Posted on 03/29/2002 3:08:59 PM PST by TLBSHOW
WASHINGTON --
It looks as if President Bush 's honeymoon is over. He's fine with the American people -- his personal approval rating is still in the 80 percent range -- but his own natives, Republican movement conservatives, are already restless.
Like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan before him, Bush is already being branded as an appeaser of liberals and a sellout on a range of issues dear to the right-side hearts of many of his party's faithful. These are, it must be mentioned, impossible people who, more often than not, prefer to lose on principle than win through compromise.
They hate Washington and all it stands for, which is compromise and government of all the people. Unfortunately for them, presidents, even their own, have to work in this town -- and that means compromising, however reluctantly, with the opposition in Congress and the vast bureaucracies of governance and liberal constituencies.
Like baseball, it happens every spring. This year, even with overwhelming conservative (and liberal, too) support of the president in our officially undeclared war on terrorism, there are the right's gripes of the moment:
The president from Texas, lusting for Hispanic votes in his own state and in California, is too friendly with Mexico, pushing amnesty for illegal immigrants from south of the Rio Grande and San Diego.
He has sold out free-traders by imposing old-fashioned tariffs on the import of foreign steel -- or he is just chasing Democratic voters in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
He may have been holding his nose when he did it, but he signed the campaign-finance reform bill pushed by Democratic senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and apostate Republican senator John McCain of Arizona.
As part of the war effort, he is advocating a 50 percent increase in the United States' minuscule foreign aid program. This one rebukes conservatives who were determined to set in stone the idea that there is no connection between poverty in the poor regions of the world and hatred and terrorism directed at the richest of nations, the United States.
He is pushing Israel to compromise in its endless war against the Palestinians in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank.
He is pushing education policy and legislation that would increase federal influence in states, counties and towns across the country -- a big no-no to movement conservatives.
He is not pushing tax cuts the way he did during the campaign, partly because war and educational reform cost huge amounts of taxpayer revenues. Most of this was bound to happen, and any ideological president, Republican or Democrat, is eventually forced to betray campaign promises and core constituencies. The only difference this time is that because of continuing public support for military action (and its high costs), Bush is beginning to take more flak from his own kind than from the loyal opposition.
In the conservatives' favorite newspaper, The Washington Times, political columnist Donald Lambro began a news analysis last week by saying: "President Bush's about-face on trade tariffs, stricter campaign-finance regulations and other deviations from Republican doctrine is beginning to anger his conservative foot soldiers but does not seem to be cutting into his overall popularity -- yet."
John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union, puts it this way: "We're very disappointed about these new tariffs on steel and lumber. That's two new tax hikes on the American people. ... There's a concern among our members that in his effort to build and keep this coalition for the war, which is certainly needed, he's given Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and the forces of big government a free pass."
Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, added: "He's been getting a pass from us until now, but the amnesty bill is what tipped it over for us. I agree with Sen. Robert Byrd (a Democrat). This is 'sheer lunacy.' ... A lot of people thought Bush's education bill was terrible. But we didn't rant and rave about it because we wanted to support him on the war. That's changed. The amnesty bill is the hot issue out here. It's out of sync with what grassroots Americans want."
Finally, Stephen Moore, president of the conservative Club for Growth, said: "The danger for us is that Bush may begin to take the conservatives for granted, and you are seeing some signs of that happening with the steel tariff decision, foreign aid and other spending increases in the budget."
So it goes. There is nothing new about this. In the 1970s, William F. Buckley and other movement conservative leaders publicly "suspended" their support of President Richard Nixon because of what they considered his liberal moves toward welfare reform, tariffs and other issues considered part of the liberal domestic agenda -- to say nothing of his reaching out to communist China.
But in the end, Nixon kept them in line by pushing the war in Vietnam beyond reasonable limits. George Bush could accomplish the same political goal of uniting conservative support by continuing to push the war on terrorism into far nooks and crannies of the whole world.
I know it makes you feel better to keep repeating that, but it's just not so. The reason Alan Keyes has never been elected to a public office is that he turns so many people off, not just because he's holier-than-thou and talks down to people, but because he is plain annoying.
think the founding fathers are turning in their graves over that comment ..
This Country meant something to our founding fathers .. obviously it doesn't mean the same to you that you would even consider splitting up the country
But the one mistake everybody is making is writing off the dissenters as not Bush supporters, most of us are and still could be. But he is going to have to earn that trust back after not coming thru as he said.
Dont be fooled by the approval rating - it's going down, every talking head knows it and Bush will not win without the base.
As for me, I am no longer a Republican, that's history. No more money and no more campaigning. But I will continue to vote for conservatives if they are conservatives. At one time, that would have been a mainstream comment, but now that is radical somehow on a conservative website....we'll see how this all shakes out...goodnight.
But that IS what you said.
Thanks for proving my point; you spoke untruth.
You'll probably never see it, though.
Say I to Uncle Teddy ..
My maternal great great great great great grandfather sold his farm to Washington to complete Mount Vernon.
Don't bother lecturing me on the history of this country and who started; my family was one of them.
Happening as we speak. More border patrols, a HUGE INS dismantling and restructuring.
...following the first amendment
Hmmm... I haven't seen any jack-booted thugs kicking in doors in my neighborhood, probably because last time I checked, we still have freedom of speech (and if you're refering to CFR, you can thank the SCOTUS for revoking the parts you dislike in the near future.)
... trading with Europe
And this ended when?
and fighting terrorism become far right issues?
Fighting terrorism is a universal issue. But yet, it seems you have chosen to abandon the President because of what, ONE issue? Two??? As I said before, if we get Hillary in 2004, you have only yourselves to blame.
In case you didn't notice, Hitlery was the defacto president, and ran for a Senate seat. She has a following ( why , I'll NEVER understand, but she had / has one ) and, as usual, that election was filled with fruad.
OTOH, Keyes consistantly and constantly manages to lose many people, who once thought that he was worthy of a vote. Me for one. He is condescending, pontificates, instead of orates, and has far worse facial mannerisms , than President Bush's " smirk " ; which I am beginning to believe is a tic , from pressure or habit.
Keyes pulled the " race " / " victim " card once, and I gave him a pass on it. He pulled it again, and I now place him in the mirror image corner of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
Am I? Tell me why then the White House and RNC are hung up on Moderates this year even in place Conservative safe. Tennessee is a good example. No sooner had Fred said I'm a leavin than the proclamination was made Lamar Alexander is the party annointed. Lamar is a has been. He is a former Tennessee Governor which is a future elected office career killer. This was done despite the fact we have a fine well known Conservative Ed Bryant. Why would they say Lamar over Ed? Ed was a House Manager perhaps? Lamar was a Daddy Bush Cabinet man perhaps? How about those Califorina primaries huh? Yea Bush's chosen was sent packing for a Conservative. Let's just see how much help Simon really gets.
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