Republicans Continue to Declare Victory in Defeat, Success Amidst Failure

Today, Larry Greenfield, immediate past California Director for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), has an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal titled, "A Grade of W." Greenfield suspends belief and ignores reality as he weaves a revisionist version of history where President George W. Bush had a successful Presidency. A quick tip to Greenfield -- this propaganda works better once Bush is at least forgotten from our short-term memory.

As you might suspect, Greenfield's piece seeks to improve Bush's legacy. Nonetheless, Greenfield concedes, "Bush was never universally beloved" and "[Bush] received merciless left-of-center criticism ever since [the 2000 election]." Greenfield's op-ed also states that, "Bush is widely admired." According to CNN/Opinion Research Corp., "Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday said they're glad Bush is going; 23 percent indicated they'll miss him." I guess when Greenfield writes, "Bush is widely admired" he is only referring to the 23% who will miss him. When three quarters of those surveyed indicated, "they're glad Bush is going," he is hardly "widely admired."

But why wasn't Bush able to achieve his "supportable goals"? Greenfield implies that Bush may not be responsible for his failures when Greenfield asks, "Is it his fault?" Bush is not responsible for the implications of the actions and policies he took as President? Talk about false victimhood.

Greenfield's op-ed isn't the first time RJC walked into the "twilight zone." Matt Brooks, RJC Executive Director, authored a piece immediately following Election Day where he bragged about RJC's success because, "Obama was unable to exceed Bill Clinton or Al Gore, and only slightly improved on John Kerry's support in the Jewish community." For those who aren't familiar, Brooks took credit for the fact that Obama only received about 78% of the Jewish vote. (Kerry, Gore, and Clinton received from 77% to 80% of the Jewish vote.) Brooks also claimed that the Obama campaign "adjusted" some of its positions because of RJC's "efforts" and "challenge[s]." Yeah, right.

I know that Republicans aren't happy about Bush's 75% disapproval rating or the Obama victory, but that doesn't give them license to make up reality on Bush's legacy.

Comments

[iver]

Let them talk up Bush all they want. Historians are reality based and use facts. History will not be kind no matter how much of this current spin cycle whirls around in the media. A disaster is a disaster.

[zest]

They spin better than Repunsal.

[pastgone]

Bush's presidency was wildly successful. Never in their wildest dreams could the Republican fat cats have done better than they did these past eight years. For them--the richest .1% of Americans--this presidency was a dream come true.

For the rest of us: not so much.

[bronceye]

We must not forget about all of the terror attacks that Jack Bauer has stopped on "24". Does anyone have a count? It must be hundreds. Think Jack could have done it without bush's direction?

[Nomccain]

What's new about that. They've always been delusional and still are. The Rush Limbaugh's of the world can go about their mud slinging because that's how the fat cat makes his money but he's so stupid he can't offer any advice to change things except the same old Republican ideology and rhetoric which has been totally rejected as flawed by the American people. People in this country have become far too dishonest, greedy and corrupt to govern themselves without some oversight and they abhore that. If our system of goverrnment is to survive, we must police ourselves better and reward those who continue to abuse the system with loooooooooooong prison sentences. The joke about the campaign was their accusation that Obama would "redistribute wealth." The Republicans have done a good job at that (about the only t hing they'v done) over the past 8 years. They've taken from the have nots and given to the haves, while the borrowed us into the poor house. Geeeeez!

[brklynivn]

Well the Republicans (or GOP) or whatever they call themselves these days have accomplished what they set out to do. They've transferred an immense amount of wealth to their buddies at the top of the heap, made billions out of a war they started (how they'll finish i guess is irrelevant to them, Made war metaphors and rhetoric a part of the national discourse, all in all for them Mission Accomplished!

[BillMelater]

Agree!

[Driver125]

I don't even think that they particularly care about the the current economic shadow that is creeping across the land. Given their choice, yes, they would have preferred another Republican administration (just to make sure that every available scrap of meat was cleaned off the carcass). But they knew that the party had to end sooner or later. And they are members of a tribe who believe if you are rich enough there is always someplace with taller walls, more guards on more gates, somewhere further out where they can go, further away from the coming debacle.

[lotechgma]

When you say something often enough and long enough, after awhile, you come to believe that it is absolutely true!

[altohone]

Ummm...

... I could have sworn I heard Obama mention "Iran's nuclear weapons program" in comments a few days ago.


Now, I could have sworn we just went to war on lies just like that from the neocons.

If Obama (or anyone) has PROOF of an Iranian nuclear weapons program, we would be hearing about in the press nonstop.

Perhaps he meant to say "enrichment program", or perhaps the RJC has indeed influenced our formerly fact-based progressive President-elect.


Considering our recent history, I find it very disturbing that Obama would be so careless as to spew neocon propoganda in a matter-of-fact manner.

Confusing the enrichment program with a weapons program is a neocon wet dream right up there with confusing Al Qaeda and Hamas.

Nobody calling him on it was even worse.


None of that has anything to do with the revisionism of Bush going on, which is laughable in how poorly it is being executed btw.

[PlaceboStudman]

you do realize that enriched uranium IS a nuclear isotope? Do you also realize that Enriched Uranium is necessary to create nuclear bombs, as well as their stated claims of nuclear power?

We KNOW Iran has enriched uranium, and enriched uranium IS used in a nuclear bomb. We also know that Iran is infamous for inflamatory political rhetoric. Does this mean Iran has a nuclear bomb??

No.

Does this mean that Iran is likely using their enriched uranium to develop a nuclear bomb? Very incredibly likely. And if they are ANYWHERE in the process of developing a nuclear bomb, then in fact they DO have a Nuclear Weapons Program. Even if it is in an infancy stage, and not *yet* worthy of the media's attention. But, the day will come. And when that day comes, Iran will be the biggest threat to the world since Adolf Hitler