Bush Finds Party Faithful In an Ugly Mood

WSJ ^ | 2/12/04 | JACKIE CALMES

[TomServo]

WASHINGTON -- For all the attention paid to partisanship in this town, the more interesting -- and consequential -- fights here in this election year will pit Republicans against Republicans.

A new level of tension is emerging between President Bush and the congressional Republicans he expects to deliver his election-year agenda. Among the sore points, Mr. Bush's initiative to give legal status to immigrant workers who are here illegally, a bid to attract Latino voters, instead has roiled the party's conservative faithful. Republicans have been put on the defensive over the President's policies on Iraq. And record deficits and spending suddenly have Republicans questioning his fiscal stewardship.

[lilypad]

PISTONS POWERED GA GROWTH IN 2003, THANK TAXES?...
Last year, 1,519 new single-engine piston airplanes were sold in the
U.S., an 11.2 percent jump over the year before, the General Aviation
Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) reported yesterday in its year-end
report. Worldwide, the growth was even stronger, 14 percent over 2002,
or 1,825 new singles. The positive growth, especially in the fourth
quarter, "is an early indicator of a broader turnaround in all segments
of general aviation," GAMA Chairman Clay Jones said yesterday in a news
release. Manufacturers believe a provision in last year's tax bill,
commonly known as "bonus depreciation," stimulated many of last year's
aircraft orders, Jones said. (For more about bonus depreciation, see
yesterday's BusinessAVflash.)

[Dane]

Well, my friend, I live it. And the ratio of them who WANT to assimilate is very low. I have a friend who's mother has been her illegally for 28 years ... and still can't form a sentence in English.

My Grandmother arrived here from modern day Croatia almost a 100 years ago and could hardly speak English when she died. We would go over there on Sundays for dinner and my Grandmother and my Mom would speak Croatian pratically the whole time and my Dad would jokingly say they were talking about him.

I guess my Grandmother to you is just as "evil" as the lady you describe for not knowing the King's English. It has always been that way with immigrants. The people who come over first cling to their native language and then subsequent generations become English only. You may not think so, but I bet you any first generation hispanic immigrant can speak English well. Just like Korean or any other ehnic first generation immigrant.

[riri]

They will ride that horse til it drops dead

If I read one more "Stolen Uranium" or "10kg of Plutonium Seized" headline, I swear I am going to have a stroke.

At the rate I read these headlines, there should be enough nuclear weapons to hand out with the Happy Meals soon.

[BOBWADE]

Not to mention his pushing to extend the stupit assault weopons ban. I may sit out the next election if he doesn't start acting like a Republican again.I have about 4 letters from the Bush campain on my desk. I will not send any more money unless he starts embracing his party.

[BOBWADE]

oops, Typos. I guess I should use spellcheck and not be in such a hurry.

[Luke21]

My top ten issues:

1. death penalty for predators and sociopaths
2. Second Amendment freedom
3. freedom of speech
4. religious freedom
5. patriotism and the protection of our nation
6. tax cuts
7. traditional conservative social issues (opposition to abortion, homosexual domination, feminism, Darwinism, communism in all its forms.
8. retirement protections for a minimal standard of living
9. defunding leftist propaganda vehicles and noxious and wasteful programs like the NEA
10. tort reform and regulatory responsibility

With Bush I get 1, 2, 4,5,6, and 8. With Kerry I get maybe 8. Not much of a call here.

[Dave S]

Someone needs to tell Ed that those think tanks and associations are funded by conservatives

You mean primarily by single issue wackos who dont give a damn about advancing a broad range of issues.

[skinkinthegrass]

No doubt Bush...give him a second term this year.

...sending Ed G./Karl R. to banter w/ us won't do...We must have clear positions/goals, not mealymouthed B.S. from these two mouthpieces...give us something, other than the WOT...its' too late for USSC Justices/Fed. Bench Judges nom....will he "WIMP-OUT" again?...something other than the attitudes of torpid "Blue-blooded/Country-club" RINOs...who wish to go back the wimpy 60s.

[ladyjane]

It's not just California. I was driving recently in New Jersey - in a good section Newark or Patterson or Union City. I stopped at four places to get directions. Not one person spoke English.

[ladyjane]

oops, I meant: in a good section - NOT in Newark or Patterson or Union City

[Ima Lurker]

What a sad state our two party system has achieved.

Boy, that is the truth!

[Ima Lurker]

Did your Grandmother come here legally?

[skinkinthegrass]

Kerry,...the botox gigolo.

LOL! :)

[RockyMtnMan]

You would have thought that winning the WH/Senate/House would have made keeping the party faithful happy a piece of cake. My fear has always been that we would win all the branches and squander the historic opportunity.

[zip]

Heck, GWB could nominate Vicente Fox as his running mate and you'd still have to vote for him ... because you are a Republican, and you have no choice.

That is the way the idiocy is explained.

The tragedy is that you're right. damn, just damn.

[Stu Cohen]

I guess my Grandmother to you is just as "evil" as the lady you describe for not knowing the King's English.

EVIL????

Oh my, who is using hyperbole now?

What does everything have to be so extreme as to be Evil? Was your grandmother the moral equivalent of Adolf Hitler? No. Should she have learned the language of the country she immigrated to? YES.

She was wrong for not learning the language. 100% wrong. Not "evil", but wrong, IMHO. There is a difference. If I moved to Japan, I would learn Japanese as quickly as possible (if not beforehand). If I moved to Mexico, I would learn Spanish. It's just common sense.

[contessa machiaveli]

same here. i receive a call every week from the RNC and a mail solicitation which i promptly throw away. i do tell the callers i can't in good conscience contribute (my dissatisfaction with the immigration and uncontrolled spending).
they're NOT going to wake up, and yes this is going to be a tough election. gore did win the popular vote in 2000. we were energized and bush became president, it's the exact opposite this year.
let's hope nader decides to run....we're going to lose. i won't stay home, the only reason being that the prez is serious about the war on terror and i can't imagine what the dems would do.

[KantianBurke]

1. death penalty for predators and sociopaths

Isn't the death penalty done primarily on a state by state basis with the Fed gov not having any role in their decisions? If so, Bush has zero relevence to that aspect.

2. Second Amendment freedom

What of his support of resigning the AWB?

3. freedom of speech

CFR. Enough said.

5. protection of our nation

And the condition of our southern border on Bush's watch is what exactly?

6. tax cuts

Bush did give us tax cuts. However his massive spending will eventually negate that as our taxes go up to pay for such niceties as granny's pills.

7. traditional conservative social issues (opposition to abortion, homosexual domination, feminism, Darwinism, communism in all its forms.

It took the MA State Supreme Court to focus his attention on the marriage issue just as it took a meeting with the Pope who asked him some pretty uncomfortable questions to move him on the stem cell issue. He gets credit albeit alongside a reputation of limpwristedness.

8. retirement protections for a minimal standard of living

We're still waiting on the specific of his plan for privitizing SS.

9. defunding leftist propaganda vehicles and noxious and wasteful programs like the NEA

You get the memo? Laura's Xmas present came a little late this year regarding the NEA. All paid for by us too!

10. tort reform and regulatory responsibility

All hat and no cattle so far.

[sauropod]

If pills were sold the same price across the board, then the cost of R&D for new medical products would be spread across the board too.

The answer is not Pills for Grandma. The answer is one price for everybody.

[RockyMtnMan]

Witholding my vote to the last possible moment forces the GOP to do one of two things. Change their policy stances to reflect more conservative ideals or spend more money doing damage control by spinning current policy.

It's there choice not mine, but by withholding my vote I can get something. Giving it away gives me a repreive from their mass mailings and no improvement in policy.