Bush is delusional and this could help Dems in '06

Courtesy Sam Rosenfeld of TAP comes this paragraph from Karen Tumulty and Mike Allen's Time article on George W. Bush's "search for a new groove":

However improbable the odds at this point or modest his short-term goals, aides say, Bush still subscribes to Rove's long-held dream that his will be the transformational presidency that lays the groundwork for a Republican majority that can endure, as Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal coalition did, for a half-century or more. Once he gets past the midterm elections, Bush plans to introduce a concept that, if anything, is even more ambitious than his failed Social Security plan: a grand overhaul that would include not only that program but Medicare and Medicaid as well. Says strategist McKinnon: "He knows that part of what he brings to the presidency is an ability and commitment to chart a long course under public pressure." The question that will be answered in the coming year is whether America still believes in George Bush enough to follow. [emphasis added]

Says Sam:

Two years ago I would have found this plan a whole lot more alarming than amusing; how times have changed. No reason to get complacent, of course -- but really, this scheme seems more than a bit unlikely.

With this crowd it is never a good idea to relax and laugh off their ideas as a joke. Admittedly, this is delusional thinking on Bush's part. But if the GOP manages to win the mid-term elections it would be just the kind of thing that I could see Bush attempting. He really does think he has some kind of "mandate from heaven" to fundamentally alter the nature of our government. A Republican victory in '06 would just validate that belief.

Which is all the more reason why Democrats must win next year. One suggestion I might make: spread these kind of reports far and wide. The more people know what they will be voting for in 2006 if they vote Republican, the better it will be for our side.

Michael Moore did something similar before the 1998 elections. He made a strong push to get out the message that a vote for Republicans in 1998 would be a vote for more Lewinsky. The Republicans got trounced in the polls that year (not all, of course, due to Moore's efforts). What Moore and others didn't count on was that the Republicans would go forward with impeachment even though they got a clear message from the electorate to shut the hell up.

We can use Bush's delusions against the Republicans, and not just in the sense of making people think he's nuts. We can also use them to, quite appropriately, scare the bejeesus out of the people who might consider voting for one of his fellow travelers.