“Funding Iraq starts to grow less popular, so Rove says to give the seniors prescriptions drugs to get their vote, and No Child Left Behind without vouchers to get single Moms votes. Are Hannity and Levin worried about the debt from Iraq, No Child, Medicare, tax cuts, and tax rebate checks causing national debt during 2004 debates??”
First, quibble - your timing is all wrong. Bush did NCLB in 2002, and Medicare even before Iraq got dragged out and unpopular. Alas, this was Bush’s ‘compassionate conservative’ (imho train wreck) policies. The trifecta on this pudding was immigration ‘reform’ which conservative grassroots opposition, incited by Rush, Levin, Laura I and others - stopped. PERHAPS they did get their eye off the ball in 2001-2003 when the GWOT was issue #1, and they only later awakened to Bush’s domestic policy spending problems - but
Second, your bashing the successful tax cuts of 2003, which helped bring back the economy, are ‘tax collector for the welfare state’ positions.
Third, the guy wearin the black hat in your script should be the big gubmint neocons like David Frum in the WH, not the outsiders like Marc Levin - fastforward and Frum is the insider-elitist taking on beltway-hated Palin and Rush, while Levin the outsider-populist takes on ... Frum:
http://www.newmajority.com/ShowScroll.aspx?ID=c9f0a139-c96f-4a28-b81f-68fb14f7b2d8
Now consider this cogent comment from the viewpoint of what these responsible conservative show hosts have to go through to support more moderate Republicans:
“I think that most of the offense that Mark Levin, Limbaugh and the conservative grassroots feel towards the moderates is very justified. It is important to remember that the so-called right of the conservative movement was trying mightily to shore up the sinking ship of the McCain campaign during the past election. They only started doing this with enthusiasm once McCain/Palin spiked in the polls after the Rep. Convention. Before that they were already reconciling to the fact that McCain would lose and that the with him the Rep. Party had already shifted to the left. Add to this the hostility of the mainstream media to conservatives and their obvious support of Obama and you have a fuel for conservative anger. Another factor too, is the fact that many conservative journalists were pointing out the fact that Obama appeared to be a very radical candidate and inklings of his agenda could be discerned, but were absolutely ignored by most everyone else. let’s even throw in the unfair treatment of Palin and is it any wonder that “moderates” who either endorsed Obama or attacked the MCain/Palin ticket are angry at those same people? I mean, given what we know see coming out of Washington, should not these same conservatives who were ignored and tried mightily to save the McCain ticket at least be given an apology?”
As I conservative, I truly believe in individual responsibility. It is truly unfair to blame McCain’s RINOism on non-RINO fellow Republicans. That’s Mccain’s responsibility. It is unfair to blame the big spending that Congress engaged in on conservative talk show hosts who never advocated or passed or voted for such bills, and who in fact warned against it. It is further unfair not to note the political context, that at ALL times and in all contexts, the liberal Democrats were wanting higher taxes, higher spending, more regulation, and were chiding and campaigning on the same - using these issues to win elections (drug benefit, SCHIP, etc.).
“George Bush is great, great economy, war hero, you must vote for Bush. “
And Thank God we did. We Roberts and Alito on SCOTUS instead of 2 Kerry-appointed liberals, and we got Iraq turned around before a Dim-wit President could lose in Iraq.
And btw, the economy was good in 2004. I dont regret voting for Bush despite his errors and some disagreements. Apparently in your world view we have to shoot our own and turn 100% of the power over to the liberals for the sin of being merely human and imperfect.
The basic premise that Bush was universally followed, that his every act was praised by conservatives and there were no misgivings - all of that is simply belied by the record. No President has faced such withering critic Check out FR’s history, it has proof enough of that.
Meanwhile, you have made serious accusations about where Levin and Rush (who could barely bring himself to endorse McCain) come down. But still no quotes. In the end the conservative defense of Bush, or McCain, was NOT carte blanche lemming-following but an intellectually defensible one. Your brilliant 20/20 hindsight on what should have happened notwithstanding. (As I mentioned earlier, it is way too soon to determine that McCain couldnt/wouldnt best Obama in the ‘keep us safe’ dept. Wait until a real crisis occurs.)
I would leave you again with this small but IMPORTANT point - Obama is a radical and his budget is a radical departure from what GW Bush, Clinton, GHWBush and Reagan did prior:
What was most striking about the budget - including that it will explode the federal deficit to $1.75trillion this year, its highest since the Second World War - was that it was a ruthless declaration of how Mr Obama intends fundamentally to change the American social contract, from Right to Left. Its goal is not just to rescue the economy. It is to crush conservatism, end the age of anti-tax, anti-regulation policies that have been the guiding philosophies of US governance for a generation, and usher in a fresh “epoch”, as his aides call it, of New Deal-Great Society wealth redistribution and central intervention that were repudiated by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago.”
You still ignored my point. instead of you so called patriotic conservatives preaching that government is free by claiming re-building Iraq would be paid for by tax cuts (why didnt the stupid public believe this??)why not have GWB raise an Iraq tax on the patriotic conservatives? You would have worked a few more hours, right? Hannity and Levin would of, right? I mean for the troops, and to keep american safe. Instead you told americans to forget about taxes and run out and buy something. But lets say Bush gave a speech to tell us everything comes with a price, even Iraq, and we CANT push the future bill on the unborn. What sort of example would that be for democrats?
And stop the but Obama is WORST than US crap, it’s pathetic. you tried it three times. Have some diginity.
***And btw, the economy was good in 2004.***
And the drug user feels really good during a high.