.jpg)
Posted on 06/02/2007 7:10:36 AM PDT by Travis McGee
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical."
So said Jefferson. It would appear to be time again for a little rebellion in the Grand Old Party – this time against George II.
For President Bush has attacked his own loyalists for a lack of patriotism. "If you don't want to do what's right for America," he said of opponents of the Bush-Kennedy immigration bill, "if you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill's an amnesty bill. That's empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens."
But if the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens are instantly legalized, what other term is there to describe that than amnesty?
Not only are opponents not doing "what's right for America," their courage is in question: "People in Congress need the courage to go back to their districts and explain exactly what this bill is all about. The fundamental question is, will elected officials have the courage necessary to put a comprehensive immigration plan in place?"
Where, one wonders, was "Bush's Brain," Karl Rove?
For, worse than a crime, this attack on his base was a blunder. The people Bush is savaging – columnists, commentators, talk-show hosts, congressmen fighting his bill – have been the frontline troops in his fight to sustain funding for the war.
And if there were any doubt whom Bush had in mind, his surrogate, Linda Chavez, cleared it up:
"Some people just don't like Mexicans – or anyone else from south of the border. They think Latinos are freeloaders and welfare cheats who are too lazy to learn English. They think Latinos have too many babies and that Latino kids will dumb down our schools. They think Latinos are dirty, diseased, indolent and more prone to criminal behavior. They think Latinos are just too different from us ever to become real Americans. ...
"Unfortunately, among this group is a fair number of Republican members of Congress, almost all influential conservative talk radio hosts, some cable news anchors – most prominently, Lou Dobbs – and a handful of public policy 'experts' at organizations such as the Center for Immigration Studies, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, NumbersUSA, in addition to fringe groups like the Minuteman Project."
Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan cites other attacks by Bush surrogates on the conservative base: "Sen. Lindsey Graham has said, 'We're gonna tell the bigots to shut up.' ... Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff suggested opponents would prefer illegal immigrants be killed; Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said those who oppose the bill want 'mass deportation.' Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson said those who oppose the bill are 'anti-immigrant' and suggested they suffer from 'rage' and 'national chauvinism.'
"Why would they speak so insultingly, with such hostility, of opponents who are concerned citizens? And often, though not exclusively, concerned conservatives?" asks Noonan.
Because, Peggy, down deep where they live, they don't like the right, never did and have always sought to be seen by the Big Media as the progressive children of a dysfunctional and retarded family.
Bush's attack on the motives and character of conservatives tell us it is Goldwater-Rockefeller time again – time to split the blanket. Conservatives need to declare their independence of Bush and to repudiate Bushism as the philosophy of their movement and party.
While Bush's court appointments, setting aside the Harriet Miers mess, have been superb, while his tax cuts have been Reaganite, while his stand on traditional values is courageous, beyond is a vast wasteland as far as the eye can see.
His free-trade zealotry has led to five straight record trade deficits. While America's economy is now growing at under 1 percent, China's is booming at 10 percent. His refusal to defend and secure the borders is well-nigh impeachable. His compromises with Teddy Kennedy on No Child Left Behind have doubled the size of the Department of Education without any appreciable gain in test scores. His "Big Government Conservatism" marks him as his father's son, not Reagan's heir. In Ward Connerly's courageous battle against reverse discrimination, the Bushes have all been on the other side.
His bungled war of choice on Iraq has left us with 3,400 dead, 25,000 wounded, hundreds of billions deeper in debt and an Army on the point of breaking. Relations with Europe, Russia, and the Arab and Muslim world are worse than they were when he took office.
His clandestine drive to merge Mexico, America and Canada in a "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" – a North American Union modeled on the European Union – entails the loss of sovereignty and end of the republic as we know it.
The damage Bush has done to his party is beginning to rival that of Herbert Hoover. If the Clintons were doing this, would conservatives be mute? Time to lock and load.
But here is the 2% that he missed or nearly missed:
While Bush's court appointments, setting aside the Harriet Miers mess, have been superb,
I believe it was the GOP Congress that cleared the path for Roberts and Alito. For sure it was the Senate that squelched Miers.
while his tax cuts have been Reaganite,
His tax cuts percentagewise were minimal, just a few points reduced from Slick Willy's rates. They were no where near the cuts of Reagan who slashed the top tax rate by more than 50%. But Bush likes to tout that they are the biggest tax cuts in history dollarwise. Of course the dollar is worth less and less and Bush made no attempt to present inflation adjusted tax dollar cuts. Percentagewise tells the real story on tax cuts.
while his stand on traditional values is courageous
Bush has a GOP Congress that we worked hard to give him. He had a chance to overturn Row vs. Wade. Even some liberal democrats were starting to acknowledge that Roe vs. Wade would be overturned. In sum, Bush made no real progress on strengthening traditional values. He merely minimized the erosion that can reverse back to a mudslide when the next Administration takes the helm. His accomplishments were on theorder of caretaker rather than remodeler. His accomplishments will never be noted in history books because they are so minimal.
But he did. Pat was all for taking out bin Laden, dead or alive, for 9/11. Bush cut and ran from that to go into Iraq where he is producing more terrorists than ever existed.
Center of the 10 ring.
Parenthetically, the number of options SEEMS to becoming increasingly limited.
I am fed up with this American version of diversified political correctness and the slithering multiculturalism that socialists have infected our country with. I wish more Americans felt the way I do and were willing to say so whenever the opportunity arises.
I have yet to be sued for saying how I feel about America because I always wait for someone to bring the issue up. I let them start their game and I’ll finish it. It’s disgusting how people back away from accepting the responsibility of citizenship in order not to bruise someones ego.
In public and private meetings where there is an American flag in the room I am the guy who always suggests saluting the flag before we start the discussion. Never yet has anyone ever refused me. It catches people off guard but I have received many thank yous for the suggestion.
Later read.
Good to see you back.
Have you read Thomas Sowell’s piece?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1843636/posts
I haven’t read the whole thing, will get back to FR in a day or two.
True enough, but don't be discouraged. Avoiding the worst is uninspiring, but sometimes that's all we can hope for and we have to make our peace with it until the next admin (let it not be Hillary & Co!!)
“That settles it!”
Excellent. The perfect sheeplebot mentality.
It's almost "domestic enemies" time, I'd say. What are the alternatives, when we are being railroaded out of our national legacy by traitors?
Slowly, slowly the simmering pot rises to a full boil.
I’m a Sowell man! TS has be terrific on the amnesty treason.
  |
People saying things like "I don't like this law so I'm gonna kill folks" do not represent the mood of the country or anything else but their own deep-seated mental problems reinforced by the internet which lets them chat up others with the same problems. American's won't act like Muslims and support political deaths. I hope the forum cracks down on these nuts and doesn't become known as a haven for folks dreaming of making "The Turner Diaries" real. That would end FR. |
BTTT
It’s past time, way past time to bring sanity to our soil.
LOL. Do we still have one of those?
Excellent!
Doesn't it......
Are you calling us terrorist because we want to stop the destruction of our great country?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.