Political Overview of the 108th Congress
Fred Barnes, Executive Editor, The Weekly Standard

George W. Bush is not his father’s son, politically or ideologically, a difference that may help predict the current Administration’s 2003 legislative agenda, according to nationally-known journalist Fred Barnes. His comments came during an overview of the current political climate in Washington and major legislative issues.

To compare the two Bush presidencies, Barnes noted that when faced with a deficit and war with Iraq, the first President Bush raised taxes. Coping with a similar scenario, the current President Bush has proposed cutting taxes.

Judging from President Bush’s state of the union address, Barnes said he does not expect the administration to enthusiastically pursue Social Security reform this year. Medicare reform may be debated, he suggested, but passage of this politically sensitive issue is unlikely.

There have been big changes in politics since 1992, Barnes said, when the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid,” summarized candidate Bill Clinton’s campaign philosophy. Today the economy is no longer the driving political issue, according to Barnes. He noted the presidential candidate in 2000 who ran on the strength of the economy, Al Gore, lost. And last fall President Bush, despite a declining economy, successfully campaigned for dozens of candidates and Republicans now control both houses of Congress.

Barnes rated President Bush on several non-ideological, nonpartisan measures. He said Bush was an inconsistent communicator—capable of delivering good speeches on big issues, but fairing poorly when answering reporters’ questions. He praised the White House on its organizational skills, especially when compared with the prior administration. Bush’s best trait, he suggested, was his “emotional intelligence.” Barnes gives the administration and president highest marks for consistently showing discipline, staying focused on their legislative agenda, undistracted by other important events.

<Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard. From 1985 to 1995, he served as senior editor and White House correspondent for The New Republic. He covered the Supreme Court and the White House for the Washington Star before moving on to the Baltimore Sun in 1979. He served as the national political correspondent for the Sun and wrote the Presswatch media column for the American Spectator. He is host, along with Mort Kondracke, of the Beltway Boys on the Fox News Channel. Barnes appears regularly on Fox’s Special Report with Brit Hume. From 1988 to 1998 he was a regular panelist on The McLaughlin Group. He has also appeared on Nightline, Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and The NewsHours with Jim Lehrer.