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.

[Mudboy Slim]

"You're really a boring little fellow, you know it?"

"If we were ever to be face to face, you may call me a boring big fellow. In fact, you'd call me mister and I wouldn't even have to ask you to."

ROFL...I'd venture to guess that if y'all ever met face-to-face, you'd shake hands, slap each other's backs, and realize you have a whole lot more in common than you think you do!!

Can't we all just be FRiends?!

FReegards...MUD

[Dan from Michigan]

Now, what would we lose by sitting out four years?

Don't sit out. That's the stupidest thing there is, and anyone that sits out is an idiot.

If you can't vote for the top of the ticket, that's one thing, but don't forget the LOCAL races, where the next reps come from.

[Uncle Sham]

"No way. Gore elected would have possibly been a nail in the coffin of conservatism. It would have cemented Klinton's legacy."One of us is correct. Time will tell whether your approach is better. Just two years of Clinton with a majority in the senate and the house delivered massive revulsion at the voting booth. Why is it that you seem to feel that this cannot happen again?

[Sabertooth]

First, Sabertooth, you've got to get rid of that latest version of the cat. It's horrible.

Hey wait! I thought this was Compliment Weekend on FR... and I even pinged you to that thread. Jeepers.

How many you're-not-as-conservative-as-I-am threads do we need to be subjected to before you actually get away from your computer and take action?

Mom. may I please be excused to slink off and go swimming instead?

[Mudboy Slim]

"Why do you have to resort to those types of posts?"

It's gettin' late in the thread--perhaps--and there's a whole lotta meannness bein' spewed from both sides of the "Is Dubyuh Being Conservative Enuff?!" divide...please don't take it personal, WIMom...MUD

[tpaine]

Mom NEVER excuses slinking. - Be a hep cat, & stalk off like ya gotta pair.

[WIMom]

Heh, I just logged on today, I've been away for a couple days. That compliment thread will take forever to wade through. I saw your ping. Actually, I read all your pings.

[Reagan Man]

>>>To many of the BushBackers, that appears to be a distinction without a difference, my FRiend.

Criticizing Bush is something I engage in from time to time myself. I've even seen you criticize Bush, but I don't remember you "bashing" him, other then the prosecute Clinton threads, where you called me and others, "move-a-longers". Think I've got that right. Hey Mud.

>>>but Bush appears willing to sacrifice this goal in a HailMary attempt to attract those who you and I adamantly disagree with!!</i.

Sorry my friend, I don't consider political independents, as those I adamantly oppose on all issues. Without those independents, Bush would have never won election. Many Americans who are politically unattached and see President Bush as someone who is making a real effort to lead the entire nation and not just Republicans or the conservatives. After all, he became POTUS under extreme circumstances and he owes it to ewvery citizen to give it his all, in the name of one nation.

[budwiesest]

and I'd like to see him work towards the limitization of the Federal Leviathan's size and scope!!

Howzitgoing Mud!

Not sure this is doable anymore. At one time I held out hope that it might be, but the two major parties each seem to have a dog in the big govt. is good fight vote grab scheme. George and Laura are no doubt good folks but something happens on the way to Washington. I'll never forget Rush's 'lack of principle' show where he demonstrated it by having none. It was a hoot.

[Reagan Man]

>>>I'd venture to guess that if y'all ever met face-to-face, you'd shake hands, slap each other's backs, and realize you have a whole lot more in common than you think you do!!

I seriously doubt it Mud.

[WIMom]

I'm not taking it personal. The flames I get because I post an ostrich pales compared to this... :)

I do believe with our knowledge and abilities (FR and conservatives on this forum) all of us can make a difference serving different conservative bases. We just need to funnel this into the appropriate places. The bottom line is, we need to rid the country of liberals by whatever means. Fighting here isn't going to do it. That's mostly why I've decided not to post to these threads. I just don't have the energy to fight amongst other conservatives. Liberals are tough enough. These threads are counter productive at this stage of the game. Once we have a 'conservative' senate and congress, let's fight for real constitutional reform. Until then, the liberals have control. They want the judiciary. They want to not nominate conservative judges. Their MO has been to legislate laws using the courts and not the system established through the constitution. Think about your own state, or, think how the Florida supreme court tried to legislate the Gore v Bush decision. We all have people and contacts, use them to advance your conservative agendas. Most posters on this forum want the same, smaller government. The means to get there is different. We have the power in numbers to make it happen.

[tpaine]

With the exception of the 'counterproductive' bit, --- your ideas are exactly what a number of us were trying to get across to JR, -- much earlier in the thread.

-- He didn't appear to be buying. - I hope I'm wrong.

[DoughtyOne]

I would agree that the bottom of the ticket needs to be supported.

[Dan from Michigan]

I'm not willing to take that chance. In 92, there were enough democrat "Blue Dog" conservatives to split from Klinton on his Hillary!Care.

It also took only a year and a half for that dem majority to PASS THE AW BAN and the BRADY BILL.

It MIGHT happen again, but the price is too great for that year period.

[Roscoe]

Um, it looks like the Admin got the Red out.

One of 'em, anyway. :)

[WIMom]

How are these threads productive? I look at is as giving ammo to the liberals. We are divided, and isn't that what liberals strive for? Divide and conquer? Most people on FR want a conservative form of government, it's just the method to acheive this is what we disagree upon. But, your method may work on your circle of influence, my method may work on my circle of influence. So, in the end, we really are striving for the same. If your method of quick and fast works in your area, all the more power to you. Some areas of the country are going to need stroking. That may work the best for that area. We have to remember, there are people out there who have never read the Bill of Rights or the Constitution. We consider ourselves experts or knowledgeable on the subject. Imagine your neighbor or aquaintance who doesn't have a clue about any government action and votes for a candidate because he's cute, or my husband told me to, or everyone I know voted for so and so. It is our obligation to educate the people we associate with. Without that, we will never see reform because the sound bites are bigger than all of us. Isn't is disheartening when you find out someone voted on an issue because they believed a lie?

[tpaine]

How are these threads productive? I look at is as giving ammo to the liberals. We are divided, and isn't that what liberals strive for? Divide and conquer? Most people on FR want a conservative form of government, it's just the method to acheive this is what we disagree upon.

---

Exactly. -- We disagree. -- How else can we ever learn to agree unless we discuss such matters on threads like these?

We are divided at FR, imo, by being overly focused on partisan politics, as you seem to agree. - And only JR can lead us to change that focus.  

[Roscoe]

And only JR can lead us to change that focus.

Don't blame Jim for your prejudices.

[WIMom]

Is it really Jim's responsibility to lead us? He gave us the forum but does he lead every area of the nation? We may disagree on the way to get there, but what works in my area may not work in your area. Likewise, what works in California certainly may not work in Wisconsin in most respects. I kind of think I have the ability affect my politicians in my area without Jim's guidance. This forum is just an outlet to bolster our actions. Grab the excellent ideas and use them.

[Sir Gawain]

But our efforts to quell them haven't worked, and they have engendered a backlash and given people opportunity to claim that we are biased one way or another.

It's not a huge jump in logic to claim bias when the "whiner" graphic stays and the "vacuum lady" graphic gets deleted. I see some fair moderator corrected that oversight.