What the hell is "political capital"?

[Kire]

other than a stupid metaphor

[eleny]

1. "King Me!"

[Pig_Latin_Lover]

2. Political capital is very real

Simply put, it's power.

Bush no longer has to run for re-election, he was voted by a decisive margin (in the popular vote), he has a Republican congress that has gained even more power. He can get away with a LOT right now.

[Avalux]

4. By golly,

he's right up there with God now (in his mind, he is). Scary as hell.

[Toby109]

9. He thought so in 2000.

Came into office with a Messiah complex. After 9/11 this premise was further bolstered by Rumsfeld, Cheney, et. al. bush lives in a dream world.

[Kire]

5. bummer

I wish I had some

[DAGDA56]

3. Sort of like Monopoly Money...

...which you use to buy members of Congress.

[knowbody0]

6. new bushism methinks

it begins.
he believes he won and that gives him the right to do anyfuckingthing he wants to do

[NJCher]

7. what a stupid thing to say

If you've got it, you don't say you've got it.

But then idiot boy wouldn't know about what's appropriate and what's not, would he?


Cher

[Maddy McCall]

8. It isn't stupid...it is Bordieuian

Read up on Pierre Bordieu. He is perhaps the most important sociologist/philosopher of the twentieth century.

[gumby]

12. can you give me a hint?

I didn't think it was "stupid" either. I'm not familiar with Bordieu. Does that make me duuuuumb?

[gumby]

10. Igpay is correct

"Political capital" refers to how much power a president has. He "spends" this capital to 'buy' (like DAGDA56 says) the congress AND the media.

The thing that is so strange is that Bush actually used this term. Historically, this is a term used by the media to query about how much power the president really has. By using this term himself, Bush announced that he gamed the system and once again reminded everyone that he will not tolerate opposition.

[2Design]

11. favors - chits to call in - people who are beholden to him

[DELUSIONAL]

13. The way he pronounced "capital"

was so s l o w and deliberate as if he were talking to a retarded person.

ca pi tAL

It was like dragging fingernails on a black board.

[Anakin Skywalker]

15. "...as if he were talking to a retarded person"

Hell, what do you think Shrubby's base is? :)

[Royal Observer]

14. Capital=a stock of accumulated goods

When you win; you get stuff. You use the stuff to get people to do the things you want.

[jimbo fett]

16. Bush code for...

I'm going to do whatever the fuck I wanna do. Don't like it, ? Tough shit.

[Cozmosis]

17. You can use it in Political Machine

To buy endorsements, operatives... etc :)

[IowaGuy]

18. Not so sure the predicate applies here....

his policies really have got the repukes in a box, ecomomically, the war in Iraq - even the morals issues are still really evenly divided within the country, with polls showing younger voters trending toward DEM values.

Congressional reps don't need Bush's coat tails to get in, they are all free to market their own agendas, this "political coalition" that has been built is likely at its peak and will start to crumble from this point forward. It's not like he has at any time in the past shown that he is able to build a broad concensus or coalition. His real enemies right now are from within his own party - and they are not afraid of him...

[Stephanjnj]

19. It's a trade-in actually

Cashing in on the goober "values" vote bonanza, for some down-to-earth materialistic Cheney-esque money grubbing marginalization of those same dumb fucks.

[Odin2005]

20. I think it's just a fancy word for "mandate"

Bush was basically saying right after the election that he had been given a mandate from the majority, doesn't look like so anymore. :)

[Lefty48197]

21. It's kind of related to the budget surplus from the Clinton years

Bush comes to town, fucks everything up, and it becomes a distant, distant memory.