Newsgroups: alt.overlords
Subject: Why Bush (and Republicans) are having trouble...(was THE PRESS)
From: phygod72@nic.gac.edu (Phil )
Date: 11 Sep 92 11:41:34 -0600

In article <1992Sep11.001935.21367@cs.rose-hulman.edu>  writes:
} 
} 	Am I the only one that thinks the press is awfully slanted to the  
} liberal side?  It seems the Republicans are bashed, and the Democrats are  
} praised.  No wonder Clinton leads Bush in the polls.  Whatever polls mean.
} I think that a lot of the thinking in this country is messed up by the  
} liberal press.  For instance, they seem to make family values a dreadful  
} concept.


Well, perhaps the reason is that the current mood of the country is  
anti-establishment, and the Republicans (read, in the press's mind,  
conservative) are the establishment.  I think that the medicine that got the  
Republicans elected is backfiring on them...let me cite a couple examples:


          "Liberal equals dangerous, Conservative equals safe"

This has been the thesis of the Republican party since they had the 1980  
election handed to it.  Republicans have essentially scared the public into  
believing that Democrats are all liberal and dangerous to the country, and it  
has worked.  However, because of this, Republicans have gotten the label  
"Conservative", since "Democrat" is opposed to "Republican" as "Liberal" is  
opposed to "Conservative."  

This election year, the American public has gotten fed up with conservative,  
because it hasn't helped it get out of the recession, hasn't improved quality  
of living, and in general has not done anything. (I speak in generalizations, I  
know, but this is the general mood).  Therefore, the once-dreaded liberal label  
is not as bad as it once was, since people want something (indeed, anything)  
done.

So, the Democrats are left looking liberal (which is a good thing this  
political year) and the Republicans are left looking conservative (not good).
The press, therefore, is inclined to be more against the Conservative  
Republican than the Liberal Democrat (and one can't complain -- the press sided  
with the Republicans throughout the 80s).



   "No new taxes" & "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Well, we got new taxes, and we aren't better off than we were four years ago  
(it seems we are worse off).  Granted, the tax hike was passed by Congress, but  
Bush signed it.  

Therefore, Republicans are left looking like they can't deliver on their  
promises.  Indeed, Bush should have never said "No new taxes", because he has  
no control over Congress.  And Congress has been Bush's major difficulty,  
hasn't it?  Bush is the sole Republican versus the entire Congress, and hasn't  
been able to get what he wants. 

He now calls it a Grid-locked Congress, again passing the buck.  Bush won't  
take the blame, and always takes the praise.  It worked while in office, but it  
is coming around to haunt him - the press is having Bush and his buck for  
breakfast.



I am not saying that Clinton won't pass the buck, because he has, but Bush is  
the status quo, and people don't want it.  Therefore, the press has sided with  
Clinton.  WHY???  Because the press has to sell itself, and people (for the  
most part) won't buy old news this year.  Therefore, the press is selling the  
people what they want - change.  It has supported the Republicans for the past  
12 years, and has changed to better sell itself.


In short, the Republicans are playing the same game they have for the past 12  
years, and it isn't working this year...James Baker for example.  Bush took JB  
back on board to help plug his sinking ship, but he isn't the man for the job.   
IMHO, Bush would have been much better off saying "I am going to leave Baker  
where he is, because he is good at what he does now.  I will not sacrifice my  
foreign policy for politics."  But that is exactly what he has done...

Phil, Ambassador to the Intergalatic Planning Commission