Posted on 02/11/2006 12:49:16 PM PST by Reagan Man
Hardline conservatives, among President Bush's staunchest supporters, question whether he is conservative enough when it comes to government spending and growth, leaders of the movement say.
"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. "Nor do we have a conservative majority in either the House or Senate."
Conservatives gathered at a Washington hotel this weekend for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, where they assess the status of their movement and what they think of government policies. President Reagan remains the champion of low-tax, small-government supporters even after Bush's re-election and the dominance of GOP lawmakers.
They are quite unhappy with Bush administration initiatives - for example, the multibillion-dollar prescription drug program and the No Child Left Behind education law - and special spending projects from Congress that have ballooned the cost and scope of the federal government.
"We are in danger of becoming the party of big government," said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
Pence said he and his allies in Congress plan to make sure that trend is reversed.
"The era of big Republican government is over," Pence said, adding the word "Republican" to the memorable phrase used by President Clinton in his 1996 State of the Union address.
Many conference participants feel that limited government overrides all other issues such as gun rights, pro-life policies and conservative judges. Yet, despite their unhappiness, Bush remains popular with this group, especially for his court appointments and handling of terrorism.
"They like Bush," said David Keene, chairman of the ACU, which runs the conference. "But they are frustrated and disappointed with some things the administration has done. And the frustration is deep because government spending and growth of government are at the core of beliefs of many people here."
Keene said conservatives are starting to look ahead at future leaders, accepting that they've gotten some of what they want from Bush.
Some at the conservatives' conference measure the success of the Bush administration purely on their own specific issues. As National Rifle Association President Sandra Froman put it, "At the NRA, we're at the height of our power right now."
The campaign against terror has become the glue that binds the conservative movement, said Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog group.
"If the fight against terror weren't part of the political equation, the focus would be on economic policy and if the focus were on economic policy, there would be an upheaval," Bozell said.
"We're ready for a candidate to assume the Reagan mantle," he said. "Bush has done an extraordinary job on the war on terror. But on economic policy, he fiddles while Rome burns."
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!"
LOL!!
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.
This article should have appeared in the journal "Duh." Bush is not a conservative. He was simply more conservative than either Gore or Kerry.
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.
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.
We need another Reagan. Is Senator George Allen the one to do it?
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.
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?
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.
Enjoy your irrelevancy.
Incidentally, most of Latin America is going communist on Bush's watch.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Spending until they were broke is what Reagan got the late Russia to do.
Just who I want giving me the pulse of conservatives... Will Lester.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.