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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: RasterMaster

Do you understand what I was trying to say?


801 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:23 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: nunya bidness

Re your post #781.

Excellent.


802 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:27 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (George Allen's conservatism is as ephemeral as his virtual fence.)
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To: budwiesest

You'd have to be HIGH to vote for LIEberaltarian.


803 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:32 PM PDT by RasterMaster (NO MORE "BIG TENTS" - ALL YOU GET ARE CLOWNS AND CIRCUS FREAKS!)
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To: MaineVoter2002
Because they ban like that, they live in their own world and they begin to believe it. Then, the day after the election they are TOTALLY baffled! How could they possibly have lost seats! Impossible! Everybody hates republicans! It just has to be a conspiracy and somehow the GOP stole the election...

LOL...you're exactly right. These are also the same people that make insulting anti-Republican comments in mixed company because they honestly think that the 52% of the country that voted for Bush is all "somewhere else".

804 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:36 PM PDT by Junior_G
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To: antceecee

"I see the Minutemen doing something about it and I call that positive activism."

Prepare to be slimed, now that the "Fan Base" has turned on a dime regarding the Minutemen. All the sweetness and light, all the "support" turned on a dime, once that quote by Condoleezza Rice, referring to "Minutemen vigilantes" turned up, made in an official capacity as Secretary Of State, in Mexico, nearly two weeks prior to President Bush's reference to "vigilantes" in a press conference.

It is hard to keep up with all the spinning and plausible denying, I'll admit. But, in order to keep in good graces, we all have to try.


805 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:46 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: steel_resolve
Reread the post jackass.

Maybe you should slack off and stop telling other posters to quit insulting others. It makes you look like a hypocrite.

806 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:47 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (There is no alternative to the GOP except varying degrees of insanity.)
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To: Howlin
It could be worse; "these people" could be demanding reparations.

Watch out you are going to give EV a case of vapors.

807 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:48 PM PDT by Texasforever (I have neither been there nor done that.)
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To: Howlin

It's deeper and more complex than that. The illegals were organized, brazen, defiant and well financed by the Left.

Note they dropped their Mexican flag waving immediately after they learned it angered us beyond the wildest dreams.


808 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:52 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: Lazamataz
Real conservatives might.

Are you their spokesman? If so, we're in luck.

809 posted on 05/10/2006 11:18:54 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: 2ndreconmarine
I would be willing to accept the "rats" for one election cycle if it brought back real conservatives in the following cycle.

Have you not been listening?

The rats have been planning to eliminate the electoral college ever since they lost in 2000 because, but for the electoral college, they could've won.

Picture in your mind the US map and the red states. Without the electoral college to protect the rural votes - the big cities (BLUE populations) will rule.

That means that, in 2008, the red state votes WILL NOT count.

The rats are counting on fermenting, thru' misinformation and distortion - force fed the public via their henchmen, the MSM, to win back enough control in 06 to get their plan through.

Then, if you vote republican - your vote DOES NOT COUNT if you're in a rural state. The founding fathers knew what they were doing. The electoral college guarantees that ALL votes count.

810 posted on 05/10/2006 11:19:29 PM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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To: Junior_G
The minutemen were ok to start with but now they're just talking goofy. Giving the President a deadline to start a fence when it takes congressional appropriations and 60 votes in the Senate to fund it or they'll do it themselves is goofy. Being that everyones yelling about spending maybe the congress should go ahead and tell the minutemen to start digging? They also got to do better than the 2 pronged barbed wire they plan on using.
811 posted on 05/10/2006 11:19:34 PM PDT by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: budwiesest
unite behind a party (such as libertarian) to rid ourselves of the corrupt two-party globalist/marxist cabal, while patching up little things like the open border which could have plenty of appeal to both the left and the right were the notion of 'invasion' and it's dire consequences clearly presented to all

Becasue you can't get that on a bumper sticker.

812 posted on 05/10/2006 11:19:51 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Howlin

I think so...I was just pointing out another "unintended consequence" from the Mexico flag wavers. That kinda blew up in their faces! ROFL!

Worked about as well as their "get out of work day"!


813 posted on 05/10/2006 11:20:26 PM PDT by RasterMaster (NO MORE "BIG TENTS" - ALL YOU GET ARE CLOWNS AND CIRCUS FREAKS!)
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To: Doohickey
However, of John McCain happens to be the Republican nominee in '08 I will look elsewhere.

Good. The GOP won't need you. You third party types will need the GOP.

814 posted on 05/10/2006 11:21:05 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (There is no alternative to the GOP except varying degrees of insanity.)
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To: Howlin

Having an academic discussion about reparations doesn't compare with making common cause with Morris Dees and the SPLC. The former is what academics and policy wonks do. The latter is treachery.

If you had any shame, you'd be ashamed of these tactics.


815 posted on 05/10/2006 11:21:29 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (George Allen's conservatism is as ephemeral as his virtual fence.)
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To: budwiesest

You have just described alot of the Left's agenda.
Furthermore, the libertarians LIKE open borders.


816 posted on 05/10/2006 11:21:57 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: ohioWfan

Ok, you are right. A real man would be ok w/ 3,000 mexicans running across the border each night. Kind of got confused there.


817 posted on 05/10/2006 11:22:23 PM PDT by daguberment (Celine Dion: 'Let them touch those things for once!!!')
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To: RasterMaster

Hey, it sounded good at the time, huh?


818 posted on 05/10/2006 11:23:27 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Howlin
It could be worse; "these people" could be demanding reparations.

ROTFLMAO!

819 posted on 05/10/2006 11:23:37 PM PDT by onyx (Deport the trolls --- send them back to DU)
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To: tobyhill
Giving the President a deadline to start a fence when it takes congressional appropriations and 60 votes in the Senate to fund it or they'll do it themselves is goofy.

The POTUS has nearly unlimited discretion to use existing military assets to meet a clear and present danger to this country.

He could make sure nothing moved across that border by fall if he had the will to do so.

But we all know that he lacks that will.

820 posted on 05/10/2006 11:23:53 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (George Allen's conservatism is as ephemeral as his virtual fence.)
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