Unacceptable Leadership
August 29, 2007
I sometimes try to imagine what would happen if a CEO at a large corporation made as many errors as the Bush administration. Say a CEO, along with his close advisors, pushed for an aggressive overseas expansion that flopped and caused the reputation of the corporation to nose dive all around the world. Then add disastrous performance on any number of business fronts and several high profile examples of cronyism. This CEO would have been removed a long time ago by the corporate board. But our president continues to muddle along with enough support to stave off a serious call for his resignation.
I don't mean this post simply as a snark.. I really am curious why it works out that a president who performs like Bush is able to continue in his job. Israel offers a counter example with their Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The disastrously run war in Lebanon last summer brought his approval ratings into the single digits. It seems that no matter whether one is liberal or conservative in Israel.. there can at least be agreement over the poor handling of the war.
My sense is that this phenomenon has something to do with the nature of party affiliation as encouraged by Republicans. Among the core party supporters there is not merely an intellectual buy-in to the positions of the party.. but also an identity commitment. Bush as the head of the party is thus more than just a figure to be calmly approved of or disapproved of.. but a representative of the self. Professional and college ball clubs enjoy a similar commitment from fans. I see it here in Wisconsin with respect to the Packers. Last season I read a letter in our paper about how the test of a true fan is that he sticks with the team in bad times as well as good. Bush and his team, with their emphasis on loyalty and party basics, end up constructing a similarly fan-based version of political loyalty.
A second explanation as to why Bush continues to remain in office is his skill at muddying the waters. You can listen to Bush stand in New Orleans after Katrina and say: "We will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives... This great city will rise again." Nothing like this has happened and the continued federal response to New Orleans has been pathetic by all accounts. But the calculation on the part of Bush and Rove seemed to be that a large section of the public will hear the sound bites and then trust that things will go OK. If the public does question the broken promises then the issue can be muddied by blaming this or that local official.. and pretty soon they aren't sure who to blame.
We have witnessed a succession of points at which Bush has walked out onto a stage and pronounced this or that situation "unacceptable". It is a distancing word that makes it sound as if the problem lies out there separate from his own policies. But what is unacceptable for our nation is the leadership of George W. Bush. This second anniversary of the devastation of Hurricanne Katrina is as good a time as any to call for the resignation of this president and his vice president.
Old Roads Picks a Candidate for '08
January 21, 2007
With the rash of campaign announcements it is hard not to start looking ahead to the presidential campaign of '08. Another reason for our early attention to '08 is the continuation of dangerous trends in the Bush administration.. from escalation of the war in Iraq and a seeming willingness to begin a conflict with Iran.. to domestic policies that weaken our individual rights and increase inequality.
Old Roads has decided to endorse the presidential candidacy of John Edwards. Three issues stand out for us as deciding factors:
- His stated desire to begin withdrawing American forces from Iraq.. which we believe to be the best course of action out of a range of bad options.
- His attention to the growing levels of inequality in our country. We hear non-stop news of corporate profits and whopping paychecks for those at the top, but average Americans are not connected to this prosperity.
- His desire to extend medical coverage to all Americans. In our view there can be no greater moral imperative than to make sure all Americans have access to health care.
Further, we respond to Edwards' call for involvement now. For us that does not mean door-to-door political activism.. but it will mean a willingness to stand for something in the forums that are open to us.. such as this blog. Beyond advocacy for a specific candidate we are going to look for ways to pitch in and help form a fresh vision of who we are as Americans.
