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.
Agreed.
Another role of communism, is to lump everyone into the same catagory. That makes it easier, to take away their freedom and liberty. One of the cornerstones of conservatism, is individualism. But the individual, has no say in any matter, unless he chooses to vote. One vote, means an awful lot. But to win elections, it takes a political party with power and influence to achieve success.
It can get worse than having a sitting president sell us out on CFR? Tell me it isn't so. Maybe we should just turn the keys over to Dashcle right now and end the charade.
So true! But it would seem, some have forgotten, or may be never learned, exactly what compromise in politics is all about.
Thanks for posting that Texasforever.
Well, Mr. Sarcastic, let's skip to the next Amendment. There are already certain guns I can't own because of where I live. Let's substitute GOR (Gun Owner Reform) for CFR. Let's say your boy signs it. Are you confident the Supremes will strike that one down too?
Only 80% of the constitution ? Only 80% of my principles ?
Is the flag big enough to act like a parachute ?
Why is it a zero sum game? Why wont you join us in critiquing Bush and see if we can lurch back to the right just a tad? You seem to be saying support Bush totally or give up to the libs. Why cant we FULLY take part in the process and critique him for voting on a bad bill and hope he gets the conservative message?
Not after listening to you. You convinced me. Lets just forget this president and hope the next we get to elect is better if their is a country left by then.
King George??? I don't think he was the famous "ex-president" who secretly wished he could be president forever. Are you a single issue voter?
Critique someone who violated his oath and the sacred constitution that so many have spilled their blood to fight for ? Just tell him we are disapointed and please move to the right a little bit ? No siree, After hearing all the things Bush is guilty of this week that isn't going to cut it.
We need to impeach him or see to it he isn't elected again. How else can we be true to our own individual principles ?
I explained that KG is for illustrative purposes - for those specifically who tell me I cant critique Bush.
Your response is to ask me if I'm a single issue voter - A: I DESPISE single issue voters. ARE YOU A NO ISSUE VOTER ?
If he is an R, we can make some concesssions. After the impeachement will just go for life sentence for treason no death penalty.
Sigh....believe it or not, this has nothing to do with our own individual principles. It's deeper than that. It goes to the principles that make this country unique, and it goes to the fears the people who gave up everything to found this country had -- fears that the most basic of rights would be trampled by those who were elected to serve us.
While I appreciate your sarcasm, I don't understand what you're trying to say, other than W deserves a pass, which I don't agree with, and no amount of sarcasm will change.
Haven't you read all the awfull things Bush has done ? Impeachment is the least of what we need to do based on what I have read here.
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