Conservatives Disappointed with Bush 'State of the Union' Speech

The National Ledger ^ | 2-2-06 | Robert Novak

[Coastal]

WASHINGTON -- While jumping up on cue to cheer during the speech and delivering rave reviews afterward in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, conservative members of Congress were deeply disappointed by George W. Bush Tuesday night. It was not merely that the president abandoned past domestic goals. He appeared to be moving toward bigger government.

The consensus on the Right was that President Bush's fifth State of the Union Address was his worst. Republican congressmen agreed privately that he was most effective at the beginning with his familiar message of why U.S. forces cannot abandon Iraq. The problem for these lawmakers was the rest of the 51-minute presentation, which was filled with unpleasant surprises.

[Miss Marple]

S9orry I am coming in so late to this thread.

MY suggestion on 501c3 groups is that all donors be made a matter of public record, just like political parties are required to do. Let's see how much Arab oil money funds the Sierra Club. Let's see what wackos give the most money to PETA. How much DNC money has been funneled to MoveOn? Who funds Daily Kos?

I have NO problem with this being applied to all non-profits. If donors want to keep their donations secret, I must assume it is because they are ashamed, and that is not a good enough reason.

501c3 groups have an inordinant amount of power over the public discourse and the passage of legislation, as well as funding many court challenges to development, energy exploration, and governmental policies. I want to know who pays the bills for these groups.

[leadpenny]

Pat Buchanan just came on with Imus.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

501c3 groups have an inordinant amount of power over the public discourse and the passage of legislation, as well as funding many court challenges to development, energy exploration, and governmental policies. I want to know who pays the bills for these groups.

I want these groups to pay the same bills they constantly advocate we pay while exempting themselves.

Completely abolishing the income tax would do that and essentially abolish them as well. But, if we cannot do that, make their own personal vices subject to the same invasive regulations they support via the tax code.

People like Grover Norquist also need to get off of the corporate welfare.

[Element187]

According to FR poll the greatest conservative forum on the planet, 51% rate the President State of the Union Address as excellent, 30% rate it as good, and 9% as fair. I do not see "conservative" disappointment here unless the Buchananites, Constitution party, and libertarians are who Robert Novak is talking about, but those guys are an tiny tiny fringe group and they are " ISOLATIONASITS", of course they will not like it.

not all libertarians are isolationist.. please stop generalizing... i rated the speech as fair.. i wanted to hear tougher words about hamas and iran.. i agree with his new energy initiatives... I would have liked to hear him speak about reducing the size of government.

[jackieaxe]

We don't need one red cent in additional spending, nor do we need a "guest" worker program. We are in debt and we already have H1B and H2B guest worker programs.

We need less laws, less federal programs and less federal government. This speech could have been made by a Democrat from the 80s.

[Alia]

I'm conservative. I wasn't disappointed, whatsoever!

[Cboldt]

"Donner Party" applied to Political Party

In reverse cronological order, and after searching through about 15 California Recall Election threads (I found no "Donner Party" references), here are a few "Donner Party" references applied to political parties. Bill Press has the earliest one ... so far.

---

"The Republican state convention in San Jose is going to be the Donner Party of the 21st century," he said by phone. The anger that conservatives have toward Schwarzenegger will lead many to stay home from the polls in November, Mulholland predicted.

State GOP faithful dismiss rift | By DAVID OLSON / The Press-Enterprise
12:38 AM PST on Sunday, January 29, 2006

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The Donner Party lives.
I have a new personal posting policy. As soon as I see the word "RINO" I quit reading.
Why waste brain cells? There's better stuff out there.

68 posted on 11/13/2005 8:57:43 PM EST by GVnana

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This sucks. I protest. I wanted -MY- pick. Alito is not MY pick. I bet Coulter, Frumm, Krauthammer and all those OTHER Donner Party jerks will agree with ME ME ME!!! I'm going to be in a snit, and will make IRRATIONAL arguments in order to DIVIDE the GOP over this pick. I can't believe GWB would be so divisive to actually pick a MALE for this post.

21 posted on 10/31/2005 6:20:58 AM EST by Cboldt

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9 posted on 10/19/2005 4:29:59 PM PDT by KingKongCobra
(The "Donner Party" can just go eat themselves)

26 posted on 10/01/2005 10:13:59 PM EDT by KingKongCobra
(Trying to save the "Donner Party" from themselves.)

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One thing is true the Republican Party is no longer the Republican party it is fast becoming the Donner party.

18 posted on 09/23/2005 11:32:08 AM EDT by jbwbubba

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Howard Dean is taking over the bloody reigns from Terry McAuliffe, who had a hand in turning the Democrats into politics' answer to the Donner-party crossing.

WorldNetDaily: Are the Democrats passing the torch, or a stone? | February 14, 2005

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But strictly politically speaking, the democrats are in a turnip truck full of trouble because their front-line leaders on the virtual battlefield are the exact types who guided them to the electoral wilderness.

Decentralized and hard to control, these are the leaders of the Donner Party. They will soon be lost and eating one another, many in California, ironically.

1 posted on 11/13/2004 8:04:33 AM PST by Uncledave (A vanity)

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16. A poster on FreeRepublic.com came up with what I thought is a brilliant analogy for the current state of the Democrat Party. He supposes that it is the political equivalent of the Donner Party. Lost in the wilderness and eating its own.
Comment by Neville72 | Email | 11/13/2004

http://polipundit.com/wp-comments-popup.php?p=5256&c=1

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May 18, 2004
Donner Party Platform

Started as a comment to this Corrente post but I started rambling. Tresy's entry is about a David "Babbling" Brooks NYT opinion column in which he compares the Bush Administration's invasion and occupation of Iraq to bold, hopeful but sometimes unlucky American pioneers.

http://www.shystee.com/shysteeblog/archives/000062.html

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October 7th, 2003 - ARNOLD WINS ELECTION

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But if you accidentally happen upon any coverage of the presidential campaign these days, be forewarned. What you see will not be pretty. It's a replay of the Donner Party: Democrats eating each other. And the one they're feasting on most is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

Democrats dumb to dump on party contender Dean
August 27, 2003 | Bill Press
Posted on 08/26/2003 10:35:11 PM PDT by A_Niceguy_in_CA

[deport]

Donner Party...

Donner Party has been used over time to represent even the democrat party I think. I don't remember when it was first used/started.... May have been back in the CA Gov. Race as nopardons says.

I didn't originate the concept but remembered it being used from some other post back when.... but can't tell you when 'back when' was and I'm not going searching for it.... I did use it in the context of the GOP splitting the party during the Miers fiasco but don't claim it to be original to me. I do think it's appropriate at times... so be it.

[Cboldt]

Donner Party...
but can't tell you when 'back when' was and I'm not going searching for it...

See Post 648, just above. Of course there can be "multiple independent authors" of such a short phrase as "Donner Party" and concept of associating that phrase with a political party.

[The Old Hoosier]

Why are you so eager to see people praising Bush? It's not like we have to get him re-elected again.

[Not A Snowbird]

Did they watch the same SOTU I did?

[NormsRevenge]

I have heard 'Donner Party' mentioned occasionally, not very often of late tho. A lot of new words have sprouted on the California threads.


Next time we bag and bbq a moderate troll, we'll invite ya over. bring your own toothpicks tho,, most of us don't have teeth, yaknow.. ;-)

[jveritas]

I think Mr. Novak meant that "well-informed, sophisticated and influential conservatives" disliked Bush's speech. Whether it's popular on FReep or not is, frankly, beside the point, because we are mostly just isolated kibitzers who often don't see anything like the big picture.

What an arrogant elitist person you are. No wonder I always disagreed with you. Now you have revealed your true colors.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>That's right, declare yourself the winner ...

Why not, you've all but declared yourself the loser. Next time I suggest you come to debate armed with the facts. You'd be surprised how well the truth can work to ones advantage. And check your emotions at the door.

[Cboldt]

Donner Party...
I don't remember when it was first used/started.... May have been back in the CA Gov. Race as nopardons says.

The earliest reference I found so far is in exactly that venue.
Seems to be a favorite phrase of one Mr. Mulholland.

Backers of the drive to oust Gov. Gray Davis descended on the state Capitol Saturday for a boisterous celebration, as four potential candidates sought to tie up their support in advance of the Oct. 7 recall election. ...

The state's major Democratic officeholders have closed ranks behind Davis and say they will not run. State Democratic Party spokesman Bob Mulholland, who attended Saturday's rally, said the potential Republican candidates were "in a circle of shotguns."

"This'll be the Donner party of the 21st Century," he predicted.

Recall supporters, potential candidates descend on Sacramento
Potential candidates press flesh at Capitol
By Erica Werner - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday, July 26, 2003

[eskimo]

Why are you so eager to see people praising Bush? It's not like we have to get him re-elected again.

Political celebrity groupies and many other silly political appoligists tend to be irrational and paid propagandists do what they get paid to do.

[Howlin]

Political celebrity groupies and many other silly political appoligists tend to be irrational and paid propagandists do what they get paid to do.

I'm sure it makes you feel all superior to post stuff like that, but it just makes you look petty.

[Mogengator]

Some of upipple would bitch if you were hung with a new rope.

100 feet of brand new one inch Manila hemp, and you still wouldn't be satisfied.

[Tarpon]

That's funny.

I thought the speech was OK, not great. But it got the job done.