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At some point, it becomes impossible to argue effectively that more and more GOPers will ever result in appreciable decreases in the size and scope of the Federal Leviathan.

A sound conclusion to your preceding well-reasoned observations.

As to the point I made that Rove and Bush know they failed to get the base out in 2000, Rove has made remarks. So he knows. But he and Bush are still playing the soccer mom game. And that means more mushy liberalism from the GOP. As far as I can tell, there's no reason to believe he can ever get any more votes with this strategy than he already has. And no reason to believe he'd lose these moderates if he instead took some action to get the conservative base interested and enthused over his presidency. Failure to alter Rove's nonproductive strategy in 2000 nearly brought on a disaster and the recount will leave it under a permanent shadow of illegitimacy. And then, like now, BushCo had to know that the big California endgame with a lot of personal appearances there and all the ad money they spent on it were going to go to waste. Had Bush done more to cover the rightwing base or taken that same time and money and spent it on Floriduh, there would never have been any recount. Like I said, they had to know that Cali was a loser for Bush. The same is true today. Bush and Rove must know that the base isn't too happy with some of the things they've been up to. And the lack of conservative appellate judges.

Reading your astute post was a pleasure. Some of the commentary here at FR has gotten pretty gushy. Swooning over Bush or Arnie or such has become an embarassingly regular feature of FR. Hopefully, people will come to their senses while we still have something that resembles a party of conservative principle.

"...no reason to believe he'd lose these moderates if he instead took some action to get the conservative base interested and enthused over his presidency."

Yep...taking a strong stand--and following thru--against PartialBirth abortions would be a great start to shoring up the Social conservatives, imho. What's taking so long with that legislation anyway?! Thing is, I believe Bush's folks think they've done all they need to for the fiscal conservatives with the tax cuts, but that's only half of the equation. We've got a $2 Trillion-plus Federal Budget and we can't find a coupla hundred billion dollars in cuts?! Of course we can...and should!!

"Some of the commentary here at FR has gotten pretty gushy. Swooning over Bush or Arnie or such has become an embarassingly regular feature of FR. Hopefully, people will come to their senses while we still have something that resembles a party of conservative principle."

It goes all the way back to the Bush-Buchanan wars of yesteryear, imho (although Buchanan was never the rock-ribbed Reaganite his supporters claimed him to be). Bush's Compassionate Conservatism is tinged with an unhealthy dose of idealism as to the alleged good inherent in an ever-expanding Federal Leviathan. Reagan NEVER believed that!! Part of Dubyuh apparently does, and it's up to his supporters to demand some discipline to conservative principles of limited government. FReepers should be at the forefront of that movement, but many of the BushBackers act as if any questioning of Dubyuh is almost sacreligious. I hope that short-sighted idolatry can be curbed, but it'll be a heckuva tussle.

FReegards...MUD