What do they say about history repeats? With four weeks left before the General Election of 2008, it's important to plan forward, but also to look back.

In the last few weeks of the 2004 campaign, while the Democratic party dithered over whether to pitch to Right or Left, George W. Bush pulled out every stop. For the affluent (and those aspiring to affluence) he promised more deregulation and tax cuts. For single issue theocratic types, he spouted stir-it-up talk about preserving straight white patriarchal elites. To those already drowning in a war economy with no safety net, W offered an appeal to primal instinct. At the level of advertising, tv and talk radio, the presidential race shrank to just one question: Who do you Trust? John Kerry – the flip flopper "girlie" man – or Bush, the-with-me-or-against me wartime president?

In this election like that one, the Right's ground troops were fed plenty of rhetoric. But Rove didn't rely on red meat alone. There was also cash. We've learned a lot about how GOP political operatives led by Rove politicized every tentacle of the federal government from the Defense Department to Justice. So it should come as no surprise to recall that in the weeks before the '04 election, Bush administration officials dispersed a mountain of government largesse in swing states. In the two weeks before Election Day, the administration announced $10 million for a church-based job training scheme in Jacksonville Florida, money for a long-awaited wildlife refuge in Minnesota and a national park in Colorado. Just days before the voting, the Bushies came up with $207 million to clean up drinking water in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2004, a government that was already in overdraft had plenty of money for pre-election favors. This year, there's more than $700 billion to dole out. We've been told the money could start being dispersed at any moment. Call me crazy, but it seems to me, with a bill that's packed with more than $100 billion in corporate and personal tax breaks, for among others the auto racing body NASCAR, there's a whole lot of fungible cash floating around. Pork may be the least of our worries. History suggests we should watch for buying votes.

Laura Flandersis the host of RadioNation and GRITtv. Watch GRITtv on Free Speech TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415) on cable (8 pm ET on Channel 67 in Manhattan) or online at GRITtv.org.

Comments (19)

1. From Gone With the Wind, here's Rhett Butler on the practice:

   "I told you once before that there were two times for making big money, one in the upbuilding of a country and the other in its destruction. Remember my words. Perhaps they may be of use to you some day."

   Source: The Sovereign Speculator

   Posted by OneVote at 10/12/2008 @ 11:15am

2. I think it's looking a little difficult to bribe enough people to matter in 24 days, Ms Flanders.

   Posted by Maskdelta at 10/12/2008 @ 11:52am

3. Has everyone in the country become brain dead? The big, big alligator in the room is that we have "deindustrialized" the country. Oreck is admirable but he alone can't save the country. Here is the solution and its simplicity is absolutely beautiful. Sell it here, build it here. Simply look at the Wall Street story. Wall Street is frozen because it can't lend, lend equals credit. Borrow money from china to lend. People can't pay for their homes because they are unemployed etc.

   Posted by lachatte at 10/12/2008 @ 12:38pm

4. >>>Pork may be the least of our worries. History suggests we should watch for buying votes.<<<

   Paying back those corrupt forces that lobbied for these handouts won't necessarily translate into more "votes", but may keep the campaign cash flowing.

   McCain's central problem is that only 3 weeks ago he claimed "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" when the reality was exactly the opposite. You combine this with McCain's self admission that the economy is not his strong suit, his embrace of de-regulation of banks, and the voters interest in the economy as the most important issue for him, and McCain should lose this election by a wide margin.

   Posted by Metteyya at 10/12/2008 @ 2:22pm

5. Great article.

   One question.

   Why did the DEMOCRAT congress pass the bailout?

   Grow a pair Nancy!

   Posted by bleedingheart at 10/12/2008 @ 6:07pm

6. Has everyone in the country become brain dead? The big, big alligator in the room is that we have "deindustrialized" the country.

   Posted by lachatte at 10/12/2008 @ 12:38pm

   We used to be a country that made stuff. It's what we were admired for.

   We were the most powerful industrial nation on earth. More powerful than even Germany and Japan combined.

   We made stuff for other countries and for domestic use.

   Maybe that model will begin to resurface in the wake of the financial disaster.

   Obama has mentioned reviving our industrial base, should he be elected.

   Maybe there is hope that corporate America will develop a conscience. Then again...maybe that's naive. The watchword is Maybe.

   ================================================

   This year, there's more than $700 billion to dole out. We've been told the money could start being dispersed at any moment. posted by LAURA FLANDERS on 10/12/2008

   LAURA, it's disbursed. You are a journalist, no?

   Posted by jackwells at 10/12/2008 @ 8:58pm

7. the banking cartel has stolen our future in order to prolong their egregiously luxurious lifestyles.

   it's as simple as that.

   Posted by darladoon at 10/12/2008 @ 11:41pm

8. Posted by darladoon at 10/12/2008 @ 11:41pm

   After the little Wachovia retreat that just happened, I about flipped. I wanted to rescind every flipping dollar given and let the whole damn system just fall apart at that point. If the world's economy completely collapsed, what, exactly would happen? No one knows, but everyone just says it's "bad".

   Posted by yutsano at 10/12/2008 @ 11:45pm

9. "For single issue theocratic types, he spouted stir-it-up talk about preserving straight white patriarchal elites."

   What in the hell is this supposed to mean? Bush pitched single issue religious voters stir it up talk about preserving straight white patriarchal elites? Abortion maybe or opposition to having gay amorality shoved down their throats, but this? Maybe you got your gender wrapped around your race and forgot that human beings are persons, not sociological categories. So while you're worrying about the bail-out becoming slush fund why don't you figure out how to prevent Stephin Fetchit and "MBNA-Joe" Biden from sticking their thumbs in the pie. We have as much to worry about from reptiles like them as we did from Bush. Vote Nader, Laura, if you ever manage to liberate yourself from the religion you make of your categories.

   Posted by john lowell at 10/12/2008 @ 11:58pm

10. I don't understand something about this article. Isn't the whole point of buying votes, obtaining votes that weren't going to be cast for you in the first place. Corporate tax breaks? NASCAR tax cuts? I would think that the Corporate and NASCAR crowds would be voting McCain anyway.

    Posted by koroviev at 10/13/2008 @ 12:32am

11. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/cartoon/2008/oct/13/banking-crisis

    Posted by mikecope at 10/13/2008 @ 02:40am

12. As usual Ms Flanders, you have it backwards. Bush did McCain no favor with this bailout bill. It angered conservative voters away from McCain.

    This was a bill that Democrats loved because they believe they will be the ones doling it out.

    Most of the money will not be disbursed until 2009.

    Posted by lvliberty1 at 10/13/2008 @ 09:56am

13. You'd think with the Canadian federal election just a day away, The Nation might find something of interest there - like perhaps a cogent multi-party debate. Or a conservative government that isn't talking about bailouts.

    I recommend checking the Canadian debate out to anyone interested in seeing a sharp contrast to the kind of sad two horse race that pretends to give us a choice in the United States.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crdk8Vns2BU

    Posted by srjenkins at 10/13/2008 @ 09:58am

14. You'd think with the Canadian federal election just a day away,

    Posted by srjenkins at 10/13/2008 @ 09:58am

    wish me luck!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/13/2008 @ 12:04pm

15. Canadian federal election just a day away, The Nation might find something of interest there -

    Posted by srjenkins at 10/13/2008 @ 09:58am

    michael moore did:

    http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp? StoryNumber=35065

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/13/2008 @ 12:08pm

16. The local small town hardware store that has been around for I don't know how many years is today closing its doors for the last time. It's in a very blue state so there's nothing in the goodie bag for it. As of now my sense of loss is great because I cannot bring myself to go to any of the big box predators that have caused its doors to close. Hopefully global voices along with those of the people here will help provide a new Obama administration with the courage it needs to do something to stop the destruction done to our communities by these amoral "profits at any costs" multinational corporate evil doers.

    Posted by WeldonRobeson at 10/13/2008 @ 12:39pm

17. Posted by frosty zoom at 10/13/2008 @ 12:08pm

    Based on the debate, I'd take Elizabeth May. My second choice would be Gilles Duceppe. Of course, it really depends on who is running for Parliment in your district and the issues that are important there. These are all just figure heads.

    I love the fact that the Bloc Québécois is focused on the question on the appropriate use of federal power. In the United States, any discussion of state's rights immediately brings to mind racial segregationists or abortion fundamentalists - and effectively makes any questioning of federal power taboo. We need a region threatening succession here, so we can get that issue of state representation in Congress and state/local government sovereignty issues back on the table. It would also, as a side effect, likely make our two party system unworkable and cause some kind of change there too.

    Hey Frosty, any website you'd recommend to keep track of Canadian (or Mexician for that matter) politics? English please - my knowledge of Spanish and French has long been forgotten.

    Posted by srjenkins at 10/13/2008 @ 12:49pm

18. hey srj,

    http://paulitics.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/top-100

    -canadian-political-blogs/

    gotta run, thanksgiving picnic.

    it's 27 C!!!

    give thanks while you can....

    http://www.rickmercer.com/

    our colbert.

    AVOID NATIONAL POST!

    usually suspects, globe and mail, cbc, la presse......

    AVOID CTV!

    rambling, family's sayin' "off the computer"

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/13/2008 @ 1:12pm

19. Kind of an interesting look on things. I don't know how free they will be to use this money though. It seems like this 700 billion dollars worth of tax dollars will be guarded hopefully.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 10/13/2008 @ 2:37pm