The Bush Betrayal

washingtonpost.com ^ | Sunday, November 30, 2003 | David Boaz

[Destro]

In 2000 George W. Bush campaigned across the country telling voters: "My opponent trusts government. I trust you."

Little wonder that some of his supporters are now wondering which candidate won that election.

Federal spending has increased by 23.7 percent since Bush took office. Education has been further federalized in the No Child Left Behind Act. Bush pulled out all the stops to get Republicans in Congress to create the biggest new entitlement program -- prescription drug coverage under Medicare -- in 40 years.

[McGavin999]

Yeah, it does if you want anything to change. If you prefer to wait until medicare breaks the bank then just let it go until a democrat gets in.

[Reagan Man]

.... there is no such thing as a true conservative.

You've lived a sheltered life.

[CyberAnt]

Truth hurts .. does it ..??

[Texas Eagle]

Truth hurts .. does it ..??

Yup.

[Agkistrodon]

W is about as much of a Republican as Richard Nixon....Only more mendacious and with a creepier staff. After his re-election and the inevitable budgetary meltdown with its concurrent hyper-inflation (try it on for size, half a trillion dollar deficit, or 500 billion dollar deficit), the resemblance will be even more obvious.
When Thomas Dewey was threatened by Dutch Schultz or Lucky Luciano, which ever gangster it was, he responded by turning on the lights inside his car at night so as to be well illuminated for any potential assassins. Lets see W went to London with only, what was it, 15,000 cops providing security? That is a microcosm of the decline of the Republican Party in our lifetimes. And we are to be consoled that the Democrats have fallen farther and harder?
A choice between very bad and much worse isn't much of a choice in my book.

[Zack Nguyen]

All the increases in the Federal Government under Bush can be undone if he gets re-elected, gets 60 votes in the Senate, and keeps the majority in the House.

None of them will be. People need to understand, Bush isn't just spending like a drunken sailor because of political pragmatism. He is doing it because it is consistent with his principles. Considering his political career in Texas and his first three years, it is impossible to think otherwise.

So there won't ever be a time when he can "stop pandering" when he gets re-elected. Because to him it isn't pandering. It is what he believes.

[ServesURight]

Well said.

[Texas Eagle]

Bush is defanging the demonrats.

Mm-hmm. Just like his dad "defanged" them with his tax increases and with the American With Disabilities Act, etc.

Just like Nixon "defanged" them with the EPA, OSHA, Endangered Species Act, Dept of Energy, etc.

How come every time a Republican President "defangs" DemocRATS, we get bit in the ass anyways?

[WHBates]

"I thought that's what 'winning back the Senate' was all about in 2002. Silly me..."

What exactly was won? Didn't Jeffords really turn the tide in 2001 and the Dems decided on the nuclear option when 2002 rolled around. The Republicans are playing with an old play book. Things have changed but they havn't realized it. Sad when you think about it.

[Reagan Man]

>>>Bush TOLD you he was going to do this BEFORE we elected him.

Candidate Bush didn't run on creating a "new" 10-year, $400 billion entitlement program. Bush ran on reforming and modernizing Medicare. He campaigned on making it more of a market driven delivery system, that would assist the elderly poor in not having to choose between paying for food and paying for drugs.

Bush: "$158 billion over 10 years, of which $48 billion would go for immediate prescription aid by 2004."
Source: Boston Globe, p. A8 Sep 6, 2000

$158 billion is a far cry from $400 billion. IMO, both plans are bureaucratic boondoggles and a waste of the taxpayers money.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Personally I love it when the most leftist media chooses to attack Bush for not being "right" enough. We have a local "lefty" talk radio host who tries this exact same routine every morning. As if we didn't recognize them! LOL!

[vanmorrison]

The people of this country haven't been willing to support a limited-government program since the ascendancy of FDR over 70 years ago. Republican popularity of late has been in direct proportion to their acceptance of programs that were once advocated by Democrats. This is what the majority of the American people want, including most Republicans. It may be time for those people with libertarian inclinations to accept this fact and disengage from the Republican party, for better or worse.

[MayDay72]

BUMP!!!

[zarf]

Just like his dad "defanged" them with his tax increase

That was George Mitchell defanging Bush Sr.

[Destro]

I think there is something in what you wrote. I could buy the argument that the Republican of today is really the Democratic party as it existed in the time of JFK (More or less) while the Democratic party started there and drifted more left.

In fact I will even buy the argument that we have been moving to the left taking 2 steps to the left and then one step to the right on that road.

I think conservativisim may indeed be over, sadly.

[MayDay72]

That's close to my contention that there is no such thing as a true conservative. -Consort

Okay. I'll bite. What's your definition of a "true conservative"?

[zarf]

Who's controlled congress during all these examples you site?

50 yrs of institutionalized government growth.

It will take a generation of Republican congresses to get this under control.

[Sans-Culotte]

Unfortunately, what we thought was important when W was elected (less government, lower taxes, etc) now has to take a back seat to the War on Jihadistan.

The only way the war will go on is if W is re-elected. If one of the dwarves wins, America apologizes for making a mess over there and the troops come home.

Sadly, more pork is required in order for the war to continue (at least with the small gutless RINO-riddled majority we have in the Senate).

[Destro]

I am sorry-the article makes it clear that the growth in govt has nothing to do with the War.

[Brimack34]

The differance being The Left will get us KILLED!! It is hard to bitch about politics when you are dead.