Card's erstwhile position. I wish that we had such clarity of vision in the current administration. Maybe, with the influx of new blood, we will, at least, see discernible moves in those directions.
James, while we are recognizing the greatness which is being a Hogue, let me tell you just how stoked I am that you are blogging. Of course, be patient with growing your readership. It'll come, but it takes time. Go visit other blogs and participate in discussions. Make sure that you put your blog address in your comments on their blogs. This gives others a trail back to your site.
Joseph, thanks for the encouragement and advice in re blogging. Do you mean that I should include my blog address in the body of the comments that I make on others' blogs? It is fun and cathartic to give your perspective on various issues of the day whether or not anyone cares. Am I blogging if no one reads it? :-)
Sort of like the old riddle, "If a tree falls in the woods..." Well, admittedly, part of the fun of blogging is writing for a crowd (and getting added to others' blogrolls.) You can, of course, blog for blogging's sake, but where's the fun in that? :)
By the way, most blogs have a part in their comment section for you to leave your blog address.
Exactly, Joseph. Of course, you don'† have to worry about that conundrum. By the way, what grades do you give the Prez?
I think Bush needs to drop any talk related to Social Security and immigration. They do not help him. I rate him as a B- right now. There's a lot of promise, but he's underachieving by focusing on the wrong issues (and many times the wrong sides of these issues). If he pushes for the things I listed earlier, his numbers will go up. It's tough to be popular when you've had the media whittling away every day by focusing and creating negative news stories on the administration. Republicans in the House and Senate, should ignore the conventional political talk about "distancing" themselves from the President. Like it or not, their fortunes are tied to Bush: if he's not popular, they're not popular; if he's riding high approval ratings, he pulls them up. If anything, he buoys Congress, instead of vice versa.
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