I’m so glad that someone else notices the Republican hypocrisy – today Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post points out the odd circumstances that have Dubya playing the part of Al Gore.
Imagine ? hard as it is ? President Gore standing in the House chamber and delivering his annual address to the nation.
He calls for spending $400 billion over the next decade to strengthen Medicare and launch a prescription drug program.
He calls for $450 million to bring mentors to disadvantaged students and children of prisoners.
He calls for $600 million for treatment programs for drug addicts.
He calls for $15 billion over five years to combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.
He calls for $1.2 billion to develop clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles.
What do you suppose the Republicans would be saying about Al Gore?
Big spender? Wild-eyed liberal? Doesn’t understand that government is the problem, not the solution?
Wouldn’t there be lots of accusations of fiscal irresponsibility ? especially when the $417 billion in new spending is coupled with $674 billion in tax cuts?
And:
Bill Clinton said seven years ago that the era of big government is over, but somehow, under the ministrations of this conservative-minded and big-hearted Republican President, it seems to be back.
Oh, how George W. Bush used to mock Gore for trying to encourage new auto technologies.
Oh, and:
The moronic Jim Nicholson, then chairman of the Republican National Committee, used to stand at the fax machine all day, sending out messages that attacked Gore for wanting to do away with the internal ‘combustible’ engine, which were duly repeated by all the right-wing hacks. They used Gore’s farsighted ideas against him in places like Michigan and Tennessee, where lots of cars are built. Now they will all tell you that Bush is simply brilliant for supporting this visionary technology.
