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.

[riri]

More than all that I am simply worried about the entitlement mentality that is creeping into the soul of our nation. The expectation of the state to take care of everything.

[nopardons]

Admit it,you somply adored the Clinton years.

And, BTW...where was the " boiling point " then and just WHO took to the streets, armeed to the teeth and overthrew THAT administration ?

[F16Fighter]

Jorge, that was the Bush we all knew and expected. That's why we voted for the guy in the first place.

Who's he now? I'm afraid the evidence suggests he's become President Jekyll and Hyde.

[riri]

annihilation of our nation?

In case you haven't noticed that's already occurring. And there will never be another pro life justice on that court in this climate. Never, ever. The courts are the most worrisome part of this equation.

[Jorge]

I've hardly been "stalking" your posts--you show up on most of the threads I read just by virtue of your posting more than 99% of other freepers.

Let me see.
A person who claims to know the percentage of messages you post as compared to other freepers is NOT "stalking" you.
Are you reading this Howlin? LOL.

[riri]

Never heard of ya.

[nopardons]

You haven't a high enough IQ to be a challenge. Us " bushbots " beat you easily...you're just too blinkered to realize it. :-)

[xsmommy]

electing a DEM Is NOT the answer to the problem with the Court. and voting third party or staying home will bring that about. period.

[F16Fighter]

Wait your turn in line with the other lemmings. They say the rocks below the cliff aren't at all dangerous and they say the water is delightfully warm...

[Zipporah]

"I don't understand how one can reason that continuing to vote for Republicans who behave like liberals will ever result in anything but more Republicans acting more like liberals.

However, if they know they will suffer if they reject the ideals that supposedly got them elected perhaps they will be more likely to adhere to them."You are so very right.. if we are just passive observers.. then we can blame ourselves.. if not they can blame themselves.

[xsmommy]

and by annhilation i mean literally, by another terrorist attack, permitted by a soft on defense Dem in the WH.

[jpsb]

"LOL"

Yea, if she see me she usually runs to a "day in the life" thread. Bushbots don't like me.

[nopardons]

It's NIKITA and when he pounded his shoe and said :" WE SHALL BURY YOU ", the ending of which, most people forget...: " FROM WITHIN ", he was referring to the American Communists and those they would win over. It hAs NOTHING at all to do with the boogeyman og illegal immigrants from Mexico.

[Howlin]

That didn't get by me at all; especially since I've been MIA several times the very month it's been registered here. :-)

[B4Ranch]

President George Bush - stand before the people of this nation and tell us the truth.

Dear Mr. President, Sir, Are you listening to us voters, yet? When are you going to turn Karl Rove off and remember who voted you into Office?

[jpsb]

"blinkered"?

Now how is a smart guy like me suppost to undersand a bushbot word like that. Please speak English, not Bushish.

And the only reason I even brother with you is becuase I think you might be cute.

[gunnedah]

TOUCHE!

[nopardons]

That's not an answer, but since it's the best you can do, I'll assume that you are incapable of answering it and that makes EVERYTHING else you post, worthless.

[HostileTerritory]

A person who claims to know the percentage of messages you post as compared to other freepers is NOT "stalking" you. Are you reading this Howlin? LOL.

Actually, it's real simple. I saw Howlin's name come up on several threads, clicked on her name, and clicked on "in forum" to see what else she posts about. Notice that she has a lot of posts to same threads, lots of chat, very short time frame to fill a page of posts. I think, hmm, she posts a lot.

Go back to my usual subjects, see her posts come up again, see the way people interact with her, think, hmm, she posts a lot, knows lots of people, can sense the seniority in the way she posts. (I don't mean anything negative by that.)

That's all there is to it. I haven't done "in forum" more than that one time because, as she said, she mostly does live threads and those are not the most scintillating reading after the fact no matter WHO is doing the posting.

That's the extent of my "stalking." I stalk Howlin the way I stalk used scratch tickets on the sidewalk outside my house. Most places I look, there they are.

[Howlin]

While America slept, democracy was hijacked by an elite aristocracy. Unless drastic measures are vigorously and immediately taken, their mission to ultimately relegate the middle class of America to a footnote in history will succeed.