Are Beltway Republicans Still Conservative?

Citizens for A Sound Economy ^ | 08/14/02 | Paul Beckner

[CutMyTaxes]

There is a widening gap between the values of Washington Republicans and America's conservative base.

[traditionalist]

Good article, though he fails to mention what I think is the most profound issue on which the beltway Republicans are betraying their base: immigration.

[glc1173@aol.com]

And that widening gap shows. It was grassroots social conservatives that put Jorge Bush in office - but, ever since taking office, all he's been interested in is catering to the party's small-but-rich country-club wing. Be it acquiescing to massive illegal immigration to give the grandees cheap labor or be it bailing out Wall Street's bad loans in South America, he's alienating the only group that can reelect him.

[Mr. Bird]

I believe the sheer size of government causes the ideological chasm. When federal budgets touch every walk of life, no executive decision takes place in a vacuum. Every budget cut or increase, personnel change, or policy statement provokes an immediate reaction from those it adversely affects. So rather than responsible government, we get government that behaves on the principle of pain (or negative spin) avoidance.

This happens at every level, but on the national level where the stakes are the highest, it is the most frustrating. As Steve Forbes recently said, the best solution to the current economic "crisis" is to give congress a big raise and a permanent vacation. With its current bloated size and scope, government only gets worse, not better.

[Digger]

Good comment. Problem is the sheeple are sooo brainwashed that they not only can't think "out-of-the-box" but reflect such in their voting in the duopoly. And these pols fleece them totally.

[caltrop]

Beltway Republicans aren't the problem. The President's leadership is the problem. Conservatives in Congress didn't advocate expanding the Department of Education.

Rockefeller Republicans like Bush see the government as the solution, not the problem. He'll cheerfully expand the government and, when the bill comes due, claim he had no choice but to raise taxes.

[Area51]

Washington Republicans?

How about RINOS. There is a whole host of them. The Only difference between them and Benedict Jeffords is he craves the attention. They vote and act just like him. Chester "Vacant" Lott included.

[Congressman Billybob]

The National Taxpayers Union did a well-researched study about three years ago that corrolated time spent in Congress (I hesitate to use the word "served") against voting for spending bills. It was a neat, straight line relationship showing that the more time a Member spent in Congress, the more spending he/she voted for.

The Republicans started at a lower level than the freshman Democrats, but both lines went up at the same rate, so that after ten years a veteran Republican was identical to a freshman Democrat. In short, the longer ANY Member spends in Washington, the further out of touch he/she gets from the people back home. It is not just a Republican deal.

This is the main symptom of Potomac Fever. It occurs in all governments. Jay, Hamilton and Madison described it in the Federalist.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest column: "Good People, Naked People, People Who Are Wet and Wild."

Click for latest book: "to Restore Trust in America"

[caltrop]

No doubt RINOs are a problem. Under Reagan there were plenty of RINOs in Congress. Reagan's leadership forced them into line, however. Under both Bush's (Reagan's biggest mistake was selecting GHWB for VP), RINOs had one of their own in the White House. Republican grass roots indolence and party solidarity took it from there.

[cksharks]

Your full of crap!!!!!!!!!!!! LOTT HAS THE THIRD MOST CONSERTATIVE VOTING RECORD IN THE SENATE.

[weikel]

I know plenty of the country club wing they ain't as liberal as you think. I don't know why Bush has done all this liberal crap I guess he just wants the whole country to love him BARF.

[Black Agnes]

Are they conservative?! I think the *real* question is 'Are they Human?' followed closely with 'Are they Really Americans?'

[sinclair]

Name a politician with an "R" behind his/her name that the "R" doesn't represent RINO!

[weikel]

The Beltway Republicans or the country club Republicans. The country clubbers favor free trade ussually but not immigration in fact the average opinion they have of Mexicans ain't too PC.

[pt17]

The beltway republicans are, first and foremost, beltway people. After that, if you think hard about what beltway people are all about (i.e., think "living off the public trough") , everything else is highly self-explanatory.

[Dark Watch]

Your (you're)full of crap!!!!!!!!!!!! LOTT HAS THE THIRD MOST CONSERTATIVE VOTING RECORD IN THE SENATE.

Well, I guess that doesn't fair well for the CONSERVATIVES in the Senate.

[Pining_4_TX]

Jorge Bush

LOL! I think I'll start calling him that.