John Fund: Miers has History of Starting Conservative, Drifting Left

OpinionJournal ^ | 1/10/05 | John Fund

[Jacksonville Patriot]

JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL

Miers Remorse Conservatives are right to be skeptical.

The scantiness of her philosophical record has led reporters to focus on the two years of her career where she had to take stands: her one term as a member of the Dallas City Council during 1990 and 1991. There she established a record as an advocate of good government, increased funding for the arts, and building a light-rail system. Her one moment of high drama came when she quieted an angry crowd alleging police brutality. She apologized to the protesters on behalf of the city and called the behavior of the officers "unprovoked and inexcusable."

Sharon Boyd, a longtime friend and GOP activist, calls Ms. Miers's record on the council "very conservative." Yet when pressed for examples, she could only offer Ms. Miers's opposition to civil unions for gays and support for a constitutional amendment against flag burning.

On other issues, Ms. Miers's record is one of initially supporting a conservative position and then abandoning it.

Ms. Miers was originally part of a council majority that urged Congress to repeal the Wright Amendment, a law that restricts flights from Dallas Love Field. Southwest Airlines and free-market advocates had long attacked the restriction as favoritism toward American Airlines, which has a hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International. Ms. Miers reversed her position after 10 months.

Finally, a 1990 budget crunch forced the Dallas City Council to consider a property tax increase. Ms. Miers cast the deciding vote. Mr. Bartos, who had proposed an alternate plan for 5% across-the-board spending cuts on all departments except the police, was bitter that almost all of the proposed $900,000 budget increase was slated for library and arts funding rather than public safety.

[Jacksonville Patriot]

Due to OpinionJournal policy, I had to severely excerpt--this article is well worth reading in its entirety.

[ken5050]

Good read..thanks for posting...Fund is evolving daily against Miers...in print and on the tube...and he usually is a good indicator of the current thought inside the GOp leadership..

[martin_fierro]

Let's not get into Fund's history.

[tom paine 2]

Anybody that supports these light rail projects is a liberal through and through.

[Pessimist]

"Let's not get into Fund's history"

Why? What is his history?

[Betaille]

"Let's not get into Fund's history."

LoL! You're faced with a silver-bullet against Miers, and you go right back to ad-hominem attacks.

[thoughtomator]

We're not supposed to get into it, we're just supposed to say "Ohhh... Two Fund Bad For Miers Good"

[Petronski]

There she established a record as an advocate of good government, increased funding for the arts, and building a light-rail system.

Hmmmm, let's try that again, Mr. Fund:

There she established a record as an advocate of good government, even though she did increase funding for the arts and build a light-rail system.

Much better.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

John Fund started his career as a reasoned writer, but has now drifted off into rat tactics. ie: Destroying Miers character before she has her hearing.

[Mulch]

My only regret with Miers is I wish she was older. Like 20 years older.

[John Robertson]

"There she established a record as an advocate of good government, even though she did increase funding for the arts and build a light-rail system."

Whenever I hear increase funding for the arts and build a light-rail system...I KNOW I am not hearing about a conservative.

[Owen]

What has any of this to do with strict constructionism?

[drjimmy]

Wow. Fund scoffs that a Miers supporter can only give two examples of how she voted "very conservative," yet Fund offers only three examples of how Miers supposedly "drifted left."

[NavySEAL F-16]

Her stand on the Wright Amendment does it for me. I guess she doesn't need experts in the field to dispute her claims.

That's the mark of a liberal -- going by their "feelings" and not facts.

[LS]

Ken, I think Fund has a vendetta against this woman. It's very puzzling. I don't think he's an honest broker, but don't know why.

[Jacksonville Patriot]

Because she's such a stealth candidate, one has to comb over whatever public record she has, and I have to agree that light-rail and increased arts funding support doesn't sound like strong conservativism.

[counterpunch]

What's sitting on Bush's desk in the Oval Office right now:

Things To Do
    Withdraw Miers nomination
    Nominate Janice Rogers Brown
    Fire Andy Card

[browardchad]

Let's not get into Fund's history.

I'm not sure spcifically what you're referring to, but at least Fund has a history.

With Miers, we're virtually reduced to reading tea leaves, reading interviews with friends, and trying to decipher the meaning of a thin gruel of facts -- and it's not by accident.

when the Dallas Morning News once asked Ms. Miers to finish the sentence, "Behind my back, people say . . .," she responded, ". . . they can't figure me out."

Any of the several people who've taken issue with the term "stealth candidate" may have a hard time honestly reconciling that quote from the nominee herself.

[Torie]

I don't think her policy positions are a very good indicator of how she will land on the controversial Consitutional issues of the day, particulary on Love Field and budget matters, which seem rather far afield.

[Panerai]

"has now drifted off into rat tactics. ie: Destroying Miers character before she has her hearing"

..... or the other RAT tactics of calling anyone names who subject or opose the Miers appointment, ex. Coulter, Rush, Maklin, etc., etc., etc.