[sinkspur]

Most of my friends, lifelong conservatives, are ready to sit this one out because of Bush's failure to protect American jobs and borders, and his crazy fiscal policies. The immigration proposal was the last straw for many.

Janet, having run into you a time or two over the past couple of years, I can't imagine you having all that many friends.

[Ingtar]

One of the big contributing factors in the defeats of the elder Bush, and to some degree Dole, was one or more groups of Republicans that stayed home and did not vote. "No new taxes" pledge being broken drove many to stay home. In Dole's case, a bunch of mischaracterizations caused a large part of the Catholic vote to stay home or vote third party over a belief that he was pro-choice.

[janetgreen]

Why do you resort to insulting remarks when someone doesn't agree with you? Juvenile.

[janetgreen]

(Adopt a shelter dog or cat! You'll save one life, and maybe two!)

On this we DO agree.

[David]

Well Sink, I too am somebody you have run into a time or two--and you know I do have a lot of friends here. So listen up.

I have a long laundry list of historical Republican credentials--convention delegate (maybe as many as 16 times including state and county conventions); raised money, run campaigns, done it all. And like Rifleman and Janet, I have my own little list of specific problems with George II--although I agree that on some issues, not politically feasible to implement the real Republican agenda; on several others, not only feasible, but popular.

I don't like having American soldiers, underequiped and undersupplied, scattered all around the globe; with my own 19 year old son in the prime draft window; I don't like the fact that it is not possible to make money on any investment other than from speculative profits because the price goes up; I think free trade ought to be free on both sides and our trading partners do not have open trading borders and should not get access to our markets until they do; I don't like uncontrolled open borders; and I see government economic policy, both fiscal and monetary, as being run for the benefit of Wall Street Investment managers and not the citizens of the United States.

Yes, in theory the fed chairman runs monetary policy--but his replacement, instead of another fed psycophant like Bernanke, ought to be Paul Volker or some firm dollar supporter.

Do I want to dissent enough to get Slick Bill back? Tell me again how Slick Bill was so much worse for conservative Republicans than George II--I didn't like sending American troops all over the world under Slick; but I don't like it under George either. And I don't think Hillary will reinstitute the draft; and if she did, so will George.

Particularly if we can hold majorities in the Senate and House. How will Hillary be worse than George II?

Because the benefit we get from Hillary is an open contest in 2008 for the Republican nomination. Whereas if George II gets reelected, likely we will get Tom Ridge next.