Posted on 06/08/2007 9:53:16 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
“Conservatives Left Behind” The Right’s love-hate relationship with George W. Bush.
By Kathryn Jean Lopez
Is the White House just not paying attention?
I know someone in the White House has Internet access — because Nicholas Thompson and Kerrie Rushton from the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives have been e-mailing back and forth in response to Corner posts about the Bush-Kennedy immigration deal for weeks now. Do they not talk to Tony Snow? Does no one talk to the president? Does the president just not care what his conservative allies on so many issues think?
I know I’m not the only one who sometimes suspects the latter.
On May 28, the president said: “If you want to kill the bill, if you don’t want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all.”
The next morning, on her radio show, Laura Ingraham said that the president had “taken his gloves off to punch us.” Her statement came as part of a monologue in which she chronicled everything she had hated about the Bush administration — Dubai ports, failed Social Security reform. She had taken these “body blows” and continued to stand up for President Bush. We believed in him. There were bigger things at stake than one battle. There’s a war on. But he sure has a weird was of showing his love to his political allies. As she played “thank you for being a friend” from the theme song of The Golden Girls, Laura dubbed the moment: “Conservatives left behind.”
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Love-Hate relationship...For me, the former has pretty much dried up. I do, however, have a great deal of the latter to spare.
“On May 28, the president said: “If you want to kill the bill, if you don’t want to do what’s right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all.”
Mr. President, how about doing what’s right for American and ENFORCE THE LAWS CURRENTLY ON THE BOOKS!
What’s frightening people is no one knows who you are! Are you liberal, conservative or a frat boy? You can show leadership and lead by closing the borders! We’re at war, remember? Or is that all just bs too?
I think that Bush has a bad apple or two that are giving him bad advice or information and when he gets rid of them, He will be in real good shape.
This entire immigration bill was political insanity, unless Bush was simply doing the bidding of the corporate/Chamber of Commerce wing of the GOP. And even then, it makes very little sense. Is cheap labor so important that risking a major rupture of the GOP is worth it? What will cheap labor gain the corporatists if that leads to the Dems controlling the White House in 2008 as well as continuing to control Congress?
I disagree. Three times Bush has allied with Ted Kennedy and the Dems - education, Medicare prescription benefit and now this abomination of an immigration bill - and all three times have been the lowest points of the Bush Admin as far as its departure from conservatism.
Quite frankly, I see this as Bush being Bush, not Bush getting bad advice. Dittoes for the Miers nomination and the Dubia ports deal.
If that were true (and I don’t buy it) then he would be even less qualified to be president since it would be clear he can’t make his own decisions.
I know I’m not the only one who sometimes suspects the latter.
Isn’t it obvious that the Democratic Party also has its corporate/Chamber of Commerce wing?
I was a county party official up until recently. I have been trying to tell the guys at state and national parties that they were walking into a chainsaw on this issue. No one wanted to hear it. They would get this glazed look in their eyes and kind of look over my shoulder at something else as they tolerated the neanderthal (me) because they had to. When I finished my piece, they would immediately change the subject. It happened way more than once.
I would wager that any county official in any state would tell you that they knew the national party was committing suicide with this issue. We work with the grassroots constantly. We know the folks who walk precincts and man phone banks and stuff envelopes by name. And we know what they are passionate about. There has never been any question where the base stands on immigration for anyone who wanted to know.
But noone at the state and national level was listening.
I don’t hate (nor love) President Bush - I disagree with a lot of this stuff but it’s not like he was trying to hide it like Ol’ Slick did. I just assumed that I was allowed to support him on some things and oppose him on others. This love/hate talk is pretty childish when it comes to politics.
Wow! That’s why I voted for him, too. I prayed he’d be like her. I also admired his taste in Laura and felt that was a clear indication of his character. I fear I was overly optimistic.
Having said that, I do admire him for sticking to his guns when he thinks he's right rather than testing to see which way the wind is blowing all the time.
Flame away.
Well, they do. But the wing of the dems driving this debate is the La Raza wing and the wing that realizes that an underclass of guest workers is just what the dems need.
The dems had huge success with the war on poverty. They created an underclass, fed their resentments, and their kids grew up and vote reliably dem. We're in the third generation now and the dems start their vote counting with 7-10% of the population locked.
It's hard for Teddy Kennedy to pass up institutionalizing another huge underclass--and that's exactly what a guest worker program is. Their kids are citizens but would grow up with the standard underclass resentments because mom and dad are second-class and not worthy of real citizenship.
That an exploitable underclass also benefits the chamber of commerce wing is just an added benefit. The driver is the cornucopia of future resentment-based, government-dependent voters. So the real driver of the democrats' position is the strategic thinkers amongst their leadership.
Yeah, but that wing is about a big as the wing of a gnat. I would say the Dems are far more concerned with the unions than they are with the corporate heads and the Chamber of Commerce.
I’m with Laura Ingraham 100% on this.
I might even get a bumper sticker that says “Keep Out the Bushes!”
We’ve had enough of this North American Union crap dynasty.
As a lifelong conservative Republican I will NEVER support any Republican who supported this traitorous amnesty bill and will do what I can to work against them. This includes the President - a man who I voted for twice, bent over backwards to defend, and always gave the benefit of the doubt. I think I speak for more than just myself when I say that “BETRAYAL” is an accurate word to describe what President Bush has done to his loyal voters, his party, and his country;
You and I are not the only ones. Donations to the Republican Party and its candidates are down 40% so far this year.
I don’t know how they expect to win a presidential election in 2008, unless they jettison all the Bushites and the one-worlders who support them and totally disown the traitorous amnesty bill and all its reincarnations.
That "don't want to do what's right for America" crack wasn't scripted. It was the real Bush speaking off the cuff. Very telling. And chilling.
In that regard, he’s cut from the same cloth as Reagan, maybe more so.
The Democratic Party label provides good cover for big money’s representatives. Appearing to be furthering the interests of a group like La Raza,(with high profile photo ops) while at the same time secretly pushing the interests of cheap-labor-loving businesses is a perfect setup.
We can see which Senators, Democratic and Republican, that aren’t involved in that deception, by the way they voted.
I opposed the amnesty bill and I worked hard to help defeat it. Many of your base, many people who have stood by you through the most difficult times of your administration helped to defeat that bill. We have been called racists and bigots. In truth, what we are is the betrayed.
My son is a United States Marine and recently returned from his third tour in the Iraqi theater of operations. I have another son who has worked in Iraq as a civilian employee, rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure that is so vital to the success of the mission. From the very beginning, I have supported you, I have supported the mission and the troops, I have never wavered in my commitment to you or your leadership. That has not been so easy for nearly six years!
All I have asked for in return is a secure border fence. It is my belief that if the entire Hunter Fence had been built as promised, the problems on our southern border would have almost immediately become manageable, simply because it would effectively choke off the flood of illegals who come from all over the world and mass at that border and then run across with impunity. Have you ever heard the expression, “herding cats”? Our Border Patrol is so badly outnumbered that their job and the restrictions placed upon them literally reduce them to “herding cats”.
Mr. President, I just wanted you to build the fence big enough and strong enough to stop the flood. The other problems could be resolved once the back door is locked.
Today, there is a full-scale revolt going on between the people and their Senators. This is one “sweetheart deal” that the American people are united in stopping. We are so tired of our politicians and their slick lies and empty promises. On October 26th of last year, you promised to build the entire fence. It breaks my heart to wonder whether it was a false promise or an outright lie. I do wonder, though, Mr. President. It’s such a small thing to ask from my government. Why can’t we have the fence?
There is nothing more to say, I just thought you would like to know that I am still with you all the way on the GWOT and the support of our military. I cannot support you on the amnesty bill. You have asked alot of the people who have stood with you through these last years, and if you think about it, we really did not ask for so much in return.
One simple solution. One small step in the right direction.
What we got was a whole lot of guff from you and the others that are supposed to lead. Mr. President, you were wrong to ignore the wishes of the people who have kept faith with your administration, through thick and thin. You betrayed us by aligning yourself with Senator Kennedy and asking us to accept that our country forgive lawbreakers. I won’t and I never will. The Congress is a national disgrace, but I really did expect more from you, President Bush.
Sincerely,
FReeper ishabibble
Proud Marine Mom
“Having said that, I do admire him for sticking to his guns when he thinks he’s right rather than testing to see which way the wind is blowing all the time.”
I’m appalled that an avowed Republican and self-professed conservative canot see the damage this bill would have done to the country. I’m even more appalled that the cheif law enforcement officer in this country is so willing to ignore, and give amnesty to, blatant lawbreaking by illegals and businesses.
Seriously doubt the president will be asked to campaign next year myself.
I really hope you send this letter to the President. I feel betrayed, too. I have voted for President Bush twice and felt he would put America’s interests first - this amnesty bill does NOT. Plus, all three pieces of legislation that teamed up with Sen. Kennedy are NOT in America’s best interest.
Please thank both of your sons from my family - God Bless all of you!!
Now, I am laughing like a loon at the Paris in Chains threads...I really didn’t realize what a tense week it has been.
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