Dissension In The Ranks

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.

Do you even realize that Bush's proposal has already been shot down? and yet you single issue malcontents just can't seem to get it.

Have you seen what the democrats have proposed for addressing the immigration problem? It makes what GWB proposed look like a round up similar to a German one way ticket to Krakow. Now that dozens of House Republicans have said they will not support GWB's Temp Worker Program, the whole thing is probably dead unless Congress adopts Tancredo's plan. Either way, the Democrats have been pushed further to the left.

Do you think it was by accident that the House Republicans announced their refusal to back the Presidents Immigration plan at the same time the democrats released the details of their plan?.......... I don't. Bush proposes an immigration plan that basically has no demands in it, in fact, all he did was ask Congress to debate it and come up with a plan. Then the democrats, who are desperately seeking a way to trash him, devise a plan of their own showing how heartless Bush is to illegal aliens, just today the liberals want to pass a law to make it a crime to label illegals, as illegals. considering that 70% of the country does not agree with amnesty in it's purist form, Bush has kicked the crap out of the democrats once again even before his plan was proposed in the form of a Bill.

Read what you've written and then, try, at least, to understand it and what it all means.

Small...me ? No,but I refuse a small band of fringers to try to take over FR, every election cycle,berating the rest of us and then go into hibernation the rest of the time. You and your ilk are the " small " ones, who act as though you are the ONLY ones who are Conservatives, know what should be done,and who should be the president.

You are shallow, ill educated, and don't understand that the minority, through activist judges, are now ruling the majority. That isn't what the FFs had in mind.

Jim encourages debate, what he doesn't " encourage " is posting people like Claire W., frauds such as the author of this thread's article,and voting for fringers. FreeRepublic is about ELECTING REPUBLICANS and GETTING RID OF AS MANY DEMS, AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE !

This time two weeks ago, division was practically nonexistent. Throw in an amnesty program (because that is exactly what it is) into the works and all hell breaks loose.

And it's only been two short weeks since Bush did this and he has shattered (yes, I'm talking about George Bush here) Party Unity into splinters and cost himself crucial support right down to the wire.

I wouldn't call 10 months "right down to the wire".

The fact is Bush's "guest worker" proposal will get nowhere in Congress and so will pretty much be a non-issue come November.

The only people who will still be talking about it are those who want Bush out no matter what and are determined to upset the base.

In any case, recent polls show a relatively minor drop in support for Bush among Republicans.
It's the major drop in support from Independents that have affected the numbers we are now seeing.
And of course that is to be expected with nothing but wall to wall coverage of the Dem primaries and Bush bashing 24/7 for several weeks now.

Sounds like Doug want to be the Gilligan of America.

Gilligan quits BBC over Kelly row
BBC ^ | January 30, 2004

Posted on 01/30/2004 11:44:47 AM PST by HAL9000

BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan has resigned in the wake of the criticism directed at him in the Hutton report.
Mr Gilligan conceded some of his story was wrong, and apologised for it.

He said his departure was at his own initiative, but described the BBC collectively as the victim of a "grave injustice".

Earlier departing BBC director general Greg Dyke said he was shocked by the findings of the Hutton Inquiry and did not accept all of the report.

He said Lord Hutton had "given the benefit of doubt to every government witness and not to any at the BBC".

Mark Byford, the acting director general, said the corporation recognised that it had made errors.

He said his duty was to bring "calmness, clarity, leadership" to the organisation.

"It has been a very, very difficult week - that's an under-statement," Mr Byford told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

"I would say the BBC at the top ... has shown it recognises that it's been an extremely turbulent week.

"It recognises that it has lost - quite extraordinary for any organisation - both its chairman and chief executive, but ... it must move forward ... there have been mistakes, it's a learning organisation ... and will be stronger from it."

Mr Byford is leading an internal inquiry into what went wrong and the steps needed to ensure it does not happen again.

'Grave concern'

He said the BBC had "a duty of care" to all its employees, including the Today defence correspondent Mr Gilligan, whose report was at the centre of the David Kelly controversy.

He added: "There will be a due process to consider the implications of the staff involved. I will lead that process."

Earlier, Mr Dyke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was perfectly fair for people to "draw the conclusion that I don't accept all of the report".

"Our legal team were all very surprised by the nature of the report."

Mr Dyke suggested the implications for journalism coming from the report were a matter of grave concern for the media.

"Lord Hutton does seem to suggest that it is not enough for a broadcaster or a newspaper... to simply report what a whistleblower says because they are an authoritative source. You have to demonstrate that it is true. That would change the law in this country."

He said he had had to offer his resignation after the report but had not wanted to go.

Under pressure

Speaking outside his home in Twickenham, south west London, he said: "The governors were in an incredibly difficult position. Hutton was very critical of the BBC - so critical that the chairman had decided to resign and I too felt I had to resign.

"They decided I did not have their full support."

Ex-culture secretary Chris Smith said there had been no need for heads to roll at the BBC and called for next Wednesday's Commons debate on the Hutton report to examine the issues surrounding the Iraq war.

Tony Blair is under pressure to make a statement on the intelligence he presented to Parliament on Iraq's weapons after the US national security chief admitted for the first time there may have been flaws in the gathering of material about the Iraqi arsenal.

Downing Street says it will wait and see whether the Iraq Survey Group turns up evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

'Matter should rest'

The prime minister's official spokesman said Lord Hutton's report had been fair. "A dispassionate judge has looked at the facts and has made his judgment on the facts. That's where the matter should rest.

"We accept there was a lot of emotion and a lot of anger yesterday but the judge has reached his conclusions on his assessment of the facts and what people should recognise is that this is the judge's verdict."

THE HUTTON REPORT

BBC director of news Richard Sambrook has sent an email to all staff saying he will be working with Mr Byford, senior editors and news managers to look at ways to rebuild trust in the corporation.

Meanwhile ministers have stressed the importance of a BBC independent of government influence in the wake of Lord Hutton's criticisms of the corporation.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said: "A BBC that is nobody's lapdog, that challenges government and raises debate - that is in all our interests."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1068477/posts

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.