A few thoughts on the State of the Union… Bush had two ways to go. One was to articulate a clear view of the future, without being overtly political. More of a soaring, visionary approach. He rejected this and instead made it a very political speech, making sure he criticized each of his potential opponents. Now there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of a huge audience to formally launch your campaign.
So what does the speech tell us about what we can expect in the next year and another potential term?
He intends to take away traditional Democratic initiatives in education and health care. He doesn’t have imperial ambitions, but made sure we all know that he’s a tough guy, so he doesn't need a permission slip to invade another country. The main role of Government is to protect us from terrorists, and in most other areas the private sector is better. So make the tax cuts permanent to starve Government. Try to switch Medicare to a private system. Empower people to opt out of the Social Security system.
Unless you want to use Government to impose national educational standards on the states and ram vouchers down the states’ throats. Or use Government to change the constitution so gays can’t marry. Or use the Government to rein in the lawyers, who ruin everything.
So more of the same. Buy off the swing voters to peel off Democratic voters. Signal to the conservatives that you will help them all you can. Show you are one tough hombre to make us feel good about ourselves. But don’t let anyone add up the cost of all you want to do. Keep it simple, sounding good. “Government bad, private sector good!” And above all, make sure none of the bills come due until you are safely retired. Not a very courageous approach, but crafted to play very well in an election year.
Posted by Double Trouble at January 21, 2004 09:47 AM | TrackBack