[Wolfstar]

Last I checked, the title is President of the United States, not president of the Republicans, or Democrats, or conservatives, or liberals, or libertarians, etc. Even before Washington was elected our first president — in fact, during the debates as the Constitution was being written — the hallmark of the presidency was that it was to be the one national elective office that represented ALL the people and ALL the states.

A president has to call each issue like he sees it, all the while knowing that in a nation as vast as this, it is inevitable that at least a few million people will disagree with him on nearly every decision.

The intellectually honest, fair-minded among us will never expect to agree with any other human being — including a president — 100% of the time. Fair-minded people who claim to be (or to have been) suporters of a president will evaluate the totality of that president's record. In the case of George W. Bush, on a host of issues, this has been the most conservative president since Ronald Reagan. In some respects, more conservative.

[Bikers4Bush]

You call bloating entitlement programs and big government, allowing the 1st to get trampled and rewarding illegal aliens conservative?

He has lost my vote, it's up to him to earn it back. So far he is failing miserably.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for posting this! This is GREAT!!!

To: Bush-Cheney '04 Ping List Members

Please keep this excellent article by Wolfstar handy so that you can defend the President when posters say that President Bush is not Conservative.

If you would like on or off this BC04 Ping List, please Freep mail me.

Thanks,

PKM

[RiflemanSharpe]

I have one point I wish for you to consider, if you would be so kind. If a dem spent money they it has been spent in the past few years, if a dem sign the pill bill, if a dem affected our constitutional rights the way finance reform and the patriot act have (I am very skeptical of any attack on my rights for any reason.), if a dem proposed the amnesty, if a dem says that he sign an extention to the assault weapons ban, if a dem grew the size of government the way this President has we would all be howling mad and marching on Washington with torches.

I am not saying that GWB does not have many positives, he does but to me his negative now out weight them. If he, for example, would drop the amnesty and cut spending I would be happy to reevaluate him. I am not naive enough to think I can ever get all I want from a politicain in terms of his views, but now the issues he is for that I oppose are more to me then those I agree with him.

[looscnnn]

"I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration, and unfairly reward those who break our laws. My temporary worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect the law, while bringing millions of hardworking men and women out from the shadows of American life."


As I and others have posted in other threads, let's look at the facts( http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109026,00.html ):

"An amnesty is a general pardon granted by a government for a past offense. Crossing a U.S. border without a visa is a misdemeanor under federal law, and reentering the U.S. after a prior order of deportation is a felony. Under Bush’s proposal, these crimes will not be prosecuted, and that means it is an amnesty. But Bush goes on to offer the perpetrators visas and work permits, so it is not entirely accurate to call the Bush proposal an amnesty. It is an amnesty with an awards program."

His proposal contradicts what he is saying.

[steve50]

He made "conservative" noises when he was campaigning last time around as well. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....

[Peach]

Well stated. After reading the liberal press for days about some of his programs, I was dismayed as they sounded like liberal give-away programs.

After listening to his speech, I was not surprised to find the press had it wrong, again.

There are a few matters we wish the president would address differently. But to think a Democrat would handle those matters better or more conservatively is to be living in a dreamworld.

To stay home and not vote is idiocy and I do hope those posters don't show up to complain after election day if a Rat is elected and does things that will place this country in a more precarious position.

[Lurker]

You can listen to what he says if you like. I'll pay attention to what he does.

L

[kayak]

Well done! Thank you!

[mdefranc]

Wolfstar: "this has been the most conservative president since Ronald Reagan. In some respects, more conservative."

Gee, Wolfstar, in precisely what respects has Bush been more conservative than Reagan?

[Ophiucus]

The intellectually honest, fair-minded among us...

Now look what you've done - you've excluded the (Anti)Constitution Party people at the beginning of your thread.

Fair-minded people who claim to be (or to have been) supporters of a president will evaluate the totality of that president's record

That requires a capability of a wider synthesis of thought and being able to grasps complexities of the real world. So now you've eliminated the one-dimensional, single issue only voters....and of course, the (Anti)Constitution Party folks.

[mhking]

a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers when no Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good for our economy because employers will find needed workers in an honest and orderly system. A temporary worker program will help protect our homeland, allowing Border Patrol and law enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security.

Or in English, let's give illegals jobs so that more of them can come it.

Feh.

Bush has lost the faith of a lot of people with crap like this.

No matter how you sugar coat it, the "guest worker" program is nothing short of amnesty, pure and simple.

We have to deal with illegals and the threat posed by the porous Mexican border. Giving illegals free access to jobs is not the way to do it, period.

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[EdReform]

BTTT

read later...

[Richard Kimball]

I received the entire SOTU address from Bush-Cheney 04, and I'm kind of sitting here in awe. I understand that some people say, "this is a hill I will die on", but some people wake up every morning saying "where's a hill I can die on?" When PatB left the Republican party, he immediately went to Ross Perot's old party and blew it apart. At some point in time you have to wonder whether it's better to have somebody throwing rocks at you inside your house or outside your house.

I don't think Bush has ever represented himself as anything other than what he is, and I voted for him twice for governor and I'm going to vote for him twice for President. On the amnesty thing, we've got people saying they won't vote for Bush over it, but if a Democrat gets in, their only complaint is that the plan doesn't go far enough. Protest votes are a flawed strategy.

BTW, to those who call me a Bushbot, I agree with him on more issues than I agree with you.

[George W. Bush]

I think the most serious problem to getting out a GOP vote this year will be overcoming Bush's support for his don't-call-it-amnesty policy. And the tremendous expansion in spending and the money squandered on the Department of Education and other liberal moneywasters. The SOTU threw a bone to the religious right on banning sodomite marriage but it won't be enough unless Bush really pushes for a constitutional amendment.

But it's the amnesty that will hurt the most in '04. The big-spending grousing will disappear as the economy recovers more.

I don't think any of these issues will make any great number of conservatives or religious righters switch to voting Dim, Libertarian, Constitution Pary, etc.

They'll just stay home. Like 3 million evangelicals did in 2000. Rove is still wailing about it and has no solution, it seems. I expect even more stay-at-homes this time around.

Bush did very well to recess-appoint Pickering. He needs to follow up with the other two appointments the Dims blocked as well. We were promised conservative Scalia-style judges in 2000. He needs to appoint the other two and do it now.

[BlackbirdSST]

In the case of George W. Bush, on a host of issues, this has been the most conservative president since Ronald Reagan. In some respects, more conservative.

I don't see Parody in the Keyword List, so you intend to stand by this as serious? Please. Blackbird.

[thoughtomator]

Not a word about either cutting the size of the government, nor about aborticide, nor a word about the courts' usurpation of legislative powers. Conservative? In your dreams!

[Landru]

"Last I checked, the title is President of the United States, not president of the Republicans, or Democrats, or conservatives, or liberals, or libertarians, etc. Even before Washington was elected our first president — in fact, during the debates as the Constitution was being written — the hallmark of the presidency was that it was to be the one national elective office that represented ALL the people and ALL the states."

Granted.
This voter wouldn't have it any other way.

"A president has to call each issue like he sees it, all the while knowing that in a nation as vast as this, it is inevitable that at least a few million people will disagree with him on nearly every decision."

Yes, you're absolutely correct, again.
Just bear in mind this voter "has to call each issue like he sees it," also.
OK?

"Fair-minded people who claim to be (or to have been) suporters of a president will evaluate the totality of that president's record."

You got that right, neighbor.
Yes you do.

"In the case of George W. Bush, on a host of issues, this has been the most conservative president since Ronald Reagan. In some respects, more conservative."

Well more than Jimmy Carter, anyway.

I just hope my beloved GOP realizes what the bottom line is, here; &, the consequences of decisions clearly going against the grain of conservative "principles" will be as sure as God made little green apples.
OK?

While I admire party loyalty & would never even consider attacking one for their embrace of it?
Fact is there's a potential disaster looming, and it won't happen because the GOP wasn't repeatedly warned by her base.
OK?

...that's how this voter sees it.

[fish hawk]

OOPS, looks like I accidently stumbled onto a thread of Libertarians, my mistake. Buh bye.

[jpsb]

He can talk the talk, but he can't walk the walk.

[cynicom]

No one has to "think" Bush is or is not conservative. He has proven himself to be anything BUT a conservative.