Thursday, September 02, 2004

We can put the triumphs of the Clinton era safely behind us

This was supposed to be funny when it came out in the Onion (a satirical weekly found at www.onion.com) in January of 2001 when Bush was 2 days away from the presidency. read it now and see what you think - was it satire or prophecy:

BUSH: 'OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY IS FINALLY OVER'

Jan. 18, 2001

WASHINGTON, DC—Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial average fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply, losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.
Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: That's hardly my area of expertise."

Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air standards.

Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to "protect a woman's right to give birth."

"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots of babies."

Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.

"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."

"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.

"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."

"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to make sure it never happens to my people again."

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption. "We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, but there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh, I love the smell of fear in the morning!

RBP said...

It is definitely fear you smell, Ala71. Only the fear is coming from the majority of people who are voting for Bush. They are afraid because they believe the lie told to them by the administration. They believe that Hussien was in cohoots with Bin Laden and al Qaida. They believe that when John Kerry questions the conduct of the war he is "soft" on terror. They think they are safer with Bush. They think this because they believe a lie. They are afraid because of a lie. And it looks like the neo-cons might just get away with it. Poll or no poll, the only one that matters is the one on November 2nd.

History is not afraid. History will judge these guys for what they are.

RBP said...

It is definitely fear you smell, Ala71. Only the fear is coming from the majority of people who are voting for Bush. They are afraid because they believe the lie told to them by the administration. They believe that Hussien was in cohoots with Bin Laden and al Qaida. They believe that when John Kerry questions the conduct of the war he is "soft" on terror. They think they are safer with Bush. They think this because they believe a lie. They are afraid because of a lie. And it looks like the neo-cons might just get away with it. Poll or no poll, the only one that matters is the one on November 2nd.

History is not afraid. History will judge these guys for what they are.

Ruth Douthitt said...

"I can't help noting one small irony: this account in the Charleston newspaper says that "no one was hurt" in the shooting incident. But it also reports that "[a] piece of the broken glass nicked [volunteer Gayle] Adkins' neck. That may not count as being hurt, but it was good enough for two of John Kerry's purple hearts. Adkins didn't fire the gun, either."

I read this today at Power Line blog about the shots fired at the Virginia Republican Campaign headquarters.....it made me laugh because it is true: had she been in Vietnam on Kerry's boat, she probably would have gotten a Purple Heart right along with thim!

And I, for one, am not afraid. No matter who wins this election, God is still in control and on His throne. That is why I fear Him:

"Blessed is He who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways." Psalm 128:1

J.D. said...

Artbyruth, your making fun of being in Vietnam is really not appropriate. I think people who served in Vietnam - whether it was infantry in the jungle risking their lives daily, Kerry's dangerous swiftboat duty, Air Force mechanics in relatively safe areas, or embassy staffers - they all deserve respect. Yes Kerry suffered minor wounds. You may even believe the lies that the wounds weren't from enemy fire and that he didn't deserve his purple heart. But there is no mistaking that he served in a combat zone in a dangerous job, and making fun of that is really surprising coming from somebody who claims to respect the military so much.