Posted on 11/17/2006 3:28:19 PM PST by catholicfreeper
The Bush Conservatives It seems I and many other conservatives need to just step back and re-assess the political landscape. As I mentioned in the post below on immigration, I do not see the Republican Party offering a very palatable form of conservatism any more. So let me describe what I think is an attractive conservative vision. It begins with supporting and respecting our President and all his accomplishments. And since I and many others still have unflinching support and admiration for the man, I decided to steal some from the commenters here and dub this conservative view Bush Conservatives.
Bush Conservatives not only believe in Reagans 11th commandment to not speak ill of fellow conservatives - we live it. From the Gang of 14, to Harriet Miers, to Dubai Ports World and to the immigration issue - there has been a brand of Republican which eschewed the 11th commandment. So let the Republicans be defined by that group - Bush Conservatives will be defined by their antithesis. Bush conservatives are not afraid of the word compromise. They despise the word failure. If there is a good idea, we do not care what party gets credit - we care that the good ideas get enacted. It is not Party uber America anymore.
Bush Conservatives, like Bush himself, are for lower taxes and focused government (someplace between liberals and libertarians is the proper role of government). They are not for destroying the public education system, they are for making it work. And they understand private school access is one option. They understand that a prescription drug benefit for Medicare/Medicaid will reduce overall costs and provide a respectable end of life for our seniors who came before us. Yes, it costs a lot to care for our elderly. But it doesnt represent big government. It represents a big heart. I am not for throwing money away. The prescription drug benefit was a nice optimizing solution to a broken system. It was consumer driven (which is why the liberals should not be allowed to go in and insert bureacratic price controls) and it will save money that was being wasted in emergency room treatments for normal problems.
Bush Conservatives respect the immigrant worker in the sense we understand people need to make a life (not just a living). We do not want the broken current system to stay hostage to the Fence Only crowd. The illegal immigrant worker will pay a penalty in back taxes and lost time towards citizenship. That level of penalty is sufficient for the crime of missing paperwork. We respect those who are trying to do nothing more than raise a family. The Republicans can now have the mantle of harshness towards otherwise good people. They can focus on their vision of the few bad apples representing the entire immigrant population. They can ignore the more realistic, broader images that include aliens fighting for our country - the other immigrant worker. The only people who get my support will embrace Bushs comprehensive vision of workers who are registered, background checked, working in the open economy, and who must avoid criminal activities if they stay here. They will not become citizens immediately, and in fact will not be able to apply any time here as illegal aliens towards citizenship. They will become our neighbors working by our side, raising their children with ours. And like the good neighbors we are, we will reach out and help them assimiliate to our society. The Reps can be the party of rounding up aliens for deportation. They are apparently clinging to that image with a death grip anyway.
Bush Conservatives do not see failure in Iraq, they see the long hard, generational fight we were warned was coming. Bush conservatives will not ally with liberals to find an exit and let the terrorists follow our troops home. Bush Conservatives do not blame Bush for Al Qaedas tenacity. We salute Bush for his tenacity.
Bush conservatives see success in the Gang of 14, who paved the way for some of the largest shifts to the federal bench in a generation. And we would welcome a repeat of the Gang of 14 in the upcoming senate to quelsh the partisan bickering between Reps and Dems. Go for it Gang - with my blessing. If they can keep the results going like they did in the last Congress, true conservatism will be able to flow into our court systems - as opposed to imposing Republican versions of the Liberal activism in the courts now.
Bush Conservatives are not necessarily Republicans - though obviously they are welcomed. Bush Conservatism is the broad-tent conservative movement that can include a McCain, DeWine, Snowe, etc. The only litmus test for Bush Conservatives is there is no litmus tests. There are no real conservatives or pure conservatives. Republicans can have their purity tests. Bush Conservatives will strive for enhancing the conservative vision and making progress towards those ends.
So how can Republicans (or Democrats) attract Bush Conservatives? Show respect to the President. Dont blame Bush for your problems or mistakes. Allow processes to unfold without vitriol and panic. Admit the errors made on Miers (she should have been heard, then rejected), Dubai Ports World (not all Muslim Arabs are our enemies, especially ones willing to fund our outer defenses), and immigration (support the guest worker program for all the immigrants now here in this country). Failure to admit the mistakes means failure to correct the mistakes. These minimum changes could woo the Bush Conservatives back into the Republican tent - but there as to be unmistakable shift on these matters. No sliding around these examples of what we do not want to see more of. In many of these cases Dems and Reps both have some atoning to do.
Stop blaming the Gang of 14 and support the results they gave us on all those new judges and justices we are blessed to have. Look positively on efforts that are bi-partisan and are rolling back liberalisms last vestiges: the liberal courts.
Dont surrender on Iraq. Dont pull a Kerry. We went into Iraq and made commitments. Honor those commitments and strive for nothing short of success. We do not follow people who go back on their word. Reps and Dems can tolerate that - Bush Conservatives never will.
Be positive, show respect, and use decorum. And this is not a Chinese menu. We are not looking for ideaological purity. But we are looking for a common vision, a common goal, something we can work together towards. We can debate the details of how to achieve these, but there is no doubt we need to do these things.
Here is the alternative: Reps and Dems can be against fixing immigration. Reps and Dems can be for bashing Bush. Reps and Dems can run from Iraq even though they supported the effort going in. The parties can continue to go their partisan ways. If they do, then I hope a moderate new party can arise from the ashes these scorched earth partisan efforts have been producing. We are at war, and these partisan are fighting us, not our enemies. Americas patience with these two squabbling camps will run out.
Addendum: I forgot one important subject - Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR). Bush opposes the killing of human beings, as do Bush Conservatives. This is why Bush Conservatives are not soft on life issues. Arlen Specter would not be a Bush Conservative. ESCR is snake oil compared to the Adult Stem Cell Research (ASCR) results which keep poring in. Even one of Michael J Foxs top scientists who studies the full range of stem cell options has leaned towards faster, better cures coming from ASCR than ESCR. Bush is very pro-life. From his Stem Cell stance to parental notification to partial birth abortion, he has successfully moved the country towards the pro life side in a massive way. That is why Reps who bash Bush are just not being true to conservatism, they are only being true to their pet issues at the expense of conservatism. How many ways did Reps hurt the conservative cause? They stayted home. They turned on Bush when they did not get one thing their way. They never refused to acknowledge all Bush did, only what Bush did not do for them, they refused compromise, they refused progress, they refused to participate, they refused to be civil. Now all Bush did accompolish is at risk while the losers keep blaming him because they turned on him. The Reps have a lot to learn. Too much, in my opinion, to be ready for 2008.
Addendum II: I must also point out why Bush bashing without any thought is really, really bad. I am now of the opinion that the Democrat wave was much, much higher than what we ended up with. There could have easily been more House seats lost and one more Senate seat gone. I can easily see Bushs last minute push taking some of the force out of the political tsunami that hit, along with Kerrys last minute gaffe. We did see a turn to the reps in the last weekends polls. If I am right, and people were returning to Bush in some small way, the Bush bashing/blame we see now is really destructive. It is pushing those who DID turn back to the reps off and making them doubt, if not regret, there last minute change of heart to the right. Reps will react like this, without thinking. Bush Conservatives are much less volatile.
Addendum III: I would like to also add zero tolerance for pork barrel spending and ear-marks. The runaway spending was not pushed by Bush, it was done by Congress. They demanded a price to support Bushs goals and inflated the budget with useless bridges, etc. There was no way Bush would have vetoed SLIMMED DOWN budgets. That one is all at the feet of the Reps in Congress. Ed Morrissey does this subject great justice today.
Addendum IV: Reader Luker noted these fine additions to the list: - habeas corpus reserved to US citizens and not granted to the foreigners, especially the terrorists and the GITMO detainees. - Balance between civil liberties and security of our own country and its assets, namely the preservation of the NSA foreign terrorist surveillance program. - Tax reform, especially the abolishment of the death tax. - Social Security reform.
Note that the last two REQUIRE compromise so we can attract democrat support. The first two will be salvaged by folks like Lieberman (and hopefully Harman) putting national security above partisanship. We will now be indebted any democrat who helps save these items.
Posted by AJStrata on Friday, November 17th, 2006 at 1:11 pm.
Yeah. And who'da thunk that there were twelve year-old bots?!
My apologies to twelve year-olds everywhere...
Well, wasn't that a clever post of yours. lol. Not.
.. and this is such a trifling matter, right?
I think your post misses one very, very critical consideration.
We are in a war.
Democrats since 9-11 have nothing BUT criticize non-stop ad nauseum against the President. You say you support the mission, support the troops, but want the total freedom to voice your criticizing opinions of the President, and think you don't sound like you are in fact supporting the Democrat position on the war?
Hint: This is exactly how nearly 250% of these criticisms come across.
Oh, that's right. He didn't pull troops out of Iraq to stand guard at the border in case some illegals came over. And make a federal case that the President ISN"T protecting Americans; and do it IN his face and before the Cameras -- and still try to tell me you support him.
Even the politcs have got out of control on this. It likes people still think we are in the majority next year.
In the political sane world there would be a deal on this in the lame duck session. It s like Citizenship in 15 years versus God knows what when the Dems pass a bill. Who knows maybe 5. That is what Kerry proposed
I don't this Custer's last stand approach we are taking. In stead of influencing policy for the better it seems we shall continue being a voice that will have no effect on the final bill
You blame the President. He doesn't WRITE legislation. And you blame him because Democrats were more successful in their persuasive arguments, and deals, in holding the congress hostage through filibusters, biased press, etc. You do not hold the Democrats to the same standard as you hold the President, a non-legislator.
If he doesn't give you exactly what you demand, you do your own form of "filibuster".
I'm sure you don't mind that the President see's the real threat to America from those possibly wielding WMD's, biologic threats. He's created the Department of Homeland Security, he's got top knotch people working the border issues (outside of Democrat-run districts, who'll disobey, obviously, any order or law they disagree with, personally).
But he's the failure.
A war was declared, elucidated, laid out. But there are those who claim the largest, single most important war was the border. And somehow, the President is the failure.
No way.
Liberals "say" that all voices are equal, in the same vein they argue a coal miner should make as much income as a Medical Doctor.
All have voices. But some think things out better than others, among the quick and the dead.
No, you're missing the point, I think. Yes, we won that particular battle, but we LOST the election war because of moderates and from the likes of the GO14. Now tell me, how do we complete fully implementing a conservative leaning court? We've lost right now because moderates will not fight for the RIGHT ideas, so they are no good to us, and only hurt our drive. When Mcpainintheass and his ilk goes against his own party to advance his sorry ass self, then it's no good to us, he might as well be with the DBM/dems, at least we can fight AGAINST this prick if he would leave!
Well, I will say this. I am hoping the data is wrong and that conservatives did not stay at home. There is some data saying we lost independents. Regardless, the fact that we put a party in power that thinks the Patriot Act is more of a threat than terrorism is frightning. There was way too much sniping. I guess we conservates will wake up when we have a worse 9/11.
I am hoping overreaching by the Dems will help us. But if they don't and don't get united we will lose all two and in the all three branches in 2008
How many Conservative judges diod we lose in the end? When did the gang of 14 come together and say. This judge is unacceptable and we shall allow the fillibuster. Perhaps I missed it but I think zero. In fact Judges are barely in the news anymore because I assume the vast majority are getting passed
We are in a war.
Look, not that I know for sure, but do you have a clue why in one of the most important, crucial times in our history, when Repubs need to be in control the most, we lost this last election?
Moderately fought wars, a force does not win. All I'm saying is this enemy has decided to fight, well, we ought to bring it!!!
Name one war, moderately fought anyone has ever won? There is a much different element to this war than all the others we've ever fought...It's a war that will never end until every last one of the enemy is either dead or denounces their extremeness.
That's not the point!! The point is Frist didn't stand up to the DBM/dems or the lousy GO14 and showed his moderate B.S. along with the party as a whole and people saw it and said, screw you repubs we're sick and tired of you being moderates when we want principles inacted! GET IT?
About a year or so ago, someone posted to me: "Why aren't we acting, here domestically, like we are at war? Why are there no war-gardens, and activities like there was during WWII". I had thought, at that time, that the reason was due to a newer age and way of supporting the WOT.
I think the poster had it right (paraphrased): "While being protected by our military forces who've taken the defense of America to the source of our attack, people in America have seen our soldiers as mere blobs of tissues who voluntarily signed on to act as our "body protectors" (like celebs hire), and just gone back to living their sheltered lives as tho they live in a bubble."
Democrats saw this too. And fastened upon any idea or group fomenting dissent with the President.
Loose Lips Sink Ships. I have the poster, dated 1944.
The moderates in DC refused to actively support the President. The Dems thought this was great. Meanwhile, everyone with an opinion stepped forward to voice their own non-support of the President while shrieking about how much they hated "RINO'S" and "BUSH-BOTS".
When Mcpainintheass and his ilk goes against his own party to advance his sorry ass self, then it's no good to us, he might as well be with the DBM/dems, at least we can fight AGAINST this prick if he would leave!
What McCain and his group did perfectly resembles what some who call themselves conservative at all levels of our culture have done. There are some who claim to be conservatives but who are in fact promoting their own "sorry ass selves" right here in FR.
Figure this one out, here, and I think there's some good answers for the Republicans and/or Conservatives in re "moderates" in their midst.
The GOP is a big tent. And some decided to piss inside the tent, instead of outside the tent.
Moderately fought wars, a force does not win
Aren't you even the teeniest bit looking forward to witnessing how the House/Senate Dems straddle "moderation" among their base and in regard to... WOT, the borders, the economy? :)
What principle for Heavens sake was at stake. Was it to get rid of the fillibuster as to judges? Was it to get rid of the Filibuster altogether?
It seems that many conservatives have recently discovered their love for the fillibuster.
I think the President if they are Republican or Democrat should have very big deference on judges. IN a way the Gang of 14 helped that.
I suppose to me it wasnt a huge issue. At hend end of the day I thought I could live with that wasnt everything I wanted but the end result was the same.
Again, however almost everyone forot about it. No one went in the voting booth on a nationwide level and voted anti GOP for the gang of 14. It hurt the dems in reality more than us
I know what you mean, but that is not going to matter because DBM/dems don't operate the way we do, and will find a way to come together even if that means kicking each others ass. They're in this for the long run and we better be ready to fight or we will end up being a minority for another 40 years with car bombs going off in our cities!
gonna read the responses after i post.
I pretty much agree, except for the support of public schools. I do not, and strong believe that parents ought to have their choice of the schools their children attend.
Good I agree. He did mention private schools in that post which I think he means voucher system
Conservative Priciples. Ask yourself a question: Why would McPainintheass go against his own party? The only reason I can think of, and he's shown this in the past, is for his own manical ego. Ever notice he goes against the most strident conservative principles and Bush when it was in his own best interest? The GO14 accomplshed absolutely nothing, the votes were already there for the judges to win and the DBM/dems would have looked like complete imbeciles fillibustering those nominees. Along with other issues The GO14 let the DBM/dems and fense sitters know repubs aren't interested in leading, and the country said, up yours repubs.
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