Today I'm going to do on Thanksgiving what God and Mother Nature intended for me: eat turkey and watch football.
I am also going to use this day to praise-George W. Bush! Strange choice, huh? I mean rest assured as you might guess, I've never been a fan. Of all the Presidents I remember, he-and Reagan-are my least favorite. I liked Bush's father better too. Truth be told, Bush the II was one of my least favorite Presidents ever. Along with Reagan. I mean I know I'm a Democrat who doesn't like Republicans-'hates them' as I like to say just to make some folks a little uncomfortable who's sensibilities are a little too pristine-perhaps they should read David Brooks rather than me-but even so, I really didn't like the second Bush. I mean I think Nixon was better-I don't remember Nixon, I was too young but I know something about his history. I liked Nixon better.
I'm actually quite fascinated by Nixon-and Pat Buchanan who has written a triumphalist account of him now. What's interesting is that Buchanan when he was working for Nixon actually drew up the hated Philadelphia Plan-aka, affirmative action. Probably no one spends more time criticizing affirmative action than Buchanan, yet he is the architect of it. I mean it's as if the biggest Lawman in the world actually created Crime.
https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B00HXYLW8K
Don't get me wrong, there's some very nasty sentiments in Buchanan. When he wrote the PP had explicitly advocated it as a 'wedge issue between the unions and their Black friends.' So every time you see him inveigh on the buggaboo of 'quotas' remember they are his baby. Today no one is more implacably opposed to immigration than Buchanan.
http://buchanan.org/blog/rogue-president-7159
Yet for all that, he's very clear why he opposes it: it hurts the GOP. I don't think he's wrong here. When it's discussed why the GOP has opposed immigration so much this is why-it will morally wound the party.
http://buchanan.org/blog/is-the-gop-headed-for-the-boneyard-5347
He thinks the only hope is for the GOP to resist immigration by hook or by crook. A big part of his nostalgia in looking back on his hero Nixon, is that Nixon was the architect of the New Majority-it should be emphasized that this New Majority was in Buchanan's mind first and foremost a White New Majority. So in his mind the GOP's flirtation with immigration can only be to bring about its own ruin-the end of the White New Majority.
Of course, the GOPer that Buchanan blames the most for this short sighted move to amnesty is the George W. Bush. Of course, even the great Reagan did something for illegal immigrants as did the first Bush. I'm currently reading Richard Draper's book about W. Bush's Administration, the title of which is appropriate enough: Dead Certain.
It aptly sums up Bush who always eschewed any nuance and believed everything was an unambiguous Black or White. Part of why I didn't like him no doubt was style-as well as substance. I guess it's a temperament thing. Some people liked his 'plainspokeness I just saw it as a kind of stubborn dogmatism. Don't bore me with facts, I know what I know!
Comparably, a lot of people I assume can't stand President Obama's style-he is as nuanced as Bush was opposed to all nuance-and while Bush saw Black and White, Obama sees little but grey areas. However, I really like Obama's style and don't find it in any way 'fake' or dishonest-which people who don't understand nuance always assume. Obama doesn't come out all one-sided like Bush as the truth is rarely one-sided.
What's interesting though is how much I agree with what the Bushies were saying about immigration all the way back to the early days of the Administration. Karl Rove's support of immigration is nothing new; as a Bushie, this goes all the way back to when he and W were in Texas. Amnesty has become this dirty word-even the Obama Administration has to assure us what he did with his EO was not amnesty. In 2001, 2002, the Bushies were talking about amnesty as if it's a good thing-why not legalize all 11 million undocumented workers and let the market figure it out?
https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B000W5MI26
UPDATE: I should quote this great line they wrote: 'Immigration is not a problem to be solved. It is a sign of a confident and successful nation.'
In 2006 Bush wanted immigration reform but his own party torpedoed it. Now today, his brother, Jeb Bush-married to a Mexican-and someone who is all for amnesty in his heart of hearts will have to run against Obama's Executive Action. This is what politics does. The one area that Bush was light years ahead of his party of course will be the one area they will reject most readily.
I've said it since 2012 when the GOP was itself declaring that it had to do immigration reform had to get this albatross off it's neck: the GOP never learns. That's what being a Republican means since Goldwater at least: you can never learn from anything. I had said at the time they wouldn't do immigration-then came that piece from Heritage that assured the GOP Congressmen that they didn't need Hispanic votes-there were more than enough White people for them to win.
Now Pace Buchanan they really are going to the graveyard. Immigration is going to be the rock in which the Grand Ole Party will shipwreck itself. Within the next 10 to 20 years how badly they have chosen will become clear. As a Democrat I can be grateful that they won;t figure this out till the cows have long since left the barn. Then they'll say Gee, we better shut the barn door.
I am also going to use this day to praise-George W. Bush! Strange choice, huh? I mean rest assured as you might guess, I've never been a fan. Of all the Presidents I remember, he-and Reagan-are my least favorite. I liked Bush's father better too. Truth be told, Bush the II was one of my least favorite Presidents ever. Along with Reagan. I mean I know I'm a Democrat who doesn't like Republicans-'hates them' as I like to say just to make some folks a little uncomfortable who's sensibilities are a little too pristine-perhaps they should read David Brooks rather than me-but even so, I really didn't like the second Bush. I mean I think Nixon was better-I don't remember Nixon, I was too young but I know something about his history. I liked Nixon better.
I'm actually quite fascinated by Nixon-and Pat Buchanan who has written a triumphalist account of him now. What's interesting is that Buchanan when he was working for Nixon actually drew up the hated Philadelphia Plan-aka, affirmative action. Probably no one spends more time criticizing affirmative action than Buchanan, yet he is the architect of it. I mean it's as if the biggest Lawman in the world actually created Crime.
https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B00HXYLW8K
Don't get me wrong, there's some very nasty sentiments in Buchanan. When he wrote the PP had explicitly advocated it as a 'wedge issue between the unions and their Black friends.' So every time you see him inveigh on the buggaboo of 'quotas' remember they are his baby. Today no one is more implacably opposed to immigration than Buchanan.
http://buchanan.org/blog/rogue-president-7159
Yet for all that, he's very clear why he opposes it: it hurts the GOP. I don't think he's wrong here. When it's discussed why the GOP has opposed immigration so much this is why-it will morally wound the party.
http://buchanan.org/blog/is-the-gop-headed-for-the-boneyard-5347
He thinks the only hope is for the GOP to resist immigration by hook or by crook. A big part of his nostalgia in looking back on his hero Nixon, is that Nixon was the architect of the New Majority-it should be emphasized that this New Majority was in Buchanan's mind first and foremost a White New Majority. So in his mind the GOP's flirtation with immigration can only be to bring about its own ruin-the end of the White New Majority.
Of course, the GOPer that Buchanan blames the most for this short sighted move to amnesty is the George W. Bush. Of course, even the great Reagan did something for illegal immigrants as did the first Bush. I'm currently reading Richard Draper's book about W. Bush's Administration, the title of which is appropriate enough: Dead Certain.
It aptly sums up Bush who always eschewed any nuance and believed everything was an unambiguous Black or White. Part of why I didn't like him no doubt was style-as well as substance. I guess it's a temperament thing. Some people liked his 'plainspokeness I just saw it as a kind of stubborn dogmatism. Don't bore me with facts, I know what I know!
Comparably, a lot of people I assume can't stand President Obama's style-he is as nuanced as Bush was opposed to all nuance-and while Bush saw Black and White, Obama sees little but grey areas. However, I really like Obama's style and don't find it in any way 'fake' or dishonest-which people who don't understand nuance always assume. Obama doesn't come out all one-sided like Bush as the truth is rarely one-sided.
What's interesting though is how much I agree with what the Bushies were saying about immigration all the way back to the early days of the Administration. Karl Rove's support of immigration is nothing new; as a Bushie, this goes all the way back to when he and W were in Texas. Amnesty has become this dirty word-even the Obama Administration has to assure us what he did with his EO was not amnesty. In 2001, 2002, the Bushies were talking about amnesty as if it's a good thing-why not legalize all 11 million undocumented workers and let the market figure it out?
https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B000W5MI26
UPDATE: I should quote this great line they wrote: 'Immigration is not a problem to be solved. It is a sign of a confident and successful nation.'
In 2006 Bush wanted immigration reform but his own party torpedoed it. Now today, his brother, Jeb Bush-married to a Mexican-and someone who is all for amnesty in his heart of hearts will have to run against Obama's Executive Action. This is what politics does. The one area that Bush was light years ahead of his party of course will be the one area they will reject most readily.
I've said it since 2012 when the GOP was itself declaring that it had to do immigration reform had to get this albatross off it's neck: the GOP never learns. That's what being a Republican means since Goldwater at least: you can never learn from anything. I had said at the time they wouldn't do immigration-then came that piece from Heritage that assured the GOP Congressmen that they didn't need Hispanic votes-there were more than enough White people for them to win.
Now Pace Buchanan they really are going to the graveyard. Immigration is going to be the rock in which the Grand Ole Party will shipwreck itself. Within the next 10 to 20 years how badly they have chosen will become clear. As a Democrat I can be grateful that they won;t figure this out till the cows have long since left the barn. Then they'll say Gee, we better shut the barn door.
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