Krugman: The Wastrel Son

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/opinion/18KRUG.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

H was a stock character in 19th-century fiction: the wastrel son who runs up gambling debts in the belief that his wealthy family, concerned for its prestige, will have no choice but to pay off his creditors. In the novels such characters always come to a bad end. Either they bring ruin to their families, or they eventually find themselves disowned.

George Bush reminds me of those characters — and not just because of his early career, in which friends of the family repeatedly bailed out his failing business ventures. Now that he sits in the White House, he's still counting on other people to settle his debts — not to protect the reputation of his family, but to protect the reputation of the country.

One by one, our erstwhile allies are disowning us; they don't want an unstable, anti-Western Iraq any more than we do, but they have concluded that President Bush is incorrigible. Spain has washed its hands of our problems, Italy is edging toward the door, and Britain will join the rush for the exit soon enough, with or without Tony Blair.

At home, however, Mr. Bush's protectors are not yet ready to make the break.

Last week Mr. Bush asked Congress for yet more money for the "Iraq Freedom Fund" — $25 billion for starters, although Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, says that the bill for the full fiscal year will probably exceed $50 billion, and independent experts think even that is an underestimate. And you know what? He'll get it.

[Frances]

1. Congress finds it hard to stand up to Bush

because Bush has the money to defeat anyone brave enough to question him.

Remember how Max Cleland who left 3 limbs in Vietnam lost to Saxby Camblis in Georgia because of Republican ads that morphed Max into Osama?


And Bush has been running very effective ads with a series of things needed for soldiers in Iraq. After each one, the ad says Kerry voted no. Example: Armor for the troops in Iraq? Kerry voted no.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. But Congress can AFFORD to capitulate to * because they don't fear

their constiuents.

An active citizenry that demands accountability from their congressional representatives and Senators is be just as threatening as * as voters can remove whomever they choose in any election, even ask for a recall as in California.

* is counting on their core supporters, fooling the undecideds to trust him, and discouraging the rest from voting with a not-so-subliminal message of "It's hopeless. You can't change anything. We're too powerful. It's out of your hands."

Because of lack of organization among dissenters, * is right in theory. But even disenfrancised voters with enough determination who can convince a few others to vote with them can change history.

We are responsible for at least trying to fight.

[Frances]

4. I do everything I can to stand up to Shrub

But I also watch to see how things play out. The corporations have zillions of dollars available for Shrub's candidates.

For example, in the 2002 North Carolina senate race, WalMart sent out brochures to thousands of customers. On the cover was Elizabeth Dole standing by an American flag and inside there was a laudatory story about her. Dole did not have to report the costs as a campaign donation. Neither did WalMart because they claimed that they had decided on the cover before the election even though Dole had been considering the run for a couple of years. Oh yes, Dole won.

Now a tobacco coroporation wants to give free advertising to Bush. Do you want to take bets that this will be allowed?

I wish that lying advertisements were not effective, but they are.

The main thing that we have on our side is the magnitude of the consequences of Bush's transfer of wealth to the corporations on the ordinary citizen: fewer job opportunities, fewer good jobs, people stuck in the Iraqi and Afghan hellholes, and higher gas prices.

[ixion]

3. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x51394

[quispquake]

5. Duplicate Thread

Please continue here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x51394