President Bush's White House is a rogue administration.
Unlike President Nixon during Watergate or President Reagan during Iran-Contra, Mr. Bush's extreme unpopularity cannot be attributed to a scandal. Rather, the American people overwhelmingly disapprove of him because of what he does — not who he is. Even as the most fanatical Republican loyalists begin to question the policies of the Bush regime, the White House continues to give the finger to the American people and defend wildly unpopular policies. This scene is truly something unique in modern American history.
Let's first consider the current legislation regarding the State Children's Health Insurance Program. SCHIP is a national program that provides health care for families, mostly children, too poor to afford coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. The bill, recently vetoed by the president, would greatly expand the program by making 4 million more children eligible for state coverage, according to The New York Times. The cost would be $35 billion over 5 years.
House Democrats are desperately trying to win over 15 more Republicans needed to override the veto as they already have the votes in the Senate. Their efforts may be in vain. According to an Oct. 3 Associated Press report, Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is "absolutely confident" that the House will be able to uphold the veto.
You wouldn't think that doling out a few extra dollars to get health care for poor kids would be controversial. Outside of Washington, it isn't. According to a recent Washington Post poll, more than 7 in 10 Americans support the proposed SCHIP expansion. For Republicans like Rep. Blunt and President Bush, government health care is good enough for their kids — family members of the executive and legislative branches and their staffs receive state coverage — but not for the country's poor.
And then, of course, there is the war. While the White House is determined to "stay the course," the American people have, for some time now, consistently expressed a desire to get the hell out of Iraq. Mr. Bush's response to the public's opposition to his Iraq policy has been the farcical troop surge and a recent request for $190 billion for the war effort — more than enough to fund 5 SCHIP expansions.
The same Washington Post poll reveals that only 27 percent of Americans support fully funding the president's requested billions, and more than two-thirds disapprove of the current handling of Iraq.
How about global warming? While 80 percent, according to a March 2006 Time Magazine poll, believe that climate change is either partially or fully caused by human activity, Mr. Bush has yet to acknowledge either the consensus opinion of the scientific community or the American people. He refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, even as almost 7 in ten want the federal government to do more to combat the threat.
Mr. Bush's social conservatism is also opposed to the views of Americans. According to an August 2005 poll done by the Pew Research Center, 78 percent favor giving students information about birth control. The White House supports abstinence-only education. A June 2006 ABC poll shows that, unlike our righteous president, only 42 percent support an amendment to the constitution to ban gay marriage.
The president has even attacked Social Security — the last vestige of the New Deal. The government-controlled program is strongly supported by most Americans, especially seniors and the poor. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bush's hopes for a partial privatization of the system were met with strong and active opposition. A March 2005 Washington Post poll reveals that only 35 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the issue.
I could go on. From the president's frighteningly aggressive position on Iran to his support for free trade agreements to his wiretapping program, his policies have increasingly been met with outrage from the American people.
What is it that motivates the White House to continue on with its fanatical agenda? There seems to be something more than the usual subservience to corporate interests: The continued commitment to a moral crusade that everyone but the administration recognizes as immoral appears to be the cause of its particular mode of extremism.
The Bush regime is on a mission — that much is clear. Perhaps the one comforting notion is that it won't be around for too much longer.
Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in history and Spanish.
