Posted on 06/05/2002 1:20:54 PM PDT by 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.
This is not true.
A right (i.e. II Amendment) is absolute only in the responsible practice of it. Commit a crime and go to prison. When you get out, tell me if you have that right anymore.
Rights are not absolute in the sense that they cannot be revoked or forfeited. They can. Privileges are not comparable.
The government should not be in the business of revoking rights unless the person(s) whose rights are forfeited did something that caused the forfeiture.
That my friend is a border jumper.
100% of all 245(i) applicants are currently in a criminal status.
Since we are continually being bashed on here along with the President we support, would you like us all to just pick up and leave Free Republic along with our donations? Then you can all have this forum to yourself to trash at will.
I am tired of the continual sniping and trashing of my President and those of us that support him. If this is what conservatives are all about, then I am not Conservative -- I am just a flat out a Republican who happens to consider Taking Back the Senate and Keeping the House as my #1 priority.
I guess that I thought FR was something it is turning out not to be -- you all bash this President without any regard to facts -- you take things out of context -- you bait his supporters -- you trash this President and his supporters and then you expect us to sit back and take it like we are the ones at fault for defending the President of the United States George W. Bush. He has more integrity in his little finger than what I am constantly seeing on here by supporters of the 1%ers or less in some instances.
And before anyone talks about not allowing dissent -- that is not what I am talking about -- it is the lies and distortions without facts that I am talking about. I didn't support the Education Bill and I came out with my reasons. I can take an honest discussion but what I am reading here is anything but! Wonder how many conservatives on here are part of the 17% conservatives that did vote for Gore. Anyone including limbaugh that cannot see the difference between Gore and Pres Bush has not only lost my respect but my belief in what they have to say! To infer and outright say that is beyond my comprehension and even worse were the posts that said Pres Bush was worse than Clinton!
End of my rant!
BINGO!
That's because we politically can't piece together three Legos.
The Left is a political creation. It must be politically defeated. Either that, or, lock and load.
Either way is like watching sausage being made.
Talk about distorting facts..
I remember clearly at the end of Reagan's second term, some of this same garbage was being floated. Here's a sampling off the top of my head...
Reagan betrayed conservatives by endorsing One-Worlder Bush 41.
Reagan betrayed conservatives by signing the Banking Secrecy Act.
Reagan betrayed conservatives by signing many secret Executive Orders giving the Federal Government too much power.
Reagan betrayed conservatives by ballooning the size of government.
Reagan betrayed conservatives by not dismantling several government agencies.
Reagan betrayed conservatives by exploding government spending.
And on and on....
FWIW I'm registered MISC. I am not a fan of the RINOS and of course I wouldn't go to the democarat camp escept to infiltrate. (Wich I have done...hehehehhe)
Your approach will almost guarantee that democRATS win the next several elections because by ignoring the crimes you will be telling the democRATS that they can commit ANY crime and get away with it
Sorry, I dont grasp that at all. In fact I see just the opposite. By dividingt consrvatives the democrats will had an open door.
I am only asking that we stop acting like cheerleaders
No one has to act like a cheerleader, just don't destroy what little access we have to the WH .
Exactly ... so all this talk about Bush positioning himself to win their support is NONSENSE, ...
probably. I still have faith he might come around next term. Not much faith becaues I think he's a globalist.
But why attack the only - admittedly weak - wedge conservatives have and give fodder to the socialists? W is/was our foot in the door after how many years of socialist rule? Yes we had Newt - who became an embarrassment - and The Gipper, who history will most likely record as the greatest leader of our era.
But W, even though I strongly disagree with and am disappointed with, is for the most part not >advancing< socialism to and great degree.
As I said he is just a slowing of the slide. Now it's up to us, at the grass roots level, to make the big difference.
prisoner6
Yes, I think they would have done something differently. Either one would have done more to give that feel-good feeling, but which would have been less effective. They would have been quick to react, committing our military before a plan was well thought out, resulting in something along the lines of bombing a pharmaceutical factory and an empty field - but on a grander scale. Their credibility among other world leaders would not have allowed either to be as successful as Bush.
They would have allowed state-of-the-art military helicopters to be sent to the front, but not allow them to be used. Oh, strike that, they already did that.
Bush's deliberate approach, completing what he promised, is refreshing and - believable.
What the hell do they matter...were you impressed with Clinton's poll numbers?
Well, I am a sailor, and even I could not have come up with a better analogy!
EXCELLENT POINT!
So you are arguing from false premises and a faulty analogy to claim that Bush 41 knowingly nominated a liberal justice and that Bush 43 harbors a secret desire to do the same.
All 2500 of us?
I'd like to get the head-honcho's opinion on this. I'm sure he has something to say about it.
prisoner6
He didn't have to, the senate wsn't going to ratify it.
GWB pulled the U.S. out of the CCCP-U.S. ABM Treaty, for another.
Treaties belong to the senate...
GWB backed and got our National Missile Defense program funded.
yea.
GWB Killed the International Criminal Court.
Isn't that another area where the senate wasn't keen on the idea anywy?
GWB repealed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off electricity production in California and causing electricity rates to spike.
yea. And left the arsenic rules in place, right?
GWB repealed OSHA's new ergonomic regulations that were about to put every home-based business in America out of commission.
Bush did no such thing. And please explain how this would have killed home based businesses? I think you've got some bad info.
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.
And Ashcroft maintains that he will enofrce the current laws. Their posturing on 2A has many people believing that this is just posturing. I'll believe that they are pro 2A when they start repealing some laws.
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 (currently being obstructed by a DOT bureaucrat).
Bush could have pilots armed YESTERDAY if he so desired. GWB killed the Left-Wing ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.
Not quite. It seems tha the made a deal where only Californian nominees approved by Boxer and Feinstien appear before Bush.
GWB instituted the first top-down review of our military in years, which concluded (prior to 9/11), that asymmetric attacks were our biggest future threat.
He also allowed the Army to steal the Ranger's black beret and give it to REMFs.
GWB killed the $11 Billion Crusader artillery boondoggle.
Rumsfiled gets the credit and this goes against the desires of congress and the Army. But so what.
GWB killed federal funding of foreign "family planning" activities.
Good move, but mostly symbolic.
GWB ordered the Justice 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.
Good move.
Frankly, if you aren't aware of all that GWB has done to advance the Conservative movement (including implementing steel tariffs in order to encourage European nationalism via trade wars), then you simply aren't Conservative.
Tariffs are Conservative?
Only a liberal could be so blind as to not realize what all GWB has done for our cause (oh, did I mention that GWB got taxes cut twice, once for individuals and another for businesses).
The individual tax cut was worse than a bad joke. My 7% increase in income resulted in 25%more taxes. hooray, yea.
In the mean time, as stated in the article, Bush has increase spending in unConstitutional areas to astronimical heights, established new surveillance programs that put Americans under greater governmental scrutiny than ever before, and has signed the CFR bill.
He certainly ISN'T a Conservative although he may be more conservative than some Americans. He has exposed a heck of a lot of CINO moderates on FR, however.
prisoner6
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.