Okay, let’s be honest. If your bit is defending Bill Clinton this ain’t been the best week. Or two. Or three. Well maybe three weeks ago was good because then we were still talking about the prank story which turned out to be completely bogus. But let’s not lose our train of thought. If your bit is defending Bill Clinton it’s been rough going.
But this is also supposed to have been rotten for Democrats because it’s kept them from making their case against the Bush agenda and given Bush a free reign on the tax cut front. They’re on their heels. On their backs. Etc. Pick your metaphor.
But is this true? Hardly.
While Bill Clinton has been on the ropes, the outlook for the Bush tax plan has grown steadily worse. Recent opinion polls have shown not so much strong opposition to Bush’s proposal as a persistent lack of enthusiasm for the touchstone of Bush’s agenda. More Republicans are coming out against Bush’s current plan. And – as yet – no Democrats have followed Zell Miller’s impetuous and now obviously embarrassing move in supporting the Bush plan.
So the pardon stuff may be a big embarrassment for Bill Clinton but it’s not clear to me that it’s been so bad for the Dems.
And there’s more. So far the tax cut has been on the table with only the goodies. Now Bush has to lay out his whole budget – with it’s budget cuts, it’s lack of funds for Medicare and Social Security or debt pay down. In other words, the road doesn’t get easier from here, it gets harder.
P.S. Next up … What’s the Dems’ endgame for the tax cut debate? Don’t know? Don’t worry. Neither do they.
