February 24, 2006

View From Lodi, CA: Conservative Guru Warns: Bush Could Lose Congress, Be Impeached

The three-day President’s Day holiday weekend provided me with some extra time to read up on Internet webzines that provide fascinating food for thought.

The most interesting item: a column by Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation that should have Republicans everywhere quaking in their boots.

Titled "Take Heed Republicans—The Alarms Have Been Sounded," Weyrich’s essay appeared on the Enter Stage Right website and speculated that the Republicans are in real danger of losing both the House and the Senate in 2006.

Weyrich cited John Gizzi, well-respected political editor of Human Events, as of the opinion that if the Democrats gain control of Congress, President George W. Bush will be impeached.

Now before anyone goes off and dismisses Weyrich as a wishful thinking liberal, readers should know that Weyrich, Gizzi and the two organizations they write for, Enter Stage Right and Human Events, are highly regarded within conservative circles. [VDARE.COM note: Weyrich's essay is now all over the internet.]

Here, according to Weyrich, are the circumstances that could lead to Bush’s impeachment.

First, writes Weyrich, true grassroots conservative Republicans are so discouraged and disgusted with the Bush administration that they are considering either staying home or voting Independent during the November election. In tight races, that could swing the outcome to the Democrats.

Weyrich warns that Bush needs to ward off the mounting displeasure with his administration—and thus give his party a better chance in 2006— by doing three things:

Veto spending bills. As Weyrich writes, "Our movement is comprised of hard working men and women who find it tough to make ends meet and who labor at raising a family. When they don't have enough money to buy what they want they largely go without. Then they look at the government. It spends and spends and spends."

Forget about immigration legislation. Postpone any guest worker proposals until the border is secure. Notes Weyrich, the country has spoken and it wants security first and guest workers never.

Bring home the troops. Despite all that Bush says about "winning," the country is not happy with the how the White House is handling the Iraq War. If troops are gradually withdrawn and the fighting turned over to Iraqi soldiers, argues Weyrich, the public may come around before November to think that the war was worthwhile.

Perception is reality. As long as the public thinks that spending, immigration and the Iraq War are out of control, it doesn’t matter what the reality may be.

The consequences, warns Weyrich, of Bush non-action on the budget, immigration and the war (and Bush has not shown the slightest inclination to act on any of the three) could bring about a Democratic victory in November.

Weyrich predicts a Congress controlled by Democrats would mean immediate impeachment for Bush. At this moment, key Democratic Congressmen and organizations like MoveOn.Org are meeting regularly to strategize.

Writes Weyrich: "I am here to tell you that if Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is Speaker of the House come next year George W. Bush will be impeached. It just takes a majority. There still is residual anger over the impeachment of President Clinton."

And before discounting the possibility of impeachment as far-fetched, Weyrich reminds us that in 1972 a well-prepared Democratic Party, led by Father Robert F. Drinan (D-MA) and John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), laid the groundwork for President Richard Nixon’s demise well in advance.

Bush, it would seem, has two choices: act immediately to change the opinion that his administration and the Republican Party do not have the country "on the right track."

Or Bush can take his chances that everything will work out fine in November.

That would be quite a gamble. According to PollingReport.Com, on a generic ballot of November Congressional Candidates, the Democrats are favored over the Republicans by an average of ten points.

Time will tell. As of the moment, I would be surprised if many incumbents ask Bush to campaign with them.

Many ardent Bush supporters read my column. They are no doubt fuming over this piece.

But don’t get mad at me. Diehard Republicans have brought this message to you.

Joe Guzzardi [email him], an instructor in English at the Lodi Adult School, has been writing a weekly column since 1988. It currently appears in the Lodi News-Sentinel.