Posted on 06/22/2002 9:46:05 AM PDT by 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.
Now why do I think that may be a slam? Come on don't be shy.
1. Enforce existing OSHA regulations concerning blood-borne pathogens. Pro-lifers have been pushing for this for years. Mind you: no new law; just enforce existing law.
2. Veto any funding to abortion groups. Quit stealing our money to support them.
Those are two things that Bush can and should do. But, as some of us point out quite regularly, his family's been at the population control game for many decades now, and he's not bound to do anything substantive about abortion. Except give them our money and unenforce laws that would cut down on abortion, that is.....
If you are incoherent enough to fail to understand the English language, I cannot help that failing of yours.
Now that really hurt. You have made me cry. LOL
Crying and laughing in the same sentence.
TeSexNever, I do believe you are drunk.
Ah LAZ you can do better than that. I am getting bored with your lack of imagination. Your "flame" generator is a bit weak.
Such micro-trivia passes for profundity among the Laz-lackies.
You shouldn't have offended him. He'll be attacking you with serial unfunny sneers long after you've gone to bed.
Then sleep off your drunk. Things will be much better tomorrow.
Damn LAZ does your imagination stop at your waist? Come on little one put some fire in that flame.
Wow. I got Lackies.
Too wild.
I have gainful employment tomorrow. You remember being productive, way back when? Good night.
Damn, thaks for clearing that up.
You should get credit for trying to take it off topic. Sorry Tex, but where would this administration be without the war on terrorism? He should have Dashcle shaking in his boots rather than squirming on phonebooks.
I learned just the other day that if I jogged, I could lose my fat rearend. Whoa! way to use the bullypulpit! [btw, size 36 waist]
Who are his handlers? I'll admit that I may have missed the more important messages coming from the White House, but if I were an adviser to GW, I'd fire most of those who get within ten feet of the president. The White House evacuation plan most recently executed perhaps being the best example.
See? Now come on LAZ, surely you can come back with something a little better than a school yard "sleep off the drunk" lame assed retort. Get with it boy, your reputation is at stake.
That Bush is not a "conservative"? So what else is new with the EPO's around here?
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