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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: You Dirty Rats
That's completely untrue.

Just because you post your"interpretation" also does not make it "FACT"!

NOT! completely untrue! just because YOU say it is!

541 posted on 05/10/2006 9:34:32 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (THE MUSIC CANTEEN ROCKS MY WEEKENDS!)
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To: Texasforever; EternalVigilance


Karl Rove offering him a job in the BUSH WHITE HOUSE, has to be the biggest whopper EV has ever told us.

Imagine, EV "said" he turned down ROVE'S offer!

FOTFLOL


542 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:17 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: Texasforever

Oh, I see; "men" come here to badger other women because they can't at home. Got it.


543 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:27 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: antceecee
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.

Hear, Hear!

544 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:27 PM PDT by CedarDave (Gen. McCaffrey: "There is a rapidly growing animosity" among U.S. troops in Iraq toward the press...)
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To: Howlin

These folks are the typical, don't confuse me with the facts, my ind is made up.


545 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:38 PM PDT by SoCalPol (Hey Congress - We need the BORDER FENCE NOW)
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To: luvbach1
I won't try to teach Repubs a lesson. I will vote Republican as usual.

I'm not sure how to take this response, after the accusations of "intimidation" that have been on this thread (not by you). If you genuinely see the idiocy in sticking it to the GOP over one issue, right on.

546 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:47 PM PDT by KJC1 (A 3 strikes you're out policy for hijacking non-immigration threads would be great)
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To: ilovew
So now the President is responsible for the illegals marching?

Actually most Americans do blame him for the marching. His pro-illegal rhetoric he has been using to sell his Guestworker Plan has indeed given the illegals a sense of seurity to freely come out. When a President comes out and says "deportation is out of the question" or "these are fine people" or "family values do not stop at the Rio Grande" or "our economy needs them" or "they do the work Americans wont do" those are messages that give illegals a sense of security and YES...over time it eventually sparked the protests which I have never seen before.

Sure Kennedy and other liberals came out during the protests and instigated them with support, but the messages from Bush himself had a lot to do with sparking these Protest America rallies.

I'm not saying Bush wanted these rallies to occur, I'm 99% sure he did not (maybe Im too naive on that point) but he did spark them.

Ironically the majority of these illegals with their "today we march tomorrow we vote" are would be democrat voters and so it's no surprise that the conservative-bashers would be in support of Bush's Amnesty program.

547 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:58 PM PDT by MaineVoter2002 (http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html)
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To: NewLand

Please! Lou Dobbs is a washed-up has been and no friend of ours. Not to mention that watching CNN (i.e. supporting with $$$) is close to treasonous!

Why would anyone here support anything CNN does?

-

As you might extrapolate from my screen name, I'm not CNN's biggest fan.

But that's not going to make me pick up and run laps with some party line which states if it's on CNN, that makes it bad.

If CNN were to tomorrow stop broadcasting year-old hurricane footage, switch to business news, and start sounding like Lou Dobbs, I might start posting as Flippant Nonsense Cadres or something. :)

Anyway, glad to discuss things with you. Remember, it's the free exchange of ideas - some heartily felt - which sets us apart from a lot of other places.

Let's not shrink from that freedom, nor cower from expressing our beliefs. Even if we disagree with those we might consider family.

Some things need to be discussed. Perhaps we might even change things. (it could happen) In fact, something needs to change, or yes it looks like we're heading for something of a train wreck.

You know who can stop a train wreck: the conductor.

Buenos Noches.


548 posted on 05/10/2006 9:36:06 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: onyx; Howlin

Freeping by blackberry really is cool. Tonight is the first time I have signed in by blackberry and posted by thumbnail. I can't wait to try and participate in a flame war at 80 mph on the turnpike will trying to thumb type.


549 posted on 05/10/2006 9:36:14 PM PDT by KC Burke (Men of intemperate minds can never be free....)
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To: RasterMaster

Sounds like a plan to me!


550 posted on 05/10/2006 9:37:04 PM PDT by Cheapskate (America , -- -- -- -- Yeah!)
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To: KC Burke

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

Does that work? Do I need to post it to you?


551 posted on 05/10/2006 9:37:11 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: maine-iac7; CedarDave; Oliver Optic
I don't think CedarDave is a sleeper or a troll. Emotions are very high on the illegal foreign nationals subject. It hasn't brought out the best of us including myself. My personal frustration is the seeming desire of some to sink the ship on one hand and the true inportance of border control.

I've been all over this subject the past several weeks. But at this point my mind is made up and I will take the challenge of illegal immigration to the primaries but regardless I will vote for the GOP and will appreciate they are not Democrats.

As other posters have pointed out we have accomplished a lot more positive for this nation than we would have if Gore or Kerry had been elected. Our President HAS BEEN STEADFAST ON MANY CRITICAL ISSUES.

Can you imagine Gore for 8 years. The man is insane. Our President is not. Can you imagine Kerry, the man is a liar. Our President is NOT.



I've come to the conclusion that a third party will not work at this time. I don't want another Perot to siphon votes sending a Dem into power.



If we really want change then that's what the primaries are for. You know in many ways voter turnout in the primaries is rather apathetic.

But this illegal immigrant issue does bring to the forefront the beauty of our political system and if we want more conservatives then we better start working hard to elect conservative Republicans in the primaries.



That is how it works in an essentially a two party system. We better start being maximum energized in the primaries if there is to be change from what many perceive as the status quo.

552 posted on 05/10/2006 9:37:17 PM PDT by A message
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To: ohioWfan

Does the average DUmocrat put down the kool-aid and remove the blinders long enough to see the striking similarities between talking points put out by the DNC and Al Queda?

That isn't just a mere coincidence!


553 posted on 05/10/2006 9:37:30 PM PDT by RasterMaster (NO MORE "BIG TENTS" - ALL YOU GET ARE CLOWNS AND CIRCUS FREAKS!)
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To: KC Burke

KC, I wouldn't have a clue as to how to use those things, but it sounds way cool.


554 posted on 05/10/2006 9:37:35 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: sefarkas
Fortunately, congressional elections are every two years. There is little point of putting RINOs in place for another term so they can try to out-RAT the RATs. After the RATs gain the majority, and two years go by with no legislative accomplishment we can have a good debate in 2008 about policy, leadership, and vision. The nation survived eight years of Clinton, it will probably survive in the period from 2006 to 2008. The GOP needs to earn loyal conservative support by passing and having the POTUS sign appropriate legislation. If the GOP can't manage this feat with Congress and the White House in hand, then there is little hope for this bunch. Surely a different group of 535 folks in a country of 300 million can be found to replace the current bunch. Reagan managed to accomplish much in his first term with large RAT majorities in Congress. We are witness to a huge failure in leadership.

435 are House members and the House isn't the problem. The Senate is -- and only 33 - 34 are up every two years. If we replace a Senator like DeWine with a flaming Leftist like Sherrod Brown then we have him for SIX years.

Also, Reagan had a Senate Majority for six years as well as a workable House Majority for that time with the Southern Democrats. Once we lost the Senate, Bork was defeated, Reagan was investigated and he got nothing done. Seems like some around here want a repeat of 1986. No thanks.

555 posted on 05/10/2006 9:38:07 PM PDT by You Dirty Rats (I Love Free Republic!!!)
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To: onyx

omy...LOL!


556 posted on 05/10/2006 9:38:53 PM PDT by cabojoe
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To: antceecee
FR always heats up like this and the loyalty/disloyalty cards come out and very subjective bannings start up.

I've been on both sides.

Let's see...memory lane...(whistling)

Very heated fights over GW Bush's first nomination and the Southa Carolina primary back when GW Bush was not liked much here...including big freepers and stinging rebukes galore.

Fights over CFR, Education Bill, and GW's assault weapons ban hype

The Lott Affair....that was when I first learned how vicious and cliquish things were here...and I loved it..lol

Schiavo....the mother of all FReeper battles...the one by which all others are judged I reckon.

Harrietgate....the horror...heh, my side won that one!

Now immigration has probably resulted in more net bannings and suspension since it's the issue that never goes away and the gift that keeps on giving...but hey...at least now it's an "issue" even here.

Who knows what will be next. War with Iran could shut everyone up temporarily. GOP bloodletting in November will sure bring out some fine bloodletting.

It's just the way it is... most of us are on borrowed time here...best way to enjoy it is live like you've already been banned.
Folks can say anything on the internet. Unless you know someone here it could all be bullshite. Enjoy it for what it is. A news source, chat room and place to argue with someone besides your mate...lol
557 posted on 05/10/2006 9:38:59 PM PDT by wardaddy (I am buying Shelby Steele's new book: White Guilt)
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To: MaineVoter2002

**Actually most Americans do blame him for the marching**

Please do not confuse yourself as being representative of Americans. Most rational people would recognize that the illegals were marching because of the bill that the House wanted to pass, which is what they were marching in opposition to. But don't let the facts get in the way of your Bush-bashing.


558 posted on 05/10/2006 9:39:09 PM PDT by ilovew (Democrat enablers are not conservatives.)
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To: CedarDave

; ~ )


559 posted on 05/10/2006 9:39:15 PM PDT by antceecee (Hey AG Gonzales! ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW!!!)
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To: EternalVigilance
This issue has the grassroots across the country inflamed.

I will vouch for that here in Alabama.

It is all that people want to talk about on the local talk shows ... and they are not Dem trolls.

There may well be "plants" on this forum agitating ... but it would be a big mistake to assume that the feelings among the conservative Republican base are not real and deep.

560 posted on 05/10/2006 9:40:01 PM PDT by Oliver Optic
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