Bush reaches out to conservatives to quell revolt

Forbes ^ | Feb. 20, 2004 | Adam Entous

[FairOpinion]

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The White House has been reaching out to conservative groups to quell a rebellion over government spending and budget deficits, hoping to shore up President George W. Bush's political base in an election year.

Conservative leaders who have taken part in private White House meetings in recent weeks said on Friday officials have promised to all but freeze non-defense spending, and assured them Bush will follow through on his threat to veto major highway legislation if Congress refuses to scale it back.

The price tag on a six-year highway and transportation bill stalled in the House of Representatives is $375 billion while a Senate highway bill calls for spending $318 billion. The White House has proposed a $256 billion measure.

"Bush has been very attentive to the critique from the right," said Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a politically powerful conservative group -- offering tentative praise where once he talked openly of a brewing rebellion.

But if the White House does not follow through, said Heritage Foundation vice president for government relations, Michael Franc, "all bets are off."

"This is not something you can address with a handshake, a pat on the back and an invitation to the White House. You address it by actions," he added.

The White House is used to being attacked by Democrats, but it came as something of a shock when fellow Republicans broke ranks over growth in government spending, hurting Bush at a time when his job approval numbers were already falling.

Conservatives from the Cato Institute criticized the president for overseeing a nearly 25 percent surge in spending over the last three years -- the fastest pace since the Johnson administration of the mid-1960s.

Others singled out his failure to lay out concrete plans to reduce the federal budget deficit, projected at a record $521 billion this year. Even some of Bush's Republican allies in the House warned of a backlash against his budget priorities.

In what one administration official called a "concerted effort," senior White House officials have been meeting with Republicans in Congress to smooth over their differences.

Joel Kaplan, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, has been meeting with conservative groups, an aide said. The effort may be paying off.

"Stung by a lot of the criticism from the right, Bush is going to be steadfast about sticking to his spending targets," said Moore, who warned in January that a rebellion among conservatives was brewing.

Now Moore says, "They clearly are trying to reach out. I think the complaints of conservatives have been heeded."

Heritage analyst Brian Riedl once described the mood of conservatives as "angry."

Now Riedl says, "I think the White House is definitely moving in the right direction," though he added, "There's a lot of work ahead of them."

William Niskanen, the chairman of the libertarian Cato Institute who advised former President Ronald Reagan, said he has personally not seen much of an outreach effort. "We'll have to see" what the White House does, he said.

[Cold Heat]

Bush is going to lose by a landslide and the so-called conservatives will be dancing on the streets, cheering the Kerry victory.

Try not to take the politics of this too seriously. (just friendly advice to you)

Most of these folks are venting and will vote for Bush. There may be a few who stay home.

This is not the time to do, however. This is going to be a very close election it appears.

[tgslTakoma]

Sorry. I should have read down the thread a bit before I posted what I did.

[jammer]

The message I get from the story is that Bush and his team are finally listening to the conservatives what brung him to the White House.

Please see my reply #133. You and I take the same fundamental position in this debate, but where we differ is that I believe that "listening to the conservatives" is nothing more than blowing smoke up a wild hog's butt.

[FairOpinion]

I think people don't recognize the full impact of their actions.

If 500 people had stayed home in Florida, instead of voting for Bush, we would have President Gore today.

[FairOpinion]

When I see numbers like this at FR, a conservative website, I think it's cause for concern:

If it's Kerry vs Bush how will you vote?

Bush
3,781 votes - 78%

Kerry
186 votes - 3%

Libertarian
206 votes - 4%

Const Party
286 votes - 5%

Other
43 votes - 0%

Sit it out
134 votes - 2%

Undecided
171 votes - 3%

4,807 votes total;

[jammer]

I think it's cause for concern:

So does everyone, especially the White House. Hence the article that you posted.

[Cold Heat]

We have allowed more liberty restraint laws on American citizens to be passed by Congress than any other time, including both World Wars.

We have not suspended Habeas Corpus however. That would be telling and proof that something is indeed amiss.

I share your aggravation of flying. I no longer do it.

As to intent, I see no hidden motives as you do.

Most of the changes are sunsetted. I think that congress does not want to make them permanent either.

I could be wrong, so I always question my assumptions and reserve the right to change my mind, but I trust Bush to do the right thing.

[Mo1]

Let me get this straight .. these congress folks (from both parties) jam pack pork spending into important bills the President needs to help fight terrorism and other issues and then they turn around and complain about high spending???

Here's a suggestion to congress .. stop hiding your personal pork spending into important bills

[SierraWasp]

"Most of these folks are venting and will vote for Bush."

So true! Sometime it's fun to poke fun at someone who reacts so predictably, especially when get serious to a fault to the point of being rude without fail.

[Cold Heat]

Actually, it has not changed much since I first started lurking here.

The numbers were not as bad as I thought.

This is a opinionated bunch. They have issues, but are usually pretty smart in the end.

Just like the American public.

What worries me about this election, is that the public prefers to spread the power around.

They do not like one party controlling all.

I do not know how that fact will translate in the election though. If I did, I would be rich.

[LonghornFreeper]

I am voting for Bush this November also, but I am just curious, exactly what would a Republican (not Bush specifically, this is a hypothetical question) have to do to not get your vote? I am voting for Bush pretty much only on foreign policy issues. Thinking through it, he really might as well be a Democrat as far as most domestic issues are concerned. In fact, I can't think of very many major issues where he has really stepped up to the plate and taken a strong stand, with the exception of stem cell research and a small tax cut. There may be a couple others I am not thinking of right now, but he has dropped the ball on so many others, like illegal immigration, gun control, federal spending, farming, etc. I am not trying to provoke you, I am honestly asking what it would take for you to no longer support someone who calls themself a Republican.

[MEG33]

Terrific post.

[Cold Heat]

these congress folks (from both parties) jam pack pork spending into important bills the President needs to help fight terrorism and other issues and then they turn around and complain about high spending???

Yup, that is how they got Bush 1 to sign the tax increases.

Then they dumped on him.

Rats are not nice, and neither are spending addicted republicans.

[hosepipe]

[ Bush reaches out to conservatives to quell revolt ]

He'd better hurry hes quickly becomeing a midget..
Would I vote a midget.?....... probably..

[FairOpinion]

I just posted an excellent, very informational editorial about Kerry, listing his voting records, etc., that I think people should read, it may help them decide.

Kerry's Inner Dove
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1083514/posts

..."the record he (Kerry) has compiled in the three decades since he left Vietnam is more dovish than that of any Democratic nominee since McGovern.

The litany of weapons systems that Kerry opposed included conventional as well as nuclear equipment: the B-1 bomber, the B-2, the F-15, the F-14A, the F-14D, the AH-64 Apache helicopter, the AV-8B Harrier jet, the Patriot missile, the Aegis air-defense cruiser and the Trident missile. And he sought to reduce procurement of the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile and the F-16 jet. Time and again, Kerry fought against what he called "the military-industrial corporate welfare complex that has relentlessly chewed up taxpayers' dollars."

[Cold Heat]

He is not only a dove, his desire to put the U.N. in charge of all is traitorous and very French.

[Cold Heat]

Nice compilation of his work in Congress thus far!

[Cold Heat]

Watching the rerun of Geraldo's interview with Bremmer.

What a great interview he has done. He really drew Bremmer out and I learned much about what to expect in Iraq over the next several years.

[FairOpinion]

I saw it earlier.

Bremer was also very good in explaining why we need to have patience.

[onyx]

Here's my favorite Ambrose quote --- I can't make it fit on a tagline:

In truth, he is a traitor. I am no more impressed by his being a veteran than I am by Lee Harvey Oswald, Jeffrey Dahmer, or Timothy McVeigh's veteran status...

14 posted on 02/11/2004 3:19:26 AM PST by ambrose ("John Kerry has blood of American soldiers on his hands" - Lt. Col. Oliver North)