A Few Questions For Die-Hard Bush Supporters

Toogood Reports ^ | June 5, 2002 | Lee R. Shelton IV

[Stand Watch Listen]

Let me just say up front that I am not addressing you if you voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and regret it. The same goes for those of you who voted for Bush and insist on holding his feet to the fire on the important issues. If, however, you cast your vote for Bush, still believe he is the only hope for America and intend to support every move he makes without so much as a raised eyebrow, this is for you.

It has been nearly a year-and-a-half since George W. Bush, the savior of conservatism, descended from on high to begin his earthly reign in Washington, D.C. Republicans assured us that he would restore integrity to the White House and would be a marked improvement over the promiscuous Bill Clinton. Well, in all honesty, that could have been accomplished by electing a neutered chimp to the office of president.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush the man proved to be a nice break from Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Unlike Gore, Bush had a more likable...well, he actually had a personality. He also possessed the unique ability to address the American people without the smug and condescending vibe Clinton exuded. However, when it came to policy, George W. Bush the candidate failed to demonstrate that he would govern any differently than his Democrat counterparts.

Still, throughout the campaign, there was a loyal group of Bush supporters who would take offense at even the slightest implication that their candidate was anything but a staunch conservative. Even now, they continue to stand by their man, and I find this to be rather perplexing.

Perhaps those who have pledged their undying allegiance to President Bush could answer a few questions for me, in no particular order of course:

•  How would you have reacted if Bill Clinton had signed the Patriot Act into law and given the government sweeping new surveillance powers?

•  Would you have criticized a Democrat president for signing a $26 billion education-spending bill?

•  Did you feel betrayed when Bush signed Campaign Finance Reform into law?

•  What do you think about Bush's position on granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants?

•  Would you have tolerated a Democrat proposal for federally funded faith-based initiatives?

•  What would your reaction have been if a Democrat had said, "No one should have to pay more than a third of their income to the federal government"?

•  What do you think about the president's granting of Permanent Most Favored Nation status to China?

•  What's the difference between Bush and the Democrats on the issue of farm subsidies?

•  How would you react if a Democrat president sent a $2.13 trillion budget to Congress?

•  Would you have stood for a Democrat saying "No!" to arming airline pilots?

•  What would your reaction have been if a Democrat had pushed for the federalization of airport security?

•  Are you willing to stand by and let the Bush administration cater to the environmentalists on the global warming issue?

•  What do you think about Bush's call for a Patient's Bill of Rights?

•  What one thing has Bush done that sets him apart from the Democrats?

•  It's been a year-and-a-half since Bush took office. When do we start to see a decrease in the size and scope of government? For that matter, when do we start to see even a remote indication that this administration will think about doing anything to try to limit the federal government?

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I would really be interested in some answers. Perhaps it would help shed some light on the mindset of modern compassionate conservatives.

The fact that a Republican president is governing like a Democrat isn't surprising. What's amazing to me is that there are a few select Bush supporters out there who cannot—or will not—utter one word of criticism against their president for any reason. In their minds this man is the epitome of conservatism, and to question his actions would be to question their own beliefs and cause them to wonder why they supported him in the first place.

The way I see it there can only be two explanations for this: 1) these people really and truly believe in what Bush is doing, or 2) they do not wish to face up to the real reason they voted for him — he was simply a slightly more palatable choice than Al Gore.

[d14truth]

"1) these people really and truly believe in what Bush is doing"

And, Vermonters Jim Jeffords and Patrick Leahy 'screwed the pooch' with regards to half of Congress and the Judiciary.

So, we are 'stuck' until the people decide in November whether they want to move right, move left, or stay on the 'left-tilting' slope in the middle.

Give me one example of a 'blessing' that will accrue to Bush if he 'presses' conservative issues without hope of clearing the Senate. It's up to 'We, the people', not, he, the President, to 'choose' the direction available for Bush to move legislation. Without the votes, Congress and media will play 'rope-a-dope' until the Bush clock runs out, and then blame him for lack of accomplishment.

[SerpentDove]

>>Go back and read the rest of what I wrote (or did I exhaust your vocabulary?)...You say the campaign finance law is unconstitutional. How do you know? That's your opinion. But who gave you the right to declare what laws are constitutional and which are not? In fact, who gave the President the authority to declare what bills are constitutional and which are not? Seems to me the Constitution you claim to respect gives that authority to the judiciary. I had this debate with someone on FR when the bill was signed, and he actually said that a President had the authority to ignore whatever LAWS(!) he thought were unconstitutional. It seems that kind of exercise of power is called "dictatorship."<<

You're beautiful when you're angry. HA!

Please explain to me, O Enlightened One, where it says the president MUST sign any bill that he disagrees with; that his hands are tied? Please explain this concept to me.

GWB decried CFR on the campaign trail, then made jokes to the press about how quickly he would sign it.

But I guess he had no choice. Am I to understand that this is what you're saying?

[AmericaUnited]

Now they've been shown up for what they are: impotent. They've lost their leverage, and they are mad as hell.

You must be talking about the Paleo-losers...

[ruoflaw]

President Bush told us all that it will be a long war so you might want to remind yourself of that fact from time to time....why ask a question when you know the answer? Any law passed by Congress can be repealed by Congress at any time!

[Poohbah]

All men are NOT created equal. But society owes the individual equal status before the law.

Preach it, brother!

I'm 6' 6" tall. Are you?

6'3"

I can do a 360-degree slam dunk. Can you?

Um....I can usually hit the backboard from 10 feet, does that count?

I can hit a golf ball 340-yards down the fairway consistently. Can you?

Only if the ball has little JATO bottles mounted on it.

You probably are capable of doing things that I could only dream of.

I can troubleshoot a MIL-STD-188C Mode I circuit in twenty seconds while telling that really tasteless joke about Osama bin Laden, the camel, and the edible burkha.

[SerpentDove]

>>President Bush told us all that it will be a long war so you might want to remind yourself of that fact from time to time....why ask a question when you know the answer? Any law passed by Congress can be repealed by Congress at any time!<<

Or as my grandma would say, "The fox is guarding the henhouse."

[Howlin]

GWB decried CFR on the campaign trail

Let's see some QUOTES from Bush decrying CFR.

[Real Cynic No More]

"Believe it not, through threads such as this we may be influencing 100000's of potential voters ... the lurkers who read these threads and the people they talk to. We may be influencing some in government who stop by to feel the pulse of their "supporters". We might even influence some in the media who to reading what is written on this forum. Or are you a 'cynic'?"

Unfortunately, several hundred thousand won't do much good. It will take several million.

And no, not a cynic; I'm a 'real cynic no more'!

[Keyes For President]

I am one of those who voted for Bush and insist on holding his feet to the fire on the important issues.

Having said that, I think Rush Limbaugh hit it right on the head yesterday concerning the Bush agenda and strategy:

"The White House thinks their strategy is working like a charm and, really, who could argue with them? Their strategy is not to really spell out their own agenda and fight for it no matter what. Their strategy is to advance a centrist agenda that consists of a sizable percentage of the left's agenda, issue by issue. In the process, they're picking off Democrat votes. They're doing two things. They're denying Democrats issues to run on, and at the same time giving specific members of the Democrat coalition reasons to vote for Bush or against the Democrat candidates. The way they're looking at it, it's working."

I think those who have pledged their undying allegiance to President Bush are very happy with this. To them winning isn't the most important thing, it's the only thing. They are quite content with a "centrist" agenda/president and are quite willing to accept a great percentage of the left's agenda if it means 80% approval ratings and winning elections.

Unfortuneately, they are in the vast majority in the GOP at the present time and so they have earned their victory. Still, constitutional conservatives should be vigilant in holding the President's feet to the fire on important issues. When they do, their patriotism should not be questioned.

[William Tell]

BeAChooser said: "And that is only going to happen if the Bush DOJ does it job and investigates/prosecutes the crimes that were committed by the democRATS."

I doubt that this will happen. When you are governor of a state, like Clinton was, you have the power to rape a woman and pay no consequences. You have the power to extort cash in exchange for political appointments with no consequences. And you have the power to influence medical examiners to get any outcome you wish to an autopsy. As President he was much more visible but also more powerful.

I don't think our nation has an adequate way to stop such people if they are supported by a majority. I have a neighbor who is so illogical and fearful of the unknown that she can be influenced easily with propaganda. There is no way to convince her of anything to which the liberal media has not agreed. I would be satisfied if I could just find a way to distract her from going to the polls on election day.

Destroying the liberal media must be the goal and must be accomplished prior to any expectations of holding Clinton or any other powerful criminal accountable.

[rdb3]

Neither do the Ten Commandments, in your apparent worldview.

Oh! How smug of you! How trite! How juvenile! You'd have fared better by not even answering me back seeing that you didn't refute what I said at all.

You're talking to a Born-Again Christian, yet say the Ten Commandments somehow don't have the force of law to me (needless to say that Christ already took care of that for me)? Puh-leeze!

One word for ya, pahtnah... CHECKMATE.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Your post #4.. Right on!!

Gee,..and he did all that while defending our Nation as our President. He has managed to be there for the troops, for the victims and survivors of our worst attack in our history. He IS working for our security every day,..but some people seem to think he is smoking cigars and banging on bongos. Not to mention all the hot spots in the world (are these people who write this kind of dribble watching ANY news media outlets??), that were left abandoned as far as any kind of Foreign Policy under Clintoon. We have a HUGE mess to contend with. Do ya think maybe the President is hugely busy trying to undo the friggin mess left by Clintoon!!

Just "HOW" do people think the job could be better done than this President is doing it? Name a person who could do it better. Idea's. Not just some whining "I'm so mad because he isn't doing things just the way I want" rant!

I don't agree with every single thing a President does, never will. Goes against human nature. But good grief.... this borders on totally insane. Akin to shooting oneself in ones own foot!!!

God Bless this President!!! I hope he is in office for a very long time. I PRAY we will have a Republican Senate, so we can truly get things done. (Do ya think the people writing this crap, realize he is up against Sen. DASH-hole?)

An old saying "With friends like this, who needs enemies" comes to mind.

Go figure... sheesh!

[Wolfstar]

To be ingnorant, meaning to lack education or information, is one thing. To be dumber than a box of rocks is quite another. One person can potentially be reasoned with; the other will always remain unreachable. I am disappointed to note that too many posters on FR fall into the latter category.

[MJY1288]

Great Post, reasonable and true

[Eagle Eye]

LOL. Your flinging that CINO moniker at anyone who doesn't agree 100% with you is what triggered the term Broken-Record Conservative to pop into my head.

Yeah, I used it TWICE in general terms.

So you bark out insulting names and then decry when someone responds to you in kind. Childish, indeed.

I'm quite happy discussing the issues, but I'm not going to sit still when atacked or insulted. Go back and read the thread, I didn't open the can of worms. And I didn't address you at all.

OBTW, since I support the second amendment, am pro-life, for tax cuts, school vouchers, home schooling, reduced gov't, privatization of some gov't functions, abolishment of some civil service rules, right-to-work laws, and haven't voted for a Democrat in at least a dozen years, how exactly does that make me a CINO? Please explain.

I know you do. I didn't refer to you and I didn't address you until this post.

[rdb3]

Forgive me for not pinging you on this one. Please see #291.

[SerpentDove]

I heard him do it with my own ears. You may call me a liar if you wish. You are quick to assign evil motives to those who dare disagree with you.

But let's stop right there. Either:

1) Bush disagreed with CFR and signed it (which reinforces my point), OR

2) Bush agrees with CFR.

It's a no-win situation. Do you see that?

[MJY1288]

Another great post

[Poohbah]

Ouch! I guess he forgot what happens when he ASS-U-MES.

[monday]

"You know what is so odd? I saw Buchanan on TV this very week and guess what -- he said he TRUST Bush and Ashcroft. Was ALL behind them. "

Ouch...I wouldn't spread that around if I were a Bushbot.