GOP slams Bush policies at retreat

The Washington Times ^ | 2/6/04 | By Ralph Z. Hallow and James G. Lakely

[ovrtaxt]

Growing frustration over President Bush's immigration plan and lack of fiscal discipline came to a head behind closed doors at last weekend's Republican retreat in Philadelphia.

House lawmakers, stunned by the intensity of their constituents' displeasure at some of Mr. Bush's key domestic policies, gave his political strategist Karl Rove an earful behind closed doors.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

No that is a statement of fact. I believe your statement to be a figment of you imagination, and I felt I needed to bring it to your attention. It occurred to me that you may not have read the posts around you. Really, look around.

[sauropod]

Don't bother to reason w/ it. It's not capable of rational argment.

[Texasforever]

No that is a statement of fact. I believe your statement to be a figment of you imagination, and I felt I needed to bring it to your attention. It occurred to me that you may not have read the posts around you. Really, look around

Look around at what? The same damn group of "uber conservatives" that congregate here every night? Get real.

[Texasforever]

Don't bother to reason w/ it. It's not capable of rational argment.

Geeze I am right here.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

"Grow up?"

Sorry, I can not comply.. I am old enough for my comfort.

BTW- your numbers and hyperbole are over the top. I am not sure where you get your data, but it might be in the same place your ideas if how to win a debate are stored... just a friendly mirror for you is all.

[sully777]

bump for the funny pictures of Hillary, great pictures of beer, sabertooth rattling, and voices from the din.

---

Christopher Guest (Mr. Roger's voice): "Can you say, 'Egg McMuffin?' "
Bill Murray (Rock bass player as Roger's neighbor): "Eggamuffin."
Guest: "Do you know what time it is now? It's time for the Magic Kingdom."
Murray: "No no man, it's way too early for that!"

-- The Lemmings "Mr. Robert's Neighborhood"

[sarasmom]

LOL!
It thinks it is the "base"!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

My first time here. Thanks for the Texas welcome.

[Texasforever]

BTW- your numbers and hyperbole are over the top. I am not sure where you get your data, but it might be in the same place your ideas if how to win a debate are stored... just a friendly mirror for you is all.

What hyperbole?

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

It occurred to me that you may not have read the posts around you. Really, look around.

I hate be the one to break it to you, DBR, but even though they may not be vocal on this thread right now, the vast majority of FReepers - including FreeRepublic's owner - are in Tex's camp.

Why would anyone want to interrupt, when it's so much fun to watch him manhandle three or four malcontents at once?

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Oh thanks. Should I post more hillary photos then? I have a really good scary one!

[Texasforever]

My first time here. Thanks for the Texas welcome.

You're welcome.

[Nick Danger]

Now some here would have us believe that by converting FR into an echo chamber of Party loyalists, FR would be more Supportive of the President.

I would expect some people to say that, and I would expect other people to tell them to pound sand. It will always be thus. I figure the optimum strategy is to howl like a banshee about all the things I don't like, right up until election day. And then vote for Bush anyway. But I wouldn't want him to know I'm going to do that. If he doesn't worry that I might stay home, he has no reason to listen to my howling.

But to be effective, my howling has to be about something that might conceivably be a widely-shared concern. If my issue is abolishing paper money and returning to gold and silver coins, it almost doesn't matter what I do because it's such a fringe issue.

Now I'm told that this concern about the immigration proposal is widely shared, as opposed to being narrowly shared among some especially loud people. I don't know. Here's what I don't believe: I don't believe that this White House didn't do serious polling on the subject before unveiling this proposal. All these experts on this thread who tell us that the White House has no idea how the voters feel about this are, IMHO, unlikely to be correct. That a self-selected sample of people who are especially hot about the issue are making noise on talk radio, or are bombarding the CongressCritters, is not the same thing as "how will this affect votes in the election?" As the Deaniac said, "Fervor Isn’t Votes ."

let's not become an Echo Chamber for any one strain of thought. Let's not even desire it.

That's not a risk I worry about. It is true that Jim has a lower tolerance for the Art Bell wing of conservative thought than he once did, but one can certainly wander two or three standard deviations away from the mean without getting nuked.

[Texasforever]

Now, now in the great tradition of special Olympics, everyone is a winner.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I don't think the majority of freepers and and FR owner want to run off those of us who were thinking of third party but have changed our minds. Why have a debate then? There are votes out there to get, Tex is not going to capture any of them with the attitude that he/she doesn't care and it doesn't matter anyway, I can tell you that for sure.

He/she has run off two of them that I know of,already and they had a perfect opportunity to join in instead of feel alienated. So instead of "making friends" having fun and being part of the group, they have left disheartened.

Of course you my know the owners better than I do. I don't know the at all but that seems curious to me.

[Texasforever]

Well we all know that Bush won in a landslide because of all of you "broken glass Republicans" that will not repeat that mistake this year. The same with President Dole and with the second term of Bush the first.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I think you have to grant an exemption to the Lose One for the Gipper™ crowd.

[Texasforever]

He/she has run off two of them that I know of,already

Oh BS.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I didn't say anything about anyone "running" anyone else "off". You said people here don't agree with Tex. You're wrong about that.

I don't personally know Jim Robinson, the owner of this forum - but I know that he is supporting President Bush for re-election, and has publicly stated that he will not allow FreeRepublic to be used by those who seek to promote Bush's defeat in November.