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Bubba Boots Dubya Outta the Dubba-Wide, or: Dubai, Cruel World
Left-wing Bush opponents have spent six years fuming about an exquisitely irksome trait in George W. Bush's character: He's not really a man of the people! He's actually really rich and stuff! Now, they're so eager to join the frenzy over the Dubai Ports World deal that they're not even savoring the moment they've been praying for: For the first time, Bush has been completely out-populisted. And by Democrats, for Christ's sake!
If there's one thing the DPW dustup proves, it's that Bill Clinton really was a better Man of the People than George W. Here's why:
There's a very short list of concepts the president needs to spell out:
• The DPW deal is just a contract for services—the Arabs are not going to own our ports.
• This doesn't involve port security, and if opponents think there's a security risk they haven't provided any evidence for that.
• It's in our best interest to be engaging "moderate" Arab business types like our friends in the UAE, where gay marriage is legal and every citizen is the CEO of a private company that does nothing but manufacture "I Love America" bumper stickers.
•Yes, it seems scary to be turning over port services to this foreign company, but actually this kind of transnational deal carries many benefits, among them blah blah blah...
• It's not true that foreigners will be doing all our port services. All the employees will still be Americans. In fact, I've had my brain trust run the numbers and calculated that this deal will actually create umpteen new jobs.
• The fact that DPW is state-owned isn't substantially different from, say, Continental buying some planes from the heavily subsidized Airbus.
• And so on.
It's a simple bunch of talking points, but it's become very difficult to get out there because we're in the heat of a full-scale populist panic, and against a populist panic only a golden tongue can argue logic. Bush has been caught totally flat-footed. He tried first to play the race card—a tactic that worked back in 2003, when skeptics made the absurd, bigoted, America-hating claim that Iraq's factions might be just as happy attacking each others' mosques as voting for a new future together. But the race card doesn't work because a) it's not 2003 anymore, b) a general opposition to Arabs is a badge most Americans would wear proudly by this point, and c) go hold hands with another oil sheik, Gaylord.
His next gambit was what they call in The Sunshine Boys the A-1 material: I'm the President, so it's my way or the highway. That argument's worth nothing because what, after all this time the first veto you're going to use is in favor of some screwy deal to give away our country to a bunch of Arabs?
So that leaves only rhetorical Plan C: Terrorist terrorist terrorist, war war war, I've made my decision and these questions aren't helpful. You can see why that one doesn't work.
Who could get out of this fix?
I'll tell you who: NAFTA-era Bill Clinton, that's who!
Explaining stuff like this is what Bill Clinton lived for. Just
think back to that Clintonian love of factoids, that congenial
explanation of the benefits that you, the listener, will directly
receive, that enthusiastic drive to get you to share the
president's love of policy minutiae. Clinton was great at this
stuff because, whatever else he was, he was a man of the people. He
understood (as Bush does) the benefit of a barrier-free market that
might leave, say, Dubai Ports World providing services to American
harbors. And he knew that populist panics are stupid and almost
always wrong. But unlike Bush, he realized that populist panics
come from deep within people's hearts, and that you have to respect
that. (It just sweetens the deal that this time the populist panic
is being driven by another Clinton, that Around the Way Girl in the
Yankees cap who always has her finger firmly up the
ass on the pulse of the Average American.)
Will Bush weather this storm? All signs say yes: A PR machine that can turn Sunday's The Vice President had "one beer" and then shot a guy story into Wednesday's Why is the media picking on the Vice President and why hasn't the guy who was shot apologized already story can do pretty much anything. Allahu Akbar, DPW! Welcome to our ports!
|2.23.06 @ 5:12AM|#
Bush has been lousy at explaining this deal. I guess having played the protectionist card in the past (steel, for instance), it is a bit odd for him to play to the laissez-faire one now, but perhaps better late than never.
|2.23.06 @ 6:52AM|#
Hmmmm...the hand-holding photos don't show.
Anyone knows where those are mirrored?
Oh, BTW, the whole hand-holding business is irksome as fuck. I
experienced it myself on a trip to the camel-riding world; it's
completely non-faggy, so even the inbred hicks shouldn't get worked
up about it. But boy, is it annoying.
Probably the whole thing just comes from being starved for physical
contact in a world w/o girls. I mean, they can freak out and pout
all they want, but the jokes on them. They are the ones who have to
live in the world they're protesting for.
*-O)):~{>
(Mohammed with bomb in turban, see
http://muttawa.blogspot.com/)
James B.|2.23.06 @ 8:21AM|#
They're really trying to get the public in full panic
mode.
This morning I flipped to Headline News and the story they lead
with at the top of the hour:
Foreigners control our drinking water!
And they want to buy more and more of OUR country.
They had a talking head to say a few bad things about foreign
ownership of OUR airlines: "Might make it difficult to transport
our troops"
Another opined that having foreigners own OUR telecommunications
companies might make it more difficult for the FBI to implement
wiretaps!
They didn't put anyone on air to suggest that foreign investment
might me a good thing, although the reporter did offer that
businesses really just want to make a profit and not cause trouble
that might hurt those profits.
Between stirring up the Americans against Foreigners buying up our
country and getting the Muslims to freak out over those cartoons,
I'd have to say the Illuminati are doing a good job of getting
setting the stage for some nefarious plot.
|2.23.06 @ 8:26AM|#
You can dismiss the reaction as a "populist panic," but there
are two eternal realities that officials in a democratic government
need to keep in mind:
1) Just power comes from the consent of the governed
2) Ordinary people are not going to know the ins and outs of policy
minutae, and are going to need to have the issues laid out for them
to make a sufficiently informed choice.
In so many ways, this administration is adverse to treating the
demos as the boss/client/sovereign that it is. This cock-up is just
the latest example.
Captain Holly|2.23.06 @ 8:40AM|#
I agree with Tim. Like the Cheney shooting incident, there's
really nothing of substance to see here. But also like the Cheney
shooting incident, the WH badly bungled the PR.
Karl Rove must be losing his touch. Or is this just part of a
complex master plan to distract Americans from something else?
Hmmmmmm.
|2.23.06 @ 8:41AM|#
I'm just struggling with the idea that Bush has the open society high ground here while the Dems flex their national security muscles. Its Bizarro politics.
|2.23.06 @ 8:44AM|#
Yeah, if only We the Peepul had somebody up there who talks like
we do, we could figure out all this darned furiner confusion. Too
bad that Kerry guy didn't work out, he seemed like an awful smart
fella.
This whole conflagration is weirder than weird. I figure if they
took a vote the Congress couldn't even agree on how often you
should brush your teeth, so to see this apparently spontaneous
generation of One Congressional Mind makes me wonder if I shouldn't
check basement to see if there's any pods down there.
|2.23.06 @ 8:55AM|#
True.
Clinton could have explained this.
In the meantime Billary is sitting on Dubya and has a full Nelson
on him.
|2.23.06 @ 9:03AM|#
I'm with Jason. This is Bizarro World. Whatever one thinks of
the issue, it's just freakin' weird that Bush is threatening a veto
over THIS. Not the gazillion dollar Medicare boondoggle, not the
steel tarriff, not the gazillion dollar bridges to nowhere, not the
pork laden farm bill. No, he will use his veto power in a dispute
over a contract to run a few ports. Rather anticlimactic.
And then we have our conservatarian posters crying "racism" because
some posters don't trust a Middle Eastern monarchy.
Yesterday we had a bunch of people saying "As long as there are
government regulations in place it's all good" while joe was saying
that government regulations are no substitute for a good private
contractor.
I don't have a strong opinion on the issue, but, DAMN THIS IS
WEIRD!
|2.23.06 @ 9:03AM|#
"I'm just struggling with the idea that Bush has the open
society high ground here while the Dems flex their national
security muscles. Its Bizarro politics."
Politics is about 2 things, neither of which involve principles or
ideals:
1. Getting elected. Whatever gets you votes, or perhaps more
importantly, makes your opponent lose votes, is what must be
done.
2. Cronyism. People pony up good money and lots of time to get you
elected. They expect ROI, and speaking from local knowledge, you
don't get far in the party unless the brokers have a skeleton in
your closet that they can hold over you if you suddenly grow a
conscience in office.
Viewed in that light, there is really nothing strange about this
deal, especially when you consider the administration has spent the
last 4 plus years trying to scare the bejesus out of everyone that
without democracy in the middle east, there will be mushroom clouds
in the sky. And since there still isn't functioning democracy in
the middle east, well, it's only to the donkey's advantage to try
to play the security card. Meanwhile, there are some very important
donors to be re-paid for the elephants.
|2.23.06 @ 9:05AM|#
joe, this administration? I'd say that the number of people at all levels of government and in all branches who genuinely understand that they are our servants and not our masters is becoming vanishingly smaller every single year. I think it's been a trend for a good 30 or 40 years.
|2.23.06 @ 9:12AM|#
"You can dismiss the reaction as a "populist panic," but
there are two eternal realities that officials in a democratic
government need to keep in mind:
1) Just power comes from the consent of the governed"
That doesn't refute the fact that it is, in reality, a populist
panic. And populist panics tend to crowd out rational discussions.
I know you're on the "other" side of this issue, Joe, but, just
think about other populist panics of the populace (say that 3 times
fast!). Think about the panic over gay marriage, or gay adoption,
or abortion. The issue here is not whether The People give you a
pass; it's how much the panic obscures rational debate. The fact
that you sidestepped that all by tossing out a red herring like
"power comes from the consent of the governed", well, it reaks of a
copout. Of course what you say is true, but it's peripheral to the
points that Tim laid out.
"Ordinary people are not going to know the ins and outs of policy
minutae, and are going to need to have the issues laid out for them
to make a sufficiently informed choice."
Then read a fucking news story (rather than relying on idiot Dubya
or Mouthpiece McClellan for your infomashun). As much as I loathe
GWB, I don't understand why it's his job to educate the public on
policy minutae.
"In so many ways, this administration is adverse to treating the
demos as the boss/client/sovereign that it is. This cock-up is just
the latest example."
Agreed there---but Dub's lack of adequate education of the public
is still no excuse for being ignorant of the facts and resorting
to, ta-da, populist panic!
Sure, Idiot could have handled it better. And Clinton probably
would have handled it better. But a lackluster PR campaign is still
no excuse for ignorance. Scott McClellan h'aint the only place to
get your news, boys.
Stephen Macklin|2.23.06 @ 9:18AM|#
This is just politics as usual. In other words pretty
disgusting. As the facts of the deal begin to trickle out it is
becoming increasingly clear that this is not the end of the world
that bogs congress and the media have made it out to be,
The Bush administration has certainly done a very poor job of
getting information out on this story, and their response to to the
public reaction has been dismal. That they could not anticipate
that people would see an Arab government controlled company taking
over port terminal operations would alarm people is frightening. I
don't know how they didn't foresee that all of the intervening
detail would be lost and the story would be simplified to Arab
government buying U.S. ports.
The truth is that most people have no idea how ports operate. It is
just not a part of their lives. What the Bushies should be doing is
making this understandable to those people. Use and airport
analogy. Lot's of foreign run, even government owned, airlines run
terminals at airports. They don't own the airport. They don't
provide security for the airport. They provide a place to load and
unload cargo - passengers. A shipping port works the same
way.
My own initial
reaction was somewhere between skeptical and you've got to be
f**ing kidding. It was not a reaction based on facts and reality.
The more of the facts and reality I learn the less of a problem I
have with the whole thing. Eventually reason will win out over gut
reaction.
|2.23.06 @ 9:20AM|#
the UAE, where gay marriage is legal and every citizen is
the CEO of a private company that does nothing but manufacture "I
Love America" bumper stickers
Uh... not quite. I think the deal should be defensible without
resorting to delusional fanstasy.
|2.23.06 @ 9:49AM|#
"The truth is that most people have no idea how ports
operate. It is just not a part of their lives. What the Bushies
should be doing is making this understandable to those
people."
Again: Why is it the Bush Administration's job to save people from
their own ignorance? Ugh, I feel dirty, actually defending
the white house. Damn you! Anyway...maybe in terms of public
relations, said education would be a good strategy; in any other
terms (say, rational ones?), it's not the president's fault that
people are ignorant about an issue that they want to rant
about.
So, good PR, but that's it. And to be honest, I can't jump on board
with a wave that comes down on El Idiot for not shelling out the
right PR strategies. He's done enough horrible shite---we don't
need to whine about bad PR! It's like yelling at Sauron for not
wiping after he takes a dump. Yes, it's in bad taste, but there's
worse offenses to be worried about.
|2.23.06 @ 9:52AM|#
Live long and prosper, Phil.
Have a nice day, Phil.
Happy belated Valentine's Day, Phil.
May the Force be with you, Phil.
|2.23.06 @ 10:03AM|#
Anyone else notice how these crises seem to emerge over the weekend, reach blog-media-hysteria status by Monday night, late-night comedian saturation by Tuesday night, actual rational evaluation by Wednesday, rebuttal status by Thursday and are forgotten by Friday?
|2.23.06 @ 10:21AM|#
joe, this administration? I'd say that the number of people
at all levels of government and in all branches who genuinely
understand that they are our servants and not our masters is
becoming vanishingly smaller every single year. I think it's been a
trend for a good 30 or 40 years.
I couldn't agree with you more, Phil. "Public service" seems to
mean: Enrichment of politicians, their families, and cronies; Don't
cross me because I'm (the mayor, on the city council, on the zoning
board, a cop, etc.)and can make life difficult for you; and the
laws we pass for socie people don't apply to us.
It doesn't really matter which party's in power. Of course, my
views may be skewed by my hometown's political record.
|2.23.06 @ 10:30AM|#
Ed, that's a good point - I think it's a product of the media
cycle, and the administration's attempts to control it (Yes, all
administrations do it). Potentially bad news gets released close to
the weekend, with the hope that it will be ignored or fade in
importance before the start of the next week.
I would guess it's part of the reason Bill Maher does his show on
fridays.
|2.23.06 @ 10:39AM|#
DAMN THIS IS WEIRD!
All we need now is gaius saying that this episode marks a reversal
in the downfall of western society and Gunnels telling someone
"Wow, you haven't embarrassed yourself. I now understand your
viewpoint. I guess you have done more research on this
topic."
At which point, I'm going home to wait for the end.:)
|2.23.06 @ 10:46AM|#
THE HEALTHY FEARS BEING EXPRESSED PROVE THAT WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS FINALLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK. I'M CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE.
|2.23.06 @ 11:19AM|#
Wow. I'd love to make a well thought-out post full of substance
right now instead of repeating internet memes, posting pictures of
funny owls, and joking with VM, but I'm busy at this productive job
I've been working at.
Maybe I'll have time when I get home, since I don't have a
girlfriend, or even any good dating prospects.
amazingdrx|2.23.06 @ 12:04PM|#
Please keep on arguing in favor of the UAE port deal.
Anti-corporatism and the lobbyist (free speech=bribery BS)
corruption that comes with it is a great anti-bush campaign
issue.
Snow was the insider/lobbyist in this UAE case.
Neolibertarians can really hurt the corporatist agenda by
continuing their crusade for the rights of corportate citizens,
especially corporate citizens like the UAE.
A 7 shiek owned nation that has it's fingers in nuclear
proliferation, drug money laundering, and financial aid to queada
and hamas.
amazingdrx|2.23.06 @ 12:12PM|#
When will exxon mob declare itself a nation, like the UAE
did?
The capital can be an offshore oil refinery.
Hail, hail Exmob-onia! (sung to the tune of "Hail Freedonia")
|2.23.06 @ 12:54PM|#
first bong-hit
I would guess just as soon as they release his arms from the
straight-jacket.
|2.23.06 @ 1:09PM|#
The near unanimous dissent on the part of Congress on this issue
should not surprise anyone. They are all a bunch of demagogic
populists who know where their bread is buttered. This is why from
time to time we have stupid things like congressional hearings that
haul our oil company executives to be grilled. It is not that they
actually think this bullshit, but they know their ignorant
constituents think this bullshit, and they have shown time and
again they will sell out their principles in a heartbeat to gain
votes.
Or it could be that Congress actually believes the bullshit. They
is ignurrint after all too.
R C Dean|2.23.06 @ 1:44PM|#
Well, about the only thing that would have got me thinking maybe
this deal isn't so bad is for every single effing parasite and
blowhard in Congress to come out against it.
And they did! But just when I was about to get behind the Chimpler
on this one, McCain comes out for it!
Which had me back to thinking that it must be a bad idea.
And then Carter came out for it too, which sealed the deal.
This is bad idea. Chimpeachment W. Quailiburton, who apparently was
for it before he knew about it, and the biggest authoritarian
a-hole in the Senate, AND the biggest dink ever to be kicked out of
the White House, can't possibly be right.
But that puts me back on the side of the parasites and blowhards.
Well, strange bedfellows, I guess.
|2.23.06 @ 2:25PM|#
10 million containers enter this country every year without being thoroughly inspected. Now that's good security.
|2.23.06 @ 2:28PM|#
You guys are funny
A-and what else is funny is the Hysteric-in-Chief's nonstop
festival of fear. George W Peron has been using the boogeyman to
terrrize(sic) America for the past four and a half years, and now
he seems to be having a bit of trouble keeping it all under
control. Maybe some boogeymen are more useful than others.
What kind of consequences d'ya call them?
|2.23.06 @ 2:36PM|#
thoreau, damn this is weird
for a measley 6.5 billion don't you think that dickie and
cheneyburton could have picked up this deal? better yet our own
govt. who pisses that much away in iraq in a month.now that's
weird.
R C Dean|2.23.06 @ 2:52PM|#
The Bizarro email addresses above are more great examples of this particular sub-sub-genre of humor.
|2.23.06 @ 3:44PM|#
I have never in my life been as confused about what is going in
in our country as I am in 2006. I think it's not unreasonable to
start considering putting gasoline in glass bottles and taking to
the streets. The elected officials in Congress and the appointed
officials in the WH need a red hot poker up the ass to remind them
that there are real people who do real work and we aren't as dumb
as TV makes us out to be.
May not know how to fix it, but i certainly know how to break
it.
|2.23.06 @ 4:01PM|#
I have never in my life been as confused about what is going
in in our country as I am in 2006. I think it's not unreasonable to
start considering putting gasoline in glass bottles and taking to
the streets. The elected officials in Congress and the appointed
officials in the WH need a red hot poker up the ass to remind them
that there are real people who do real work and we aren't as dumb
as TV makes us out to be.
Dude, what does that have to do with this post?
Furthermore, what does that have to do with ANYTHING?
|2.23.06 @ 4:38PM|#
Hmmm... after a day of defending the anti-DPW position, I think
I'm leaning towards the pro-DPW position.
There may be some genuine concerns here, but we don't have enough
solid evidence of a security threat to give DPW the shaft. An
out-of-hand rejection of the DPW deal could seriously alienate the
fledgling (very fledgling!) pro-trade, pro-capitalist and
pro-globalization movement in the Middle East. Without hard data on
DPW's security flaws, I don't think we can provide a satisfactory
justification for the current congressional/popular heart attack.
I'm afraid Congress is only making itself look (more) silly and
reactionary.
|2.23.06 @ 4:59PM|#
why does anyone still think bush is serious about national security? aside from this (which looks bad, though its hard to know how dangerous it is) hes recieved failing grades from the 911 commission. and plus if he was really serious about national security would he appoint micheal brown to head fema?
Captain Holly|2.23.06 @ 5:44PM|#
gaius used capital letters. R C agrees with joe. The end is
nigh.
Not quite. I haven't taken Jennifer's advice on child-rearing
yet.
|2.23.06 @ 6:14PM|#
I'm afraid Congress is only making itself look (more) silly
and reactionary.
I'll note that this is pretty much what went on over the attempted
Chinese purchase of Unocal.
A company owned by a foreign, non-western government wants to gain
control over a US interest. The proposed deal passes all vetting.
Then Congress freaks out and turns it into an opportunity to be
demagogues playing on the nationalistic prejudices of the
electorate.
Bleah.
I'll also note that Congress didn't seem to have suffered from
their protectionist stance in that previous fiasco. Maybe they even
learned from it to be that much more aggressive this time.
|2.23.06 @ 6:35PM|#
the one question i would have liked to have seen someone ask the
executive from DPW the other day on cnn is
Why in the world would a middle eastern company want to take on
this kind of risk?
if the most minute part of any piece of any device involved in any
threat succesful or not to american citizens on american soil can
be proven to have come through one of their ports who is going to
be the fall guy?
has DPW not stopped and questioned whether they arent being set up
as a scapegoat?
Are we to assume that this company was just developed to be used as
the trojan horse in a terrorist plot?
If such is the case then these guys are a lot more sophisticated
than hollywood has told me.
|2.23.06 @ 7:15PM|#
[i]I have never in my life been as confused about what is going
in in our country as I am in 2006. I think it's not unreasonable to
start considering putting gasoline in glass bottles and taking to
the streets. The elected officials in Congress and the appointed
officials in the WH need a red hot poker up the ass to remind them
that there are real people who do real work and we aren't as dumb
as TV makes us out to be.[/i]
[B]Stephen Crane wrote[/B]
Dude, what does that have to do with this post?
Furthermore, what does that have to do with ANYTHING?
--This story should be a non-issue, but the fumbling, ham-fisted
lying the administration and Congress has shoveled into our faces
really asks the question "How dumb do they think we are?" How many
more "plausable deniability" stories are we willing to stomach? Why
are we escalating the war on drugs, spending money we don't have on
drug benefits for seniors, and looking to expand the scope of the
Iraq/Afghanistan conflict to Iran and/or Syria? To lock the people
into a course of action that will make them perpetually indebted to
the government. This isn't a conspiracy, this is just perpetual war
to secure our peace and buying old peoples' votes with young
peoples' money.
I'm saying that I am tired of the sunshine and blue sky the current
administration is selling. We have thousands of soldiers coming
home crippled for a war that won't turn a profit. Russia and China
are beating us to the punch with Iranian deals to secure energy
supplies, and unless Nigeria and Venezuela settle down, the price
of oil will remain high. We're allowing Saudi Arabia to assume a
level of power that frankly hurts our long term stability. We need
to spread our energy risk exposure over a larger number of provider
nations, and allowing Nigeria and Venezuela to screw around while
we muddle through getting the lights back on in Iraq only makes us
more dependent on the House of Saud.
While we the people are distracted by who provides services to our
ports and if we are getting our prescriptions drugs cheaper and if
Dick Cheney is a mean drunk are missing the point: what happens in
5 years? What happens in 10? These long term commitments to war and
energy manipulation are plenty suspicious coming from the family
known for it's neopotism, headed by and ex-CIA chief, and chock
full of millionaire oilmen.
Hence, fire may be the answer. And lots of it.
|2.23.06 @ 9:19PM|#
Yes, Clinton's defense of NAFTA was his highwater mark. Of course, that was before he proved to be a pathological liar.
|2.23.06 @ 9:29PM|#
Evan, "That doesn't refute the fact that it is, in reality, a
populist panic. And populist panics tend to crowd out rational
discussions."
My point is, populist panics are more likely to happen when people
are given the mushroom treatment (kept in the dark and occasionally
given a load of crap). Rational debate over the issue might have
been a lot easier to achieve if there had been an open debate
beforehand, rather than the public being presented with a done
deal, and being attacked for asking questions. That's what gets
people's backs up.
"As much as I loathe GWB, I don't understand why it's his job to
educate the public on policy minutae." Because the government works
better, and the relationship between the public and their
government is better, and people behave more responsibly and
reasonably, when the government acts with openness.
|2.23.06 @ 9:35PM|#
Lots of people upthread using the term "Public Relations" to
describe what the White House handled badly. Well, yes and
no.
This isn't a question of the government not doing a good enough job
selling this product like Pepsi.
It's about how the White House relates to the public on a
substantive level.
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