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The Spectacle Blog
"Doctor Zero" is one of the most articulate contributors to the Green Room group blog at Michelle Malkin's Hot Air site. Referring to the uproar over the Justice Department report on alleged Bush-era CIA abuses, Doctor Zero writes today:
Apparently Obama and his accomplices decided to distract their liberal base from the fiery Hindenburg crash of socialized medicine, by offering them a relaxing cruise on the Titanic of leftist foreign policy. . . .
A weary public allowed itself to be badgered into electing the first black president, after they ran out of patience waiting for John McCain to explain why they shouldn't. Normal people don't define their relationship with the government by taking pleasure in the humiliation of political figures they dislike. We're six months past the point where American voters can be kept quiet by suffocating them with the pillow of Bush hatred.
OK, so far, so good. One of Bill Clinton's most insightful mantras was that successful politics is always forward-looking. A politics that spends its time arguing over the past is, by definition, a losing proposition. So the attempt of the Obama administration and its allies to score points by discrediting post-9/11 counterterrorism policy is a guaranteed loser, politically.
However, having made that valid point, Doctor Zero then adds:
We're about a month past the point where anyone capable of independent thought believes Obama is a better president than Bush was.
This is a bad argument, setting up an unnecessary comparison which does nothing to bolster the opposition to Obama. Furthermore, one can easily argue that George W. Bush was a very bad president and that one of the worst aspects of his presidency was that Bush confused people about the meaning of "conservatism" in a way that damaged the Republican Party and made possible Obama's election.
In this regard, I am fond of quoting our publisher, Al Regnery, who told me last year in an interview:
"You look back in the earlier times, there were no opportunities, so there were no opportunists," Regnery says, noting how liberals heaped abusive epithets on Buckley, Goldwater, and other early conservative leaders. "Later on, you have all these people who figure it's probably a pretty good political thing to do. And so they start talking about being conservative when they're running [for office], but they really aren't. So when they get to Congress or wherever they go, they're pretty easily dissuaded."
Insofar as the Obama administration is a political failure, that failure will damage the Democratic Party and the progressive cause with which Democrats are identified. Whatever harm to the national interest is inflicted by that failure, it is a harm for which Obama's opponents cannot be blamed.
If we believe that the success of conservatism is synonymous with the good of the nation -- as every conservative certainly ought to believe -- then the damage to the reputation of conservatism for which the Bush administration was responsible is, ultimately, more harmful than whatever short-term damage to the nation Obama's (hopefully brief) misrule may cause.
We ought not engage in a backward-looking politics, but we should study and benefit from the lessons of failures past. It must be recognized the extent to which the Bush administration was a failure, or we risk further damage from future repetitions.
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More Blog Posts by Robert Stacy McCain
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/08/25/arguing-with-doctor-zero
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Nobama| 8.26.09 @ 12:45AM
Well, that was a smooth move: You deleted the blog that had comments.
Robert Stacy McCain| 8.26.09 @ 1:25AM
Really? There were comments on the other one?
I saw that somehow I had accidentally created two posts, but don't have the level of admin authorization necessary to delete a post. So I guess the admin deleted the wrong thread.
Although, considering some of the crazy moonbat troll commenters we get around here, maybe . . . well, it wasn't me who did the deleting, so I'll leave it to kismet.
Deborah D| 8.26.09 @ 5:10AM
Point well taken, Mr. McCain -- and today we have a fake conservative (John McCain) making nice-nice with a health care compromise...heaven help us. Now that Ted Kennedy died -- I'm sure Congress will pass something in his honor.
No more fake conservatives.
TONY| 8.26.09 @ 6:36AM
re: Deborah D; "No more fake conservatives."
This is where I see a possible use for Gov. Palin's talents. "Clean out the stables". Cull the herd. Put her in charge of indentifying the conservatives and the non-conservatives in the Repub. party and deny access to the "Nons". Do not let them even call themselves Republicans; threaten lawsuit if they DO.
Make the "R" brand really mean something by flushing out the RINO's.
I think Sarah could handle this very nicely.
We'd end up with fewer Republicans, but better Republicans.
For a while.
martin j smith| 8.26.09 @ 8:13AM
In a way Obama is a logical extention tion of Bush's policies--if logic is the right word. Bush's floundering in his last years on the War on terror,his
stand on immigration "reform" and his failure to stand up to his critics and his excessive spending
which many Republicans emulated gave what we have-a mess.
Tim| 8.26.09 @ 9:09AM
Don't you think that it is a bit premature to call the Obama Presidency a failure? Look at the facts:
1. The economy: not completely wrecked-yet.
2. The CIA no one in prsion- yet.
3. The budget- not totally bankrupt, in the sense that even if our Chinese bankers stop loaning we can still print greenbacks till we run out of trees- and face it we got lots of trees...
4. The War on Terror- only losing, not lost.
5. Automotive bailouts: how can you call a $40,000 electric car a failure?
6. Healthcare: Obama sent a powerful signal this week by going up to Massachusetts and personally pulling Teddy's plug.
louis tully| 8.26.09 @ 9:20AM
Other Mac, you seem in this post to underestimate the "short term damage" (?) that Obama has already done to the country and therefore to conservatives.
However, I am in full agreement with your main point. Obama's failure does not prove that Bush was not a failure. I cringe when I read the 'I miss George Bush' posts that always pop up in Comments on blogposts concerning one or another of Obama's disasters. This argument--Obama bad, therefore Bush good--is a non sequitor and also is politically tone deaf.
Conservatives need to cut their ties once and for all with 'W'. (This may be tough for conservatives to do when Eric "the Red" Holder begins his CIA show trials, which of course is why Holder will proceed.)
Yosemeti Sam| 8.26.09 @ 9:20AM
Shucks - in honor of TK, senator McGoo can
to the Specter. Or is it the Spectre.
nohype| 8.26.09 @ 3:46PM
People may find many good things to say about Bush and his presidency, but the fact that it paved the way for Obama outweighs them all.
Okpulot Taha| 8.26.09 @ 3:55PM
Robert Stacy McCain writes, in part, "...more harmful than whatever short-term damage to the nation Obama's (hopefully brief) misrule may cause."
This is problematic from my personal viewpoint which is viewing almost all "things" in terms of money. Most of us are aware money is what makes our world spin round and round.
Inflation is just beginning to set in. Some of this is good such as the real estate market beginning to recover; higher sales and higher prices. However, federal printing of money will lead to higher interest rates across the board which will squash big ticket purchases. Additionally, lending sources for the feds are being depleted, America's credit rating is quickly falling to junk bond status and our "enemies" are eyeballing ways to cause havoc with our economic recovery efforts.
What I see coming in the near future is Jimmy Carter style double digit inflation and double digit interest rates. Avoiding a long lecture on economics this will simply place cash out of the reach of consumers and the feds; too expensive to borrow money for big ticket items.
Those of you old enough I am sure you remember buying Jimmy Carter CD accounts paying 12% interest over only one year. Our family make good money off those. Other families less fortunate did not do so well.
Expensive borrowing will skyrocket both our debt and costs of Obama's deficit spending. I believe this ten year deficit projection is about half of what will really be, if, a big if, we continue on our present economic course set by Obama.
This "short-term" damage I am sure will become long term damage through suppressing our economic recovery and through suppressing ability of consumers to credit fund items like cars and homes. Another factor is small to medium size businesses will pay higher interest rates on monies needed for salaries and capital venture thus further suppressing business and jobs.
Those notions and numerous other detrimental factors will prolong our economic slump, diminish job creation, create a higher strain on states and feds through "safety net" spending such as unemployment benefits and welfare.
Personally, I see entitlement safety net spending doubling over the next two to six years in many different ways, too many ways to discuss here in a blog.
All of this, I believe, will cause money to be harder to come by, continue job losses, deplete funds for unemployment assistance, suppress new business and certainly double or more our national debt and deficit spending.
These events will span a decade and more, long after Obama is voted out of office.
Those are "long term" damages being created today through Obama's economic policies; he is setting into motion events which will snowball over a number of years.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics
Okpulot Taha| 8.26.09 @ 4:06PM
Having finished my long winded rant, this economic aspect ties directly into Robert McCain's "political failure" notion.
Obama is flat broke. There is no chance Obama can effect any of his left liberal socialist policies as promised during last year's campaigns.
Americans are all "wee-weed" up over our debt and deficit spending. An inherent knee jerk reaction will be to vote democrats out of office in both 2010 and 2012. This will place conservatives back in charge of America.
Challenge here is for us to elect true conservatives rather than another bunch of RINO types such as George Bush and John McCain.
2010 and 2012 will afford good opportunity to dispense with left liberals and RINO types but only if Americans vote smart. I am skeptical Americans have an ability to vote smart.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics
Missy| 8.26.09 @ 7:18PM
I don't know, nohype--I'm still pretty stoked that we haven't been hit by terrorists the last 8 years. Guess you forgot about that, huh?
I will always be most grateful to George W Bush for his courageous and stalwart defense of our country. God bless W.
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