Reason Magazine
- reason.com
- reason.tv
- reason.org
- Donate
- Site Search:
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsadvertisements
George W. Bush: An Easy Act to Follow
The
first rule of being a new coach is to always follow a loser. Ron
Hart applies that logic to Barack Obama, who is effectively taking
over the Detroit Lions after years of the Marinelli
Magic. Writes Hart about Dubya's legacy:
Bush has been a big-government disaster. He was the "outside the Beltway" Texas governor who was going to cut spending and bring Washington under control. Instead, he oversaw the biggest expansion of government in modern times. And the most tragic effect of the Bush legacy is that he has set the conservative/libertarian ideology back 20 years. He did so by not being a conservative or a libertarian.
Now all that is left for him is to pardon a few folks and try to burnish his legacy. To date he has pardoned fewer felons than his predecessors. My guess is that even criminals don't want a pardon from W because they don't want to be too closely associated with him.
And this:
[Obama] has an easy act to follow in George W. Bush, who solidified his position with me as perhaps our worst president when he ignored the will of the country and Congress in giving Detroit all that bailout money (better known as "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic"). Bush, with help from Dick Cheney, has tried to establish an imperial presidency. In doing so he has always found the desires of Congress and the American people to be quaint and amusing. But W feels he knows best. That would be fine, if he had been right more often.
As a result of bad choices and the betrayal of fundamental principles, W's approval ratings are the lowest of any modern president. The only thing Bush is still above is the law.
Read all about Bush's "disaster socialism" in the January issue of Reason.
|1.4.09 @ 11:08AM|#
Johnson was worse President in the way that people who come
along first are generally perceived as greater. ...from The Great
Society to the decision to go big in Vietnam, and then you can
throw in the begining of what we now know as the drug war.
W is worse than Johnson in that from Iraq to the expansion of
Medicare, Bush should have learned from Johnson's mistakes.
If we judge presidents by how well they defended the Constitution,
I don't think there's much question but that George W. Bush is the
worst president we've had since World War II.
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 11:28AM|#
who is effectively taking over the Detroit Lions after years
of the Marinelli Magic.
Mr. Matt Millen should be getting the lion's share of the blame for
that. And yet, last night I was watching the playoffs on NBC and
they're having him evaluate the teams' performance on the halftime
shows! Isn't that like having Richard Simmons judge the swimsuit
competition during Miss Teen USA?
I've always said that sports reporting is superior to political
reporting, because in sports you actually get fired for being
wrong. If Bill Kristol and David Brooks were giving advice to
fantasy football players instead of presidents, for instance, they
would have been thrown out on their asses after eight weeks. Now,
I'm not so sure.
|1.4.09 @ 11:40AM|#
The problem is, the whole big government/small government discussion has become extinct. To be the anti Bush, Obama simply has to shower "working people" with the money he prints up. Not fighting a war, pretty much buys him all the antibush credibility he'll ever need. Oh, and I think he's black, so that buys him a pass on any Bush policy he continues.
Former Woodward Coach|1.4.09 @ 11:53AM|#
"Mr. Matt Millen should be getting the lion's share of the blame
for that. And yet, last night I was watching the playoffs on NBC
and they're having him evaluate the teams' performance on the
halftime shows!"
I wondered about that too. I guess it all comes down to who you
know.
Kilgore|1.4.09 @ 12:00PM|#
"I wondered about that too. I guess it all comes down to who you
know."
To be fair, he does have four or five Super Bowl rings.
BakedPenguin|1.4.09 @ 12:03PM|#
To be fair, he does have four or five Super Bowl
rings.
Yes, but he certainly didn't get them for his talent assessing
abilities.
Wicks Cherrycoke|1.4.09 @ 12:07PM|#
If Jimmy Carter can have his reputation restored, anyone
can.
On another point, those on the left who repeatedly tell me that our
Constitution is a "living, breathing document" that "adjusts" to
changing times are the last people on Earth who should criticize W,
Alberto Gonzales, and the gang. They and their supporters justified
the increase in presidential authority (at the expense of the other
two branches) and the encroachment on civil liberties by telling
us, repeatedly, that "9.11 changed everything," and that we had to
adjust to the "new dangerous world" in which we are "surrounded by
people trying to kill us." Isn't that simply the "living, breathing
Constitution" argument dressed up in different wording.
The challenge for conservatives/libertarians is to point out that
Bush's failings were from an excess of government, not to
little.
|1.4.09 @ 12:13PM|#
Why does every Ron Hart column get posted here, with half the original column blockquoted? Does this piece say anything that Reasonoids haven't already said much better?
|1.4.09 @ 12:18PM|#
Bush was terrible, but I wouldn't rank him below Nixon, Buchanan or either Johnson.
|1.4.09 @ 12:28PM|#
yeah, the biggest travesty of the Bush years is definitely his
"disaster socialism". /snark
you reasonoids have the whole ideology thing down pat. please
continue to hang out with the repubs. you guys deserve each
other.
|1.4.09 @ 12:31PM|#
You da man, Wicks Cherrycoke! That's the best explanation against the prevailing liberal view of the Constitution that I've heard.
Warty|1.4.09 @ 12:36PM|#
I guess it all comes down to who you know.
Which is, not coincidentally, how you become President.
Bush is more Phil Savage than Rod Marinelli: brash, confident, down
with J.C., made a lot of expensive gambles ignored the opinion of
his peers, passed the blame on to others as much as possible, and
left in shame after having made things worse and wasting a lot of
money in the process.
|1.4.09 @ 12:38PM|#
cunnivore-
Last night my wife asked me why NBC had Matt Millen in the booth.
She wondered why anybody would want to hear from a guy who was such
a failure as the Lion's President/GM.
Well, he was an All-american at Penn State. His head coach was Joe
Paterno. He played on 4 Super Bowl winners with three differnet
teams under coaches like Tom FLores, Goerge Sierfert and Joe Gibbs.
He was a very good, though not great, player. He was generally
considered one of the smartest guys in football as both a player
and as an analyst.
Yes, his stint as Detroit's Pres/GM was an abject failure-but any
guy who played football at Penn State and was an All-American and
who played on four Super Bowl championship teams for Hall of Fame
coaches, and who was a highly regarded analyst for 8-9 years, is
not exactly Richard Simmons judging the cheerleaders.
Just some perspective.
|1.4.09 @ 12:49PM|#
cunnivore-
IMO, Millen has achieved far more in his world, than either Kristol
or Brooks, in theirs. One could argue, that Kristol's status, to
some extent, was made possible by his daddy.
|1.4.09 @ 12:57PM|#
When did the "Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic" idiom get
so big? It's been like, a century. Perhaps we need to say "Washing
the Trade Centers windows on the 10th" or something. I'm not pithy,
you internet types should get on that though.
>If Jimmy Carter can have his reputation restored, anyone
can.
Well, because he didn't actually suck.
BakedPenguin|1.4.09 @ 1:00PM|#
From a libertarian perspective, did Bush do anything right? The
only thing I can remember was Social Security reform, which he
failed to achieve, despite rolling over for every request the
Republican congress made of him.
He combined the worst aspects of modern conservatism (theocratic,
warrior impulses) with none of conservatism's alleged virtues
(fiscal conservatism).
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 1:02PM|#
Kristol and Brooks achieved a great deal. Their foreign policy
beliefs were enacted as official US government policy for over six
years (and counting, with Gates staying on in DoD). You probably
don't think those achievements were a good thing, but I'm sure OSU
backers don't like Millen's achievements either.
But maybe Simmons wasn't the best example. It would be like that
girl with the "like, such as, US Americans" judging the interview
part of the Miss Teen USA pageant.
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 1:03PM|#
Frank McStank, I tend to agree with Stephen Colbert that the Bush administration has been rearranging deck chairs on the Hindenburg.
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 1:05PM|#
If Jimmy Carter can have his reputation restored, anyone
can.
I don't see Bush building houses for poor people with his bare
hands any time soon. Maybe he'll surprise me.
Orange Line Special|1.4.09 @ 1:07PM|#
Some of us saw Bush for what he was years ago, and fought
against him with all our might. Reason and I valiantly opposed his
borderline traitorous plans time and time again. Standing strong,
both Reason and I pointed out his failings, even despite it not
being popular at the time. Yes, both Reason and I took hits for
that, but it was worth it to stand against Bush's anti-American
plans.
Oh, wait, it was just me doing that. Instead of opposing Bush,
Reason enabled him.
Never mind.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 1:08PM|#
The guy whose legacy has really been helped is Clinton's. Did anyone else think he would be missed and/or look good by comparison when he left office?
The Bearded Hobbit|1.4.09 @ 1:13PM|#
I've carried the following around since the Iraq invasion:
"For as long as I live I will never forget that this whirling son
of a bitch exploited the worst American tragedy in our lifetimes in
order to launch a war which he had been planning from the first day
he took office against a country that had not attacked us, had no
intention of attacking us and had no ability to attack us, and then
proceeded to lie to the nation and to the world about it."
.. good riddance
.. Hobbit
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 1:15PM|#
BDB, Clinton was massively popular when he left office. That Mr. Nobel Peace Prize couldn't translate that into a landslide victory in 2000 says a lot about him.
|1.4.09 @ 1:16PM|#
cunnivore | January 4, 2009, 1:15pm | #
BDB, Clinton was massively popular when he left office. That Mr. Nobel Peace Prize couldn't translate that into a landslide victory in 2000 says a lot about him.
*SIGH*
*Walks up threateningly towards cunnivore, SIGS*
Lockbox!
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 1:17PM|#
The only thing I can think of that Bush did right was appointing pro-gun justices to the SCOTUS. Can you imagine what Heller would have looked like if John Kerry had been responsible for filling Rehnquist and O'Connor's seats?
|1.4.09 @ 1:23PM|#
What was so bad about Carter? Seems like most of his problems
were shit that happened, not his being malicious.
Also, fuck guns. Most pro-gun people are pro-Republican. Pro-war,
pro-torture. What's the point of guns if we don't use them to go
against tyranny?
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 1:24PM|#
jesus yes! no more of this half-keynseian measures, obama will
be double or triple keynes!
not to mention the end of union suppression.
no more wars with obama either, he is no nixon he is more like lbj
there.
he will bring everybody together to talk things out, just like
clinton did and result in a lasting peace.
the problem with the 8 year long massive deep depression was not
enough government spending to stimulate the economy.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 1:24PM|#
"Frank McStank | January 4, 2009, 1:23pm | #
What was so bad about Carter? Seems like most of his problems were
shit that happened, not his being malicious. "
He was totally incompetent in his response to those crises.
BakedPenguin|1.4.09 @ 1:26PM|#
Here are a few bad Presidents, and Bush's achievements similar
to their own:
Lyndon Johnson: lied to get us involved in a war with a country
that never attacked us. Massively increased public spending on
medical care.
Dubya Bush: did the same (although with fewer casualties in his
war).
Jimmy Carter: had an incredible run up of energy prices during his
administration. Allowed the Fed to massively inflate the currency,
causing a recession.
Dubya Bush: the same, then added a massive bailout on top of
it.
Bill Clinton: abused executive power as few presidents had ever
done previously.
Dubya Bush: abused executive power as no president
had ever done previously.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 1:26PM|#
frank, thanks, i almost left out carter. he should be the ambassador to the middle east. he even freed the hostages that reagan got captured in iran.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 1:32PM|#
we need to give the troops a big group hug for being forced to
do such awful things after being drafted and forced to reenlist so
many times.
obama will end the draft.
Kilgore|1.4.09 @ 1:34PM|#
"I don't see Bush building houses for poor people with his bare
hands any time soon. Maybe he'll surprise me."
Florida Habitat homes built by Carter, celebrities,
crumbling:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/837177.html
|1.4.09 @ 1:37PM|#
Ok, maybe the gas lines were bad, but what else could he do? He
had the gall to ask the nation to conserve, there's his "problem."
He was talking about real "green" stuff before it was chic
too.
As for Iran... didn't we shoot their leader in 53? Didn't they
release the hostages only when Reagan got in? Seems fishy to
me.
I like Carter, he's the least worst modern president.
Warty|1.4.09 @ 1:41PM|#
Frank McStank is a most sophisticated troll indeed. I'd tip my hat to him if I were't so afraid of exposing my bald spot.
|1.4.09 @ 1:45PM|#
You noticed that too, Warty?
(knocks Warty's hat off, exposing bald spot, then laughs like Daffy
Duck)
|1.4.09 @ 1:46PM|#
I ain't trolling, I'm genuinely curious why people think Carter is so bad, when he seems to be the least malicious president this side of JFK.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 1:48PM|#
If JFK hadn't gotten his brains blown out he would be remembered the same as LBJ.
Barry|1.4.09 @ 1:51PM|#
If Bush wants to restore his reputation, spending the rest of his days emptying bedpans and scrubbing toilets at a Veteran's Hospital would be a good start.
Warty|1.4.09 @ 1:54PM|#
Though experiment: if Bush had gotten his brains blown out in 2003, would future generations worship him like JFK?
BDB|1.4.09 @ 1:57PM|#
"Warty | January 4, 2009, 1:54pm | #
Though experiment: if Bush had gotten his brains blown out in 2003,
would future generations worship him like JFK?"
Probably, and Cheney would be hated.
GG|1.4.09 @ 2:02PM|#
"No Bill Richardson in Obama's administration."
He's Secretary of Commerce.
Not anymore he's
not.
Orange Line Special|1.4.09 @ 2:11PM|#
If I had to choose one "rock" during the entire Bush admin, it
would be Reason Magazine. Reason valiantly stood athwart Bush's
un-American schemes, yelling, "stop, no, you go no further!"
Every step Bush made, Reason opposed, valiantly blocking him at
every turn! And, all at no concern to their careers or the
financial interests of their funders!
Why, Reason Magazine even called him a
quisling!
Oh, wait, that was just me too. Reason Magazine was on Bush's
side.
Sorry for the confusion.
Warty|1.4.09 @ 2:21PM|#
LBJ fucked Kennedy in the throat wound, fuckwad. Get your hilarious conspiracy theories straight.
Elemenope|1.4.09 @ 2:21PM|#
What did LBJ do, then?
Why, he set an entire nation on fire, from the air. That's
what.
Warty|1.4.09 @ 2:22PM|#
I'm not sure what confuses me more about Lonewacko: his vanity, his delusions of importance, or his presumption that everyone hates Mexicans as much as he does.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 2:24PM|#
Warty, I think his delusions of importance are the most amusing
part.
'm still waiting to get served a SpoofageSubpoena by LoneWacko.
|1.4.09 @ 2:26PM|#
If Obama is the new FDR, doesn't that make Bush the new Herbert
Hoover (in the sense that he will become the butt of jokes, but few
will actually remember what he did because it will be overshadowed
by the majesty of Obama's reign)?
Policy and personality-wise I'd say Hoover and Carter were more
alike - both engineers. Whereas Bush reminds me of Wilson - his
successes hurt the country even more than his failures.
|1.4.09 @ 2:42PM|#
I'm not sure what confuses me more about Lonewacko: his
vanity, his delusions of importance, or his presumption that
everyone hates Mexicans as much as he does.
Don't hate LoneGonad because he's beautiful, Warty. A beautiful
soul.
Neu Mejican|1.4.09 @ 2:45PM|#
Bush's most worthy accomplishment was this...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/hivaids/
EJM|1.4.09 @ 2:45PM|#
I'm not sure what confuses me more about Lonewacko: his
vanity, his delusions of importance, or his presumption that
everyone hates Mexicans as much as he does.
It's gotten to the point where I'm reminded of this exchange from
"Plan 9 from Outer Space" whenever I read one of his
comments.
|1.4.09 @ 3:00PM|#
See, EJM, I figure he's more the Glen or Glenda type, furiously typing while dressed like this.
Elemenope|1.4.09 @ 3:05PM|#
Bush's most worthy accomplishment was this...
Agreed. Also, in general, Africa was the one continent that for the
most part he failed to fuck up further.
SIV|1.4.09 @ 3:25PM|#
Bush's most worthy accomplishment was:
Allowing firearms carry in National Parks
Jennifer|1.4.09 @ 3:29PM|#
I'd take Carter over GW Bush any day. A president who can't
solve the problems of a country already in bad shape beats a
president who inherited a country in decent shape and turned it all
to shit.
And while Carter failed in his attempt to rescue our hostages in
Iran, at least he went gunning for the right country. Bush's
attempt to solve the Iranian-hostage problem would've involved
bombing the hell out of Bolivia.
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 3:36PM|#
Jimmy Carter's ineptitude cost me a business, GWB cost me the fantasy hope of someday seeing a constitutional republic.
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 3:48PM|#
That is just a perfect cover and a perfect way to say it. Sometimes you guys amaze me.
Jennifer|1.4.09 @ 4:02PM|#
That is just a perfect cover and a perfect way to say
it.
What -- your comment about losing a business? Toot not thy own
horn, dear. (Insert wink emoticon here.)
|1.4.09 @ 4:22PM|#
Carter will *always* be a better president than GWB for one
word: deregulation. He allowed for the deregualtion of interstate
trucking, the airlines, the rairoads and started the process of
eliminating price controls on oil. He was a total basket case
beyond that, but at least he got *something* right.
One thing to about Dubya to give him credit for is the personal
interest he took in making sure that he royally fucked each and
every one of us in the ass. You have to admire that attention to
detail.
|1.4.09 @ 4:23PM|#
Well, my family came up with Ayatollah Assaholla shirts, so I
owe the man that much.
Seriously, what business did you lose.
|1.4.09 @ 4:41PM|#
Bush's best?
Tax cuts
Holding firm on CO2 classification
Scotus justices
Missle defense
His worst:
Plenary executive
Bailouts
Spending
Campaign finance reform
|1.4.09 @ 4:48PM|#
Sure, Clinton was already popular when he left office, but look
at the rest of the ex-presidents. Even liberals are now talking
favorably of George HW Bush's pragmatic, responsible, effective
foreign policy. Jimmy Carter is now viewed as a wise man. And who
can forget the Ford-gasm?
But even Bill Clinton saw a revival - his reputation was in the
toilet after the Republicans spent a couple years blaming him for
9/11, and now it's back to where it was when he left office.
|1.4.09 @ 4:51PM|#
"Now all that is left for him is to pardon a few folks and try
to burnish his legacy. To date he has pardoned fewer felons than
his predecessors."
I heard on the radio the other day that he had pardoned at least
one person for non-violent drug offenses. If Mr. Bush would make
the pardoning of non-violent drug offenders a focus of his
remaining days in office, he could at least do some good worth
remembering and even praising.
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 4:57PM|#
"And the most tragic effect of the Bush legacy is that he has
set the conservative/libertarian ideology back 20 years."
I would say that was his greatest achievement. It's amusing to
watch you market fundamentalist fanatics try to turn this crisis of
capitalism into some sort of failure of socialism. The Jesuits
could learn a thing or two from you fuckers.
|1.4.09 @ 5:00PM|#
And the most tragic effect of the Bush legacy is that he has
set the conservative/libertarian ideology back 20 years. He did so
by not being a conservative or a libertarian.
At least he had the wisdom to appoint people who resisted efforts
to regulate mortgage derivatives.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 5:02PM|#
jimmy carter for iran ambassador!
maybe iran and israel at the same time.
|1.4.09 @ 5:08PM|#
Hey, guyz, those libruls think The Modern Churchill was a worse
president than Jimmy Carter! What a larf, right?
Guys?
Hey, where'd everybody go?
|1.4.09 @ 5:09PM|#
Also, if Mr. Bush would denounce the Drug War on his way out, as Mr. Eisenhower warned us about the "military-industrial complex" when it was his turn to vacate the Oval Office, that would do a lot to redeem him for some truly heinous crimes against liberty and the American people. I won't be holding my breath, but I guarantee that five decades from now, people would still be watching and citing GW Bush's "end the drug war" farewell address, as they now watch and cite Eisenhower's farewell. If such a thing matters to Mr. Bush, he might want to consider making that speech.
|1.4.09 @ 5:13PM|#
What we are suffering now is no "crisis of capitalism." It is the inevitable, predictable result of mercantilism -- which many of us here predicted and warned of long ago, long before Lefti came along (unless Lefti is the new name for an old troll on these boards, which wouldn't surprise me).
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 5:15PM|#
jam, you are right. the government needs to be more involved in everything. proper planning is the solution.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 5:17PM|#
something not mentioned, fdic insurance needs to be lowered to 20,000 because any more than that is hoarding and nobody needs that much money in savings.
|1.4.09 @ 5:24PM|#
For some reason, my keyboard keeps dropping the extra "i" in
Lefti ... er LefIti (there, it did it again!). No offense
intended.
And of course "nobody u no" apparently captures names as they pop
up in the thread and attributes arbitrary (opposite?) opinions to
them, as I am sure people have realized by now.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 5:26PM|#
jam, i misread you and you are not as awsome as i thought. maybe you should leave the progressive boards and hang out with the regressives?
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 5:29PM|#
James Anderson Merit
People who use all three of their names to post banal dogmatic
drivel have to have a screw loose somewhere. Go fuck yourself.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 5:30PM|#
It's not a coincidence that sub-sahara Africa is the one part of the world that still likes us as much as they did in 2000.
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 5:36PM|#
James - I believe lefti was formerly posting as the Ron Paul-hating troll edward, fondly known as edweirdo, though I could be mistaken.
|1.4.09 @ 5:38PM|#
BDB,
I think I continue to be blessed in my enemies.
Holocaust deniers. Victor David Hansen admirers. People who spammed
the face-cutting story all over the comment threads. A racist old
Zionist creep who's obsessed with gay people.
And now, a self-proclaimed economics expert who didn't realize that
Keynesians support paying down debt during economic booms.
Doo doo doo doo doo...I'm lovin' it.
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 5:44PM|#
But I do have to say, James, that Lefiti makes a good point about your silly name.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 5:45PM|#
That's why I use my initials. People would shorten it to three letters if I used my real name or had a nick name, anyway. So I save them the trouble.
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 5:47PM|#
I have endless respect for Ron Paul's ability to get away with publishing the most outlandish racist tripe under his own name and getting away with it. CNN and other mainstream media hardly touched the rscist newsletter story and continued to cover Paul's campaign with great respect. Amazing.
|1.4.09 @ 5:52PM|#
That's why I use my initials. People would shorten it to
three letters if I used my real name or had a nick name, anyway. So
I save them the trouble.
I always thought it was an homage to the little robot dude on Buck
Rogers.
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 5:53PM|#
Oh, sorry, Ron Paul couldn't be a racist because racism is collectivism and libertarians hate collectivism. Somebody tricked him into publishing those newsletters. See, I've been paying attention in catechism class.
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 5:53PM|#
ask not for whom the ur-troll trolls; he trolls for thee, edweirdo
|1.4.09 @ 5:54PM|#
Second on the Africa thing. Bush's Africa policy was much better
than Clinton's.
When Foday Sankoh and Charles Taylor's butchers were chopping off
arms and legs, Bill Clinton threatened the government of Sierra
Leone with cutting off their aid if they didn't agree to negotiate
a power sharing agreement with the rebels.
Disgusting.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 5:56PM|#
That's why I use my initials. People would shorten it to
three letters if I used my real name or had a nick name, anyway. So
I save them the trouble.
if i posted as nunaabfojpbamaj it would make no sense.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 5:57PM|#
nobody u no and a big fan of joe p boyle and mng and jennifer | January 4, 2009, 5:56pm | #
That's why I use my initials. People would shorten it to three letters if I used my real name or had a nick name, anyway. So I save them the trouble.
if i posted as nunaabfojpbamaj it would make no sense.
That would be different from now, how?
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 6:00PM|#
Lefiti has been posting stuff under my name, so I posted some under his name. I do repect Ron Paul, but not for the reasons I had lefiti claim he respects him for. The funny stuff is generally mine and the stupid stuff is Lefiti's. This one is really mine, as you can no doubt tell. Damn that Lefiti!
BDB|1.4.09 @ 6:01PM|#
It would be awesome if we could have a Lefiti vs. nobody u no vs. LoneWacko flamewar for the prize of "Most Obnoxious Troll".
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 6:02PM|#
everyone knows that, edweirdo. shouldn't you be practicing your wide stance in a public restroom?
|1.4.09 @ 6:03PM|#
if i posted as nunaabfojpbamaj it would make no
sense.
You never let that stop you before.
For example, but joe, no american troops died in sierra
leone. You mean, as opposed to Israel? WTF?
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 6:04PM|#
bdb, you are the troll. go find a non-socialist board to post to and leave us progressives alone.
|1.4.09 @ 6:06PM|#
go find a non-socialist board to post to and leave us
progressives alone.
Waah! I can't even get the libertarians to take my side on Hit
& Run! Screw you, Reason! I'll bet you cosmotarians even use
deodorant.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 6:06PM|#
This is a progressive board because joe posts here?
Then it must also be a conservative board because RC Dean and John
post here.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 6:07PM|#
Though joe never did call himself a progressive, but a liberal. But I'm not sure there's a difference anyway.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 6:11PM|#
I apologize to Lefiti for suggesting that he's obnoxious. the innominate one is obnoxious.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 6:14PM|#
bdb, no. if a progressive is present it is progressive in spite of the regressives in the general area.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 6:17PM|#
also, reason was all for obama which is sort of in the progressive direction.
|1.4.09 @ 6:22PM|#
Weeding through the crap at H&R is getting as bad as waiting for an intelligent comment on the Washington Journal.
The Angry Optimist|1.4.09 @ 6:23PM|#
James Ard - I hear you. I think registration or banhammering was
in order a loooong time ago.
I sense that I will get a fake post for my troubles.
|1.4.09 @ 6:24PM|#
Carter will *always* be a better president than GWB for one
word: deregulation.
I also give Carter credit for his attempt at zero-based budgeting.
Too bad that didn't work out any better then most of his other
efforts.
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 6:25PM|#
James Ard,
If you want intelligent comment, what the fuck are you doing here?
Try the Huffignton Post.
|1.4.09 @ 6:33PM|#
Hopefully the end of the holydays will rid us of the desparately desparate posters that don't have a bunch of pagan bullshit to clean up.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.4.09 @ 6:37PM|#
i hope the first act president reason obama does is
enact a ban on transfats, unhealthy food and tobacco.
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 6:40PM|#
Jennifer - I believe TWC was referring to the reason issue cover shown in the blog post.
|1.4.09 @ 6:43PM|#
Shit, I can't even drum up any of the local pacifists to argue thet missle defense does more harm than good.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 6:50PM|#
James Ard, all the political blogs are pretty bad during the holidays. Especially if they have a Lefiti. Who, by the way, fails at spoofing me.
The Angry Optimist|1.4.09 @ 7:01PM|#
Uhhh...is it George W. Bush? People tell me he's at fault for everything.
|1.4.09 @ 7:03PM|#
BDB, this blog recovered some non-political substance once the election was over and Weigal shut his trap. Unfortunately, you are right, people with lives don't need this crap this time of year. But my Tide and Falcons have driven me to diversions, and damnit I need someone to argue with, other than my wife. BTW, fuck Philly.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 7:06PM|#
LoneWacko said Weigal is leaving. I didn't think it was true, but I haven't seen him around lately. So I'm thinking LoneDipshit might have been right.
BakedPenguin|1.4.09 @ 7:13PM|#
LoneWacko said Weigal is leaving. I didn't think it was
true...
That's probably a good default assumption for anything he says.
the innominate one|1.4.09 @ 7:16PM|#
TAO - well, really Cheney told Bush what to do , so he's the root cause.
Kolohe|1.4.09 @ 7:17PM|#
Word on the street is that Weigel is now bloging here
To which I say: "Ooh look at me, I blog for The Economist! Aren't I
cool? Aren't you impressed with me?" Does he blog for the Economist
because he's smarter than everyone else? Or is he smarter than
everyone else because he blogs for The Economist? Now
there's a conundrum!
|1.4.09 @ 7:17PM|#
The Angry Optimist | January 4, 2009, 7:01pm | #
Uhhh...is it George W. Bush? People tell me he's at fault for
everything.
True story: TAO is a registered lobbyist for the little, tiny
violin industry.
Don't mess with Big Little Violin.
;-)
BDB|1.4.09 @ 7:20PM|#
BEYOND THE PALIN
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON likes to write his columns from a parallel universe much like our own, except that he was right all along about everything
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2008/12/beyond_the_palin.cfm
Sounds like Dave W. to me.
Jennifer|1.4.09 @ 7:32PM|#
Somewhere on a comment board in Britain, Lonewacko's equivalent is posting PoorlySpacedRants about how BloodyColonials like DaveWeigel shouldn't be allowed to take jobs away from hardworking native British bloggers.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 7:39PM|#
Jennifer--
The British LoneWacko is posting about how the IndianGovernment is
invading their pure AngloSaxon land.
|1.4.09 @ 7:40PM|#
Wiegal, I miss you, please come home. We need someone to tell us how Obama is God and will save us from all of our troubles.
Early Bird|1.4.09 @ 7:42PM|#
Damn this Hart guy is a good writer. Best column I have read on the Bush legacy.
Chachanomics|1.4.09 @ 8:11PM|#
Why the Weigel hate? While he was rarely spot on, he was never out to lunch. That much cannot be said for some of the posters here . . .
The Angry Optimist |1.4.09 @ 8:20PM|#
I just don't get enough man on man action now that I'm a civilian.
|1.4.09 @ 8:24PM|#
Keynesians support paying down debt during economic booms.
I knew it. There aren't any Keynesians, after all. Because "paying
down debt during economic booms" is certainly something that never
happened. Or at least not since the 19th century, long before
anyone paid any attention to JM Keynes.
And, joe, that is not a critique of either Keynesianism or the
Democrats. Just a simple observation that when a politician looks
at his constituency he will always find someone having hard times
who need a little "stimulus".
VM|1.4.09 @ 8:41PM|#
hay gaiz - if you're gonna talk econ, couldja at least maybe get
your terms and schools straight in maybe 1995? if you're ambitious,
2000?
plllleeeeeezzz?
and at least make like big boy and girl ekon. not the ekon 79. but
where you use like a LaGrangian or Hamiltonian and like
differential calc and linear and stuff? pretty please?
Nathan|1.4.09 @ 8:43PM|#
I really enjoy Hart's work, he is like a Dennis Miller with out
the smug attitude. Seems like a guy I'd like to have a beer
with.
He is dead on about Bush.
Bubba|1.4.09 @ 8:51PM|#
HART HAS SOME OF THE FUNNIEST LINES I HAVE EVER HEARD. HIS COLUMN IS IN OUR NORTH CAROLINA PAPER AND IS A BIG HIT. HE FINDS THE SENSIBLE MIDDLE IN THE LEFT VS RIGHT CRAP.
Sallie|1.4.09 @ 8:55PM|#
More fodder for Hart: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday
announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be
President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury
investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative
state contract.
Let me guess, he hired Mexicans to do the work.
|1.4.09 @ 9:10PM|#
We'd better be concerned with the path to destruction which the Dems seem to have planned for even larger federal govt and dependency of the masses.
The Angry Optimist|1.4.09 @ 9:10PM|#
oh, now I have an impersonator! (the 8:20 post) - this is just getting adorable.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 9:16PM|#
The Angry Optimist | January 4, 2009, 9:10pm | #
oh, now I have an impersonator! (the 8:20 post) - this is just getting adorable.
Lefiti has a man crush on you, TAO.
The Angry Optimist|1.4.09 @ 9:19PM|#
BDB - that's two established man-crushes now. Y'know, I get hit on by men all the time IRL; it was only a matter of time before it started happening on the Interwebz.
BDB|1.4.09 @ 9:23PM|#
At least I think Lefiti is a dude. He may be a girl, I dunno. Either way, he/she/it has a crush on me too since I was spoofed by "it" upthread.
Lefiti|1.4.09 @ 10:13PM|#
When you come across a theory that is never wrong, you know you're dealing with some fanatical fuckwits. Nothing personal.
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 10:14PM|#
I don't see Bush building houses for poor people with his
bare hands any time soon. Maybe he'll surprise me.
He does have a very green house, though.
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 10:17PM|#
That is just a perfect cover and a perfect way to say it.
What -- your comment about losing a business? Toot not thy own horn, dear. (Insert wink emoticon here.)
That's the trouble with this medium....
I meant the Reason Magazine Cover is a perfect cover with a perfect
photo and the Exit Stage Left bit was perfect as
well.
The Reason folks sometimes amaze me.
My comment was just idle mediocrity
:-)
Paul|1.4.09 @ 10:20PM|#
Open letter to Obama:
Good news: Bush sucked, this should be easy.
Bad news: Bush screwed up stuff that will affect your
administration.
Good news: You've got a stimulus plan.
Bad news: It's the same one George Bush had, but bigger.
Good news: The economy will probably recover despite any stimulus
plans.
Bad news: Your stimulus plan is bigger than George W. Bush's, so
it'll probably take much, much longer to recover.
Good news: Democrats are uniformly controlling the federal
government.
Bad news: The democrats are uniformly controlling the federal
government.
|1.4.09 @ 10:22PM|#
Sorry for causing trouble, ever since I had my lowered ribs removed so I could suck my own dick I don't think as clearly as I used to to. My bad
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 10:22PM|#
Ok, maybe the gas lines were bad, but what else could he do?
He had the gall to ask the nation to conserve, there's his
"problem."
He could have decontrolled oil, like, ahhh, Ronald Rayguns did, and
voila, problem solved. Instead, he came up with the Windfall
Profits Tax.
Paul|1.4.09 @ 10:26PM|#
glob⋅al warm⋅ing [gloh-buhl wôrm-ing]
1. When you come across a theory that is never wrong, you know
you're dealing with some fanatical fuckwits.
The Wine Commonsewer|1.4.09 @ 10:27PM|#
the innominate one | January 4, 2009, 6:40pm | #
Jennifer - I believe TWC was referring to the reason issue cover shown in the blog post.
Thank you, IO. I guess I wasn't that clear, but yes, I loved the
Reason Cover.
Bottoms Up|1.4.09 @ 10:28PM|#
"I think I continue to be blessed in my enemies."
While I'm not your enemy, I don't think well of you. Only pity.
Weigel|1.4.09 @ 10:31PM|#
"Hey guys, I heard Wiegel is blogging at the Economist."
David is the gayest boy I've ever borne.
Chachanomics|1.4.09 @ 10:40PM|#
TWC . . . how, exactly, did Reagan "decontrol" oil? While I am on the outside ring of Reagan fans, methinks your terminology is a bit misleading.
Chachanomics|1.4.09 @ 10:45PM|#
BTW . . . it was his deft job at convincing the Saudis to flood the market with oil in the mid 80's that did the trick.
lefiti the cable guy|1.4.09 @ 10:47PM|#
If you want intelligent comment, what the fuck are you doing
here? Try the Huffignton Post.
Now THAT's funny I don't care who you are.
Right Wing Realist|1.4.09 @ 11:18PM|#
I have never seen so many libertarians cheering the coming of the second FDR.
Charles|1.4.09 @ 11:27PM|#
Hey, seriously, what do we have to do to get some sort of registration? This board has gone downhill fast.
cunnivore|1.4.09 @ 11:29PM|#
I'll worry about "Weigal" after I find out what happened to Kerry Howley. Did she take that full-time gig on Red Eye or is she in hiding?
The Angry Optimist|1.4.09 @ 11:39PM|#
cunnivore - young Ms. Howley is pursuing a degree of higher education somewheres.
Keynes|1.4.09 @ 11:59PM|#
Dear President Obama,
In a field of domestic policy, I put in the forefront, a large
volume of loan expenditure under government auspices. I put in the
second place the maintenance of cheap and abundant credit. With
these policies I should expect a successful outcome with great
confidence. How much that would mean, not only to the material
prosperity of the United States and the whole world, but in comfort
to men's minds through a restoration of their faith in the wisdom
and the power of government.
Free money, forever and ever amen,
Yours truly,
JM Keynes
Obama|1.5.09 @ 1:54AM|#
Thank you Mr. Keynes,
For sharing your wisdom, and I know it will be of great value to me
and my forthcoming administration. You need not worry that I would
doubt your advice and seek council else where (unlike the apostate
William J Clinton) for I have a little white liberal perched on my
shoulder whom I cannot get through the day without his constant
approval. If I veer off course, I am overcome with a feeling of
anxiety, guilt and generally I feel lost to a greater extent than I
can possibly bear. You can rest as easy in your grave during the
years of my administration as you have done so for Bush II. For
every dollar of stimulus, rebate checks, expansion of
regulatory oversight, pages in the Federal Register, public
personnel in the surrounding DC metropolitan area,
percentage of GDP devoted to government services, and deficit
spending created by GWB (I hope you understand, for political
purposes we call him Mr Laissez-Faire around here), I will easily
double it as his great error (like FDR) was not going far
enough.
Yours in Spirit,
BHO
PS. I've been squirreling away cash for years for a college fund
for my two daughters. I feel so terrible about this as I did not
realize how detrimental savings is for the economy. However, I have
corrected the error of my ways and Michelle is down at the The
Fashion Centre with that money hand over fist as I write this.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.5.09 @ 4:08AM|#
rwr, in case it was not obvious to you this is a progressive board.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.5.09 @ 4:46AM|#
mark my words. today we think the pinnacle of economic thought to be keynes, but after the obama administrations it will be boyle.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.5.09 @ 5:23AM|#
the american recovery and reenvestment plan is a step in the
right direction. our crumbling infrastructure needs to be repared
and the only enterprise in america that can do it is the federal
government.
we can do this while giving 95% of the americans who pay taxes
getting a tax cut.
nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.5.09 @ 5:50AM|#
i cant believe that richardson is being forced to step down by the same latant racism that infects our whole society, even some white progressives.
PugKnuckles|1.5.09 @ 8:17AM|#
As Hart says, maybe he (Bush) will get around to reading about
the Shites and Sunnis to determine that they will never get along.
Maybe then we can ask for our Trillion dollars back and 4000 kids
who died.
Hart is dead on, and I love the way he writes. Reminds me of PJ
O'Rourke.
ed|1.5.09 @ 8:49AM|#
Minor quibble, but "stage left" would have had Bush (in the cover photo) exiting in the opposite direction. Details, people, details.
|1.5.09 @ 9:13AM|#
The Angry Optimist | January 4, 2009, 9:10pm | #
oh, now I have an impersonator! (the 8:20 post) - this is just
getting adorable.
The "nobody" guy is getting increasingly pissed off that he can't
even get other libertarians to side with him, so he's lashing
out.
Fun to watch.
alan|1.5.09 @ 12:10PM|#
And now, a self-proclaimed economics expert who didn't
realize that Keynesians support paying down debt during economic
booms.
Not my problem if you no idea what it means to monetize debt.
Fresno Bob|1.5.09 @ 4:14PM|#
VM,
Care to share any of the deep insights into the current state of
the economy that you've gained from your academic wonkery?
HoneyBaked|1.6.09 @ 8:54AM|#
Hart spoke at a convention I attended, he called the attack on
Bush a shoe-acide attacked with Rockports of mass
destruction.
Funny guy and really the best libertarian humor columnist
working.
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245