How lame of a duck is Bush?
Are Americans aware that the man in the White House is still named Bush?
As the economy spirals, it seems that Americans and the media are looking toward President-elect Barack Obama for the solutions, even though he doesn’t have any authority yet, seemingly pushing President George W. Bush to hyper-lame-duck status.
Yesterday, Obama named his top economic advisers, while promising to jolt the economy as the market had its third-straight up day.
However, Bush may have a lot more clout, thanks to the crisis, that many realize, some watchers say.
“He has no influence, but a fair amount of power,” said Patrick E. Egan, assistant professor of politics and public policy at New York University. “In a sense, Bush is one of the most consequential lame-duck presidents because of the $700 billion in bailout money he’s put under the control of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.”
Just by looking at the poll numbers and feeling the way the wind blows, it’s not so surprising that Obama’s getting the attention; Bush currently has an approval rating of 20 percent according to the latest CBS poll, while the president-elect is still riding the wave of his historic victory.
As company after company gets on their knees in Washington begging for billions in bailout money, houses are foreclosed or have plummeting values and the unemployment rolls get bloated, it’s hard for many to turn to Bush for the solution.
In fact, some columnists are telling Bush to step down now and let Obama start putting his plans in place.
In a New York Times op-ed last week, columnist Gail Collins said the president and Cheney should resign because “Bush … hasn’t got the clout, or possibly even the energy, to do anything useful.”
Egan added that during the most presidential transitions, the administration is usually just “winding down,” but while the public is readying for a President Obama, what Bush is doing under these circumstances can’t be ignored.
“We’re in a crisis and that requires day-to-day management and response,” he said. “While the public is ready to move on, Bush is still in control and making big decisions every day.”
