Posted on 05/14/2003 2:32:06 PM PDT by Godebert
By JIM ABRAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -
President Bush should take the lead in overcoming resistance within his own party to extending an assault weapons ban due to expire next year, Democrats said Wednesday.
"If the bill dies we will lay it at the president's doorstep," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said a day after House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told reporters that the 1994 law banning the manufacture of 19 types of common military-style assault weapons would not be renewed.
Schumer said the gun bill would be an issue in the 2004 election, a development that could pose problems for Democrats who represent districts with strong gun rights sentiment. The assault ban vote was also a campaign topic in 1994, the year Republicans recaptured the House after spending 40 years in the minority.
Bush, taking a position at odds with the National Rifle Association, has voiced support for extending the ban, and White House spokesman Ari Fleischer on Wednesday said that support would carry weight in Congress.
"This is a matter that the House has to work out, of course, by listening to the will of its members, but the president's position is clear on it," Fleischer said. "When the president states his position like that, it helps get the message to the Congress."
Fleischer would not say whether Bush would pressure DeLay to bring such a bill up for a vote. DeLay, R-Texas, on Tuesday indicated that there would be no effort to renew the current law before it expires on Sept. 13, 2004. "The votes in the House are not there to reauthorize it," he said.
"The real question is will the president weigh in and ask the leaders to schedule a vote," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., who as a senior adviser to President Clinton played a key role in guiding the 1994 legislation through Congress.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
But on a more serious note....
I am so tired of the same ol', same ol' crowd that consider themselves to be the elite conservatives. Talk about not getting it !!!
I think Bush is actually more conservative than many think. We certainly know that he is aiming to 'conservatize" the courts and therein lies one of the biggest and most important issues.
I see Bush as a very wise man who can rise above the naysayers and live with his critics because he sincerely does want to change the country. But he knows it cannot be done in one or two terms of a presidency and he doesn't need all the glory.
Sadly, the majority of America has become so morally decayed, they barely know right from wrong.
Thanks to Clinton and some of his liberal predecessors and the liberal media, conservative has become synonymous with uncaring, rich loving, mean spirited and unjustifiably judgmental. No matter how misguided their thinking is, it is a widespread mindset.
So.....if a flood of conservative changes are shoved down their throats until they gag, they will likely believe that all their liberally manipulated perceptions were correct.
However, if they are given a little sip here and a little lick there, they may very well acquire a taste for it.
We have a long road to travel to turn things around and if there is no patience, no tolerance for bumps in the road, the destination will never be reached.
With all my heart I believe that if the people who find virtue in running to punish everyone by voting for vapor ever elected their idea of Mr. or Mrs. Ideal, it would set us back decades. We might never see anything close to a conservative in the White House again in our lifetimes.
I believe that we need to persuade the people first and then begin to proceed in straightening out the many problems that exist.
That may mean having to temporarily compromise and make less than comfortable decisions in order to set the mood for getting us back to the foundation from which we have strayed.
I simply find the extreme negativity to be counterproductive and a hindrance to needed progress. This is going to take time and especially if it is going to be done right.
Imagine a nation with a more conservative belief and then further imagine that as the catalyst for the reinstatement of all things Constitutional. I think the former must occur before the latter can succeed.
What's the old saying about "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step"?
These Dimocrats never learn. It'll be fun to watch the Dimocrats getting shot down in flames again!
There is no evidence that the Pubs are performing any differently than the Dems. The Pubs cave in on every issue. Just about everything that Al Gore promised in his campagne has come to pass. Does voting for the Pubs make any discernable difference?
...what does your tantrum produce?
Getting the attention of those who fiegn to represent me.
What is the result of your protest?
I'll have to wait and see. Once somebody actually represents me, they will get my support. Ignore me, I'll just have to hunt around. As I mentioned before, there seems to be no difference between the Dems and the Pubs. The goals established by the Dems are met in any case.
Has it ever furthered your cause outside of your wee circle of utopia seekers?
Has appeasement ever furthered yours?
Can you name for me any way in which your protest vote has helped the country more than George Bush?
Just how is Bush has helped so much? Ah, you must be referring to the Patriot Acts, swell airport security, and such incredible beffing up of the Bill of Rights. I must not forget the magnificent job he has done with stemming the flow of illegal immigration and preventing high-tech jobs from being exported from the country.
If you truly believe that George Bush is no better than the slate of Dimwits...
I think GWB is a magnificent man and a man of honor. He and his ilk just need to listen to those who put him into office. He has not yet addressed important domestic needs, nor has he done anything to displace PC stupidity that prevents meaningful security measures. He hasn't done anything to strengthen the Constitution he swore to uphold. This Nation MUST conform to the Constitution or die. This transcends the importance of GWB. He must take heed. I am trying to save the Nation, not one little man.
Perhaps what I have to offer is a return to the Principles upon which this Nation was founded. The current crop of congresscritters and the President seem to be enamoured with re-election for the sake of personnal power. He could lean me back in his favor with a "Return to Constitutional Government" speech, followed by some action along those lines. You see, I am just trying to help with some very sound advice. It remains to be seen if those darling Pubs of yours will listen to the rabble. You know, the ones that put them into office in the first place.
Could be that we're interested in preserving the Nation in the form that got us to where we are today. Could be that we don't believe in fixing something that isn't busted. Could be that the Nation is more important than one man.
Damn! It could be the "principle of the thing". What are yours?
Hats off to both of you! Great job!
Perfectly put, Amelia!
I noticed how often you mentioned "I" and "me" in your post. Perhaps that is at the root of your little fits.
Apparently you make no allowance for anything other than your beliefs and fail to realize that there are millions of Americans who either don't share your opinions or worse, have been fooled for a very long time.
It is these people who need to be brought around if conservatism is to succeed. Individuals like you exhibit no plan to accomplish that daunting task.
However, if it is not done, we will never really move forward. Oh, we may rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, but the sinking will not be avoided because voters still decide who will lead the states and nation.
George Bush has made America better for everyone by restoring honor to the White House, aggressively confronting terrorism, cutting taxes, nominating conservative judges, openly demonstrating his deep faith and reliance on prayer, encouraged respect for all life (PBA ban), and so much more.
There have been things with which I disagree such as CFR and I certainly do not support AWB. I don't believe Bush does either but he knows that these things can be eliminated through other means and he has snatched the issue from the teeth of the Dimwits.
As I said earlier, I think he is willing to take some flak for it, trusting that the issue will likely take care of itself at a later date. Meanwhile, he can make great gains in things such as the courts, which may well be the most important challenge we face as Americans.
So no, GingisK......your moaning and bitching has done nothing for me or anyone else in this country. While others have brought buckets of water to put out the fire, you've stood across the street, hands in your pockets, complaining that they aren't using the currently unavailable big hoses.
It's so easy to throw up your hands and carp, carp, carp about how things don't meet YOUR demands. You help no one; not even yourself.
Think about what happens when you finally cut all the trees in the forest. The "conservatives" and the socialists are both cutting the trees as fast as they can. Intentional or not, the result will be the same.
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