Flashback: Carville Wanted Bush to Fail – FOXNews.com — This story has been developed from probably good sources in an attempt to defend the Rush Limbaugh comments that were taken out of context.
 Eh. So what? |
My question about this or about the Limbaugh remark: Who cares!?!?!? Why did it become a big deal about someone wanting Obama to fail or succeed in the first place? Are they 12-year olds? I’m sure there is some old fart bitching about Obama right now. So what? Are we all supposed to stop the presses because everyone does not 100-percent love the guy? Is this Venezuela? That said, it is funny how the media covered up this tale. THAT is the story here.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just minutes before learning of the terrorist attacks on America, Democratic strategist James Carville was hoping for President Bush to fail, telling a group of Washington reporters: “I certainly hope he doesn’t succeed.”
Carville was joined by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who seemed encouraged by a survey he had just completed that revealed public misgivings about the newly minted president.
“We rush into these focus groups with these doubts that people have about him, and I’m wanting them to turn against him,” Greenberg admitted.
The pollster added with a chuckle of disbelief: “They don’t want him to fail. I mean, they think it matters if the president of the United States fails.”
Minutes later, as news of the terrorist attacks reached the hotel conference room where the Democrats were having breakfast with the reporters, Carville announced: “Disregard everything we just said! This changes everything!”
The press followed Carville’s orders, never reporting his or Greenberg’s desire for Bush to fail. The omission was understandable at first, as reporters were consumed with chronicling the new war on terror. But months and even years later, the mainstream media chose to never resurrect those controversial sentiments, voiced by the Democratic Party’s top strategists, that Bush should fail.
Another brilliant Dvorak post. Note that this little tidbit of info got virtually no play on the Obama channels.
Context people, context.
On September 10, 2001 the biggest concerns were Bush giving away the farm to oil interests and pushing religion into our lives.
Quite frankly, I wish he had of failed.
Boss Limpdick, on the other hand, is wishing America fall deeper into a depression. He is wishing even more people, more Americans, lose their homes. He wants to see Americans without health care because they can’t afford it. He wants to see small businesses go under because their customers are bankrupt. He wants to see anarchy because it will suit his purpose.
When Carville and Greenberg told the assembled reporters to forget about it, it was because they saw the significance of the terror attack and knew how we would all need to stand behind the President. That is quite the opposite of Limpdick.
That the media didn’t run with this story is only to give credit to the reporter’s intelligence.
It’s strange when someone says that they want the president to fail at something specific which will help everyone. Limbaugh wanted the stimulus to fail, something which could help not just Americans but financial markets and people around the world.
Most people did not support the war in Iraq, but even those people never said that they wanted the war to “fail”.
It sounds like Carville was using the word in a more general sense, that he wanted Bush to do poorly enough that the Democrats could win the next election. Doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.
#3 dm:
“something which could help not just Americans but financial markets and people around the world.”
Wild assumption. Which is, you know, Limbaugh’s point.
“he wanted Bush to do poorly enough that the Democrats could win the next election”
uh… isn’t this why Limbaugh wants Obama to fail?
“Doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.”
Flip it the other way, though, and Obama gets all bent over it.
The problem is that conservatives are now left on the horns of a dilemma. Do they want to win in the future or do they want a better economy?
As a conservative, I believe that Obama’s tax the rich, give to the poor scheme will not work. Government bailouts of business can only have long-term detrimental effects. Government-run health care will destroy the good parts of our healthcare system, not help the bad.
The problem for us conservatives is that the economy could recover even with the added burden of Obama. And that is a problem for the conservative movement. Like the horse in Orwell’s Animal Farm, there will be forces that will dig in and work harder in spite of the added burden. (It happened under Bill Clinton) It’s not in the American psyche to give up and accept failure. So it’s possible that eventhough Obama implements these horrible policies, things could get somewhat better, and us conservatives will only be left to argue that it would have been ALOT better. That is not a winning strategy.
Why did the Democrats win the election? Because the Republicans failed. Why will the Republicans win again someday? Because the Democrats will fail. Its just politics. Its how the game is played.
#3, many of the people against the war in fact did want America to fail. Some of them just for the political benefits.
#2 translation
It’s OK to want a Republican president to fail, but not OK to want a Democrat president to fail.
Now move along.
#2 Fusion:
Your incessant nicknaming is childish.
@#4: Rush’s point isn’t that the stimulus might not work. If it were, his comment would be “Obama will fail”. But his statement meant that he wanted the stimulus not to help the people of the US.
@#8: yes, it is childish. The remaining content of the comment is still pertinent.
@#9: I’m willing to deem the big L to be a minor evil deity.
Bush did fail, and spectacularly. After 9/11, Bush had carte blanche to take this country in whatever direction he decided would be best for the nation. And so here we are–in Mr. Bush’s eden.
Minutes later, as news of the terrorist attacks reached the hotel conference room…Carville announced: “Disregard everything we just said! This changes everything!”
No way anybody with human emotions would be that callous, and no way anybody with media experience would be that stupid with reporters. I’m calling bullshit.
#13: The quote from Carville is not likely to be the entirety of what he said, or even the first thing he said. And if he hadn’t said that, some folks might have taken issue with that. Secondly, at the time, the extent of the attacks & casualties were far from known…
On the other hand, it still could be bullshit.
# 2 Mr. Fusion
reporter’s intelligence
Really. Isn’t that an oxymoron with the liberal media?
Fusion is absolutely right. The moment the stakes were raised, Carville realized this was not the time for such talk. Did his beliefs change? No way. But his pitch changed, and it’s hard to criticize a guy who sees a new reality and then adjusts to it.
Rush, on the other hand, explicitly wants the vast majority of the country to suffer. He wants the US to amass a pile of unrecoverable debt, simply so his party can win.
These two situations are therefore incomparable. While similar as sound bites, when considered in context one has a clue and the other is a selfish partisan demagogue.
Further, Carville’s statements likely would have been lost in the noise had 9/11 not happened. They were typical stuff, low-stakes political maneuvering. BFD. If someone digs back, there’s likely dozens of such statements from party chairs and others on both sides. But Rush has a HUGE stage these days, and unarguably a million or so dumbass listeners who automatically agree with every word he speaks.
Responsible journalists/entertainers are careful with the power that represents…
I think everyone is missing the point, perhaps even JCD in the original post. We live in a free society. It is not only our right but our duty to be outspoken about our leadership. I don’t care that Carville or Limbaugh were outspoken about wanting the President (at the time) to fail. Even if I don’t agree, good for them for speaking out in support of their views.
The controversy for me is that for the past 8 years conservatives (like Limbaugh) have been telling us its wrong to speak against the President. To speak against him is wrong, its unpatriotic, its tantamount to wanting America to fail. Hes our president so you stand behind him or you hate America and freedom.
Hypocrisy is the story, not the statements themselves.
“Are they 12-years olds?”
It’s refreshing to find a blog that would never stoop to wanting a president to fail.
RBG
This is politics as usual. Skeletor meant what he said, he just knew that he’d be more unpopular than he was if it leaked at that time.
The Dems wanted Bush to fail, the Repubs want Obama to fail. Get over it.
9/11 was an inside job, so as to create what PNAC described as “a new Pearl Harbor.” IMNSHO, I wanted this to fail, so I guess I wanted Bush to fail as well. It wasn’t a stretch, because everything that that guy touches, turns into fecal matter. He only has succeeded through the help of his daddy. He was destined to fail.
Fusion, what an inane comment
What happened to dissent is the highest form of patriotism? If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention?
Obama has issued signing statements, the type that Democrats like Carville objected to and deliberately riled up liberals like the ones on this blog. They kept telling you to be angry about A,B,C,D… and you did. It was all part of the strategy of wanting Bush to fail.
How could this be true? How could the party not in power want the party in power to fail? Is this possible? Im shocked and I don’t believe it.
Carville is not from this planet. He’s proof we really do have a “men-in-black” federal agency. Look at him…
Plus Al Gore, looks like he’s wearing a body-suit, always talking about ‘this planet’, and born 9 months after Roswell.
Pedro, I get it alright. But a million+ of Limbaugh’s listeners hang on his every moronic word, then repeat the crap here and elsewhere as if it is the truth. He’s got real power, despite being lame and stupid. Carville is an insignificant hack, the only people who know him are the ones that watch CNN and Sunday morning news shows. If he looked and spoke normal, nobody would know who he is.
#7, Lyin’ Mike,
It’s OK to want a Republican president to fail, but not OK to want a Democrat president to fail.
No problem there. In this case though, Boss Limpdick want the COUNTRY to fail. He doesn’t care who loses their job, their house, their life.
It appears that you and several others want America to fail as well.
# 30 Olo Baggins of Bywater said, “Pedro, I get it alright. But a million+ of Limbaugh’s listeners hang on his every moronic word, ”
And, a million+ Omamabots hang on Obama’s every moronic speech. Again, who cares? it balances out.
(O)ne
(B)ig
(A)ss
(M)istake
(A)merica!
…not to change the topic or anything.
OH MY GOD!! James Carville is a partisan!? I for one, am shocked to have learned this. What a load of crap.