Posted on 12/31/2012 8:41:08 AM PST by Kaslin
He squandered the greatest opportunity since Pearl Harbor!
From his famous scene standing on top of a burned out fire truck, till his famous quote of “you are either with us or against us” he had it right. But then, like his father's entire term, and Reagan's second term, he committed the unpardonable sin - he began listening to and acting in accordance with the advice of “advisers”.
Soon words like “inclusiveness” and “consensus” replaced direct action. And the laser like focus that should have been there was replaced with muddled group speak. This nonsense ruined GHWB’s term in office in its entirety. It really made Reagan's second term nowhere equal to his first. And once GWB stopped listening to his own heart and started following the advice of the nitwits around him, his presidency was lost as well.
To bring this country together, even for a few months, takes a Pearl Harbor type event. They don't happen often. And to have been President during one and squandered the opportunity, it a failure of the highest order.
It WAS a capitulation and they hung him with it from the moment he agreed to their terms. It was a huge mistake on his part.
Thanks again, Kaslin, and thanks Sans-Culotte, LucianOfSamasota, and malia.
Are you for real? I'd say he made TONS of progress on the existential threats to our freedom. As in ramping them up.
Bankrupting us with an increase in the welfare state and a ruinous, needless war was just the icing on the cake.
The denial on this site just blows my mind.
Doubtless, it was easier for Clinton to just recognize that he had to deal with a Republican Congress than it would have been for Bush to move heaven and earth to fix things that were amiss. That's luck I guess.
But bad luck isn't an excuse. Sometimes you have to step up, and Bush didn't.
As long as the stupids on Amerika keep buying that it is Bush’s fault, the dims will continue using it.
I was trying to think the other day how much worse this political season could be. I wondered, or wandered, how things would look if we’d have gotten Gore for 4 years followed by Kerry for 4 more. Then of course Oblama for 4 more. I started feeling ill and tried to direct my thought towards more important things like eating, or fishing, or hurling. Then I thought, I’m probably going to get the chance to find out. Only the names might be a little messed up. Think I’ll go to lunch.
I am merely reviewing history without wearing party glasses.
My candidates? I don't claim any other than Reagan, but I have voted for every single GOP candidate for President since I have been eligible to vote and even donated to a few, including Romney.
Said again, I am reviewing my own voting choices and history, please take that as personally as you feel you must. (Boy howdy, that Boehner is sure a fighter, huh?)
As a conservative voter who believes in the original founding philosophies so eloquently expressed in our founding documents, I find that I have instead only had progressives to vote for since Reagan and have contributed vote by vote to get us here.
Maybe you will not agree, but looking at the results I see that the lesser evil is still evil and doesn't work nearly as well as no evil.
After years on this forum there is little doubt in my mind that you Kaslin are one of the best and most productive posters to FR.
the inane and foolish commentary that pursues your posts clarifies how conservatism has driven itself toward political oblivion. Your detractors obsess to suggest that bush is as bad or worse than Obama.
The fact that you continue to make clarifying and compelling posts is truly inspiring.
Keep up your great work.
It is not that we lost any rights, per say, but it allows the government to intrude into the lives of citizens in ways that infringe on the 4th Amendment.
This would not be a problem during a “conservative” administration such as GWB, but that power given to a President who believes that the Constitution is deeply flawed and wants to fundamentally change society is definitely a problem.
Tax revenues had lately been declining, the "Reduce The Deficit!" chorus was screaming, GHWB had a fairly high popularity ranking, and he figured that if he could get a mutual deal with the Dems involving BOTH spending cuts and tax increases, it was doable.
His fatal mistake was in putting trust in the integrity of Democrat political leaders, by making a deal with Tom Foley & George Mitchell, sealed by nothing more than a Gentleman's Handshake in the Oval Office.
The Tax-Hike half of the deal required he sign the Dems' latest tax hike bill. The Spending-Reduction half of the deal relied on Foley's and Mitchell's integrity. After GHWB signed their bill, they "fulfilled" their part of the deal by having both houses of Congress convene a trumped-up, much-heralded, joint mega- "summit" that was to be dedicated to finding/targeting many areas across-the-board where funding would be seriously cut or completely ended.
And as we know, the mega-summit looked very very hard with the most powerful microscopes available; they tried their gosh-darndest; they strove; they strove mightily; they huffed and they puffed.... but failed to find a single item anywhere in the entire budget that could safely be cut, even the teensiest bit. Who woulda thunk?
With that pretense of promise-fulfilling quickly disposed of, the Dem leadership and the MSM focused on "Bush Lied! He broke his promise! See? See? Watch this 'Read My Lips' snippet for the millionth time and get angry at him once again for secretly plotting to raise your taxes with his insidious GOP Tax Hike!"
Closer to the election they really REALLY ramped up this line of attack, while simultaneously portraying Boy Clinton as the true Tax Cutter candidate, the "New Democrat," who promised on his sacred honor to pass a huge Middle Class Tax Cut at the very first opportunity, bygosh. So for voters in the middle who were conservative on taxes and liberal on social & green issues, why not vote for the candidate who looked to be a Win-Win choice?
my pleasure
No, I thank you
and the ignorant in here are helping the rats, without realizing it
Next to Reagan, GW Bush was the greatest president of my lifetime. History will be kind to him once we get past the poisonous atmosphere of today.
ff
You are welcome
Same to you and yours
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