President Bush, dogged by low poll ratings, faced with growing public unease about the war in Iraq and frustrated by a Democratic minority bent on blocking his agenda, has taken to the offensive in hope of regaining some momentum. He has chosen to embark on a strategy of labeling the Democrats as obstructionists, unwilling to join with Republicans to solve problems, and taking his case to the American people.
It appears that the Democrats have a strategy too. Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, says the short-term goal of the Democrats is to block the Republicans, show that they didn't get anything accomplished with control of Congress and the presidency. "Very few Democrats are willing to make common cause with him. The Democrats feel they can take the issue of Republican failure and win back Congress and the presidency. They have no incentive to compromise," Black said.
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Hardly the language of compromise.
Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and manager of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, says the Bush tactic to blame the Democrats for his inability to pass his agenda is a diversion to mask how badly things are going in the country. "Democrats are not in a mood to play the game the Republicans want us to play," she said. "We've been burned before trying to work with them only to have the president come back and say in election campaigns that we haven't done enough."