IOW, how could we fool them again?
Fred, get out of the business. You no longer know what the hell you are talking about. Evidence in point....
1) Republicans aren't disheartened by Iraq.
2) Republicans aren't disheartened by gas prices.
Scratch that. BASE Republicans aren't. You and your inner bubble might be.
3) i am not a republican!!! Republicans always turn out! It's CONSERVATIVES that sit at home! Stop lacing this damn column with the arrogant premise you are addressing endowed REPUBLICANS. I'm not yours.
4) Your strategy is to come up with a good campaign slogan and simulataneously SCARE people to the polls? You are a real piece of work aren't you Fred. You really don't get it. Conservatives need to be inspired, sure, but they aren't going to get there by being fed jargon that doesn't actulaize after we send people to Washington. campaign slogans don't work now. Republicans are the majority. they've spent most of their time letting McCain, someone that admits he's no conservative, run their chambers. Do you see the correlation between McCain's ascendancy of power and the decline of popularity of the Republican party? Now we want action because we don't trust they aren't blowing smoke. been burned too many times.
"So at the top of his list is passage of a federal budget with at least minimal restraints on spending. Before the Easter recess, the House failed to pass one. Since spending curbs are important to conservatives, they'd better pass a budget soon."
Yes, and the cut of the rate of growth in the last budget being such a struggle I have dim hopes this will happen.
"Republicans also need to stress the "culture of life" by noisily opposing abortion, cloning, and expanded federal subsidies for embryonic stem cell research."
Tell that to Senator Frist, who joined with Specter and what they claimed would be a 2/3rd majority of the Senate that would fund embryonic research if the President VETO'd.
"And they should push to make the Bush tax cuts permanent"
brilliant idea, never would have thought of that.
"and propose serious health care legislation."
I'd rather they didn't. We all know what would happen. We'd get Hillarycare if they do.
I notice you conveniently leave off immigration Fred? Such as NOT passing amnesty? Border security? Filibustered judges still held up? ANWR?
Healthcare won't energize the base. Spending cuts will be minimal if they even happen. Tax cuts we EXPECT at least to happen, the fact they haven't produces an "About time effect".
No, if Republicans want to energize the base they have a few choices. ANWR passage. Fence. Nuke the filibuster. Jail some treasonous scum even if they turn out to be U.S. Senators (Rockefellar and Durbin). Any of these will cheer us up. Spending would only work if it was substantial and more than a cut in the rate of growth.
This is going to sound defeatist, but moving Rove to full time political duties might have made a difference six months ago, after the disaster of Social Security reform and Katrina. But now I fear that there is little time for it to make a difference.
"Should a large number of Republican voters sit this one out, Republicans could lose control of one or both houses of Congress. "
"First, Rove's magic won't affect the biggest issues dogging the Bush presidency and causing Republicans to be disheartened: Iraq and rising gas prices."
STOP THE INSANITY!
If Fred Barnes thinks the biggest issues dogging the Bush presidency are Iraq and rising gas prices, then he's out of his mind too!
If the Republicans lose of one or both houses of Congress they EARNED IT!
You want the faithful at the polls?
Close the border. Punish those who hire illegals.
And try and convict those engaged in SEDITION!
(For the 1-nut republicans like McCain, that means punish Berger, McCarthy, Rockefeller, Durbin and any other dustbag!)
Fred and Rove are out to lunch these days.
Cater to yer base doofusses
bump for tomorrow
It makes me cringe to say this (after being such a Bush enthusiast for so many years), but if the Pres keeps pushing this blasted amnesty notion of his, I don't think I'll really give a damn about his political fate following the mid-terms.
The Bush administration seems doggedly determined to stick with their current immigration policy and they will pay a huge price in November that may end with the Presidnt's impeachment.
Furthermore, they had better understand conservatives are not as easily manipulated as they once were.
Fred, you Washington guys keep missing the point.
We the base (mostly me) are upset with immigration, border security and the lack of our representatives to push through an energy bill that would take down these gas prices.
Why aren't we drilling in ANWAR and on the Florida and California coasts.
I am tired of the run a way spending for pet congress critters projects..
I am tired of every time a new bill is proposed to do something about spending, the cuts are always where it hurts the little guy the most.
I am sick of all the allegations, counter allegations and leaks from the people who work for MY GOVERNMENT.
I am upset with a lack of strong leadership from top to bottom.
I am sick and tired of Republicans selling out and running from just about every fight involving American traditions.
I'm sick of this thing called conservative compassion.
Compassion for what, people who want to destroy my way of life.
Mr Barnes, I would ask that you not start the engine if you don't plan on putting the car in gear.
Fred misses issue # 1, the bush position on open borders.
I guess the copy he got from the WH left it off.
2. Deport all illegal aliens NOW!
3. Stop Federal Spending NOW!
4. Stop rebuilding New Orleans NOW!
5. Nuke Iran NOW! Nuke Syria NOW! 6. Secure all borders with troops NOW!
7. Find and Kill Bin Laden NOW!
8. Prosecute all CIA Clinton Moles NOW!
9. Stop playing friends with Clintons NOW!
10. Start exploring for new oil deposits in US NOW!
I'll tell you this right now... Unless the party quits turning a blind eye on immigration and on the willful and blantant manipulation of the oil industry the Republicans are going to pay a very very high price in 06.
I'm not the least bit disheartened by either. But the corruption in Congress is out of control. (Look at the new story about Curt Weldon's daughter getting a mega-$$$ job at the European helicopter company he steered the VIP copter contract to. Look at spending, most of which is being done for personal gain by Republicans in congress, and Trent Grifting Lott going, "I'm sick of those so-called porkbusters." Look at the way they're so deep in the tank for big business's craving for slave labor that they won't touch immigration. Look at the judicial nominees that were sold out by Specter and Frist. Look at Bush's first and only legislative priority -- amnesty for criminal aliens. Look at the string of feeble neptoism appointees to security positions -- Julie Myers for Christ's sake. Look at the institutional party smearing Steve Laffey to support the execrable Lincoln Chafee, who inherited his seat and has never measured up to it. Do conservatives owe Republicans anything? About six or seven different screwings, it looks like).
Rove needs to give me one good reason to come to the polls, just one. "Or the Democrats will win" won't cut it. A Democratic House and Senate would be a good thing for the country for the next two years. It would stop the rape of the taxpayers (and their descendants unto the Nth generation) that Frist and Lott are embarked upon. Perhaps Bush would find enough manhood somewhere to veto a spending bill (not something to be depended on, for sure).
Many of us think the Democrats are not trustworthy. But we know from the evidence of the last 12 years that the Republicans are not. The Republicans in Congress are only interested in lining their personal pockets.
Those are the problems, Karl. Those are the reasons why I plan on sitting this one out (and I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets the fundraising letters and the pictures of Bush and Cheney and all that BS in the mail -- and throws it out. I'm sure your fundraising numbers are telling you that tale).
Dude, you had my money. You blew your allowance on Lincoln Chafee. Don't go asking me for any more till you grow up.
Grow up? Yeah. Such as:
So why should I care which party gives the patronage to their unqualified sons and daughters? Or which group of insiders it is selling-off (and selling-out) the country to foreign invaders?
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F