Bush's Base Betrayal

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

[unseen]

There is no reason to ever cheat. If someone breaks vows to God what vow would he/she not break in a moment of weakness? Cheating being ok is a liberal notion that gain mass appeal in the late 1960's. Marriage is a contract for life and esp if children are involved should be upheld.

[HitmanLV]

There are some mean GOPers out there. :-)

As far as Rudy goes, that 911 star-power is fading. I remember his 'act' well as I lived in nyc during his entire (largely successful) terms as mayor. He was smart to take credit for everything that went good.

I just don't really think his 'act' plays west of the Hudson. Can't forget how divisive he was as Mayor of NYC. Successful, yes, but I don't know if his style is suited for the national stage and navigating DC politics. I don;t think many of the Rudy fans have really considered this. I do remain open to the possibility of him as the nominee and would support him (there isn't much choice across the aisle) , but his style isn't one we've seen in DC.

What do I know? I'm a lifelong GOPer who would have voted for Ed Koch over Bloomie Bloomberg, Donald Manes scandal be damned!!! :-)

[unseen]

My betrayal moment was not one event but a series of liberal moves from the base after the election.

[Bernard Marx]

Give the Republicans a wake up call, stay home, vote third party, and basically you are voting Democrat.

And go to the polls, vote "Republican," and basically you are voting Democrat. I'm with Viguerie. We've been betrayed.

[unseen]

I leaning towards Allen. Not sure yet will have to lean more about him and his policies.

[HitmanLV]

Each time Newt dumped his then current wife for a younger, hotter, sexier woman. Chronologically, his problems started around the time Viagra was introduced.

That's the culprit! As for me, if I dumped a lousy, loathsome spouse, it would certainly be for a younger & hotter one, as well as a nice person. They aren't mutually exclusive - women can be very good looking and young, AND good mates & companions.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The truth is, leaving a loathsome spouse is a good thing and not a bad thing.

A lot of women seem to think marriage indemnifies them against the consequences of their own bad behavior..."He's stuck with me, for better or for worse!" But man or woman, if you want to stay married "forever" you have to earn it - and keep on earning it. A lot of people seem to find that idea horrifying.

I might be back in town next month...I'll keep you updated. ;)

[durasell]

I miss Ed "How'm I doing? Koch...probably the last real NYC mayor.


Here's my new, recent, revelation. The coming campaigns will be about "personal infrastructure." That means car, house, job. Anything that threatens that infrastructure is seen as evil.

At this point the republicans are losing on all three. The Dems don't even have to offer solutions. All they have to do is talk about housing bubble, price of gas and the open border lowering wages.

[don'tbedenied]

My point is that all the problems Bush has with his base are not very important in the big picture, which is: Bush will be President until 08 and the success or failure of his presidency will not be decided by the Dubai port issue or Harriet Meiers --it will be decided by the fate of Iraq.. In about one year the 2008 election starts: the country is already deciding what it wants to do about the immigration issue regardless of Bush. What we all need to do is think about what 06 and 08 will look like if the D's get back in control

[Jank]

How do we really know how, a president will really turn out? Sometimes, I think they take the middle road, in order, to get something passed, that will put a bandaid, on
it, rather than try to get something out front, that the lillylivered, republicans in congress, will fight anyway.
I'm furious with alot of republicans, in congress, more than, the president....Congress, is passing social security, for illegal aliens, but won't let us invest part
of our social security!!! Where are all the liberal senior
citizens, who decried, Bush, on that....? GEEZE....

[SHOOT THE MOON bat]

Oh, I agree. This president takes alot of heat because he is doing things that will only pay off many years down the road. But I really do not believe he is of the same political ideology as Reagan. That said i still admire the seeds that he has planted for the next generation as far as trying to make the world a better place to live. But he has neglected some very important things hear at home and he allows the press to walk all over him. I hope in the next two years he will be able to right these things and leave with the respect of everyone in the party because he is truly a good person and deserves that.

[BW2221]

Only if the Viagra keeps working. Carmen "married" Dennis Rodman so she's definitely open to non-traditional options.

[Ronin]

I don't see how it can get much uglier, frankly.

The illegal alien problem was/is a deciding issue for me. If I can't trust the Republicans to fix a no-brainer like this, then what the heck are they good for?

I am sick and tired of being told "you gotta vote for the pubbies anyhow because if you don't big bad Hillary is gonna come eat you up, nyah nyah nyah!"

When Republicans were in the minority we managed to get Clinton to balance the budget and pass welfare reform. Now that we are in the majority (I use the term "we" loosely because I voted Republican last time but am definitely leaning Constitution Party now), we have a Senate that is just as hoggy for earmarks as the tax-and-spend Democrats ever were, a deficit that is sky high, a President who hasn't vetoed a bill in six years AND we are fighting a war halfway around the world, overstreching our military when they can't, because they are not being allowed to, perform the fundamental role of ANY nation's military, which is to defend the integrity of the nation itself.

This issue. The illegal alien issue, an issue where the rank and file of BOTH parties are solidly on the same page AGAINST the Senate patricians, has convinced me that it is time to take a stand on principle and damn the consequences.

Go peddle your scare tactics somewhere else. I'm tired of listening to it.

[AlexandriaDuke]

Why the big donors got behind dubya so quickly is something I will never understand.

That reminds me of what woke me up about the GOP when I was a young, true believing, Reaganite.

In 1986 there was a wide-open GOP primary for a US Senate seat in California, with lots of GOP big names in it. Maureen Reagan was one of them. But lots of conservative heavyweights too. My fave was Art Laffer. I was salivating about whatever Reagan clone would go on to defeat that commie, Alan Cranston.

One day, I read that the primary race was being skewed, because the GOP big-$$$ backers were all waiting for Peter Ueberroth to declare. They really wanted him. The problem was - nobody even knew if he was a Republican or a Democrat!

That's how much conservatism means to the GOP.

[BW2221]

You must have really hated the "Battle axe."

[kerryusama04]

After reading the article I agree with it 100%. We have been lied too and ignored too many times. If we do not stand up for our views then they will be steamrolled by the liberals in 2008. It's time to give the republican party a wake up call in the nov election. Nothing else it appears will make them see. If our elected leaders continue to think of us as stupid and continue to lie during the campaign and then do as they please after elections then we as a party, and as a country will fail.

I agree with you in my heart, but in my head I remember that my 3 reps in Congress are actually NRA A rated conservatives. Pukin Dog's idea of targeting the RINOS while keeping the majority is the way to go. We've gotta be careful not to throw our the baby with the bath water.

[durasell]

Through an odd series of circumstances, I actually read Rodman's book. There's a lot to admire about the guy. Unfortunately, he didn't hold up too well in the spotlight...

[luvbach1]

Can we afford 8 years of the Demonrats running the war on terror; that is, when they can take time out from impeachment proceedings?

[mjolnir]

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

Well said.

Although they would have disagreed about issues such as the border, President Bush is a conservative in the mold of Russell Kirk. Like Michigan's Governor Engler, he sees himself as a problem solver. THAT'S why he attcked the "third rail of American politics. THAT'S why he's trying to solve the immigration issue; had he simply not made a fuss about it, he could have easily made some Clintonesque small time gestures to simultaneously appease those inside and outside his base.

President Bush is not an ideologue. He institutes policies based not just upon principle, but upon those principles, when instituted, have worked out in history and in his experience.

That means that he doesn't prejudge cases. he came into office wanting to exemplify the principle of humbleness in foriegn policy--- but his experience in the form of 9-11 changed that. In the case of immigration, his policies have been formed by his experience as the Governor of Texas. We knew this when we elected him--- no "betrayal" has occured.

[durasell]

If the viagra fails, I assume that Newt has access to the Army Corps of Engineers.