The Failing Bush Presidency

Right Wing News ^ | 5/08/02 | John Hawkins

[Archfiend]

In the last hundred years, only FDR and JFK have enjoyed the type of overwhelming support that George Bush has received since Sept. 11th. The majority of the American public seems not only to trust him, but to genuinely like him. That's a very rare thing for a politician, which is why it's unconscionable that Bush has largely squandered the American public's affection.

Now I know many of you think I'm crazy right now. After all, look how popular GWB is. Doesn't it look like the Republican Party is going to hold Congress and perhaps even take back the Senate? The War on Terrorism has been wildly successful so far as well hasn't it? Those are all certainly valid points to bring up but let's talk about the rest of the story...

While George Bush has delivered a tax cut, he's also helped push forward a large part of Democrat's domestic agenda...

* Bush abandoned vouchers while signing a bloated education bill that's based on the thoroughly disproved premise that the problem with public education in America is a lack of funds.

* GWB broke a campaign pledge and signed an unconstitutional campaign finance reform bill.

* The Bush administration abandoned Republican principles on free trade by slapping tariffs on steel and Canadian lumber. Not only will these tariffs force American consumers to pay higher prices, but they'll also goad other nations into slapping retaliatory tariffs on American goods.

* Furthermore, we have the Bush team inexplicably pushing to reward illegal aliens with American citizenship for flouting our laws.

* With the blessings of the Bush administration, all pretenses of budgetary restraint have been abandoned as the Republican party is supporting a gargantuan farm bill and even more odious prescription drug legislation.

Now I know what the rational behind supporting these proposals is; Taking back the Senate in 2002 and four more years for Bush. However, there are some problems with that line of thinking even if we achieve those goals.

Anyone who's voting Republican because they're in favor of tariffs, more government spending, and giving illegal aliens citizenship is being misled. So what happens after the elections when they figure out that most Republicans don't believe in those things? Worse yet, what if we continue supporting things that are bad for America and that the majority of the party is against in order to win elections? I thought we were in a battle to win the hearts and minds of other Americans so we could help keep this country on the right track? However, the Bush administration apparently looks at the political process like a Pro-football game where the only important thing is that the team you're rooting for wins. Had Bush looked at things as I do, he could of used the incredible faith and trust the American people have in him to convince them that we need vouchers, a smaller government, free trade, and that the campaign finance reform bill was unconstitutional. But, those opportunities have been forever lost in an effort to win in November.

Bush has shown the same lack of courage lately in prosecuting the "War on Terrorism" that he's shown on the domestic front. The "Bush Doctrine" produced a stunning amount of success early on. The Taliban no longer rule Afghanistan and al-Queda has been damaged to the point where they have yet to mount another terrorist attack against the US (the anthrax letters could be the exception to that). Pakistan started going after terrorists on their soil and we've seen progress in the fight against terrorism in Cuba, Sudan, Libya, Georgia, The Philippines, and Somalia. Then on the heels of all that success we tossed the "Bush Doctrine" out the window when it came to Israel. We've refused to call Yasser Arafat a terrorist and have insisted that the Israelis "engage" Arafat in a dialogue despite the fact that they've been trying without success to do exactly that for nearly a decade.

Furthermore, the latest leaks from the Pentagon seem to indicate the attack on Iraq has been moved back at least until 2003. Iran and Syria seem to have both largely dropped off the radar screen and we're continuing to kowtow to Saudi Arabia despite the fact that they're openly encouraging terrorism by giving payments to the families of suicide bombers. What happened to the man who said the following on September 20th...

"And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists."

"From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime..."

"...I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people."

Right now, we seem to be yielding in Israel and it looks as if we’re planning to take a long, long, rest in-between the real fighting in Afghanistan (which ended for the most part in December of 2001) and our next truly significant fight.

It pains me to write this article because I think that the President is a decent, honest man with a strong sense of right and wrong. But something is terribly out of kilter in his administration right now. The Democrats are winning on the domestic side and our commitment to doing what it takes to win the "War on Terrorism" seems to be an open question. Can the president still get things back on track? Absolutely, he can. But, the longer he waffles on the domestic front and falters in the "War on Terrorism", the harder it's going to be to do the right thing down the road. I'm certain that I'm in the minority right now, but I feel obligated to say that I'm starting to have serious doubts about whether the President has the courage to stand up for his convictions. For once, I sincerely hope that I'm wrong.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Oh. Okay. Sorry.

[Satadru]

I think you are forgetting the fact that a lot of people who voted for Bush are dissatisfied. If 1% of the people who voted for Bush wouldn't vote for him again, then we will have another Bush 10 years from now trying to finish daddy/uncle's unfinished job.

[Texasforever]

,.I think you are forgetting the fact that a lot of people who voted for Bush are dissatisfied. If 1% of the people who voted for Bush wouldn't vote for him again, then we will have another Bush 10 years from now trying to finish daddy/uncle's unfinished job.

Define "a lot'. I see about 100 posters on this site that either are "former" supporters" OR the never voted for in the first place, OR DU plants. I think you are over estimating the level of "lost support".

[general_re]

This POS is still going, I see. Might as well bump it in memoriam - O common sense, we hardly knew ye...

[Texasforever]

This POS is still going, I see. Might as well bump it in memoriam - O common sense, we hardly knew ye...

It gives the kiddies a place to throw their tantrums. I guess it serves a purpose. LOL

[hinckley buzzard]

While you are listing GW's many "failures" you could add that he dissolved the obsolete ABM treaty without harming our relations with Russia.

Not a bad piece of work. Especially since, as with Kyoto, all the einsteins of the media were shrieking in horror.

[avenir]

Good point.

[Southack]

GWB killed the Kyoto Treaty on Global Warming.

GWB pulled the U.S. out of the CCCP-U.S. ABM Treaty.

GWB backed and got our National Missile Defense program funded.

GWB Killed the International Criminal Court.

GWB repealed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off electricity production in California and causing electricity rates to spike.

GWB repealed OSHA's new ergonomic regulations that were about to put every home-based business in America out of commission.

GWB appointed Ashcroft and Ted Olsen, who just wrote to the Supreme Court that the 2nd Amendment is an INDIVIDUAL right, not the "collective right" that liberals have maintained for decades.

GWB signed the bill into law that gives pilots the right to arm themselves with firearms, a pleasant pro-gun victory on a national level.

GWB killed the Left-Wing ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.

GWB instituted the first top-down review of our military in years, which concluded (prior to 9/11), that asymetric attacks were our biggest future threat.

GWB killed the $11 Billion Crusader artillery boondoggle.

GWB killed federal funding of foreign "family planning" activities.

GWB ordered the Justive Department to finally enforce the SCOTUS Beck decision, giving union workers the right to recover any of their union dues that are used for political purposes with which they disagree.

Frankly, if you aren't aware of all that GWB has done to advance the Conservative movement (including implementing steel tarrifs in order to encourage European nationalism via trade wars), then you simply aren't Conservative.

But hey, you didn't want to be a "downer" and you only posted this rubbish-for-an-article on this thread (oh, did I mention that GWB got taxes cut twice, once for individuals and another for businesses).

[TN Republican]

Look more closely. The ring and pinky fingers have obviously been edited out. The fill where there was an index finger was done a little better.

[avenir]

Well, there you have it. I guess growing up into a full adult includes accepting the limits of reality. I'm glad Reagan did. And I'm glad Bush is.

[TN Republican]

I understand that '64 was looking pretty good for Goldwater, 12 months before the election.

[Satadru]

Before the election, people like George Will and others supported Bush. He no longer does. Just take the trend here. At first, only a handful criticized him. Now the list only keeps on growing. The worst(or better) thing is, we have more than two more years to get an anti-Bush thing going so he loses in 04. I think anti-Bushes will succeed.

[Texasforever]

He no longer does

Perhaps you should tell Will. It seems he doesn't know it yet.

[FreeTheHostages]

The Bush presidency totally rocks. No one should be hesitating about it. The man has conviction. Join us.

[Lancey Howard]

The worst(or better) thing is, we have more than two more years to get an anti-Bush thing going so he loses in 04. I think anti-Bushes will succeed.

LOL !!!
Then it will be lucky you! You will have your Gore or your Hillary as President and you can get free stuff from the government and just hang around and play with yourself all day long. Lucky you!

[Lancey Howard]

Re: your post #29.
Great, great post.
If it's not asking too much, if you give that post its own thread, I will bump it for a week.

Regards,
LH

[Southack]

Thanks, but no thanks. Giving that post its own thread would bring the nutcases out in droves, and they would spout such horrendous anti-GWB lies that it would take painstaking effort to go point by point debunking each claim (and they wouldn't even care, they'd toss out new lies as soon as their old ones were exposed).

[CubicleGuy]

Two steps forward and one step back is progress.

I keep seeing only the one step backwards. Repeatedly.

Call me when you see them take two steps forward.