REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

America lives under the shadow of George W. Bush

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Saturday, March 20, 2021 15:10
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Thursday, January 3, 2013 9:53 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

Somewhere in Texas, former President George W. Bush is smiling.

Although some Democrats are pleased that taxes will now go up on the wealthiest Americans, the recent deal to avert the fiscal cliff entrenches, rather than dismantles, one of Bush's signature legacies -- income tax cuts. Ninety-nine percent of American households were protected from tax increases, aside from the expiration of the reduced rate for the payroll tax.

In the final deal, Congress and President Barack Obama agreed to preserve most of the Bush tax cuts, including exemptions on the estate tax.

What has become clear in hindsight, regardless of what one thinks of Bush and his politics, is that his administration left behind a record that has had a huge impact on American politics, a record that will not easily be dismantled by future presidents.

The twin pillars of Bush's record were counterterrorism policies and tax cuts. During his first term, it became clear that Obama would not dismantle most of the homeland security apparatus put into place by his predecessor. Despite a campaign in 2008 that focused on flaws with the nation's response to 9/11, Obama has kept most of the counterterrorism program intact.

Now come taxes and spending.

With regard to the Bush tax cuts, Obama had promised to overturn a policy that he saw as regressive. Although he always said that he would protect the middle class from tax increases, Obama criticized Bush for pushing through Congress policies that bled the federal government of needed revenue and benefited the wealthy.

In 2010, Obama agreed to temporarily extend all the tax cuts. Though many Democrats were furious, Obama concluded that he had little political chance to overturn them and he seemed to agree with Republicans that reversing them would hurt an economy limping along after a terrible recession.

With the fiscal cliff deal, Obama could certainly claim more victories than in 2010. Taxes for the wealthiest Americans will go up. Congress also agreed to extend unemployment compensation and continue higher payments to Medicare providers.

But beneath all the sound and fury is the fact that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, for most Americans, are now a permanent part of the legislative landscape. (In addition, middle class Americans will breathe a sigh of relief that Congress has permanently fixed the Alternative Minimum Tax, which would have hit many of them with a provision once designed to make sure that the wealthy paid their fair share.)

The tax cuts have significant consequences on all of American policy.

Although some Republicans signed on to raising taxes for the first time in two decades, the fact is that Democrats have agreed to tax rates which, compared to much of the 20th century, are extraordinarily low. Public perception of a new status quo makes it harder for presidents to ever raise taxes on most Americans to satisfy the revenue needs for the federal government.

At the same time, the continuation of reduced taxes keeps the federal government in a fiscal straitjacket. As a result, politicians are left to focus on finding the money to pay for existing programs or making cuts wherever possible.

New innovations in federal policy that require substantial revenue are just about impossible. To be sure, there have been significant exceptions, such as the Affordable Care Act. But overall, bold policy departures that require significant amounts of general revenue are harder to come by than in the 1930s or 1960s.

With his income tax cuts enshrined, Bush can rest comfortably that much of the policy world he designed will remain intact and continue to define American politics. Obama has struggled to work within the world that Bush created, and with this legislation, even with his victories, he has demonstrated that the possibilities for change have been much more limited than he imagined when he ran in 2008 or even in 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/opinion/zelizer-shadow-bush/index.html?h
pt=hp_bn7


It would seem he left us in an even worse state than the financial crisis we were aware of. It seems that his impact will be felt far long than perhaps any of us realized. What fun.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 10:37 AM

CHRISISALL


Bush's presidency was THE SINGLE worst, most destructive thing America (and by extension, the world) ever faced.
Bush & Cheney destroyed America's already poor reputation overseas, destroyed our economy, and destroyed truth & justice in pursuit of the New American Way.
They pushed the fascist envelope harder & more aggressively than ever before.
They successfully gauged the public's political ignorance, their short term historical memory, and their herd mentality to go where no scumbags have gone before.

Our prisons are filled with the wrong people.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 10:49 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
Bush's presidency was THE SINGLE worst, most destructive thing America (and by extension, the world) ever faced.
Bush & Cheney destroyed America's already poor reputation overseas, destroyed our economy, and destroyed truth & justice in pursuit of the New American Way.

They pushed the fascist envelope harder & more aggressively than ever before.

They successfully gauged the public's political ignorance, their short term historical memory, and their herd mentality to go where no scumbags have gone before.

Our prisons are filled with the wrong people.



Lies, entirely.

Obama fits that bill, x 10.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 11:01 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Lies, entirely.


Wow, how enlightening. I may have to reconsider my opinions based on your exquisite eloquence & persuasive arguments here.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 11:14 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


What's to reconsider. Every damn thing you said was pure fiction. Bush did suck as President, but he's still light years better than the socialist in chief we have today. Not even close, either.

The problem with you, Chrissy, is you live under the delusion and fantasy of a world spun by the propagandists from the MSM. One which thinks Bush squandered Clinton's budget surplus ( it never existed ) then 'gave' $ to the uber wealthy, paid for on the backs of the poor, of minorities, and of course, the gays.

So, Bush 'gives' $ to the rich, which some how caused the housing bubble, and then the recession, and then Obama comes in and magically saves the day. Only, we're FAR from saved. In fact, things are worse. Much worse.



Good grief, so many dupes.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 11:47 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


He really fucked it up quite bad, didn't he my dear?

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 11:48 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
He really fucked it up quite bad, didn't he my dear?



Yeah, that housing bubble which the Dems manufactured really was terrible.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 12:02 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Amén,Chris. I just never realized how pervasive his influence was going to be over the long term. I know presidents do things that affect the country after they are gone, I just hadn't realized how Long-term Dumbia's influence was going to BE!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 12:18 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by NIKI2:

I just never realized how pervasive his influence was going to be over the long term.




Seriously. Unless ObamaCare can be defunded and halted in the courts, this country is truly doomed.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 1:10 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
What's to reconsider. Every damn thing you said was pure fiction.

9-11 happened on Bush's (non) watch. Bush lied about WMD to go to war with a country unconnected to 9-11. That war cost trillions, and did nothing to LESSEN the debt. Bush okayed waterboarding, a form of TORTURE (until, of course, AMERICA used it- then it was just aggressive interrogation) putting into question our morality internationally, and degrading American faith in what's right. Sorry if any of these facts are invisible to you.
Quote:

Bush did suck as President,
Thanks for the non-partisan crumb there!
Quote:

but he's still light years better than the socialist in chief we have today.
The Obamination is NOT a socialist- he is 'Conservative Lite', or for YOUR purposes, a Liberal Poseur.
Quote:



So, Bush 'gives' $ to the rich, which some how caused the housing bubble, and then the recession

Wrong, the housing bubble bursting was inevitable, it was the insane war price tag that made the recession so deep and lasting. Bush's pals made out like bandits from it all, though. Now Obama pretends to be a pacifist, ho ho ho. He too is a puppet on a string.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 1:34 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


9-11-01 happened because A - of Islamic zealots, and B - Jamie Gorelick's constructing 'the wall' of separation, which kept the dots from being connected.

Bush never 'lied' about WMD, and we didn't go to war with Iraq because of 9/11. The US never did torture, and the interrogation we DID use gave Obama his one big 'win' of his entire 2 terms, period. THESE are the facts, dumb ass.

And you really need to go back to school and learn what the hell socialism is, and just who it was that RAISED Obama to BE a socialist in the first place.

The wars had zero to do w/ how bad the housing bubble bursting had on the economy. W's fault lies in not fighting the Dems HARD ENOUGH, because he( as are most GOP in DC ) was too much of a pussy to stand up for what's right.

Look for that to change, and soon.


"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 2:02 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
we didn't go to war with Iraq because of 9/11.

Yes, you are right.
I'm impressed.
Thank you.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:07 PM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by NIKI2:
Amén,Chris. I just never realized how pervasive his influence was going to be over the long term. I know presidents do things that affect the country after they are gone, I just hadn't realized how Long-term Dumbia's influence was going to BE!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.



Very few things as destructive as that dumbass can be recovered from quickly.




Excuse me while I soak in all these sweet, sweet conservative tears.

"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side." -- Rick "Frothy" Santorum

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:10 PM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by NIKI2:

I just never realized how pervasive his influence was going to be over the long term.




Seriously. Unless ObamaCare can be defunded and halted in the courts, this country is truly doomed.



Rappyland. War = Good. Health care = The Most Evil Thing EVER.






Excuse me while I soak in all these sweet, sweet conservative tears.

"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side." -- Rick "Frothy" Santorum

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:17 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

Rappyland. War = Good. Health care = The Most Evil Thing EVER.



Pretty much, yeah.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:34 PM

HKCAVALIER


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

Rappyland. War = Good. Health care = The Most Evil Thing EVER.



Pretty much, yeah.

Is this another quote for Anthony's sig? Not quite as incendiary as the others, but man, it do kinda sum things up, don'it?

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:41 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Some of y'all are such easy marks.

You make asinine comments like that, I'm just gonna play along and agree w/ ya.

Quote away, as you wish. I'm laughing at your feeble attempts to paint me as a bad guy.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:03 PM

PIRATENEWS

John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!




OBAMA: No TV Broadcast of Guantanamo 9/11 Trial of Waterboarded Patsies

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico January 3, 2013 (AP

A military judge has denied a request to allow television broadcast coverage of the Guantanamo Bay war crimes tribunal for five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Defense lawyers requested TV coverage of proceedings at the U.S. base in Cuba. But the Defense Department had authorized only closed-circuit broadcast to several military bases in the northeast U.S.



The ruling from Army Col. James Pohl said the court had no authority to allow general broadcast. A Pentagon spokesman declined comment Thursday.

Defense attorney James Connell said the public should be able to view proceedings against five men accused of planning and aiding the attacks. A hearing in the case is scheduled for January but the trial is expected to be at least a year away.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/judge-tv-broadcast-guant
anamo-911-trial-18125661#.UOYAR3ef-cY






"Some people need to get a life, they've got way too much time on their hands..."
-Val McClatchey, "Loss of Serenity" on History channel's 9/11 Conspiracies Fact or Fiction
http://piratenews.org/flight93.html


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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:06 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
I'm laughing at your feeble attempts to paint me as a bad guy.


You are not a bad guy.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:14 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by HKCavalier:
Is this another quote for Anthony's sig?


For AURaptor:


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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:21 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Unlike the Jupiter 9 model, you didn't get the above analogy even remotely close.

If anything, the child is you.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:32 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Unlike the Jupiter 9 model, you didn't get the above analogy even remotely close.


I only mean to say that there is more out there to think about than this small world of real world political hate & confusion.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:45 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Which is why I dump all my political comments HERE, and not in other Firefly forums.

This isn't all that I am, just all I'm showing, in this particular snap shot.



"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 4:51 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

This isn't all that I am, just all I'm showing, in this particular snap shot.


Nicely put!

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Thursday, January 3, 2013 5:37 PM

HKCAVALIER


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Some of y'all are such easy marks.

You make asinine comments like that, I'm just gonna play along and agree w/ ya.

Quote away, as you wish. I'm laughing at your feeble attempts to paint me as a bad guy.

Sorry AU,

I forget sometimes that you're fully capable of irony. Mea culpa. Glad to hear it.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Friday, January 4, 2013 3:45 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


To remove the taint of the Bush administration, perhaps we should start by repealing all the Bush-era tax cuts.

Everyone would feel good about that, No?


"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."

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Saturday, March 20, 2021 3:10 PM

JAYNEZTOWN


... to give illegals US citizenship?

The shouting Trump dudes flying flags made little Bush 'sick to his stomach' former President George W. Bush

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national-politics/george-w-bush-
says-capitol-riots-made-him-sick-to-his-stomach

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