My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong (Bruce Bartlett)

[swag]

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/revenge-of-the-reality-based-community/

My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong.

Excerpt:

But as the Bush 43 administration progressed, I developed an increasingly uneasy feeling about its direction. Its tax policy was incoherent, and it had an extremely lackadaisical attitude toward spending. In November 2003, I had an intellectual crisis.

All during the summer of that year, an expansion of Medicare to pay for prescription drugs for seniors was under discussion. I thought this was a dreadful idea since Medicare was already broke, but I understood that it was very popular politically. I talked myself into believing that Karl Rove was so smart that he had concocted an extremely clever plan—Bush would endorse the new benefit but do nothing to bring competing House and Senate versions of the legislation together. That way he could get credit for supporting a popular new spending program, but it would never actually be enacted.

I was shocked beyond belief when it turned out that Bush really wanted a massive, budget-busting new entitlement program after all, apparently to buy himself re-election in 2004. He put all the pressure the White House could muster on House Republicans to vote for Medicare Part D and even suppressed internal administration estimates that it would cost far more than Congress believed. After holding the vote open for an unprecedented three hours, with Bush himself awakened in the middle of the night to apply pressure, the House Republican leadership was successful in ramming the legislation through after a few cowardly conservatives switched their votes.

It’s worth remembering that Paul Ryan, among other so-called fiscal hawks, voted for this irresponsible, unfunded expansion of government.

Suddenly, I felt adrift, politically and intellectually. I now saw many things I had long had misgivings about, such as all the Republican pork-barrel projects that Bush refused to veto, in sharper relief. They were no longer exceptions to conservative governance but its core during the Bush 43 years.

. . .

[Thinkingabout]

1. Another example of W never met a dollar he was not willing to spend. How many of his contributors

did he make happy, we don't know yet. Big Pharma got a big bonus a year before the first prescription. I know seniors needs assistance with their prescriptions but it should have been through competition as the VA uses. We pay more money in the US than any other country and it is the same drug, why, because Big Pharma buys all the politicians.

[mbeach]

6. I agree - Big Pharma ripping us off!

I agree Thinking about... Big Pharma in the US is BIG business and the politicians can pat themselves on the back for costing us taxpayers so much money for prescription drugs.

[hrmjustin]

7. Welcome to DU my friend!

[DonViejo]

2. Dawn breaks on distant mountain...

Bartlett saw the light! From the article:

As I wrote the book, however, my utter disdain for Bush grew, as I recalled forgotten screw-ups and researched topics that hadn’t crossed my radar screen. I grew to totally despise the man for his stupidity, cockiness, arrogance, ignorance, and general cluelessness. I also lost any respect for conservatives who continued to glorify Bush as the second coming of Ronald Reagan and as a man they would gladly follow to the gates of hell. This was either gross, willful ignorance or total insanity, I thought.

[tridim]

3. The pentafecta of Bush adjectives: Stupid, cocky, arrogant, ignorant and clueless. nt

[truebluegreen]

9. Of course, Bartlett's belated recognition of the faults and failings of Dim Son

doesn't extend to recognition of similar characteristics in St Ronnie of Raygun...or indeed the entire conservative movement.

None of these people has any principles or judgment that can't be trumped by the desire to shovel money into the pockets of their friends, and to hold on to power.

[bvar22]

4. The IMPORTANT lesson to take from this:

"I was shocked beyond belief when it turned out that Bush really wanted a massive, budget-busting new entitlement program after all, apparently to buy himself re-election in 2004. [font size=3]He put all the pressure the White House could muster on House Republicans to vote for Medicare Part D and even suppressed internal administration estimates that it would cost far more than Congress believed. After holding the vote open for an unprecedented three hours, with Bush himself awakened in the middle of the night to apply pressure, the House Republican leadership was successful in ramming the legislation through after a few cowardly conservatives switched their votes. "

[/font]

There ARE people here who continue to insist that the Presidency is a WEAK office,
unable to influence legislation or the voting process,
and essentially at the mercy of the whims of Congress.

[Doctor_J]

8. Is IS a weak office

when a weakling is in office. Or a co-conspirator.

[bvar22]

10. There is no other explanation.

I am fortunate enough to remember other Democrats who knew how to use the immense power of the Oval Office
and the #1 spot in the Party to "influence" Congressmen and Senators to see things HIS way.
In fact, pretty much EVERY President in my long living memory knew how to use the power of the office.
THis is the first time I can remember party spokesmen and apologists saying stuff like:
"It was ALL Joe Lieberman's fault.
There was nothing the President could doooooo.
It was HORRIBLE!"

"Johnson was the catalyst, the cajoler in chief. History records him as the nation's greatest legislative politician. In a great piece on the Daily Beast website, LBJ aide Tom Johnson, writes about how his old boss would have gotten a health care reform bill through the current congress. It's worth reading to understand the full impact of the "Johnson treatment" and how effective LBJ could be in winning votes for his legislation."

http://thejohnsonpost.blogspot.com/2009/08/johnson-treatment.html

[Doctor_J]

11. what's more, Obama has a working cadre of dems who will go

To the wall for him if he would find a couple of dem ideals and supports them. A big reason why he gets nothing done is that the only things he believes strongly in are republican agenda items like ss cuts, deficit reduction and school privatization. Republicans won't support him because he's a"dem" and he won't support people like Sanders and Grayson. His failure is not all the fault of boner.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. I always get a kick when a republican realizes there isn't a pork policy that they don't

love. They always blame dems but they are just as bad. At least dems are really concerned about the poor and middle class. While you like wearing those rose color glasses and think Ronald Reagan was a Saint. When in reality when he became president that was the start of the downfall of america.