this “Bush is conservatism” thing has got to be confronted. We are hamstrung by our own inclination to support a President in a time of war. Bush did a good job in aggressively going after the enemy, so the Right generally supports him. Aside from the WOT and some decent tax cuts, how is Bush ideologically on the Right. I’ll give him his pro-life bona fides, but the rest is big government and open borders. His education bill, his prescription drug entitlement, his immigration bill, his unwillingness to even speak out about the growth of government and spending, right down to the very end with TARP. Bush is a conservative about like Nixon (we are all Keynesians now) was a conservative. He isn’t.
“how is Bush ideologically on the Right. I’ll give him his pro-life bona fides, but the rest is big government and open borders. His education bill, his prescription drug entitlement, his immigration bill, his unwillingness to even speak out about the growth of government and spending, right down to the very end with TARP. Bush is a conservative about like Nixon (we are all Keynesians now) was a conservative. He isn’t.”
Bingo. Worth repeating.
Agreed. And when even people like Joe actually *help* the left redefine the political center of this country by using GWB as an example of the "extreme" right wing then I get perturbed. The debate is becoming about a generally disliked (more or less) personality rather than on conservative principles.
Conservatives, as you said, must actively confront this redefinition of the political center in this country by clearly and firmly delineating the principles of conservatism vs. the destructive policies of the left.
This little thread certainly ain't enough to do that.