George W. Bush, Voldemort Of American Politics, Rules From The Shadows

[Mayhem]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-fineman/george-w-bush-election-2012_b_1179655.html

The 2012 campaign officially begins on Tuesday with voting in the Iowa caucuses. But here in the Iowa Republican campaign, the most influential political figure of the last decade -- the one whose policies everyone should be talking about -- is invisible.

To Democrats, George W. Bush is the Voldemort of American politics, an evil force. But even to Republicans, he is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, someone you dare not talk about as you try to win the votes of conservative Iowans.

In events involving five of the six GOP caucus contenders here in recent days, this reporter did not hear the former president's name mentioned once. A survey of other Huffington Post reporters yielded similar results.

And yet, with the important and perhaps even crucial exception of Ron Paul, Republican candidates do not generally dispute the Bush framework, even though they don't mention his name. They want more tax cuts, not fewer; they advocate for a more aggressive policy toward Jihadists; like Bush, they shy away from specifically stating how they would balance the budget; and except for Paul and asterisk candidate Jon Huntsman, they do not specify, in any meaningful detail, how they would regulate Wall Street and the Fed in fundamentally different ways. The candidates say they are for "smaller government," but do not propose to do away with most of the government functions Bush expanded during his eight years in office.

As a result, three years after he left office, Bush remains one of the most consequential, though paradoxically invisible, figures in modern American history.

Just quoted the highlights. It's a good article.

 

[PJpenny]

irrelavent article. If this writer knew anything about presidential politics, he would know that ex Presidents are rarely if ever mentioned in election time. Bill Clinton stayed out of the 2000 election altogether, never campaigned for Al Gore, GW Bush did the same thing in not campaigning nor volunteering to for John McCain. another point is that former presidents are actually happier being out of the spotlight after the crap the job puts them through. Only presidents who miss the job are bittermen one termers like Jimmy Carter who feel they got cheated out of their re-election by groups they despise (in the case of Jimmy Carter he has had a long running hatred for Jews, esp. of Isreali discent). I can tell you for a fact George W Bush is happy not to be in the spotlight right now, and he doesnt care that his name isnt coming up, he cares that hes getting his private time at home in Dallas. I respect Bush and Clinton for keeping their noses out of presidential politics and following the protocol that the office of the presidency is bigger than the man who holds it, i dont respect Jimmy Carter for his constant criticsm of the president in office.

 

[xfire]

I lol'd when I read the title of this thread.

 

[squallumz]

5 points for the usage of you-know-whos name.

-10 points for it being a political thread.

 

[Mayhem]

irrelavent article. If this writer knew anything about presidential politics, he would know that ex Presidents are rarely if ever mentioned in election time. Bill Clinton stayed out of the 2000 election altogether, never campaigned for Al Gore, GW Bush did the same thing in not campaigning nor volunteering to for John McCain. another point is that former presidents are actually happier being out of the spotlight after the crap the job puts them through. Only presidents who miss the job are bittermen one termers like Jimmy Carter who feel they got cheated out of their re-election by groups they despise (in the case of Jimmy Carter he has had a long running hatred for Jews, esp. of Isreali discent). I can tell you for a fact George W Bush is happy not to be in the spotlight right now, and he doesnt care that his name isnt coming up, he cares that hes getting his private time at home in Dallas. I respect Bush and Clinton for keeping their noses out of presidential politics and following the protocol that the office of the presidency is bigger than the man who holds it, i dont respect Jimmy Carter for his constant criticsm of the president in office.

You miss the point entirely. This isn't about how much Georgy II is chirping but how much he gets (or doesn't get) chirped about. Not one of the candidates will mention him by name, not one will mention his policies by name.

 

[Ace Boobtoucher]

Impartial reporting and Huffington Post are a combination of words that should never collide in the same sentence.

 

[El Perro Mayor]

You got the wrong guy, it's not W. Bush. It's more like Dick Cheney.

 

[pete rose]

Reminder that George W. Bush masturbated in front of his father.

 

[hedonis]

Impartial reporting and Huffington Post are a combination of words that should never collide in the same sentence.

Damn, can't rep you again so soon! This also continues the strange dichotomy of George W. Which is it? Bungling buffoon and complete idiot who can't speak? Or evil, criminal mastermind and genius...

 

[Mayhem]

Bungling buffoon and complete idiot who thought he was a criminal mastermind and genius.

There have been cartoons about this....

 

[abrogate]

Sometimes when I'm not reading the Huffington Post, MSNBC, or Fox News I read the news.

 

[LukeEl]

Well if Bush is Voldemort then Perot is Cornelius Fudge and Clinton is Hagrid.