Posted on 01/31/2004 12:41:27 PM PST by 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.
Your vote for either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party allows the destruction of America to continue.
--Doug Thompson
He talks like Howie Dean. The 5th columnist is back, pushing for us to Perot Bush and get another Clinton in the WH.
Apparently, more than a few have, ambrose.
Your entire post is very well stated. Thank you.
My apology, but I think you "bumped" the Fifth Column.
Please expound on this statement with a source for this. Last I saw and heard was about 10 days ago during the SOTU and I believe the quote was "now do the right thing and make these tax cuts permenent". I would love to see the article where he is now backing off that.
John Fu*king Kerry?
I'm not the biggest Bush fan around, but John Kerry is so bad, that I'd rather see Bill Klinton in the White House than Kerry.
Klinton is a glory hound. If it looks good for him, he'll shift. John Kerry however is just an evil communist bastard who turned traitor in the 70's, opposed helping Afghanastan against Soviets and backed the Sandinistas in the 80's, wants a near total gun ban and has cosponsored those bills, is militantly pro-abort, pushed to raise taxes, and spends as bad as Bush does. This c***s****r is a true believer.
If John Kerry wins, I'm buying lots of ammo and some guns, since I'm not sure this country can survive a John Kerry, and that's just on his DOMESTIC POLICY alone, let alone his foreign policy.
NWO socialism is alive and well with the dems and republicans. That is why it is important for all freedom and liberty loving Americans to vote Constitutional Party in Nov. Give socialism the boot now. Vote against the NWO neocons and for America!
Richard W.
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