Failed Republican Leadership

What is the new national reality? Tuesday's election results spoke about leadership. Governing is leading. There are three branches of government and the majority rules. One branch, the legislative, has undergone fundamental change, with Democrats now leading at the national law-making level. Voters declared what they were against more than what they were for. They voted against a failed group of Republican leaders, starting at the top.

What happened to George W. Bush? I am relieved to report that I see OCP (our current president) as even more temporary now than at the beginning of this year. I posted about the president's political plans in January. OCP's strategies, according to a USA Today article by David Jackson and Susan Page, whom I paraphrase, were to "start fast, stay aggressive, bring some troops home-or at least keep them safer, talk up the economy, scale back big promises, and keep the Republican family together." (See my S/SW post of 1/6/06, "Bush administration into sixth year-And?") Well, we know how that failed to work out for the Republicans as the year elapsed. But it is still hard for me to get my arms around this question of what actually happened last Tuesday. Here are a few preliminary thoughts, however, based only his stated plan earlier in the year:

• Starting fast towards Iraq after 9/11, without finishing the job in Afghanistan, proved to be a disaster. Shooting from the hip after being swayed by his manipulative advisers has not worked well for OCP.
• Staying aggressive has been one to the tactics of OCP that most angered voters. Exit polls noted the war in Iraq and Bush's leadership as reasons for voting against Republicans.
• These same voters wanted the troops brought home and kept safer. Neither happened.
• It is harder to talk up an economy that never extended its good news to middle and working class families.
• Sloganeering rhetoric - big promises - were never scaled back: "Victory in Iraq," "Iraqi democracy," "Moral leadership," etc. None happened.
• And the Democratic victory was partly a result of the "Republican family" falling apart under ineffectual presidential leadership.

What happened to Dick Cheney? I am relieved to report that he may have been moved a bit more to the side as the key behind the scenes mover and shaker in the current Bush administration. I recently linked to a blog post by Steve Clemons (see October 21 S/SW post "It's October and am I really surprised"). Clemons prooved prescient with his discussion of the uncertain future of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group, unless Cheney's influence could be diminished. The removal of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was predicted by Clemons. And now both Democrats and our current president have given over control of what happens next in Iraq to Baker-Hamilton. That does not leave the Veep in the driver's seat any more; and many of his people are now gone from the administration.

What happened to Karl Rove? I am relieved to report that he has moved out of my head, where he scarily resided at the time of my Halloween S/SW post, "Where is the October Surprise . . .". What was the dreaded Republican October Surprise? I have racked my brain and I cannot think of one. It turns out that the one John Kerry handed them had no legs. And the surprise Rove failed to warn our current president about was his impending "thumping." I am relieved to conclude that the vaunted "Bush's brain" was never omnipotent, after all.

What happened to Ken Mehlman? The headline in the Washington Post says it all: "Mehlman Won't Seek Another Term as Republican Party Chief." I rest my case.

Reference: (10/12/05) S/SW post - "Leadership Qualities"

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