A friend who happens to be a Republican shill advised me after the election that America would suffer under the "leadership" of Nancy Pelosi. He was also very down on Harry Reid.
I did not know much about either, but I thought, "they cannot be worse that the Republicans".
I was wrong.
The Republicans rubber stamped any bill that gave government money to big corporations under the broad umbrella of national security. I hate that. They use scare tactics to stay in power and lack the political will and/or integrity to insist the government's primary military issue be capturing Bin Ladin and stamping out Al-Quida. Over the last 8 years, they have proven to be, with few exceptions, lying opportunistic garbage picking at the bones of the people killed in 9/11.
IMO.
But, at least they were competent at it.
Pelosi has done next to nothing beyond getting herself involved in a PR "scandal" going to visit one of our "enemies". Why would you do something like that? Don't you have to look at benefits vs. potential negative responses on everything you do at that level? As far as I can tell, she did it to basically announce there was a new sheriff in town. What did it accomplish on the international stage? Nothing much. What damage did it do in the US? It established that the only thing that Pelosi has done of note for the vast majority of Americans who just discovered her since she took power is to have possibly done something that is "fuzzy illegal" to spite Bush.
Pelosi DOES appear to be in over her head.
And Harry Reid...WTF!?!? I never thought I would meet a man who George Bush could consistently out maneuver. Reid seems like a nice guy, but he is really screwing the pooch here. America wants a politician who doesn't speak in platitudes or riddles, in the Senate more than anywhere else. Instead Reid talks about reading his child Dr. Seuss and quotes the books. Dude, you run the Senate. Make the only words that ever come out of your mouth to be along the lines of, "This bill was voted on and failed. 45 Democrats and 3 republicans voted for it." PERIOD. You have a real problem with Public perception, bottom lining stuff would really help you in that your image to the public would not be you being another stupid time waster.
The current immigration reform really kills me though. They put this bill forward knowing that Bush desperately wants his legacy not to just be iraq and that Bush will bite on anything that helps legalize all the backroom dealings he has had with Mexican officials and corporations to open our borders.
Why even trot this bill out? Bush has been called a lame duck president, but his veto has stopped almost every piece of legislation the Dems have put out. The Dems want to take down the Attorney General, but Bush laughs at their efforts. This Attorney General isn't even popular with the Republicans! Most political insiders thought the guy would be out in 2 weeks and here it is 3 months later and The Dems still haven't even accomplished that!!!! Bush publicly ridiculed their efforts and said he would not replace Gonzales earlier today. If this political balance stays in place, the Dems will have to throw Gonzales in jail to get Bush to replace him --- and frankly, even then replacement does not appear to be a certainty. Bush might just pardon Gonzales and keep him on.
The fact is, Bush is kicking the Democrats' asses, even as a "lame duck".
If Bush is a lame duck from here on out, why do they give him a chance to get out of that bed by putting this stupid immigration law out there? Why do this, when you can wait a little over a year and work with a more reasonable president and a larger democratic majority to pass a law that actually satisfies your constituency?
I take this as Pelosi and Reid deciding that they need to accomplish SOMETHING, even if it is something that paints Bush in a favorable light (as far as not being a lame duck). The thought is probably that Bush is on his way out and the Republicans can't possibly capitalize on this, because this splits their party and puts politicians against their constituency. That is just stupid logic.
If this bill passes, the Republicans will be able to say, "I was against all of the facets of the bill you don't like, but my President asked for my support. I refused, but he asked again and I grudgingly agreed, but only after insisting on these changes." It allows Republican Senators to appear loyal to the party and the president (voters love that about the republicans) and willing to work with the Democrats (independents hate gridlock brought about by party line voting) while protecting Republican core values.
This is not even a bone bone thrown to the Republicans and Bush. This is a fat leg of lamb. If this bill passes Republicans will profit from it far greater than Democrats. Republicans will be able to point at this crappy piece of heavily negotiated bi-partisan legislation and say if you vote for Democrats, this is the kind of bills you can expect. What do Democrats get out of this?
Then Harry Reid pulls it off the agenda stating the votes are not there to pass it. What are you thinking, Harry Reid?!?!?! Send it to a vote and watch it burn. Let the image of lame duck Bush stew in American minds for the next 6 months. Underscore the fact that his party has abandoned him. Let the America know that they ONLY way they are going to get immigration reform is with a better majority in Senate and a Democratic President.
Instead wet noodle Reid limply pulls it off the table letting the Republicans off the hook. Now if it passes, this was another triumph of embattled War President George Bush, saving legislation that the Democrats could not pass. George Bush, the tough president who could unite parties when the time came.
Dude this just makes me sick.
Harry Reid just turned over all credit for any good that bill might bring about to George Bush.
For that, he has to go.
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I do not mean to imply that immigration reform is a bad thing, but I think the Democratic strategists are being very stupid about it.
No other Republican but Bush would ever vote to give amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens. In other words, if Bush doesn't pass this law, a Democrat will. So if the choice is to make those mostly Mexican illegals Democrats or Republicans, why are Reid and Pelosi trying to make them Republicans? Politically, you are talking about the future of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Are you willing for California to become soft Democrat and New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada to go hard Republican?
If you want to accomplish things, there are better ways to do so --- even on the policy of illegals.
1) Cater to Republican congressmen and congresswomen, not Bush. Republicans want their "War on Terror". Give it to them. Give them a simple law that ramps up US/Mexico border security by protecting border agents from political reprisals, giving the border patrol AND the national guard freedom to engage attacking Mexicans, AND build that damned fence. That is what most of America wants. America wants to feel secure. Republican senators will vote for any legislation that only deals with securing the border. Bush will vote against anything that appears anti-Mexican. If you can dig up enough Democratic votes, you can pass a secure mexican border bill into law OVER a Bush veto. That would be a crushing defeat for the Bush administration.
And it would make the Democrats seem like the party that is really tough on security. Democrats will need that in the presidential election.
You could actually use that process to build relationships with the Republican rank and file and maybe even secure promises to support future legislation to transition illegal immigrants to legalized migrant workers.
Illegals should have a way to become legal migrant workers, but there should be no way they should be allowed to stay here permanently. That is rewarding illegal activity and most Americans hate that on principle. Create a system that brings illegals in-line with legal aliens--- who are required to leave the country when their stay is up. Make deportation of illegals a every day reality. Everything will sort itself out from there. To do more than that is to take an unneccessary political black eye.
If you kill Bush by breaking his veto a couple of times, you liberate like minded Republicans to vote their conscience rather than the party line. You might even be able to get traction on Iraq and Gonzales, but that won't happen until the party gets their act together and learns how to lead.
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If this mismanagement continues, there will be no Democratic majority in the senate and the odds of a Democratic president are greatly reduced.
For the good of the party, Reid and Pelosi need to step down and let more forceful and media savvy democrats take their place.
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