<nettime> bush's moves ignite left

[Sholto Macpherson <smacpherson@dwrmedia.com>]

There was a lot of debate during the US elections on Nader weakening the
Democrats' final tally, and whether or not there was room for a green/Left
party in the trad. two party system. Maybe now, more than immediately after
the election in which Nader only pulled in 2-3percent, it seems there is
more interest in social/environmental issues.

This piece in the New York Times over the weekend appears to at least
partially vindicate those who believed a more rightwing US govt would
revitalise a Left that was fading under Clinton.

N.B. Ari Fleischer's comment about Bush "restoring the balance and the
middle ground". 

>From the NY Times, April 8, 2001

Political Memo: Bush's Moves to Assure Right Ignite Storm on LeftBy RICHARD W. STEVENSONWASHINGTON, April 7 - On issue after issue in his first few months in
office, President Bush has heartened and reassured conservatives.But in pleasing the right, Mr. Bush has infuriated many liberals. And in
doing so, he has helped re-energize some of his most vocal political
opponents and provided a rallying cry for those politically active Democrats
who were already fuming over how the presidential campaign ended.Environmental groups, labor unions, abortion rights organizations and other
powerful Democratic constituencies said that in dealing them some harsh
early setbacks, Mr. Bush had given them a chance to motivate their
supporters at the grass-roots level, to raise money and to challenge any
claim the new president had to being a moderate."What Bush has done since the election is affronted and slapped in the face
every major activist constituency," said Roger Hickey, co-director of the
Campaign for America's Future, a liberal advocacy group. "They've attacked
labor. They've undermined regulations the environmentalists care about.
They've outraged women. They've given each constituency a reason to say to
its troops, let's change this equation."Some of the ire among liberals stems from personnel choices made by Mr.
Bush, particularly his selection of John Ashcroft, a strong opponent of
abortion rights, as attorney general. And some stems from a flurry of policy
decisions by Mr. Bush, including his moves to reverse or suspend regulatory
actions and executive orders issued by former President Bill Clinton in the
waning days of the last administration.Unions have been upset by the new administration's decision to roll back
workplace safety rules and end preferences granted to unionized companies in
bidding for government-financed building programs. Environmentalists have bitterly protested Mr. Bush's decision not to seek
limits on carbon dioxide emissions or otherwise support an international
agreement seeking to limit climate change, and to undo new limits on arsenic
in drinking water. Supporters of abortion rights were angered by Mr. Bush's decision to end
federal financing for international family planning groups that support
abortion."Not since Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court have I seen
such a spontaneous and strong reaction from people at the grass roots," said
Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League. "They hit the phones, the faxes and the e-mails even before
we got ourselves focused on exactly what we would do."White House officials say much of the criticism from liberal groups is
unfair, asserting that Mr. Bush, for example, has supported some of the
Clinton administration's environmental actions, like limiting diesel
emissions. They say many of the groups are more focused on playing politics
than on addressing issues."Their actions also are indications that the previous administration tilted
the playing field toward groups that oppose the president," said Ari
Fleischer, the White House spokesman. "The president is restoring the
balance and the middle ground."Some Democrats said Mr. Bush had stepped into a trap left by Mr. Clinton,
whose last-minute actions forced the new administration to grapple
immediately with many charged issues it might otherwise have delayed,
especially those involving labor and the environment.Aides to Mr. Clinton said the regulations had been in the pipeline long
before the election was resolved. But they said they knew as they left
office that Mr. Bush would pay a political price if he reversed actions they
believed had strong support."Bush has really lit a fire, especially on the environmental issues," said
John D. Podesta, who was Mr. Clinton's chief of staff. "People are really
angry about it, and incredulous that on decision after decision he has sided
with the special interests."The liberal advocacy groups say that Mr. Bush's actions have helped them
raise money and recruit members, and that they have been able to flood the
White House and the offices of lawmakers with messages from their
supporters.Still, it is unclear whether the liberal groups will be able to harness the
strong feelings among their supporters to practical political effect. Although they have taken heart from the difficulty Mr. Bush has had getting
his budget through the evenly divided Senate, they have had little success
in blocking or reversing any of Mr. Bush's other initiatives. And it is too
early to say whether Mr. Bush will be able to maintain some claim to the
political center as his term progresses, and what role the left- right clash
might have in the midterm elections next year. But it seems clear that whatever other effects it will have, Mr. Bush's move
to the right and the reaction from the left will make it hard for him to
"change the tone" of intense partisanship in Washington, as he frequently
pledges to do.Steve Cochran, director of strategic communications for Environmental
Defense, said some environmental groups, including his, had been optimistic
about working with Mr. Bush to find common ground and compromises. Now, he
said, liberals were starting to have the same kind of visceral negative
reaction to Mr. Bush that conservatives had to anything associated with Mr.
Clinton."These decisions - both the content and the style in which they were
announced - have further polarized the situation and made people dig in more
rather than relax," Mr. Cochran said. Steve Rosenthal, the political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., said the labor
federation's president, John J. Sweeney, had recently directed union
officials to go to "war footing." Mr. Rosenthal said organized labor was developing a campaign to shape public
perceptions of Mr. Bush. He said the campaign would seek to pressure
Republican lawmakers from states where Al Gore did well in the 2000
presidential race."We will begin to get out information on exactly who George W. Bush is and
what so-called compassionate conservatism is in terms of wrecking workers'
rights and workplace protections," Mr. Rosenthal said. "It's a great
opportunity for us to define George W. Bush."

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