Bush's Record Calls into Question His Conservative Label

Bush's Record Calls into Question His Conservative Label

David T. Pyne
June 4, 2002

President George W. Bush, having won an extremely close and hard fought election in November 2000, has been attacked by liberal Democrats for being "too conservative" almost from the time he was elected. However, Bush's overall record since assuming the office of President calls into question the general perception that Bush is a conservative. During his first few months, Bush seemed to set a commendable course as a moderate conservative.

Some of Bush's notable conservative accomplishments include his decision to withdraw the US from the strictures of the ABM Treaty, the US victory in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the passage of the biggest defense spending increases since Ronald Reagan and the appointment of a Secretary of Defense who is committed to furthering US national security. President Bush also succeeded in preventing a communist return to power in Nicaragua and has passed limited, but vital protective tariffs to help protect America's dying steel industry under heavy assault from America's steel-dumping trade partners.

During the past year, Mr. Bush's conservative accomplishments have been undermined by his other actions, which indicate an increasing and unwelcome tilt toward the left, likely prompted by advice from Colin Powell and Karl Rove who advocate appeasing liberals both in regards to his domestic and foreign policies. On the domestic side of the house, the Bush record has been a disappointing one as the President has submitted balanced budget-cap busting budgets which will return the US to a time of $200 billion a year deficits increasing government spending 15% over two years, a far higher rate of increase than his more liberal predecessor.

Bush also signed the radical Ted Kennedy education bill, which federalizes education and provides tens of billions more a year for the liberal-dominated Department of Education to indoctrinate America's children in their socially liberal value-free philosophy. Bush's record on social issues has been decidedly mixed with his support of federal funding for grisly stem-cell research, his failure to reverse pro-abortion executive orders signed by Bill Clinton in 1993, and his appointment of pro-abortion activist and White House Counsel, Al Gonzalez, to lead his Supreme Court nominee search team.

President Bush has undertaken a major effort to remake the GOP in "his" image, alienating many of his conservative supporters in the process. He has engineered a successful liberal takeover of the California Republican Party by a man who has branded all pro-lifers as extremists. Bush has supported moderate to very liberal candidates against their more conservative opponents in California, North Carolina, Tennessee and elsewhere throughout the country, appointed a pro-choice governor to head the Republican National Committee and helped install a liberal abortion supporter as RNC treasurer. In addition, Bush has attempted to push his proposal through Congress to grant amnesty to two million illegal immigrants in the US in a bid to buy the Latino vote in America and appease Mexican President Vincente Fox.

Most troublesome of all to Republicans, Bush broke a campaign promise in signing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. This Democrat congressional majority insurance bill will have the effect of legislating a permanent Democrat party stranglehold on the majority of both houses of Congress, reversing the hard-won and historic gains by the Republican congressional majority during the past decade. Initial implementation of this bill in the 2004 election cycle will likely result in the defeat of scores of Bush's loyal Republican supporters in Congress.

On foreign policy, Bush supported PLO terrorist Yasser Arafat in power and repeatedly urged Sharon to halt Israel's counter-terrorist operations until Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon finally succeeded in persuading him to change course and find enough moral clarity to support the Israeli war against the Palestinian terrorists. However, Bush still supports a Palestinian state, something that not even Bill Clinton would support. In addition, the Bush Administration actually tried to enlist Iran, listed by the State Department as the greatest state sponsor of terror including Al Queda, as a strategic partner to fight terrorism back in September.

In pursuing relations with Communist China, the president has opted to pursue a Clintonian policy of accommodation, if not outright appeasement. Last year, Bush signed an executive order to permit the sale of significantly more advanced supercomputers than those allowed to be sold by the Clinton Administration. He has also championed the awarding of permanent most favored nation trade status and WTO membership for Communist China, whose record on killing hundreds of thousands of its political and religious dissidents, forcing tens of millions of Chinese women to have abortions every year, threatening nuclear incineration of American cities and continued unrestricted sales of advanced nuclear warhead and ballistic missile technology to America's enemies leaves much to be desired. The Bush policy of appeasing the Butchers of Beijing has had the effect of rewarding them for their 'bad behavior' while encouraging future offenses and escalated threats against our Free Chinese allies on Taiwan.

Bush has also forged a new, overly trusting relationship with the Russian Federation led by former KGB spymaster, Vladimir Putin. Bush has pledged to destroy and dismantle 75% of the US strategic nuclear deterrent that has kept the nuclear peace for nearly sixty years, signed an agreement admitting Russia as a full partner with veto power in NATO, and offered to jointly develop US missile defenses with Russia. It is not at all clear that Russia can be trusted to keep its treaty obligations, let alone serve as a reliable US ally. President Bush also supports the implementation of a Clinton-era plan to disarm the US Army of its tanks, tracked vehicles and much of its artillery that will likely result in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of American soldiers if they are called upon again to fight a major war.

For the good of the country, President Bush should move away from governing from the mushy middle and return to governing to the center-right. He may need to do so in order to regain lost conservative support and avoid a major conservative challenge in the 2004 presidential election.

© 2002 David T. Pyne

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David T. Pyne, Esq. is a national security expert who works as an International Programs Manager in the Department of the Army responsible for the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East among others. He is also a licensed attorney and former Army Reserve Officer. In addition, he holds an MA in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. Mr. Pyne currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Virginia Republican Assembly. He is also a member of the Center for Emerging National Security Affairs based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Pyne serves as a columnist for American-Partisan.com, OpinioNet.com and America’s Voices. He is also a regular contributor for Patriotist.com. In addition, his articles have appeared on Etherzone.com and AmericanReformation.org where he serves as a policy analyst.

The author is right. Bush is no conservative as demonstrated by his recent support of the $100 billion plus socialist farm subsidy bill and his embracing of the Clinton-Gore propaganda pseudo-science on global warming. However, I do think his policies might improve if he dumped his liberal advisors like Karl Rove and Colin Powell. Thankfully, I sense that Bush's conservative supporters are beginning to wake up to the reality of Bush's unending appeasement of liberal Democraps and his refusal to veto ANY of their unconstitutional and big government legislation.

Among those longtime Bush supporters who have been increasingly critical of Bush increasing leftward tack--Rush Limbaugh, David Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and the list is increasing. According to Sean Hannity, Bush apologists use his success in the war on terrorism and his 2% of GNP tax cut passed last year to justify Bush's every surrender to the left. Yesterday, Sean Hannity called for Bush to begin to take a principled conservative stand against the liberals in at least SOME policy areas. It is becoming increasingly clear that George W. Bush is not only no Reagan, he is not his father either. Former President George H. W. Bush Sr. was never idealized by conservatives as Reagan was, but at least he was willing to take principled conservative stands on some issues, while George W. Bush clearly is not.

Bush's abandonment of his conservative principles and breaking of his campaign promise to fight the McCain-Feingold Democrat Incumbent Protection Act and ally was really the last straw for many of his previous supporters on the right like me. Bush cannot continue to ignore and yes alienate his conservative base by his support of liberal policies and hope to get re-elected in 2004. He will have to return to a more reasonable center-right approach to governance.

Bush Extremely Strong With Base

ap via newsday | 5/31/2002 | Will Lester

Posted on 6/1/02 9:23 PM Eastern by TLBSHOW

Bush Extremely Strong With Base

WASHINGTON -- Occasional grumbling by some prominent conservatives about President Bush sometimes overshadows his extremely solid support among stalwart Republicans and conservatives around the country.

Many Republicans and Democrats seem to agree that support by itself does not tilt the 2002 elections toward the GOP. Some, however, say it could offset the gains the party out of the White House -- Democrats, in this case -- historically has made in midterm elections.

"The general backdrop has shifted away from the Democrats over the last year to where we have a level playing field," said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster in Atlanta who works with Republican candidates.

The Sept. 11 attacks also shifted the political landscape from domestic issues favoring Democrats to national security and the war on terrorism, which favor the GOP.

Democrats acknowledge the president's strength, but question whether that will carry over to other GOP candidates.

"The president has put his popularity on the line in these congressional midterm elections," said Michael Meehan, a senior strategist at the Democratic National Committee. "What remains to be seen is whether the intensity of the conservative base translates from the president to the candidates who are on the ballot."

Meehan said polling data he has seen indicate the elections are much more likely to be decided on the basis of individual candidates and local campaigns.

Some conservatives have grumbled about the Bush White House handling of spending, steel tariffs, the Mideast and other issues.

"Within the conservative leadership, there is increasing restlessness about some of the Bush's domestic policy decisions in the last few months," said Steve Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group.

Democratic strategist Jim Jordan dismisses such complaints as "strictly a debate among the Washington elites."

Polls do not suggest discontent among some conservative activists has spread outside Washington.

"Bush wins overwhelming majority support from all Republicans and with strong Republicans it is all but unanimous," said Thomas Riehle, president of Ipsos-Reid public affairs, which conducts a tracking poll for the Cook Political Report.

"At this point in any president's first term, you would expect to have alienated some faction of your own party, but that is not the case with George Bush."

Added GOP pollster Matthew Dowd: "It gives you an opportunity to reach out to constituencies."

Bush's job approval rating among Republicans is in the low 90s and a bit higher among strong Republicans, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll and others.

Georgia Republican Chairman Ralph Reed said most conservatives he talks to are quite content "the ball is clearly moving in the right direction." That gives the GOP the latitude to reach out more on health care, education and other issues, he said.

The president can do that by following through on issues he campaigned on and "make them a reality," said Blaise Underwood, political director of the Republican National Committee. Democrats say that GOP proposals on many domestic issues fall short and are underfunded.

Intense enthusiasm for the president among his political base could be very important in a midterm election when turnout tends to be lighter, said Carl Forti, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Republicans acknowledge Democrats often have had an advantage in past years getting out their voters.

One definite benefit for Republican candidates will be the president's ability to raise money for candidates, Ayres said.

Jordan, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said money should not be a deciding factor. "We will not lose a Senate race because of a lack of resources," he said.

A report this week from the Federal Election Commission suggested the parties' money raising and spending for congressional races has been relatively even.

Jordan said he has seen little evidence that Senate races will be a referendum on the president. Polling on voters' preference for Republican or Democratic congressional candidates has consistently shown voters are fairly evenly divided.

Conservative loyalty to Bush could give Republicans added leeway to move to the center on some domestic issues -- excluding top GOP issues like taxes and abortion, said conservative analyst Marshall Wittmann of the Hudson Institute.

"Bush ended the Clinton-Gore reign and he delivered for them on taxes," said Wittmann. "He seems to have a connection with conservatives that is almost nonverbal."

HE lost you. Somewhere around the point, you were unsophisticated enough to understand Political Strategy.Rush did a good job of pointing it out yesterday.

Can you tell me what the Dems signature issue going into the Midterm elections are? Education? Nope, They were Outflanked, when he teamed up with Kennedy. The Environment? Nope, he just bought up the rights to the Everglades. Social Security ? Nope, the truth is on his side there. Change, for Changes sake? not with him between 70% and 90% popularity. Enron? nothing there .....They have Zilch Zero Nada.
Are you starting to get it yet? It is generally refered to as removing the bullets from your enemies guns.
And like it or not, In order to promote any conservative ideal, one MUST BE ELECTED INTO OFFICE, so by extension, THAT IS THE ULTIMATE CONCERN.

Right now, today, what he needs most, to effect lasting CONSERVATIVE change is +2 in the Senate. Then we can fill Judgeships, and maybe get a couple more conservatives on SCOTUS. He will not have a Warren Rudman to bring him a Souter.

Now a brief instruction in to what he has done...

* secured passage through Congress of a $1.35 trillion tax cut
* gave working American's a stimulus tax cut
* proposed the largest increases in military spending since Reagan
* singed two military two pay raises & increased medical/housing benefits
* threw out the Kyoto protocol
* disposed of the ABM Treaty
* eliminated taxpayer funding of overseas abortions
* has openly and strongly supported Taiwan
* made no deal for release of the EP-3 plane crew from Red China
* secured initial funding for a NMDS (SDI)
* promoted increases for off shore oil drilling
* has strongly advocated drilling in ANWR
* pushed for building more nuclear power plants
* campaigned to reduce our dependency on oil imports
* repealed many last minute Clinton EO`s
* campaigned for partial privatization of Social Security
* offered faith-based alternatives to traditional welfare
* stopped gov't funding for further destruction of human embryo's
* nominated conservative judges to the federal bench
* returned honor, dignity and trust to the Presidency
* recognized 2ND amendment/RKBA as individual right, fully constitutional
* told Cuba/Castro trade embargo stays

He is currently having what is best in life.....

"What is best in life? To crush your enemies. To see them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women..."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.