Dissension In The Ranks

American News Reel ^ | 1/31/04 | Doug Thompson

[jimkress]

Had dinner with an old friend last night, a long-time Republican political operative who – in 1981 – talked me into taking a sabbatical from journalism and going to Washington as a press secretary to Congressman Paul Findley.

He’s been a Republican all his life. Grew up in a GOP family. Served more than one term as a county chairman as well as a Republican National Committeeman.

So it surprised me when he opened the dinner table conversation with: “I’m not going to vote for George W. Bush in November. I may vote for John Kerry if he’s the Democratic nominee.”

Strange things can happen in this world. Joe Gibbs can come out of retirement to coach the Washington Redskins one more time. Hell, the Carolina Panthers might even win the Super Bowl. But when a lifelong Republican tells me he might vote for John Kerry, I wait for a voice to start saying “you’re entering another dimension…next stop – The Twilight Zone.”

“I’m a Republican because I believe in less government, of letting states make the decisions that affect our lives,” he said. “I believe in a balanced budget. But my party no longer believes in any of these things. I can’t be a part of what I think is destroying this country.”

His comments echo what I have been hearing after three weeks on the campaign trail. Republicans are fed up with an administration that has created the largest federal bureaucracy ever, with record deficits and with increasing federal power and control over our lives.

But they’re not just fed up with George W. Bush, they’re fed up with a Republican-controlled Congress that passed the largest, most pork-laden transportation bill in history, that abandoned its promise to impose term limits and that broke most of the promises of the 1994 “Contract With America” that gave them control of Capitol Hill in the first place.

My friend’s theory: “You know the old bromide that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely? Well, my party has taken it step further. Absolute power leads to madness. It makes me, a Republican, long for Democrats back in control. That is pure madness but I can’t help it.”

I’ve been around politics as a journalist or an operative for nearly 40 years and the dissension within the GOP is the worst I’ve ever seen. At a Republican caucus earlier this week, California Republican Congressman Chris Cox headed a group of conservative members who told Speaker of the House Denny Hastert that a GOP Congress was being undermined by Bush's actions in the White House. One member reportedly said a GOP Congress could deal more effectively with a Democrat in the White House than they can with Bush.

“At least we know what to expect from a Democratic President,” he said.

[Happy2BMe]

"GWB = "New government office complex on the hill."

With 1,000 illegal migrants doing the jobs Americans won't do.

[antidisestablishment]

it is the lack of a filibuster-proof majority

Masculine bovine excrement! It is a lack of guts. There are many, many ways these nominees could have been seated, but both the administration and the Congressional majority ran away in the face of opposition. Congress is filled with feminized cowards who wouldn't know principle if it bit them in the a$$.

If they are not willing to fight small battles, how in the world do you expect them to win an outright war?

[Major Matt Mason]

Looks like the Bushbots are out in force on this thread. Apparently we as Republicans are now supposed to love big government, if the attack dogs at this site could have their way. I didn't realize we had so many moderates visiting FR; I thought they didn't have any beliefs, but they appear to be similar to liberals. Who knew.

Back of the bus, conservative!

[Cacique]

It's a winter of discontent and I feld the chill winds at CPAC. Bush is in deep dodoo cause the liberals that will vote for him will not make up for the conservatives he is losing.

[Beenliedto]

YOU have less than nothing to say.

Oh, MAN, I've got your goat!!! LOVE it!!!

[nopardons]

I'm not into crystal ball gazing, nor mind reading. Neither you nor I know what Reagan would do today. OTOH, we DO know what he did and said, while he was in office. :-)

[riri]

I do think that we have many good conservatives here on FR who may be discouraged by the Bushbot rage

Nah, most see it for what it is. They'll do their thing, we'll do ours and let the chips fall where they may.

[Dane]

Do you think Kerry would have even mentioned an Amnesty-For-Illegals scheme without Dubya's stepping into mentioning it? Kerry's dumb but not that dumb

Uh Kerry did, back in Sept. 2003 during a demo debate.

Anyway W's plan is not amnesty, Kerry's is.

[F16Fighter]

"You are as crazy as a loon if you think the Democrats EVER had anything watered down with respect to illegal aliens."

What I'm saying is Dubya's preemptive(?) plan provoked a premature ej...er...implimentation and exposure of the Democrats own amnesty plan and agenda that may not have been ready for public consumption for years.

[nopardons]

Nope, you don't " bother " me at all. I pity those like you. Heck, no skin off my nose...post Claire's stupid call to arms. DO IT, DO IT NOW! Please, please, please, with sugar on top ?

[Beenliedto]

Anyway W's plan is not amnesty

Surely you jest?

If you call a duck a rabbit... the duck is still a duck. You're just confused.

[EllaMinnow]

Last year, Kerry was pushing for water fountains in the desert to help sustain border jumpers.

[Howlin]

I think you're wrong. I think the Dems have had this plan in the works for a long time. As far as I can see, the only thing the Dems left out was open borders.

I have no idea what Bush is up to, but from what I've seen, all this talk about him trying to best the Dems if FOS.

He campaigned in 2000 saying he wanted to DO something, anything, about the borders and that problem.

[Dane]

No amount of personal insults, bashing, and traitorous inunendo from nopardons is going to keep me from the polls.

To help the demos.

I do think that we have many good conservatives here on FR who may be discouraged by the Bushbot rage. I hope not

You mean fringe conservatives who think that Kerry is better than Bush and go apopletic when the truth is held up to them.

[Howlin]

What part of "have to go back after 3 years" don't you comprehend?

[arasina]

And where were the extraneous (Third) parties when it came time to get Senators and Congresspersons elected to represent them? Even if a CP or LP candidate were to somehow be elected president, that person would have virtually no support to accomplish anything. Do they believe the office of the president should be elected by pure democracy instead of a republic and ultimately become a benevolent dictatorship? Maybe that what they call victory.

[F16Fighter]

"I'm not into crystal ball gazing, nor mind reading. Neither you nor I know what Reagan would do today. OTOH, we DO know what he did and said, while he was in office. :-)"

Please allow me:

"Mr. Fox, put up that wall ...or else WE'LL do it for you!!"

[riri]

What part of "have to go back after 3 years" don't you comprehend?

LOL. You can't really believe that is going to be enforced?! By what means?

[Howlin]

and I know that I'll be paying off Bush's man-on-the-moon-and-Mars debt long after Howlin and her friends have moved on.

Who in the hell are you and why have you been stalking my posts?

[Jorge]

Even as we post, Bush is backing off the tax cuts.

Well, four posters have already asked you to back up your claim, and I will be the fifth.

My guess is your lack of response means you can't.
Bush hasn't backed of his tax cuts. In fact he is working to make them permanent.

Unfortunately there are some here who would support a Democrat who will raise our taxes, just because he doesn't do everything they like. Incredible.