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Jewish World Review April 27, 2005 / 18 Nissan, 5765 Style vs. substance: Bush shows his warm, confident side — even as his second term heats up By Carl P. Leubsdorf
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Journalists and the public are seeing a lot of the real George W. Bush
these days, the genial, relaxed fellow whom handlers often kept under
wraps in his first term.
He seems a lot more like the friendly guy who was so popular as governor
of Texas. But as the president nears the end of his second term's first
100 days, there's little sign yet that a more open demeanor is paying
political dividends.
Polls show Bush's standing with the public is lower than four years ago.
The prospects for his major initiatives are dimmer, a reflection both of
their difficulty and a sign that substance trumps atmospherics, even in
today's highly personalized political world.
In any case, it's been evident since last November's election that Bush
is, if not liberated, far more comfortable in confronting controversy
and the press.
He's had regular monthly news conferences, displaying the increased
deftness that comes with practice. The contrast between the stiff,
uncertain first-term president and the relaxed, confident second-term
version was on vivid display when Bush appeared recently before the
nation's news editors.
Four years ago, when he spoke to the American Society of Newspaper
Editors, he stayed for just 23 minutes and answered only five questions,
not counting his abrupt brush-off of one probing his long-term
intentions toward China.
Two weeks ago, he spoke for 43 minutes and answered 14 questions,
sidestepping the ones about issues of government secrecy but giving
candid responses on some controversial areas and deflecting others with
pointed humor.
Asked whether he agreed with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's effort to
blame his ethical woes on bias by "the liberal news media," Bush
interrupted the questioner. "Of course not," he said. But he praised
DeLay as "a very effective leader."
And when he was asked whether he thought journalists Judith Miller and
Matt Cooper were wrong in withholding news sources, Bush replied, "Why
don't we let the courts decide that? You think I'm going there? You're
crazy."
What remains unclear is whether his kinder and gentler demeanor will
extend to his dealings on substance with Congress.
The White House has signaled some willingness to compromise on Social
Security. But it is maintaining a hard line on other divisive issues,
such as the confirmation of conservative federal judges.
Beyond the atmospherics, however, Bush is encountering second-term
difficulties for the same reason other presidents have gone awry:
claiming a mandate for more than the voters intended.
That's clear in the contrast in the public attitudes toward his first-
and second-term agendas.
At this point four years ago, Bush was on his way to winning approval of
tax cuts and had formed an alliance with Sen. Edward Kennedy that led to
his No Child Left Behind education law.
He pushed both proposals in his 2000 campaign, and both were popular
politically.
Neither is the case with his top second-term goal, his plan to revamp
the Social Security system and permit younger workers to divert some of
their payroll taxes into private accounts.
He referred to it in only general terms during 2004, and polls show
considerable opposition.
As a result, its chances look dubious. Similarly, prospects are
questionable for his goal of simplifying the tax system, though that
battle won't unfold until his bipartisan commission presents its report
later this year.
In both cases, while polls show strong concerns about the current
systems, they also show Bush has failed so far to make a convincing case
that he would solve them.
There's another reason Bush is having difficulty the second time around:
the domination of domestic issues. After all, his first-term political
success stemmed more from foreign policy than from domestic issues.
Indeed, it's easy to forget that, even while he was pushing popular
domestic proposals, his public standing was dropping throughout 2001.
His strong response to the 9-11 attacks established his leadership
credentials to an extent that has sustained him politically ever since.
That's been true even when things were not going well in Iraq. Despite
doubts about the war, Americans support his underlying goals of removing
Saddam Hussein and spurring democracy.
But an improving situation in Iraq inevitably means more focus on
domestic issues. And results there are likely to count a lot more than
atmospherics.
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© 2005, Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
