Posted on 02/28/2009 9:49:47 AM PST by FocusNexus
For a president who so openly embraced conservative principles, there is little evidence at the annual CPAC meeting that the movement returns the sentiment to the 43rd U.S. president, the Washington publication Politico reported Saturday.
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and others have attacked current Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama by tying him to Bush, saying Republicans must oppose "Bush-Obama continuity in economic policy" and the "Bush-Obama big spending program," Politico said.
Criticizing Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, another former presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, told the attendees, "You know what kind of conservatives we need most? Competent conservatives."
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
As long as conservatives are more interested in bashing Bush, instead of defeating the Democrats, their chances of making any impact in the government is NIL.
“For a president who so openly embraced conservative principles,”
They cannot POSSIBLY be talking about Bush.
But I agree that they need to move on.
I am so very tired of hearing about anything that Newt Gingrich says. He ONCE was my congressman....He is no more (nor anything else worthwhile to me).
Bush was never a conservative IMO. For Huckabee to say that Bush was not a competent conservative is rich. Huckabee is even more to the left than Bush is.
But you are correct, the conservative movement needs a Reagan-like leader. Until we have one, we will playing second-string in government.
This is a LOSER strategy.
To even suggest that Bush and O’Commie are in the same league is pure rubbish.
No more equivocating.
Yes, I’m sure what transpired was exactly as the Monica Media is portraying and we should react exactly as you have based upon their reporting.
Well, W did drastically increase spending on Liberal causes and, IMO, helped set the stage for what has transpired (Although he had much help). Even the War has been, from a purely financial standpoint, a huge contributor to the Fiscal problems we face. Hell, he fired a General and other high ranking Conservatives for saying it would cost in excess of 200 Billion. Current cost estimates - Approaching 1 Trillion.
“No love lost for Bush at GOP meeting”
All this time I had thought that CPAC was a CONSERVATIVE function, not a GOP one. The two are, in most cases, mutually exclusive. Why would CPAC not be fond of Bush? Why would any conservative be fond of Bush? Why would any Republican? Look at that party as it kneels before the socialists, kissing their feet! Bush had a lot to do with putting them there.
Bashing Bush just plays into the Democrat’s hand. Shame on any Republican who does it.
All-in-all, Bush was responsible for lots of good, conservative things that happened during his administration.
Tax cuts, conservative judges, victory in Iraq, ...
Aside from the big spending initiatives...two specific things he did early on come to mind..and they really irk me..
1. Letting the Swimmer write the Dept of Education bill, when only 6 short years before, conservatives in the GOP swept to power, and one of the ideas that got us there was ABOLISHING the DofE..among a few other Departments.
2. Few recall, but it was in Bush's first ( before 9/11) SOTU, that he mentioned the idea of the federal government helpin low income families to buy homes, by giving them the down payment. That...IMHO, was the camel's nose under the tent..
3. The whole immigration reform nonsense..he WANTED to legalize millions...
For conservatives to equate Obama to Bush is a disgrace.
As long as conservatives are more interested in bashing Bush, instead of defeating the Democrats, their chances of making any impact in the government is NIL.
There is a huge difference between Bush and Obama in intention. Obama simply doesn't want constitutional government to succeed; POTUS is not the office he is content with - he wants "one man, one vote, once."But it has to be said that Bush didn't go to the mat over the subprime mess before it became the crisis that it is, and that he didn't lead the party in fiscal discipline when it had a congressional majority. He is in a very real sense the author of the predicament in which we find ourselves, in which there is scant effective opposition to the Democrats.
Two things;
1. Bush is no longer president, bashing him, and tying Obama to Bush or vice versa only HURTS any consevative cause. If conservatives can’t tell the difference between Bush and Obama, they are in sad shape indeed. It is beyond discouraging, it’s disgraceful. And in addition, it’s continuation of the “cut off your nose to spite your face” approach, where they are more interested to bash fellow conservatives, than try to take the country back from Democrats who are pushing us down into a socialist precipice.
2. Conservatives should focus on the future, point out the disastrous consequences of Obama’s socialist agenda and offer an alternative positive agenda and work out a plan on how to retake the country — bashing Bush and tying him to Obama not only will not accomplish this, but sets back the conservative movement. It is beyond stupid, it is suicide for conservative agenda.
Right. No more apologies. We’ve had our punishment in the last two elections. I don’t want to hear again about ‘how republicans lost their way.’ Such an attitude puts us at a disadvantage. What about all the GOP house members and all but three sentators who opposed porkulus? What about all those GOPers in Sacto who fought to the bitter end.
I’m tired of the idea that 100% GOPers must be right 100% of the time or 100% of the party is bad. On the other hand, people write off the damage the dims do with the attitude of: “oh well, dims will be dims.”
Fine, but to ignore it and ‘Just move Forward’ is likely to lead to a failure to learn from these very big mistakes.
I can see why this conference is much mere important than CPAC.
Well, W did drastically increase spending on Liberal causes and, IMO, helped set the stage for what has transpired (Although he had much help). Even the War has been, from a purely financial standpoint, a huge contributor to the Fiscal problems we face. Hell, he fired a General and other high ranking Conservatives for saying it would cost in excess of 200 Billion. Current cost estimates - Approaching 1 Trillion.
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That’s a fair opinion and a pragmatic view. Thanks for sharing it.
For those things he did that protected our country, I salute him and our troops and Thanks for the stab at entitlement program reform and tax cuts.. albeit the reform went nowhere fast and the tax cuts were never voted in as permanent when the GoP still held the reins.
For those things that only added additional bulk and girth to Federal Gubamint; prescription drugs and dept of education/NoChildLeftBehind, I reserve my right to question and criticize policies as I see fit, regardless who the occupant of the WH is.
I detest Obama and to now see him rewarded because others chose to go GoP lite is not an easy pill to swallow, no matter how cheap the prescription is.
Continuous Bush bashing by conservatives was what set the stage for the Obama presidency. They were all more interested in bashing Bush, along with the leftists, than working to defeat the Democrats.
I hope you are happy now with the Obama socialist presidency.
It seems conservatives still don’t get it, that Obama and the Dems’ socialist agenda is what they need to defeat.
It is shameful, that conservatives give no credit to President Bush for his tax cuts, for keeping us safe, for getting us out of the recession he inherited.
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