Bush to meet with Centrist Dems
President Bush has invited leaders of the conservative Blue Dog and New Democrat coalitions to the White House Friday to discuss areas of “mutual cooperation” in the words of one Democratic Congressional aide.The outreach comes at a time when Bush’s image on Capitol Hill and around the country has taken a serious beating. The meeting is scheduled just two days after the Iraq Study Group is scheduled to release its findings and one day after the Senate Armed Services Committee plans to hold hearings on them.
Reps. Alan Boyd (Fla.), Dennis Moore (Kan.) and Mike Ross (Ark.) will represent the Blue Dogs, a coalition of usually southern, conservative-leaning Democrats and Reps. Joe Crowley (N.Y.), Artur Davis (Ala.), Ron Kind (Wis.), Adam Smith (Wash.) and Ellen Tauscher (Calif.) are set to represent the New Democrats, a group of business-friendly centrists, at the meeting, which the president is expected to attend.
I don’t know if this is an end-run around party leadership, but I choose to be optimistic that the President is taking even baby steps towards participating in building consensus.
8 Responses to “Bush to meet with Centrist Dems”
The shame is that it’s the wrong person doing it. He’s too unpopular. It would be better to see some congressional collegiality, then we might see a little less rancor.
Six years of labeling democrats traitors, America haters and terrorist supporters and Paul isn’t sure? Not the most astute of posters at The Moderate Voice, I would suggest.
Truflo,
Please share more about your point of view. You have an opportunity to teach others.
Paul,
Apologies for coming across as a smart ass, but, really, is there anything the Bush admin has done over the last six years that might suggest a willingness to work with Democrats rather than work up ways to weaken them?
The opportunity was there after 9/11 and he spurned it. Anyone who questioned the wisdom of invading Iraq was labelled a traitor. I’m just a little surprised at your optimism is all and as Iraq drifts closer and closer to becoming a disaster of Rwandan proportions; as we witness an American citizen being humiliated and brutalized and, as of yet, have no idea why, I find I could do with a little optimism myself.
I agree that the last 6 years have been bleek for collaboration.
But as Governor he was the very model of a consensus builder He has the chops.
And for the last two years of his term he may decide to fast track some bi-partisan policy to fluff up his legacy.
The Marshall Plan was enacted during the famous do nothing Congress of Harry Truman’s final two years.
Personnally, I don’t trust Mr Bush any further than I can throw the Earth. Initially, when he was elected, I
hoped he could become a good president. Time and time again, he has proven to be totally the opposite. I now
no longer expect anything from him. I will believe he has changed after he has proven to have changed, not before. Frankly, I don’t think he can. I have lost hope of any improvement.
How ironic it would be if the very Democrats that Bush has been vilifying for the last 6 years, actually help him save his presidency. Actually, both the president and the Democratic Congress should be fairly motivated to work together. GWB needs to prove that he’s not an incompetent failure, and save his party’s prospects in ’08, and the Democrats need to prove that their victory was not just a fluke, and that they are capable of governing in a way that suits a majority of voters. Even the Republican minority has something to prove. Nothing like a little divided government to bring out the best in everyone!
Bob Bullock is dead unfortunately.
And my guess is Dubya is just fishing for some Lieberman clones.