1988 Redux

In 1988 I boldly proclaimed that "all good Republicans will vote for Michael Dukakis." My youthful advocacy of this heretical notion was fueled by my belief that the excesses of the Reagan years would inevitably lead to economic hard times during the term of Reagan's successor. Good Republicans, I advised, would be well served sticking the blame to an uncharismatic "Massachusetts Liberal." The contrast would be stunning and Republicans could usher in a new Golden Age.

Republicans failed to heed my wise advice and they were roundly punished for it with the subsequent election (and reelection) of one William Jefferson Clinton.

With the steady decline in Bush's approval and the rise in the Democrats' fortunes I've been left wondering about an old adage: Be careful what you wish for...you might get it. Is the presidency in 2004 a prize to be sought? Do I need to dust off my youthful thesis?

Turns out I don't need to because John Quiggin has already done it.

"Bush's policies have set the United States on a path to national bankruptcy, a fact that is likely to become apparent some time between now and 2008. Assuming that actual or effective bankruptcy (repudiation of debt or deliberate resort to inflation) is unthinkable, this is going to entail some painful decisions for the next President and Congress, almost certainly involving both increases in taxation and cuts in expenditure. On the expenditure side, this will mean a lot more than the obvious targets of corporate welfare and FDW [Fraud, Duplication, and Waste]. Either significant cuts in the big entitlement programs (Social Security and Medicare) or deep cuts in everything else the government does will be needed, even with substantial increases in taxes..."

It's clear to me that the Bush's policies will have calamitous consequences. In this regard, 2004 is 1988 to the nth degree. What I wrestle with now, which I didn't in 1988, is whether it's better to stand back and let Bush take his well-deserved blame or fight to ameliorate the wreckage Bush has wrought.