Second-term reboot — take three

April 24, 2006

[tag]Time[/tag] reports this week that new White House Chief of Staff [tag]Josh Bolten[/tag] has a plan to “reboot the second term.” It also notes that this has now happened “so many times (at least three, by Time’s count) that even their allies have lost track.”

But this one’s different, the [tag]White House[/tag] says. This time, there’s a [tag]five-point plan[/tag]. Fred Barnes offered his four-part “keys to a successful comeback” two weeks ago. Then National Review’s Rich Lowry unveiled a seven-point plan of his own. And now we have Bolten’s five-point strategy to be implemented over the next six months to help prevent a Dem Congress from getting elected.

* “Deploy Guns and Badges” — Time reports that Bush will shore up the conservative base by emphasizing “an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border.” This will include photo-ops, in which we’ll see Bush “go down to the border and meet with a bunch of guys and go ride around on an ATV.” Downside: there still won’t be any immigration legislation passed.

* “Make Wall St. Happy” — Time explained that Bush will focus on tax cuts for stock dividends and capital gains, in part because “a lot of Republicans are investors.” Downside: Bush should be worrying a lot more about Main Street than Wall Street.

* “Brag More” — Apparently, a key component of Bolten’s strategy is playing up how really great Bush’s accomplishments are. Downside: Bush doesn’t have any accomplishments; this will only reinforce the image of the White House’s detached arrogance; and if the Bush gang brags while everyone is disappointed, they’ll look out of touch.

* “Reclaim Security Credibility” — As Time put it, Bush will pressure Iran and, in the process, “rehabilitate himself on national security.” Downside: the possibility of another war, and the likelihood that Americans won’t fall for this trick again.

* “Court the press” — Bolten reportedly believes “the White House can work more astutely with journalists to make its case to the public.” Downside: the White House hates journalists and journalists know they’ve been lied to.

Of the five points, three of them are solely about style, one of them is primarily about public relations, and one of them might lead to another disastrous war. Is there a Plan B?

The “Plan B” as regards “Team Kid George” is summed up in two little words. They’re very familiar with these two little words; they just never dreamed that these two little words could be used directly against them: REGIME CHANGE.

  • Time reports that Bush will shore up the conservative base by emphasizing “an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border.” This will include photo-ops, in which we’ll see Bush “go down to the border and meet with a bunch of guys and go ride around on an ATV.”

    Sounds like a lot of hard work to me.

    I don’t the boy king is up for it…..

  • ” ‘This will include photo-ops, in which we’ll see Bush “go down to the border and meet with a bunch of guys and go ride around on an ATV.’

    Sounds like a lot of hard work to me.” – Koreyel

    No, this is just the sort of outdoorsy kind of exercise the Bushs revel in.

    Now, if we asked him to actually THINK about immigration policy, that the W. wouldn’t do.

    If any of these idiots think that attacking Iran is going to ‘reclaim security creditability’, they don’t really understand how they lost it in the first place.

    Bolton’s whole program suffers from the fact that a majority of the public is not willing to give their pronoucements the benefit of the doubt. Everything coming out of the white house is crushed under a two ton salt lick before it even gets out to anyone not addicted to Rush and Faux news.

  • How about a one-point plan – Hold Bush accountable for high-crimes and misdeameanors for lying us into a war on false pretenses, spying on US citizens, allowing crooked contractors tied to the Vice President war profiteer, and just being a big, stupid dick.

    If the Dems only had shown the balls to oppose the Iraq War back before we launched that son-of-a-bitch, they’d be in a good place for leading us out of this mess. But, they didn’t because they were cowering and wetting themselves because they didn’t want to be called unpatriotic by the biggest traitor America ever knew..

  • Just recycling bullshit as Plan B looks and smells a lot like Plan A. Not a good sign for Bush considering how “successful” Plan A turned out to be for Bush and his gang of fools.

    CB writes: ‘ “Brag More” — Apparently, a key component of Bolten’s strategy is playing up how really great Bush’s accomplishments are. Downside: Bush doesn’t have any accomplishments’

    HA! Seriously, he does have a couple. He did finish reading that book “My Pet Goat” and managed to piss off most of the world.

  • I think he’ll enact the Willy Wonka plan, that is, due to all the security breaches that threaten his business, Bush will simply close the White House to all outsiders and disappear from public view. Business will still be done, but no one will get past the loading docks, where fiats will be issued without comments, threats will be made, and executive orders, when their legislative relationships completely break down, are presented. Whether Bush will have Oompa Loompas come is as staffers, I don’t know. But what a great press secretary an Oompa Loompa would make, opening every briefing with a cynical song commenting on an issue.

    “Why do you call the president a dolt?
    How can you all hate America so?
    Don’t you appreciate the right you own?
    Maybe you should be sent down to Gitmo.”

  • First, the fact the Bolten’s 5-points got leaked is a gold mine for undermining what they seek to do.

    Second, I am definitely envisioning an “appeal to non-voting or independent voting Boomers” using The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” blaring as a montage of photos, news clips, and screen text (likely including bits of Bolton’s 5-points) flashes.

  • Second, I am definitely envisioning an “appeal to non-voting or independent voting Boomers” using The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” blaring as a montage of photos, news clips, and screen text (likely including bits of Bolton’s 5-points) flashes.-Zeitgeist

    That is a great idea.

  • I thought pandering to the conservative base is how he got to 33%.

    Maybe they feel they’re losing the Wall Streeters, and that’s why they think #2 and #3 will bring anyone back to the fold. Otherwise, I pretty much don’t get how they think this is going to appeal to anyone who they aren’t still appealing to.

  • Bush will simply close the White House to all outsiders and disappear from public view. Business will still be done, but no one will get past the loading docks, where fiats will be issued without comments, threats will be made, and executive orders, when their legislative relationships completely break down, are presented.

    Isn’t that what they’re already doing? Or do you mean they’ll stop the Bubble Tours too, seeing as it’s probably getting harder and harder to round up complacent subservient audiences.

  • AHHH what does it really mean though:

    * “Make Wall St. Happy” — means they need the corporate donors/donations because republicans could loose a lot in November.

    * “Brag More” — means spinning the bad and taking credit for good things that they weren’t involved in.

    * “Reclaim Security Credibility” — means play John Wayne with Iran and pretend that what we ended up with in Iraq is what we intended

    * “Court the press” — means use them more than they already do because they are lazy and not inclined to question motives/facts/narratives.

  • We could also do some work to innoculate against the Wall Street angle by doing two things:

    (1) targeted media or mail to marginally Red rural counties where the economy is in despair noting that the Rethugs care more about Wall Street than Main Street (per CB’s note above), and describing how W and his cronies only care about their elite banking and financing friends (lets turn the “elitism” charge back around where it belongs) and how W’s policies have hurt small-town America

    and simultaneously

    (2) do targeted media or even meetings with Dem officials to remind Wall Street of a little history: they do better under Dem administrations. Tax breaks are not the be-all and end-all of an economic plan; remind them they were much better under Clinton than they are now, remind them that when the deficit becomes crushing, they will be among the crushed. Convince them that we can revive Clintonomics and get back to a more sustainable economic position.

  • Here’s a one-point plan that can’t miss:

    “Govern competently and honestly on behalf of all Americans and not just the wealthy and privileged.”

    This is so far over their heads that it would never even occur to them, so it will obviously never take place. Makes me really look forward to November, though.

  • Good plan. I have a few suggestions:

    “Deploy Guns and Badges” Excellent. He’s so good at these meaningless photo ops. I suggest lots of Mission Accomplished banners and make him wear uniforms so he looks like a GI Joe doll.

    “Make Wall St. Happy” Another winner. MORE TAX CUTS. MORE FEDERAL DEBT. MORE TRADE IMBALANCE. MORE EXPORTING JOBS. HIGHER GAS PRICES – MORE PROFITS. MORE PLANS TO ELIMINATE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE. His base, the very rich and the very, very rich NEED THIS, they are hurting.

    “Brag More” He’s good at this. Keep those sentences short though, and keep reporters with facts and data away from him. “Wanted – dead or alive”, “Bring it on”. You bet – good stuff.

    “Reclaim Security Credibility” Start another war. Now this one is tricky. I think we got the starting part down, it’s the actual have a plan after we start it that needs work. Course if we manage to start a good enough nuclear war we can do the “dick-tater” for life plan.

    “Court the press” Well, this is a tough one. We know all about those reporters, but plough on thru, smile and tell the biggest whoppers ever. You have always set the standard for Presidential lying and there’s no point in stopping now. If they question you, call them traitors!

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