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.

[Owen]

Foolishness. You solve problems from within. Not from the outside looking in at socialist French apologists.

"I support the rightmost candidate who is viable." WF Buckley

[Dane]

Go ahead with the rest of the lemmings and rush of the cliff. Go ahead with the rest of the lemmings and rush of the cliff. I'll vote Conservate or Libertarian

Sorry I am not one of those "true conservative" lemmings who helps the demos. You are, IMO.

[veronica]

I am the Conservative base and I won't stand by and be part of Kerry becoming POTUS. You apparently will.

[Spiff]

Anyone in the GOP who turns on Bush and makes life easier for Kerry is a traitor IMO. Lives hang in the balance here, as well the future of America. The stakes are huge and I have no use for idiot turncoats.

Wow! Only 13 posts until someone said that conservatives who don't vote for Bush are "traitors"! I'm certain you've broken a record.

[Swanks]

You all continue to think that by writing a few comments at FR will solve Bush's 'base' problem. So you go to bed a t night thinking: There. We fixed that. A few pi**ed conservative voiced their anger but we countered the comments, and all's right with the world.

Forget it. Remember Algore almost won WITH the Green party siphoning off MORE than enough votes to win in 200. That variable is gone this cycle. Plus, the Rat base is energized; they HATE Bush. Much of the Pub base will hold-their-nose and vote Bush or stay home.

Continue to think your can right the ship with comments on FR. Ain't gonna work. What will work is Rove better get religion and real fast or the planets align for a Kerry win in the Fall.

[Swanks]

I am the Conservative base and I won't stand by and be part of Kerry becoming POTUS. You apparently will.

And you are perfectly willing to be used, cycle after cycle; propping up these Rinos who turn around and ignore the base that keeps them in office.

Father-Rino-Bush gave us David Suter. Even a real President got us O'Conner. I wil not be part of supporting Bush who is positioned to give us as worse as Kerry's picks.

The Pubs own the House, Senate and WH and have disgraced themselves these four years. Bring on gridlock and let 'em play defense for a while. Thats what they deserve.

[snooker]

I think the pills for grandma is a good idea actually. I have relatives which can't afford the drugs they need. But the answer is to allow for re-importation. It is unreasonable for US citizens to have to pay $5 a pop when the exact same drug is sold to socialist countries for much less. A perfect example is Prilosec. It used to cost $5 each, now it is $0.46. Manufacturing costs are probably much less.

The immigration program is much more complex. The illegals are here, you just can't make them disappear. Maybe something along the lines of what Schwarzenegger is proposing. Register, go through the background check get a work permit or get caught and get deported and banned for life. But it is complex since we have let it go on for so long with no action.

[RockyMtnMan]

The RNC is getting frantic with their donation solicitations and I even got a call last night! I told the guy I'm withholding my vote until Bush panders to me. I also told him if the tent gets to big I won't be in it.

Nothing will dissapoint me more than Bush losing the election, but if he loses it will be because he failed to "energize" his base.

The Dims are energized because they hate the president not because they love their candidate. What a sad state our two party system has achieved.

[Prolifeconservative]

GOP INFIGHTING FILLS OUR ENEMIES WITH JOY
by: JAMES LILEKS Newhouse News Service


I encourage everyone to read the above article. I was going to provide a link for everyone but was unable to find the article at Newhouse for some reason. Search your papers for this most excellent article. Lileks put this whole thing into proper context. And, the end of the article will provide a nice warm belly laugh.

GO CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[baseballmom]

In what I would consider normal times, it might be OK to "teach the Rino's a lesson" by witholding one's vote, or voting for the opposition.

These are not normal times and I'm not ever going to take that chance. We've heard from the dems for a year what their solution would be to the war on terror, and domestic policy. There is a huge difference.

I don't agree with GW on several things, but I will not put my family's safety in the hands of the UN. The war on terror, and the safety of my family are my #1 issue. Selfish maybe, but there it is.

[Dominic Harr]

I told the guy I'm withholding my vote until Bush panders to me.

I've never understood the thinking of the 'party faithful'.

The only real power is in being an independent. Then both sides have to compete for your vote.

The problem is, to too many people, this is all just a 'team sport'. To many people, the only thing that really matters is that their chosen team "wins" at all costs, regardless of actual outcome.

I'm an independent voter, and neither of the big 2 parties has done anything to 'win' my vote. So I'll likely write someone local in that I think would do a great job.

Is that "throwing away my vote"? Hmmm . . . is Bush likely to win or lose by my one vote? No. So in reality, my single vote will not "count", anyway.

So I will vote independently, for an individual, as an individual.

You know, the American way.

[sasafras]

Dane - you probably live in Wisconsin where illegal immigrants from Mexico havent impacted you yet. Just wait senioriz you will soon see what it is like to live in America and have to speak spanish to get a hamburger or a gallon of milk. Your kids will be put in classrooms where they will learn spanish as well as english and Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with more prominance than the fourth of July. Its coming your way buddy and you better get ready. How do I know - I live in Arizona where this has already happened. Maybe its time for you to wake up.

[Swanks]

I told the guy I'm withholding my vote until Bush panders to me..What a sad state our two party system has achieved

Excellent comeback. I too am out-of-gas on the 'vote for us, send us funding so we can ignore you and be Rino's for 4 years.

On your second comment; I really like Bortz' idea: hit singles and doubles, over time getting 10-12 House of Reps OTHER party in Congress. Now theres an idea. Have a block that has to be dealt with, instead of the "two party" cartel we have today.

[Stu Cohen]

>" Bush has some things to iron with his fellow conservatives on his immigration plan. "

Bush is NO conservative .

Agreed.

[grania]

"There is frustration among some conservatives, but mostly it is focused in the think tanks here," says Ed Gillespie, the Republican Party chairman. "I'm keeping my ear to the ground. But I do not believe we're at a point where concern translates into turnout problems."

Chairman Gillespie stated something very troubling here. He only cares about the conservatives if he is afraid that there are "turnout problems"? That's all we are to him?....a commodity that he has to be sure will show up on election day?

Ohmygosh...what a dumb thing to say.

[Xenalyte]

Bush Finds Party Faithful In an Ugly Mood

Yeah, watching our leader sell out to the Democrats kinda does that to us.

[Stu Cohen]

From an ultra conservative that is 100% behind President Bush's foreign policy: IF I VOTE, I will have to hold my nose and pull the Bush lever. His domestic policies suck, to put it mildly. How a "conservative" can do all of the idiotic things that Bush is doing is beyond my comprehension, i.e. Budget busting, CFR, Kennedy's Education crap, BENDING OVER AND GRABBING HIS ANKLES FOR ILLEGALimmigrants and on and on and on. What part of illegal doesn't he understand?

Can anyone explain this idiocy?

Yes, I believe I can explain it.

The Bush camp believes that all conservatives will do exactly as you will. Hold their nose and pull the lever. A vote if a vote is a vote ... whether enthusiastic or not.

And, he may also pick up a couple of percentage points of the hispanic votes on top of it.

Thus, they feel it will result in a net increase in his amount of votes.

I mean, what are you going to do? Vote for a third party? Pull the lever for Kerry?

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.

Hope this helps.

[Little Ray]

Battered Conservative Syndrome bump.

[Stu Cohen]

You guys really have to get over your fear and hyperbole.

Come to LA and just try to strike up a conversation with a random person on the corner without your Spanish Dictionary.

The bus drivers make announcements 100% in Spanish, and the few English speaking riders are left to wonder what in the heck is going on. Ask the driver ... he doesn't understand you.

Call a LA city service office, and the default language is Spanish. You have to press something to get English. Better do it fast, because if you are slow on that key, you are Spanish the whole wat and have to call back.

More Mexican flags than American flags. By far.

Hyperbole?

My friend, it is reality everywhere in Los Angeles, east of Western Ave.

[TXBSAFH]

That is exactly how many think of us.