Posted on 02/01/2006 5:02:29 PM PST by SC33
A new online poll of 1,028 conservative activists and donors shows that 77 percent are either seriously disappointed with Republican congressional leaders or want them replaced.
The Jan. 31 survey also found that 54 percent of conservatives feel so abandoned by current congressional leaders and President Bush that they plan to reduce their contributions and/or grass roots work for GOP candidates in the 2006 election. And 70 percent would support a principled conservative challenger running against an established incumbent Republican in a 2006 GOP primary.
The poll, taken just two days before House Republicans vote to choose new leaders, should serve as a wake-up call to GOP officials and President Bush, said Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, which sponsored the survey.
"Conservatives feel betrayed by the Republican leaders, and they want them replaced, said Viguerie, who has been dubbed the "Funding Father of the conservative movement. "Conservatives, which form the GOPs base, provided most of the volunteers and money to elect a Republican-controlled House and Senate and wound up with bigger government as a result. Now more than half of these committed activists say theyll reduce or end their involvement in the 2006 elections which could prove devastating for the GOP.
Asked how they feel about the Republican members of Congress, 48 percent of conservatives report being "disappointed and an additional 32 percent think they "should be replaced.
Asked to grade the GOP-controlled Congress, 73 percent gave it a D or F on "controlling government spending," 73 percent gave it a D or F on "reducing illegal immigration and 54 percent gave it an "overall grade of D or F.
Sixty-three percent gave Bush a D or F on controlling government spending.
Perhaps most troublesome for the GOP, Viguerie pointed out, is how that anger may affect the 2006 mid-term elections: 51 percent of donors said they plan to reduce or end their financial support in 2006.
"This is a recipe for Republicans losing both houses of Congress in 2006. Republican leaders need to comprehend that if they govern as liberals, they will lose the support of conservatives, Viguerie said.
Nooo. That can't be. Why, the Bush administration has been doing an outstanding job ending this problem.
Just make them all legal, and poof!, no more problem.
Good point, stinky. The majority loves illegal immigration, so you can stop worrying.
See RE:#40.
Not according to some "true conservatives".
Conservative critics like the Heritage Foundation's Stuart Butler did not try to hide their disappointment and frustration. Six years into the Reagan presidency, Butler wrote that "the basic structure of the Great Society is still firmly intact .... virtually no program has been eliminated."[xv
Only because there is no lower grade to give them.
No doubt about that one :D
Yes thinking about it makes me feel so warm inside! :)
Now I only wish I hadn't been so tired that I made so many spelling and grammatical mistakes that someone might mistake me for a great example of our public schools, lol!
"I want control or our borders, I want less federal government, but I am patient.. The battle is still young... "
I want to agree with you, but, I just can't The Senate is expected to take this issue up very soon, and we could very wind up with another Kennedy amnesty, with McCain leading the charge. This is a crucial time in this debate, and for everyone who truly wants to see some action on this issue, this is the time to apply pressure.
The McCain/Kennedy amnesty plan would be a disaster. Kyl/Cornyn, though I still have serious doubts about whether it would ever be enforced, is a much, much better option. If President Bush is closer to the Kyl/Cornyn plan than he is the McCain/Kennedy plan, there is hope. Enforcement, however, is the key.
So, I don't necessarily disagree with Stuart Butler, but my points were on different issues.
Reagan did want to abolish the Education Department. The liberal Democrats who controlled the House and thereby, controlled the purse strings during the Reagan years, fought the Gipper tooth and nail on his call to abolish the Education Department. Since taking office, however, PresBush has doubled the budget of the Education Department and even allowed FatTed Kennedy to place his stamp of approval on all that new education stuff the Feds are now pushing.
Btw, Stuart Butler was the creator of "enterprise zones". Something Jack Kemp pushed for during the Reagan years. Butler, Kemp and Reagan. Three smart conservatives.
I agree pressure should be applied... McCain/Kennedy shudder.. would be the wrong action.. I believe no one issue can control how we view our relationship with our party.. The pressure is building in this country.. We should support strong conservatives. State governments, Local Governments/Sheriffs Offices, and Judiciary will play an intergral part solving the problem.. As always the Federal Servants of the people will be the last to arrive!
That is awefully arrogant of you to think that conservatives alone elected Bush. Fact is the red states were red, the blue states were blue and the battle was won and lost in about 10 swing states. Basically, whoever won two out of three (florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania) won the election in 2000 and 2004.
Awefully arrogant of you to think it is your party and that they should do as you want.
BINGO, all conservatives should vote for the conservative in the primary. In the general election, it is their obligation to vote for the more conservative of the two running and that is almost always the republican.
For some reason, these people think that losing to a liberal is a better idea than winning with a moderate or even winning with pretty conservative candidate who does not follow every hot button issue they care about.
My reaction is that these people are MOONBATS.
I believe that should read "51 percent of (conservative) donors said they plan to reduce or end their financial support in 2006"
This also means 49 percent of donors will increase or keep the same level of fiscal support.
The moonbats want the republicans to lose to the democrats so "that will show them who is boss"
I say that is insanity.
If you want the country to become more conservative, kick the dems out of office. The moonbats think having dem beat Chaffee is a good idea, while they won't lift a finger to help Swann beat Rendell.
You are way off base calling gore a scumbag. He's a little wobbly in the head, but he is not a scumbag.
You are also off base about the governing comment. R's have cut taxes, a lot. R's are making the judicial branch much more conservative. R's are improving education, the test scores and graduation rates are much much better. R's are holding the line against the gays and kyoto/enviro whackos.
You don't know the Dean, Pelosi, hillary, kennedy, etc. rats very well if you think the r's governed like the d's.
I'm not interested in bashing the R's or giving a wake up call. I want Ehrlich reelected in MD. I want Steele to take Sarbanes seat. I want Swann to kick out Rendell. I want Santorum to keep his seat. I want 60 plus R's in the US senate.
If you replaced every D in the US senate with a Lincoln Chaffee clone (our most liberal senator), the US would be a fabulous place.
The Dems didn't say that; they had no reason to.
If FR had been around back then, there would have been a record of it all, in the archives, but it wasn't. But the same people, who today whinge and whine about President Bush, are the same people ( depending upon their age, of course ), who absolutely were saying the same things about President Reagan.
Just WHAT do you think they were saying, when Reagan gave BLANKET AMNESTY to ALL illegal aliens, when he raised taxes, and on and on?
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