Ooh, Ooh, Maybe This Will Make Them Like Us!

Human Events Online ^ | January 30, 2004 | Chris Field

[kimoajax]

The apple does not fall far from the tree.

[Cicero]

No question, this is Bush at his stupidest and least justifiable.

On balance, Bush is still the best president we have had since Reagan. Why does he let himself be persuaded to do these stupid, stupid things?

[Miss Marple]

The NEA isn't going to be abolished any time soon. It is too easy to sell to the public by bringing out the Hollywood types.

What Bush HAS done is appoint a guy who has ended the grants to perverted artists and redirect the NEA towards bringing the best of the old masters (Shakespeare, for example) and American classics to the public. They also are starting a program to show artists how to get private funding.

The idea that somehow Bush did this in order to get the left to love him is just ludicrous. If he were interested in that, he could have signed Kyoto and kowtowed to the UN.

I am glad to see that if we are stuck with this agency, we are at least going to use it as a force for taking back the culture.

[KateUTWS]

>>Why does he let himself be persuaded to do these stupid, stupid things?<<
That is the 500 billion dollar question!

[kevao]

Will that NEA artist who depicted Jesus in a jar of urine vote for Bush now? After all, $18 million is A LOT of money.

[Reagan Man]

Memo to the White House: The Democrats will NEVER like you. Appealing to their better nature is a futile attempt to gain friends.

PresBush continues spending taxpayer money on things that we conservatives don't support. Not only is he not making new friends on the left, he is alienating many in his conservative base and may lose support among more then just the hardcore rightwingers. Fiscal responsibility is a cornerstone of the conservative movement. At one time fiscal responsibility was a bedrock value of the GOP. That bedrock value is definitely not being applied any longer. I don't know why the President keeps making decisions that only serve piss many of his ardent conservative supporters.

The question is, how far is Bush-Rove willing to go in search of votes?

[Hoboken]

You know what, the liberals I know like me more now because I am furious with Bush's domestic policies. But I don't want liberals to like me!

[Inspectorette]

Uh, I don't think Robert Mapplethorpe is going to vote for anybody. He died a few years ago. (Unless, of course, he's buried in Chicago ;-)

[Guillermo]

Sheesh, no matter what Bush does, you're there to cheer it on.

I bet you were demanding the end of the NEA when Clinton was President...

[Guillermo]

Liberals are against the Cross in the Public Square, unless it's soaking in urine.

They're against Mary in the Public Square, unless she's smeared with feces.

[kevao]

I knew he was a sick man, but not a dead one.

[Miss Marple]

Oh, of course, I am simply a mindless Bush-bot.

My information is taken from articles in The New Criterion and National Review, both of which explained the situation.

I really don't care what you think. I post to explain things to lurkers, so that they get both sides of the story.

[kevao]

What if the President put $18 million in the budget for abortion clinics? Would you be ok with that, too? Can the President do ANYTHING wrong at all in your eyes?

[Miss Marple]

Robert Maplethorpe is dead, and has been for some time. As I said, the focus has been switched from individual grants (see Tha National Review for all the information).

[gooleyman]

Boy, Oh Boy, what ammo is he going to give the third partyers next?

He's making it tougher and tougher to run against the DemocRATS as a fiscal conservative. It's going to be a long hot summer (and fall.)

[Miss Marple]

No, I would not support abortion clinics. Money for Shakespeare productions in small towns is not like funding abortion clinics.

[ovrtaxt]

I never thought Freepers would someday defend the NEA.

I can't bring myself to call you a lib, (unlike what many bushbots have done to me lately), but are you still a conservative? Listen to yourself.

Why are you so afraid to criticise bad policy? Give Bush credit where it's due (and it's considerable), but have the honesty to admit when something is wrong.

[Guillermo]

You are the quintissential Bush-bot. You define the term.

Let's say for instance, that what you say is true.

Why is it necessary then to increase the budget?

Couldn't they do that with already existing funds?

Also, what did you think about them already increasing the projected costs for the Pill Bill from $400 Billion to $520 billion? Is this new entitlement (which will eventually cost 10 times more what they say it will cost) OK in your eyes as well?

[ovrtaxt]

I post to explain things to lurkers, so that they get both sides of the story.

I post to educate lurkers about the virtue of limited government, free markets and national sovereignty. Hopefully, they will come away with a healthy distrust for those who hold power, despite what they say is good for us.