The “General” fate of big spenders
Upon having a conversation with my good friend Doug Morris, andtaking a class with Professor Dennis Ippolito, I have finally cometo the realization that politics throughout the United Statesrelies on the economy.
The catch – phrase “It’s The Economy Stupid,”has a dramatic influence upon American political ideology.
Recent polls suggest that the Bush Administration is about tohave a serious problem on their hands with the economy.
Last week CNN came out with a statement revealing that nopresident has achieved re-election while losing over four millionjobs; it was the fate of a losing president that led a man namedRoosevelt to the White House in 1932.
Three points may be drawn to establish what the BushAdministration has on its hands, and the impact it might have onhis chances to win re-election in 2004.
1) The recent announcement of General Wesley Clark as a possiblepresidential candidate in 2004.
2) The United States and its foreign policy in the MiddleEast
3) The ability of the administration to raise enormous sums ofcash throughout the country.
General Wesley Clark definitely has the ability to shake thingsup in the upcoming election. The already crowded Democratic fieldsubmits an unwillingness of the party to formulate and find acandidate, which clearly opens the door for Clark.
Clark, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas (An aside: did anyonecatch the Razorback score on Saturday?), boasts a well-rounded andimpressive resume filled with experience and expertise.He finishedfirst in his class at West Point, was NATO Supreme Commander inBosnia, and an investment banker at Stephens Inc. in LittleRock.
However, Clark’s strength may become his greatestweakness.: his 1999 fallout with the Defense Department overbureaucratic blunders in Kosovo may lead to his demise.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has proven his willingnessto bury people throughout his career.
On several occasions dissidence within the ranks of the Bushadministration – specifically clashes within the State Departmentand the Defense Department – lead to rumors circulating onSecretary of State Colin Powell’s possible unwillingness toreturn if Bush is elected again in 2004.
Powell’s connections and attachment to the ClintonAdministration only burns the hearts of conservative Republican,and fuels the fire that the Defense department uses against Powellin the adversarial fight for the President’s ear.
Secondly, as you might remember in the past week the Middle East(specifically Iraq) poses an immense problem for the BushAdministration.
President Bush recently asked Congress for almost $87 billionfor the repair and continued support for formulating a democraticgovernment in Iraq.
As Senator Robert Byrd (Ranking member of the AppropriationsCommittee) stated last week, “Congress is not anATM.”
The Bush Administration finds itself fixated in an intensepartisan debate, which will probably become the centerpiece for the2004 election.
Still, the Bush Administration has the ability to find solace intheir despair. Throughout the 1980’s Ronald Reagan ranenormous deficits in the belief that debt creates a willingness toinvest.
In other words the essential element of the economy relies onthe percentage of the gross domestic product that the government isrunning.
As Professor Ippolito states in his course-pack, “Before1998, the government had recorded deficits in every year since1969. Moreover, the shortfalls for 2002 and 2003-1.5 percent and3.7 percent of GDP, respectively-are relatively small when comparedwith the chronic deficits of the 1980’s and early1990’s, which ranged from 3 percent to 6 percent.”
The deficits that the Bush Administration is running right nowcreate little concern in the Republican National Committee. Whowith all its heart believes in running deficits in order to createopportunities for American corporations to make millions.
Finally, the Bush Administration’s ability to raise moneyis surreal. Fundraisers throughout the country go for over $2,000 ahead. For the first time in campaign history, the incumbent’sbudget totals $100 million. The campaigns ability to finance andalmost pick a Democratic candidate to run against is unreal.
I am specifically worried that the Administration will find away to appoint Howard Dean to the nomination. Dean, an adamantformer liberal Governor of Vermont, is soaring in all the pollsthroughout New Hampshire and even the normally conservative stateof Iowa. His semi-progressive agenda includes cutting all the Bushtax-cuts in order to pay for health, which is almost absurd on aneconomic basis.
This point leads me to assertion that the Democratic Field needsto find a way to put General Clark in their fast-track to fame. Hislinks to corporate America convinces me that the White House willbe safe under his control.
On a final note I wish to thank Doug and Professor Ippolito forgiving me the opportunity to realize that politics is the assertionof the economy and its shortcomings.
