Bush's Base Betrayal

The Washington Post ^ | Sunday, May 21, 2006 | Richard A. Viguerie

[gwb43_2004]

As a candidate in 2000, George W. Bush was a Rorschach test. Country Club Republicans saw him as another George H.W. Bush; some conservatives, thinking wishfully, saw him as another Ronald Reagan. He called himself a "compassionate conservative," which meant whatever one wanted it to mean. Experts from across the party's spectrum were flown to Austin to brief Bush and reported back: "He's one of us."

Republicans were desperate to retake the White House, conservatives were desperate to get the Clinton liberals out and there was no direct heir to Reagan running for president. So most conservatives supported Bush as the strongest candidate -- some enthusiastically and some, like me, reluctantly. After the disastrous presidency of his father, our support for the son was a triumph of hope over experience.

[durasell]

Judaism generally maintains that it is better for a couple to divorce than to remain together in a state of constant bitterness and strife.



Yeah, god forbid we should hear jews arguing...

[HitmanLV]

You know what I say in regards to going to the Opera at Lincoln Center: "Why should I have to go to the Opera to see a bunch of screaming Italians? I can just go to my aunt's house for that!" ;-)

[muawiyah]

Did you ever stop to think that "W" is shy of being a genius and really doesn't keep up on current events to the degree common in FreeRepublic?

[durasell]

I almost made a crack about 7th avenue where you could hear jews arguing in six or seven different languages...but that's all gone now... :(

[BW2221]

"Never married and no Battle Axes in my life. I do like the idea of marriage and hope to be married someday. Not soon. I'm a young 38 after all, and see no reason to rush things! ;-)"

You should be out on the town tonight - nice, wealthy conservative girl. Maybe Katherine Harris has a younger sister. I get 10% - it was my idea.

[politicalwit]

" basically you are voting Democrat."

I actually like thinking that a vote for a third party ticket as not voting for either of the republican or democrat crap. Why waste your time or effort voting for a party that only wants your money and vote and not your voice? Voting (R) or (D) is like voting for the continued destruction of this nation.

[MaDeuce]

"I'm proud to say I voted against W in the primaries. I voted for him in the general election, both times, ..."

Yeah me too ... since I'm a New Hampshire Primary voter (a special person as per the MSM), I voted for Alan Keyes in the last two Republican primaries ('96 & 2000). OK go ahead and laugh, but I love his views on the Second Amendment and his understanding of our Constitution AND the Declaration of Independence (a forgoten political document in the US). And woe be it to the candidate who comes on stage AFTER Keyes makes his speach.

[Annie5622]

Just didn't strike me as something a conservative on FR would say. I shouldn't have posted it -- damn fingers for thinking out loud. lol

[lakey]

Funny!

[unseen]

While conservatives can be a poweful voting block, we are still a minority when compared to the total population and shouldn't allow the arrogance that comes with political power to allow us to forget that.


Yeah...tell that to Bush he too believed that conservatives were a minority. Reagan was the only person in the last 45 years to understand that conservative thinking is the norm of America not the minority.

[HitmanLV]

It is gone now. :(

Dovetailing with that, I am a fan of Savage Nation (makes me a minority on FR, I know) and once he casually got on the topic of 7th Ave and the old fashion district. He made an observation that back in the day, one sign of success was that those guys would all like to have a secretary with a British accent, and that it was a sign of having 'arrived' on 7th Ave!

He then said that the next generation of 7th Ave guys all became lawyers, where the goal was to have a sassy, Puerto Rican secretary!

I burst out laughing - Savage hams it up, but there's gold in them thar hills! :-)

[ECM]

I agree with the fact that we had to hold his feet to the fire, but I think we got two very good people on the bench (I guess I have a higher opinion of Roberts than you, but we shall see) regardless of how we got them (and they were nominated by Bush, despite how they got the nod.)

[durasell]

I miss NYC the way it used to be, everyone screaming at each other. Now everyone's too polite. We've all turned into Methodists or something...

[BW2221]

Part of Ford's problem was, while he is an ethical and good man, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Things like appointing Nelson Rockefeller VP. I don't know why the GPO always believes it must appease its left wing. The Democrats literally ran its right wing out of the party.

[HitmanLV]

My love interest isn't in town tonight! So I'll spend a quiet eve at home on FR, in my home office doing some work, and otherwise relaxin! Thanks for thinking of me, though! :-)

[lakey]

Did you ever stop to think that "W" is shy of being a genius ....

Yep - LOL! All the time. It has also occurred to me that he has a "keeper(s)."

[Jorge]

He's better than any alternative we've been seriously offered. The man has my support.

A big AMEN to that!

[Tribune7]

Yes, we're really united!

No, we're not. But why do you think it's Dubya's fault?

[HitmanLV]

No, I understand what you are saying. No offense taken. :-)

[Fish_Keeper]

There were better choices in the 2000 primaries. No, not McCain, but virtually anyone else who was running was better than king George.
Indeed. There were better choices for conservatives. McCain got the leading challenger role because of his status as a mainstream media darling. Seeing this, the GOP establishment got behind Bush as a clean, likable and electable candidate at a time when the country was sickened by the moral stench of the Clinton years. Now we have a whole different set of issues on the table. I will give Bush credit where it is due, but he is sadly ineffective on the issues where we need a real domestic conservative.