Bush Presidency is Advancing the Progressive Agenda

Sierra Times ^ | 6-17-03 | John Bender

[SUSSA]

Democrats may be worried that George Bush is unbeatable in 2004, but President Bush’s strength is good news for progressives. No president since LBJ has been as successful in expanding government and increasing the size and scope of social programs as this president. Presidents Carter and Clinton didn’t even come close to matching President Bush’s accomplishments in expanding government social programs. George Bush increased government size and spending more in his first two years than Bill Clinton did in his first six years. By the end of this year, he will have expanded government more than Bill Clinton did in his entire eight-year administration.

To be fair, Bill Clinton had to fight the conservatives in Congress who threw up every roadblock they could muster to thwart his progressive agenda. George Bush has not only silenced the conservative wing of the Republican Party, he has ground them into pulp and made them toothless tigers.

There is no longer any serious talk about making government smaller or eliminating government departments or programs. Smaller government used to be the bedrock principal of the Republican Party. President Bush changed that and is pushing Republicans in Congress not just to accept bigger government, but to embrace it.

Instead of eliminating the Education Department, George Bush almost doubled its size and pushed through the largest increase in funding the department ever enjoyed. He and Ted Kennedy worked closely together to make sure that the federal government also has more power over local schools than ever before.

The testing mandated by the education bill, and the mandate that schools meet minimum standards is a brilliant maneuver that will demand the standards and the tests be controlled centrally from Washington. No one will be able to oppose national standards and a national testing system. Without national standards, testing is subjective and worthless. National standards and a standardized national test will require local schools teach to the test. That means Washington will be dictating the curriculum in every school in America. Bill Clinton and Al Gore couldn’t even dream of accomplishing this much progress.

In other areas President Bush also out performed President Clinton. He expanded other programs the Contract With America targeted for elimination. He expanded Americorps, the Peace Corps, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Head Start.

Working closely with progressive Republicans and Democrats, George Bush passed the farm bill that dismantled the Freedom to Farm Act that conservative Republicans pushed through Congress, and President Clinton signed, in 1996. This new legislation boosts farm spending to record levels. President Bush’s farm bill not only increased old subsidies, it created new subsidies our farmers never had before. No Democrat president could have pushed this legislation through a Republican controlled Congress. The conservative wing of the party still holds some powerful positions in Congress, especially in the House. They were proud of the Freedom to Farm Act and would have fought tooth and nail with a Democrat president to keep it in place. They caved in to President Bush without even a hint of a fight. President Bush effectively cut the conservatives in Congress off at the knees on this legislation and on most of their domestic agenda. He rules the Republican Party with an iron fist and conservatives are unable to out maneuver him.

President Bush signed the Campaign Finance Reform bill into law. Conservative Republicans in Congress are still quietly seething about how he steamrollered them on this. President Bush is also leading the fight to expand Medicare, add prescription drug coverage and mandate mental health coverage. Conservatives kept Presidents Carter and Clinton from adding these entitlements to Medicare. With President Bush pushing the agenda, they aren’t even pretending to oppose these additions.

The president is also leading the fight to extend the child tax credit to low income families excluded from the latest tax cut. He figuratively bitch-slapped Tom Delay and his conservative cohorts who threatened to derail the expanded credit, urging the Republicans to pass the bill quickly and send it to him for his signature. While progressive Republicans like to claim President Bush is following President Reagan’s vision for America, he is actually following President Nixon’s agenda to the letter. President Nixon never tried to eliminate any government program or agency. He expanded government as much as he could. Few people remember that it was President Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Endowment for the Arts. Fewer still remember that it was President Nixon who tied Social Security benefits to the cost of living. President Bush is surpassing President Nixon in advancing progressive social policy.

President Bush is also making talk radio safe for progressives. Hosts who would have railed against President Clinton, or any Democrat, for pushing the progressive agenda President Bush is implementing, excuse this president for it. Many of them attack any conservative who calls to point out that President Bush is a progressive. Even Rush Limbaugh is leery of taking on this president. While he occasionally offers some mild criticism of the president, he always follows that criticism by offering excuses for the president’s actions and progressive domestic agenda. This is partially due to the attacks that come from the Bush cultists any time anyone is anything but worshipful of their guy. Like Democrats who refused to believe that President Clinton was capable of doing any wrong, there is a group of Republicans who would support President Bush no matter how far left he governs. They attack anyone and any group who points out that President Bush is not conservative. Many of these people are domestic progressives who like big government and benefit from government programs. They call themselves conservatives; many of them really think they are conservatives. In fact, they support progressive social programs and most benefit from them. They are critical of the poor who receive government help, but enjoy generous government subsidies of their own lifestyles. Many talk show hosts fall into this category themselves.

The other reason even real conservatives are leery of voicing anything except the mildest criticism of President Bush is they fear retaliation from the administration. They fear being cut off from the information loop. They fear being dropped from the administration’s fax and E-mail grapevine. Their professional status is greatly enhanced by access to administration sources and President Bush is not shy about diminishing or eliminating that access for anyone who puts their principals ahead of support for his agenda.

All things considered, progressives are much better off with President Bush in office than they would be with any of his Democrat challengers. No Democrat on the scene today can come close to matching President Bush’s ability to advance the progressive agenda and marginalize the conservatives in the Republican Party. Four more years of a Bush administration will produce progressive gains that are only matched by FDR’s accomplishments. Rather than being disappointed that they don’t have a Democrat in the presidency, progressives should be thankful they have an ideological soul mate in office. For progressives the cry should be “FOUR MORE YEARS!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Bender is a freelance writer from Dallas, Texas. His columns have appeared in The Dallas Morning News, Ether Zone, Right Magazine, The Sierra Times, USA Daily and other print and online publications. Your feedback is welcome.

[ApesForEvolution]

Hey, Bushbot extraordinaire: for every Kyoto/ICC/PBA Ban/Wimpy Tax Cut, we get 2, 3 or 4 expansions of socialism.

Now, I realize that the author is intentionally either riling up conservatives to WAKE UP DAMN IT or trying to suppress conservative support and get a RAT elected this go 'round, but really, Bush's "Compassionate Conservatism" is nothing but pure socialism (the precursor to Fascism/Totalitarian Communism).

So, do we hope he veers back to the right after we vigorously work to re-elect him, or as conservatives, not provide the grassroots support it will take for him to win and therefore bring about another RAT administration?

I guess the real question is: how fast are we approaching the cliff now and does it really matter? Honestly, there might be a dime's worth of difference between Bush and most RATS, but not much more.

For every Kyoto/ICC/PBA Ban/Wimpy Tax Cut 'Bone' that is thrown out, a big fat kick in the nuts follows. And what's really sad, is that he doesn't get the support in turn from the RATS that he fattens with his big government crapola. So, why then does he expand socialism?? There is NO reciprocation from the die hard proponents of the RAT way, so why do that to America?

I guess because Bush really is a compassionate socialist who needs 'contemporary conservatives' from time to time???

[TLBSHOW]

the fact is you have tried to sell us all at FR socialism and how wonderful it is because its Bush.

Bad bill of sale in my humble opinion.

Anyways its too late the folks at FR are now almost fully awake to what is going on with this White House.

[TomServo]

in all due respect we should at least FReep him first because he has done many good things too.

*****
"That is beacuse Bush is a Socialist like his pal Blair"

"that is a good answer because right now Bush is screwing us royal!"

"look around dane there has been thread after thread here that point out why Bush is not a conservative or a friend of conservatives."

"(SOCIALIST-BUSH) He believes government is the solution, not the problem."

"To be honest I would like to see George Bush reverse his current course (Socialist agenda) and do what is right."

"ONE MORE TIME: To be honest I would like to see George Bush reverse his current course (Socialist agenda) and do what is right."

"Bush is a big time govt socialist........"

********
Make up your mind, Todd.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Will you kindly define the term "decent people" in the context of your comment?

Perhaps we should first define 'is'? Are there other words that need to be re-defined?

[Howlin]

the fact is you have tried to sell us all at FR socialism and how wonderful it is because its Bush.

Keep it up. PLEASE.

I just love watching you call the president a socialist and a traitor and a UN man and trash and pushing the gay agenda, et al.

Again, PLEASE keep it up.

[clamper1797]

Clinton was stopped from doing most of the damage he intended to.

Bravo Sierra !!!!!!!!!

Are you sure you're on the right web site ???????

[Mr. Mojo]

George Bush has not only silenced the conservative wing of the Republican Party, he has ground them into pulp and made them toothless tigers.

These tigers better grow some teeth by the time the AWB renewal bill comes their way. Bush already warned them what he would do if they didn't.

There is no longer any serious talk about making government smaller or eliminating government departments or programs.

The majority of the GOP doesn't even pretend to advocate small gov't anymore.

[Howlin]

"look around dane there has been thread after thread here that point out why Bush is not a conservative or a friend of conservatives."

And Todd is posting them all!

What does that tell you.........LOL.

You forgot this one:

To: Uncle Bill

looks like many are waking up to the Bush sham.

17 posted on 06/16/2003 9:14 AM EDT by TLBSHOW (the gift is to see the truth)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[SUSSA]

You're right. Bush refused to reinstate her.

[redangus]

So Bush signs a huge prescription drug benefit into law that will cost billions of dollars just so the Senate won't by able to say we tried, but the big evil president vetoed our bill. Well that is real smart. When I was a boy that used to be called cutting off your nose to spite your face. What a way to run a country.

[dsutah]

Exactly! George Bush must be an extraordinary socialist! I've never heard of a socialist(apparently as some people on here claim.)who cut taxes, went to war to actually defend our nation, cut funding to international birh-control groups, poked the UN in the eye over war in Iraq. And don't forget, it seems that those who support him are now socialists too(even Dick Cheney, his vp, is now a socialist), sigh..oh well, so be it!

[Howlin]

He had absolutely NO obligation to; he is entitled to put his own people in those posts.

But keep on slamming him with a pseudo-lie.

[TomServo]

looks like many are waking up to the Bush sham.

Whoops - my "bad". So many - I can't keep up...

[Howlin]

Don't forget that you, by your support of Bush, are now a socialist, too, according to TLBSHOW.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Do you not believe in removing from the federal government the power that belongs to the states? And if taxes are increased at the state and local level, doesn't that mean that the states (and the state citizens) voted for it? Do the states not have the right to govern as they see fit?

I absolutely do agree that the Federal government's size and power must be reduced. And this could be done by DIMINISHING not increasing the Feds' size and power. Sadly, what W does is INCREASING, not diminishing the size of the Federal gov't while borrowing more money.

Lowering taxes while spending more is INSANITY.

[SUSSA]

He had no obligation to do it. Just like he had no obligation to renominate Clintons judges.

Take your meds troll.

[dsutah]

Didn't you just read that we who support GWB, are all considered as 'fake' conservatives? Or maybe even 'socialists' now, by some of our friends on here? Well, maybe I'm imagining things; maybe they'll explain themselves. But I could've sworn that GWB and his administration, and all of us who support him, are now referred to as 'socialists'!

[Howlin]

Oh, snappy comeback!

[TLBSHOW]

Tune into Rush today he will talk about the good things Bush has done that no rat would of done and why being nice to rats is not the way to go.

There is a balance here but no conservative in their right mind can support the socialist agenda and not slam bush over it.

but wait its all part of the plan. LOL

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_061603/content/the_big_theory_2.guest.html

No one is ever going to roll this stuff back! This is what The BIG Theory is: passing Democrat agenda items in part or whole to strip the other party of their issues. My question is: "Where does this lead?" Where does passing the biggest Medicare expansion since the early 60s take the nation? Is saddling our young people with this giant spending program worth it just to stop Democrats from saying we hate Medicare programs? Sure, it's worth it if you're running for office - but you're buying votes with the money of future generations!

So do the right thing - for seniors and everybody - by not making the people slaves to the government.

Rush Limbaugh

....

Hmmm,,, Bush is buying votes with Socialism-Lite