Why Did The Bush Presidency Happen?

[Yavin4]

I know the "How It Happened", stolen elections, complicit media, and a bias SCOTUS, but I'm still fuzzy on the "Why"?

I have my theory which is that Bush was supposed to complete the Reagan transformation. He was to convert a majority of the American people into Republicans, similar to what happened in Texas when he was governor. The "elites" thought that Bush would create a permanent Republican majority that would last 50 years.

Anyone else have a theory?

[porphyrian]

1. Enough of the few people with power wanted it and most of the rest of us were distracted, conned,...

...and/or powerless to stop it.

[Warpy]

2. No, I think that's about it.

Plus, they intended to do away with civil and regulatory law they still found inconvenient. Not only did they want their 50 year majority, they made sure they'd get it by fixing two elections and by disgracing the impeachment process through their ridiculous witch hunt against the quite conservative Clinton.

They're still chipping away at regulatory law. There will likely be little left when they've gone. The only question is when the inevitable crash will happen and who it will be blamed on.

[SharonAnn]

3. To create the "Thousand Year Reich"

[seemslikeadream]

7. "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer, ein Volk"

One Hope, One people, One country, One leader.
One Hope, One people, One country, One destiny.

Stand up be brave my people we're here to stay, for a thousand years.
An oath you've spoken, can never be broken, you'll pay, in blood and tears
Never tire, never doubt, never falter, never slacken, Just believe in me.
Stand up, shout loud, stand proud, in what we will we will achieve.

One Hope, One people, One country, One leader will set you free
One Hope, One people, One country, One destiny for a thousand years

Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk.

It's not enough just to say you love your country, its not enough.
It's not enough to get down on your knees and pray, it's just not enough.

The price is high, the price you have to pay is your freedom, surrender yourselves.
Mothers send me your blue-eyed blonde-haired boys and let me see them, blue-eyed blonde-haired boys.

One Hope, One people, One country, One leader will set you free.
One Hope, One people, One country, One destiny for a thousand years.

Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk,
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher, Ein Volk.

One Hope, One people, One country, One leader will set you free
One Hope, One people, One country, One destiny for a thousand years.

[kentuck]

4. Excellent question for historians to answer..

But, in my opinion, I think it was a perfect political storm. The Republicans had created a propaganda machine with talk radio that led directly to the election of Republicans to the majority in the House and Senate in 1994. With that goal accomplished, they went about to destroy the Democratic Party and everything that "liberalism" stood for. They wanted to drown it in a bathtub, as Grover Norquist had stated. With the impeachment of Bill Clinton, they had adequately destroyed the leadership of the Democratic Party and were to take charge with the most radical and incompetent Administration of our lifetimes. Enter George W Bush..

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Yeah, the ultimate ending to the Reagan Revolution, which...

could come to nothing good. I have no idea what really went on, but I suspect that Shrub wasn't the first choice for many to put the "plan" in place but was a convenient stooge when they couldn't agree on anyone better.

Shrub will take the fall in future judgments, but it was the "plan" that was really at fault. Just like the horribly failed plan to rebuild Iraq as a PNAC-inspired neocon paradise, the plan to reinvent the US in their mold not only didn't work, but the destruction of what exists far outweighs any benefits gained.

[kentuck]

20. True...

Just as now the Democrats are fearful of mentioning the need for raising some taxes because the Republicans have successfully made it another "third rail" of politics. So we continue to struggle with the huge deficits that get larger and larger with each succeeding Republican Administration...

[KingFlorez]

5. I agree with your theory

From the beginning of the Bush administration, conservatives were constantly trying to figure out how ways to rule permanently. The Texas redistricting and the attempts to pack the courts with conservative judges are prime examples of this.

[Thothmes]

22. theory

Democrats never gerrymander? Democrats never appoint judges that dont have the same views as they do? These are what happens when you win. If you lose you cant gerrymander or appoint judges. Watch the gerrymandering that takes place after the next census when the Dems will control a majority of State legislatures. You can bet that the next Democratic president will appoint only judges that hold views similiar to theres. That is the reward for winning elections.

[KingFlorez]

24. You completely missed my point

The Republicans went to the extreme because they wanted domination, Democrats never went to extremes. I wasn't talking about the Democrats anyway, I was talking about Republicans, let's not change the subject.

[Blashyrkh]

6. Yes, but there's no point talking about it here.

[HughBeaumont]

8. Because that's the way the Jack Welches of this world wanted it.

They were going to install their man come hell or high water. How else would an absolute failure at all previous attempts at anything become this nation's "leader"? Certainly not because the people wanted it out of free will. The people with a more than microscopic brain stem, that is.

He who hath all the gold maketh all the rules.

Even if those rules involve skirting the foundations of democracy, electoral integrity and legality.

[Didereaux]

9. you're very first presumption is false....or the conclusion is

If Bush was supposed to accomplish something then he would have to have been a 'power', he was and is not. Therefor the 'elite' as you call them could not believe that he could create anything.

Whoa, hold on I know I was picking semantical nits, merely setting up my version of yours. ;) First it didn't have to be Geo Bush who would accomplish anything, that came about by pure serendipity for George. All that was needed was a completely controllable puppet, any puppet that the American public would accept. Rove tested George out in Texas, probably his least shrewd move, but it worked. Texans are arguably some of the most obstinately ignorant by choice jackasses in the nation, possibly the worst, and are a poor representative population sampling for all the USA.

However with the help of PR and loads of help by the MSM vis a vis stories good and bad about him for the last couple of years as governor he had name recognition, he passed muster with the religious zealots because he was 'Born' again, he became the favored son of the ignorant jackasses by all the 'I can't believe how dumb this jackass is' stories run about him: the jackasses then had someone to defend and set up to fight the intelligencia whom they hate universally.

Now the key was the VP choice and that decision was made before Geo Bush was even on the scene. Chebey sojourn as CEO of HAlliburton was to prep and position that Corp and its subsidiaries such that it would be the sole entity 'qualified' to handle the huge military and governmental privatization schemes that were planned. 911 was again serendipity pure and simple. Although strong argument can be made that nothing was done to prevent such events in order that whatever occured could then be turned into a reason for the speedy implementation of their plans. Lots of agendas suddenly competed simultaneously and that is what played a key role in the castastropy that is Iraq and the 'War on Terror'. their plans are far from failing in their planned goals, but wounded nonetheless.

Finally we arrive at your 'elite', they exist and have been in control for a long, long time...lets just use the generic term NeoCon for now as well as noting that Cheney, Rumsfeld, wolfowitz and many, many others backed by a fairly large crowd of rich folks based primarily in the Dallas financial sector (NOT the oil guys) can be safely called the 'elite'. This is a well establiched long standing group of idiologues and as such are more than capable of withsatanding a substantial number of setbacks, they have shown patience fro over thirty years in setting all this into motion, they will show the same until such time as Mother Nature and their lack of recruitment and training take their tolls.

So, on the whole you are correct! in my opinion, and its worth if judged not great will not suffer from a strong counter attack.

Hows that for an example of verbosity?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. Right wingers have some very sick ideas which, when implemented,...

financially benefit the rich (corporations included), and churches and gives them roles of great importance.

That's how fascism always works.

[Democrats_win]

11. bush became president because his backers gave him a pile of money.

As 2000 progressed, Americans ocassionally heard news reports about how the bush campaign was receiving so much money. All of his GOP competitors, except McCain, dropped out. Their desire for power was massive. Too bad their desire to win didn't match their ability to govern as we saw on 9/11 and every day after.

I saw this train wreck coming.

[AndyTiedye]

12. Because PNAC Wants to Attack/Invade/Colonize the Middle East

Clinton turned them down, so they engineered the election of Bush**.

The invasion of Iran was being planned (at the latest) within a few weeks of Bush** stealing office.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Because Al Gore was the primary political champion of the Internet,

and the corporate media didn't want a strong advocate of the Internet in power. The why is the same motivation Zeus had against Prometheus when he lost fire to humanity, it was a loss of power that motivated them to act the way they did. By working to open up the Internet for the American People and consequently the world, Al Gore became the first casualty of the Information Age.

The oil and mining companies had similar motivation, they knew where Al Gore stood regarding global warming and all they could do was view them selves as short sighted oil and mining companies instead of long term visionary energy companies branching out in to solar, and wind technology or working to clean up their own act.

In short the loss of power, money and influence by the one way media companies coupled with the oil and mining companies own short sighted vision led directly to a semi-conscious "President" Bush

Bush on his own couldn't transform his sock drawer with out help. Cheney was the power from the beginning and he chose Bush, not the other way around unless you believe Cheney sincerely searched the entire nation and could only come up with him self as Bush's VP. Bush had the name and came from a large state, that was his primary assets.

[graywarrior]

15. Well, they had planned this for years and then took advantage of a blow job.

[spacelady]

16. I think yours is the most succinct and most likely true scenario.

Behind the scenes machinations from before the Kennedy assassination and a bit of serendipity with a cherry on top.

[stillcool]

17. I think this administration

and those that brought it to fruition have made an all out effort since day 1 to blatantly grab everything within their sights. The impetus seems far too vicious for run of the mill greed..more like malevolent payback...with many, many helping hands assisting with the fire sale.

[balantz]

18. Go ahead, call me crazy, but I think it is the design of evil.

I think Bush/Cheney came to power, like Hitler came to power, like any evil leader throughout history rose in power, to be the embodiment of the darkest part of the selfishness of the human soul.

I think this unholy, monstrous, "aryan" nationalistic, right-wing religious, selfishness is reflected in the struggle within the soul of every human being.

Here at the brink of complete destruction, humanity has reached the end of selfishness. We are a collective human consciousness, and either we see through this evil at the heart of our own individual souls, and our collective soul, and reach out to each-other in the holy connection of Love and acceptance, or we perish as a species.

[midnight armadillo]

19. Because we get the government we deserve

For, oh, the last 25 years Americans have believed that government is incompetent, that it is against our interests to support it, that the free market will solve everything, and we have allowed ourselves to be completely ignorant of our own history.

So we end up with a monumentally incompetent government, that activally works against the interests of its people and turns over whole sections of government to industry stooges, and we're surprised?

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
- H.L. Mencken

[lvx35]

21. It was part of a long term plan to disgust people at conservatism.

To really make it seem vile. The goal is to prepare people for the necessary changes that need to be made in lieu of the energy/climate situation. Of course Bush doesn't know this. Its a secret of the EELoominotee!!! :)

[PATRICK]

23. The why comes down to who

Who got conned? Large chunks of the base group who they expected to fall into line simply for the power. Ultimately there was little concern for growth there. Large chunks of people expecting to get enriched. The mega rich got blanket advantages with special preferences though for special friends and those who played by crooked rules, dragged down into complicity and even ruin(Enron) while the rulers disdainfully go on and on. GOP pols who also got selected for cronyism credentials rather than for any electoral appeal, ideology and saw ANY scandal ridden member go down in flames to the disgrace of the whole- all to the apparent disinterest of the regime.

The why is as narrow as the who, otherwise why think it was for a REAL GOP majority when the steelworkers, the terror minded, the Teamsters, the Hispanics and even the most token efforts among Conservative blacks and Churches were handled with diffidence, disdain and lack of concern for failure? The media lapdogs have been left exposed, humiliated and often out in the cold by the apparent failures and lack of concern for their credibility.

One small case. Why crush the young Reaganite contender in a district with tens of thousands more registered GOP than Dems? Engineered by Cheney, this gerrymandering highlights their purpose regardless of the will of ANY voters at all. They picked a crooked crony concerned with money more than ideology, a rubber stamp in the Nixonian crony mold, a prime architect of ruinously late GOP state budgets for twenty years and an unpopular repugnant character. Without money and dirt they would have lost this "safe" seat.

Why is for a unitary dynastic executive, humbling all to raise up the top, whether in success or failure. Power as its own justification and defining all interests beneath itself and making damned sure everything IS beneath them. If even the last high circle, those making the closest huge profits, trembles, the fallback for this potentate is still the nuclear supremacy. They see no reason or person or law as any check to the simple dominance.

Once they have such power from a pyramid made up entirely of dominated suckers, what then? That is the question posed to all dictators. Their justifying utopias that never happen will be blamed for never arriving on the unworthy or the dissenters. But before Utopia what is the form of their newly shaped world? An ultimately unsustainable and destructive violence upon all human civilization to keep feeding the failure at the top.

The confusion of often equally self-interested whys(small diseased mirrors of the cancer at the top) proliferating among the sucker classes fighting usually among themselves guarantees the evils themselves will continue long after the feeble dictators have been "overcome".

[shadowknows69]

25. Lack of tanks and nuclear bombs in the private sector

[UTUSN]

26. The "liberal media"

If our crack media had done the LEAST possible reporting on Shrub's record in a Weak-Governor-system in 2000, he wouldn't be squatting in the WH tody. All they had to do was crib from Molly IVINS's books and columns and pretend they did some reporting.

[LeFleur1]

27. Why? Of Course....

...it's because God answered his prayers.