Conservatives, Cut Bush Slack

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | June 22, 2002 | Thomas Roeser

[quidnunc]

This summer will mark the 47th year since I took my first Republican job: as public relations director for the party in Minnesota. Since then I have rarely strayed from politics, or my party. I served as a staffer to two GOP congressmen, to a GOP governor, as a federal appointee to Richard Nixon and as a corporate executive who supported in Washington and Springfield much, if not all, of the Republican agenda.

You can describe me as a conservative. Thus I am qualified to say that although I dearly love conservatives, they tend to be querulous, disagreeable and threaten revolt when Republican office-holders don't please them. So it is now with George W. Bush. Here is a president who has surprised us all with the firmness and resolve he showed after 9/11. I must tell you I voted for him with less enthusiasm than I had for many of his predecessors. But his administration has pleased me often — most notably on two issues: defense of America and social policy.

Yet, Bush has to get re-elected in a country that is evenly divided on philosophy. Thus he must occasionally — on matters that sometimes offend conservatives — dip into the other side's ideology for support. He has done so on three notable occasions: on the issue of steel protectionism, where he departed his free-market proclamations; on the signing of a campaign finance bill tailored by his enemies, and allowing his attorney general (in the words of Libertarian Nat Hentoff in the Washington Times) "to send disguised agents into religious institutions, libraries and meetings of citizens critical of government policy without a previous complaint, or reason to believe that a crime has been committed."

In a perfect political world, where conservatives are in the majority, these things would be sufficient to encourage a boycott of the polls. Either that or a protest vote for the Democratic opposition. But we are not in a perfect world. We conservatives have a president who didn't receive a majority of the votes, and has one house of Congress against him. He must make compromises to get re-elected. Conservatives who do not understand the nature of politics ought to stay in their air-conditioned ivory towers and refrain from political activity altogether. If they cannot adjudge the stakes in this election and the difference between Bush and an Al Gore or a John Kerry (D-Mass.) or a Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), they are foolish indeed.

-snip-

To read the remainder of this op/ed open the article via the link provided in the thread's header.

[jwh_Denver]

Why should I cut President Bush any slack?

I'll cut you some slack because you are either ignorant or retarded. Ever hear of the Supreme Court? They ruled 30 years ago abortion is legal and Bush can't do a damn thing about it. The only thing he can do is to appoint pro life candidates for the Supreme Court which the Democrats are dissing. Place the blame where it's due will you?

[Cultural Jihad]

FR needs an area where non-egomaniacs and non-ideologues can discuss the future strategies for our conservative victory, and let the choleric whiners and 3rd party ranters alone to play in their own political sandbox.

[Cultural Jihad]

Ignore TS. She is a sick parody of conservatism, whose name is derived from the MTV newreader personality. They are not well-known as advocates of pro-life, but rather of moral-liberalism.

[Roscoe]

Their own political sandboxes are empty and abandoned. That's why they flock here.

[Twodees]

You're absolutely wrong. Most Americans don't believe any such thing about the role of government, except a rather large minority of people who watch TV religiously. You're simply repeating what the medium of TV claims is the opinion of most people. According to them, most people are fascinated with the affairs of the British royals. I think that's such obvious nonsense as to be given no credence at all.

Most people I know don't approve of what government does. Of course you can pretend that I said I feel that people are imbeciles. What I said is still there for anyone to see, so you're doing yourself no favors by making delusional statements like that.

Outcries by the public are routinely ignored. The only outcry which occurs, according to our media, is that which they choose to report. You should know that.

I agree that voting is not a right, it's a privilege. My own view is that the 14th through 17th amendments should be rescinded or repealed. If they were indeed enacted without proper ratification as the argument goes, they should be rescinded. If they did pass ratification, they should be repealed, because those four amendments turn the design of government in the Constitution on its head and reverses the relationship between government and governed.

The 15th claims that voting is a right, and that no state can deny that "right" to anyone except those the federal government want to strip of the "right". This makes it impossible for the electoral system to be policed, which was the intention of the radical republicans who wrote the amendment.

[tpaine]

Voters aren't monolithic.
Third party zealots can't comprehend that simple fact and they really don't care. Opportunities for ranting is all that's really important to them.
1334

---

--- He rants, while getting in another zinger at 3rd party freepers, -- which is ALL he really cares about.

[Righty1]

If Bush gave up on open borders, fired the clintoon holdovers, and forgot about his soon to be disastrous housing subsidies, (how do you think the houses will look in 5 years and what effect on neighbors lives and home values?) I would forgive him for the farm bill, midnight amnesties, and arab coddling.

[Roscoe]

The only thing he can do is to appoint pro life candidates for the Supreme Court

Exactly. And those nominations then have to be confirmed by a Democrat controlled Senate.

Not that the whiners care about facts.

[tpaine]

Most Americans reject the extremist position that all government benefits are "socialism." Public schools are an example.

---

Locally controled public schools, as originally set up, were not socialistic.
They are now.

-- And you support them as they are now.

[Twodees]

Roscoe, I appreciate your trying to include me in this conversation you're having with your imaginary playmate. At this time however, I'm not really interested in the subject y'all are discussing. Maybe I'll join you two later. Toddle off now, there's a good boy.

[Roscoe]

If Bush gave up on open borders

Getting Ziglar to resign would be a good start.

[Cultural Jihad]

Yes, that is true. But what FR needs is a separate area where the whiners can congregate so as to not dominate the discussions of the non-egomaniacs with their incessant whining and carping. We could allow them to on occasion vote for a representative to come to the adult table to advance an idea of theirs for mature discussion. ("Oh, my! Look what Owkie drew. How nice, Owkie! Why is the sun in the well, though?")

[Roscoe]

Most Americans send their children to public schools.

[tpaine]

Try the religious chat area. - I hear its set up for you true believers.

[Twodees]

You kids could discuss your strategeries on the daily W swoonfest threads. The rest of FR can't stomach that one anyway.

[MJY1288]

First things first, we need to focus on defeating democrats in November, and the concerns we have for domestic policy should be in the form of email, Fax, and phone calls to our congressman and senators, all this bashing, defending, name calling and flame wars serve no purpose, just make us all look like juveniles. I can not believe anyone on this forum wants to see the democRATS controlling congress or the executive branch. That makes this Novemeber VERY important, because if we think things are tough now, wait until the RATS control the House and Senate.

[tpaine]

Cheap twits. -- I like Sidwell Friends.

[Roscoe]

One of them could petulantly demand, "Why doesn't Bush outlaw abortion?"

Then, after it was patiently explained to him that Presidents don't have such powers, he/she could run back to the others to scream "Nazi" and "statists!"

[DoughtyOne]

I wasn't going after you when I said that. I appologize if you took it that way. I think you guys do as good a job as is humanly possible. If I were doing the job I'd have people on my back. It's a thankless job no human can do perfectly. The less you guys have to do the better. But you're the judge of that and I accept that. Hey, carping is a thankless job too ya know! LOL

[Roscoe]

I can not believe anyone on this forum wants to see the democRATS controlling congress or the executive branch.

Unfortunately, there are some. Their idea is that Democrat control would hasten a governmental collapse and that society would then turn to them for their extraordinary wisdom and vision.

Sorta like Walter Mitty on steroids.