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Hard Core Republicans Are Fleeing President
The Washington Post ^ | May 11, 2006 | JIm VandeHei and Peter Baker

Posted on 05/10/2006 7:15:13 PM PDT by 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: adolescents; borderlist; bush; bushbots; conservatives; gopcheerleader; sickofrinos; wetoleratenodissent
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To: luvbach1
Uncontrolled illegal immigration is not just one issue. It impacts so much. If not checked long-term it will utterly change this nation into another version of Mexico. Then where will Mexico's poor go?

Bashing Bush over this is indeed single-issue. There is a lot more shyte going on than this right now. What I don't get are those alleged conservatives and/or Republicans who are talking about "teaching the GOP a lesson" by burning the whole house down by effectively electing Rats.

401 posted on 05/10/2006 8:51:08 PM PDT by KJC1 (A 3 strikes you're out policy for hijacking non-immigration threads would be great)
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To: burzum
Give Howlin a break. He's one of our major hurricane experts.

Dude! He's a she!

402 posted on 05/10/2006 8:51:31 PM PDT by Doohickey (Democrats are nothing without a constituency of victims.)
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To: Texasforever

Prove it.
You love to throw out your little witticisms - hope it livens up your dreary existence, but try someone else. You don't impress me.


(...yeah and I'm sure I don't impress you either...neener, neener and all that childish crap you guys love to throw around).


403 posted on 05/10/2006 8:51:53 PM PDT by antceecee (Hey AG Gonzales! ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW!!!)
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To: Bobbisox

Sorry. Blow that out your backside. You guys seem to think the president gets a pass for actively trying to shaft us all on immigration, trade, etc because he is defending us from terrorism. He doesn't get a pass on doing one part of his job because he is doing another. That isn't the way it works for anyone in the real world. He is not just failing to do his duty, he's actually trying to hide behind rhetoric as a means to avoid doing what is right. And so are you. As I noted before, you guys can whimper and whine about what might happen or beg Clinton getting elected as some scare tactic. All you demonstrate is that it is *YOU* who are scared you won't be allowed to get away further with what is attempting to be gotten away with now. And we expected that. So you've said *nothing*. People are responsible for how they vote. But it is the parties that are responsible for the *why* of it. Republicans have NO ONE to blame but themselves for Clinton. No one.


404 posted on 05/10/2006 8:52:09 PM PDT by Havoc (Evolutionists and Democrats: "We aren't getting our message out" (coincidence?))
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To: steel_resolve

!


405 posted on 05/10/2006 8:52:27 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: Peach
"I don't know what happens with people when they get in Washington. There must be something in the water. " I found this quote and thought it fits:

"The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can't get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods." -- H. L. Mencken

406 posted on 05/10/2006 8:52:40 PM PDT by RasterMaster (NO MORE "BIG TENTS" - ALL YOU GET ARE CLOWNS AND CIRCUS FREAKS!)
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To: KJC1
Look, it is not about intimidation, it is just reality. There are 2 parties, GOP and Rat. If it makes you feel warm and fuzzy to imagine a 3rd party will rise up and prevail overnight, then so be it, but you aren't fooling me. You are handing your vote to the Rats, period.

I have become convinced that these people are not so much disgruntled pubs but DU sleepers practicing the subversion that is a commie trait

407 posted on 05/10/2006 8:52:41 PM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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To: Peach

None of them could be concerned citizens that live in invaded areas?


408 posted on 05/10/2006 8:53:09 PM PDT by Xenophon450 (Behead those who say Islam is violent)
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To: Chena

:) If we got 60 votes and still couldn't pass SS legislation then I'd blame the Republicans. But as it is now, the rats can still block us.


409 posted on 05/10/2006 8:53:12 PM PDT by ilovew (Democrat enablers are not conservatives.)
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To: antceecee
(...yeah and I'm sure I don't impress you either...neener, neener and all that childish crap you guys love to throw around).

As she stops her little foot and sticks her tongue out.

410 posted on 05/10/2006 8:53:22 PM PDT by Texasforever (I have neither been there nor done that.)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

Actually, I would consider it very relevant to this topic.


411 posted on 05/10/2006 8:53:24 PM PDT by Doohickey (Democrats are nothing without a constituency of victims.)
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To: You Dirty Rats
While you are correct that not all republicans are conservatives, and that pains me to no end, Do you really have to be a conservative to understand that the net present value of the unfunded liability exceeds the net worth of the country? I mean c'mon. This transcends, or should transcend party politics. They are playing politics with peoples lives.....literally stealing the ability of low income individuals to provide for their own retirement. I am fortunate in that I can scrape a little here and there to sock away for a rainy day. The low income folks are completely dependent...because Uncle Sam confiscates 15.3% of their wage....and there's NOTHING left for them to invest privately.

There is a radio host here in Pittsburgh named Jim Quinn....and he has formulated Quinn's laws. Quinn's first law is this "Liberalism always generates the opposite of its stated intent.".....and the intent of SS was to provide security for low income folks. We've not only failed to provided that security...but we've stolen their ability to provide for their own retirement needs. What a horrendous failure.

I guess that realization is the reason that I am so very adamant about privatization...in total.
412 posted on 05/10/2006 8:54:09 PM PDT by Conservative Goddess (Politiae legibus, non leges politiis, adaptandae)
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To: MJY1288
***80% of the people who turn every thread on this forum into a flame war have been bashing this president since day one, the other 20% have been hypnotized by the MSM and now believe the DNC talking points***

Chasing away conservatives with honest questions serves to destroy the conservative base the Republican Party needs at this juncture in time. Rather than bashing conservative FReepers posting here, please post your idea of constructive answers to the problem at hand.

By the way, there's a lot of difference between people bashing the President and people who want existing immigration laws enforced (no bashing in THAT whatsoever).

413 posted on 05/10/2006 8:54:24 PM PDT by MamaDearest
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To: Peach

Lol me too.


414 posted on 05/10/2006 8:54:36 PM PDT by ilovew (Democrat enablers are not conservatives.)
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To: Dems_R_Losers

pssst...Washington Compost..dubya isn't running for election again.


415 posted on 05/10/2006 8:55:07 PM PDT by Mogollon
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To: Peach

Peach,
I think there are a few that are, but some very fine FReepers who happen to disagree on this subject are being called out as trolls and it really is not right.
I can look at your opinions and respectfully disagree, but it bothers me when things devolve to the point where the namecalling and mudslinging takes over a thread.
Sometimes, (not always, I admit) thoughtful discussion can actually change the way we look at things. Nasty remarks tend to harden opinions and don't really promote an exchange of ideas.


416 posted on 05/10/2006 8:55:21 PM PDT by antceecee (Hey AG Gonzales! ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW!!!)
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To: Dems_R_Losers
I'm not a hard core Republican.

I had only voted for a Republican exactly NEVER before the Dukakis campaign in 1988.

I am not a Republican, but I would only consider voting for a Republican for the rest of my life as I see things now. I ain't giving that vote away free though. I got burned with my Perot vote, but I decided to forever treat my vote with care. I suppose actually believe that I am unlike most in that regard.

Anyone who votes for a Democrat is ignorant, and is doing a disservice to posterity. I really think so.

I voted for Perot in 1992, and I learned something from that mistake.

I seriously hope that a serious candidate comes along who is worthy of my future votes.

I don't see that happening when I look at the current crop of sleaze bag professional politicians who aspire to higher office.

The sky is falling, indeed.
417 posted on 05/10/2006 8:55:24 PM PDT by Radix (Stop domestic violence. Beat abroad.)
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To: Chena

Are we, or are we not in the majority? Why do you blame the rats for obstructing Socialist Insecurity reform when we are in the majority?


418 posted on 05/10/2006 8:55:35 PM PDT by Conservative Goddess (Politiae legibus, non leges politiis, adaptandae)
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To: KJC1
Just because you don't personally consider that a vote for Rats doesn't make that a fact. I think it's a way of feeling better about yourself if a Rat wins and knowing you threw your vote away.

And I disagree with your disagreement. Shouldn't we be calling each other names or something?

419 posted on 05/10/2006 8:55:57 PM PDT by Doohickey (Democrats are nothing without a constituency of victims.)
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To: Peach

420 posted on 05/10/2006 8:56:17 PM PDT by RasterMaster (NO MORE "BIG TENTS" - ALL YOU GET ARE CLOWNS AND CIRCUS FREAKS!)
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