Hard Core Republicans Are Fleeing President

The Washington Post ^ | May 11, 2006 | JIm VandeHei and Peter Baker

[Dems_R_Losers]

Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data.

Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy.

The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13-percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and an abandonment of core conservative principles more generally.

There are also significant pockets of conservatives turning on Bush and Congress over the their failure to tighten immigration laws, restrict gay marriage and to put an end to the Iraq war and the rash of political scandals, according to lawmakers and pollsters.

Bush won two presidential elections by pursuing a political and governing model that was predicated on winning and sustaining the loyal backing of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives. The strategy was based on the belief that conservatives, who are often more politically active than the general public, could be inspired to vote in larger numbers and would serve as a reliable foundation for his presidency. The theory, as explained by Bush strategists, is that the president would enjoy a floor below which his support would never fall.

It is now apparent that this floor has weakened dramatically and collapsed in places.

[PRND21]

It is you who desires to have the law distinguish between persons.

False. Sigh.

I am on the side of enforcing the laws...

So why the Tancredo worship?

Last month, after the Post wrote about a young illegal immigrant's struggle to pay for college, Tancredo reported the teen and his family to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

On Thursday, Tancredo said that when the remodeling was done last fall, he never asked about the workers' immigration status.

Even if the workers were in the country illegally, "what is my responsibility at this point in time?" Tancredo said in a telephone interview from Washington. "I go to dinner at restaurants and probably have come into contact with people who are here illegally. I do not ask, of course. It is actually illegal and you can be sued."

[Texasforever]

It seems you mocking it to me!

Oh for crying out loud.

[restornu]

Some years we get to vote for what we want!

Some years it is the lesser of two evils!

[restornu]

dont just get mad tell me what you mean by donner party and I will go away!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Which would seem to imply that you believe the President has been absolutely exemplary on illegal alien intrusion.

Nope, that's what you're implying, not me.

[Texasforever]

Some years it is the lesser of two evils!

That has to be in the top 2 of inane cliches, right along with "it is not a matter of if but when",. I have heard the "lesser of 2 evils" in every election over my 60+ years lifespan. Vote your concience or don't vote at all. When it comes to politics one man's evil is another man's Saviour.

[sinkspur]

Last month, after the Post wrote about a young illegal immigrant's struggle to pay for college, Tancredo reported the teen and his family to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Tom has the milk of human kindness flowing through his veins, doesn't he?

What a creep.

[Texasforever]

dont just get mad tell me what you mean by donner party and I will go away!

It means those that eat their own in politics. It is in reference to those that claim to be conservatives but vote on FR to let liberals take over the country. It is no more sinister than that.

[nicmarlo]

Not false. You have done nothing but champion an absurd line of questioning, as if that would or should invalidate the immigration law. Worship Trancredo? Another lie. It was not I who brought up Tancredo. Dane did and then you. Why? Because, you seek to justify lawbreaking by making this about Tom Tancredo.

I will continue to state: it's NOT about Tom Tancredo, or you or your friends. It's about existing LAW and enforcing LAW. As it is written, those who break it commit felonies. I could care less what Tom Tancredo says or does, the law does not change according to Tom Tancredo's words or deeds or my support or lack thereof.

It's quite simple: the law does not become void because x, y, or z individuals and companies break it. If that were the case, then all laws are meaningless (as they are all broken daily); and if all laws are void and should not be enforced because too many people break them, there would be not need to have police, judges, juries, or legal system.

[restornu]

I voted for who I wanted when I voted for Reagan and GWB, not so sure what is in the future but no vote for Dems!

Just by using such a poor choice, a tragedy will not bring us a blessing to have to vote for...

Think about it!

[Oliver Optic]

Well, how about that ... I never knew what the Donner party reference meant.

I assumed it was a political party in Nazi Germany or something.

And I consider myself fairly well informed ... or I used to. LOL

[restornu]

thank you for answering!

I would perfer "Guinea Pig" for the males eat their own!

[PRND21]

You have done nothing but champion an absurd line of questioning

While you have done nothing but blindly follow. Typical.

[woofie]

How about Donner Guinea Pig Party?

[nicmarlo]

While you have done nothing but blindly follow. Typical.

Yep, I follow laws and support their being followed. I do not support breaking laws or encourage others to do so. What I do encourage is for those who disagree with a law, to write/elect representatives and senators who will work change those laws.

[restornu]

I really fine you adhoren to kid about such things you have a heart of Dick Durbin!

[woofie]

Now that hurts

[RegulatorCountry]

"I really fine you adhoren to kid about such things you have a heart of Dick Durbin!"

Seriously, what is your first languge, German? That you're upset and don't like Dick Durbin is clear, but I honestly can't make heads or tails out of the rest of the sentence. "Adhoren" is German, so that's why I ask.

[woofie]

Thanks I was afraid to ask

[Spiff]

Why don't you and your fellow Tancredo haters get with the Democrats who also hate Republican Conservative Tom Tancredo almost as much as you, and see if you can shop around for a grand jury that will indict him on those charges ala Tom Delay? That would be constructive and certainly would demonstrate your support for Conservative Republicans in Congress. I can assure you that you will fail because if there had been an actual crime committed, or even if a liberal thought he could prosecute Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo on that charge and make a grand jury believe for a second that a crime was committed, they would have done it already. Certainly his Democrat opponent, who brought the issue up just like you have to attack Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo, would have ensured that the charges were filed, the grand jury convened, and Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo indicted ala Tom Delay.

So, you all keep bringing this stuff up like it means something in your little Tancredo Trashfests. Meanwhile, 89 other Conservative Republican Congressmen have joined Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo's Immigration Reform Caucus and support his efforts. When you smear the Conservative Republican Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus and the leader of the immigration reform movement in Congress, you also smear the nearly 40% of Republicans in the House who have signed up as members of that caucus.

Finally, Jim Robinson has made it clear that we MUST work to assure the election of conservative Republicans to Congress and that anything openly counter to that effort is not going to be tolerated on FR. When you attack and smear Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo, using the very same attacks that his Democrat opponent did, you're clearly working to defeat a Conservative Republican and elect a Democrat to fill a House seat. You and the other Tancredo Trashing haters may want to consider that as you use every opportunity available to you to trash Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo. Yesterday, one of you Tancredo Trashers actually delighted in the idea of Conservative Republican Tom Tancredo dying a gruesome death. Disgusting.