Conservatives remain loyal to Bush but question depth of his conservatism

Las Vegas Sun ^ | February.11, 2006 | WILL LESTER

[Reagan Man]

>>>>Pence, Keene and Bozell-- three phonies who NEVER did a damn thing for the conservative movement!!!

This is a riot!

Let's not forget the other phonies showing up for the annual CPAC meeting. VP Cheney, Phyllis Schlafly, Sen Rick Santorum, Cong Tom Tancredo, Oliver North and Sam Johnson and Sen John Cornyn of Texas.

"More: Speaker Dennis Hastert - Senator George Allen - U.N. Ambassador John Bolton - Senator Mitch McConnell - Texas Governor Rick Perry - Newt Gingrich - Ann Coulter - Ken Mehlman - Wayne LaPierre - Bob Novak - Grover Norquist - Congressman Mike Pence - and many more!"

[Stellar Dendrite]

LOL!!

[Nova442]

I think cutting discretionary spending as proposed is a baby step. That's something that has to happen year-over-year to get back to a sane level. The real meat is finding ways to cut entitlements which are much harder to change like the failed Social Security plan.

Bush has been a problem on illegal immigration and on not being tough enough on spending, but saying he's not conservative I think is a bit of an exaggeration.

[TheForceOfOne]

Terrorism is the GOP's central organizing issue. This is President Bush's strongest point. It will be the biggest issue in the next election. Spending is secondary to the WOT.

[jaime1959]

This article should have appeared in the journal "Duh." Bush is not a conservative. He was simply more conservative than either Gore or Kerry.

[AlexandriaDuke]

the public thinks W is a conservative

The public thought Ross Perot was conservative!

Nobody over 40 at CPAC ever thought any Bush was conservative. They're walking on eggshells with these quotes because they want to continue to tug on the skirts of power.

[Howlin]

It's Howlin the plagiarist

It's ReaganMan acting like a liberal again. You think if you say that enough it will be true, when the fact of the matter is that if you consider me a plagiarist, then you proved yourself to be one, too. You did the exact same thing I did, only your post was LONGER and wasn't credited either. Live with it.

But keep it up the rants; it just makes you look ignorant and petty; I like it when that happens.

[Pharmboy]

Several on this thread called this article "whiny." I disagree--it merely states the facts. Dubya is a good and decent man...an honest man and a good Christian. He is well liked by many (like me) who call themselves conservatives. With that said, he does illustrate the bumper sticker: "I vote Republican to stop the Democrats."

We need another Reagan. Is Senator George Allen the one to do it?

[carenot]

The usual blackmail.

I ain't blacmailin' anybody. I never voted for President Bush.
He has done just what I thought he would.

Most other Republicans are just like he is.

[brainstem223]

When he increases spending for something altogether reprehensibel like the National Endowment for the Arts, which funds garbage like the dunked in urine crucifix, it is obvious that there is no regard for fiscal conservatism or shrinking the size of government...the bushbots have been sold a bill-of-goods.

[FreeReign]

"What conservatives have realized during the last five years is that we have not elected a conservative president," said Bill Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union.

Bush campaigned for a big-government Prescription Drug plan. We got a big-government PD plan.

I like Bill Lauderback, but can he homestly tell me that we have learned about the PD only after Bush was elected?

[ex-snook]

Nah. Can't vote for 3rd parties. I gave up on that. The idea is to vote for the opposite party so that some bills will be vetoed.

[Howlin]

Enjoy your irrelevancy.

[AlexandriaDuke]

Incidentally, most of Latin America is going communist on Bush's watch.

[FreeReign]

I'm curious. How much did discretionary spending increase during Reagan's tenure over the first five years versus how much it has increased under Bush. And we all saw how Reagan's amnesty was one of the worst failures of his term. How has Bush done better than Reagan at addressing illegal immigration? One can still support Bush over the Democrats while still questioning the specifics of Bush's agenda. Those who wish that it be all or nothing offer nothing.

Good post.

And of course Reagan was worse than Bush on illegal immigration and spending under Reagan relative to GDP was equivalent to what we have today.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>Never before has a basically good man been hated so univerally by both sides.

I suggest you read the article and get informed about what the ACU and CPAC are all about. Free Republic is a supporter of the ACU, CPAC and the Young Americans Foundation. No doubt about it, PresBush is a good man. But reverting to rhetorical fallacies won't solve the problems in WashDC. Conservatives don't hate Bush. They're holding him and the GOP Congress accountable for five years of liberal spending, expansion of the bureaucracy and opposition to immigration reform. Simple stuff.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

The public is not as far from the Reagan mindset as you seem to think. Remember, "the Senate won't confirm a truely conservative judge for the Supreme Court." Only they DID!!!!

I would like you to define "right wing extremist" please. Do you mean someone who is pro-life? Someone who is pro NORMAL marriage? Someone who won't spend money like it grows on trees? What exactly is this awful extremist you are talking about? hmmm?

[Nova442]

You're quibbling over small potatos brainstem. A few million dollars to the NEA or AIDS prevention/treatment in Africa is nothing compared to the billions in cuts to discretionary spending that are on the table. Think of those the way a business thinks of advertising, money spent for PR purposes. It has very little to do with the size of government.

[ex-snook]

"Spending is secondary to the WOT."

Spending until they were broke is what Reagan got the late Russia to do.

[johnny7]

Just who I want giving me the pulse of conservatives... Will Lester.