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Conservatives, Cut Bush Slack
The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | June 22, 2002 | Thomas Roeser

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.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
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To: Howlin
Oh, I have a GREAT one to contribute! And I bet they won't like it one bit!

No doubt. They have the gall to call Bush supporters "Bots"? Hell at least we don't imply racial motives to those that we disagree with when supporting our guy..

261 posted on 06/22/2002 3:08:41 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Mudboy Slim
Oh Muddy One, it isn't appropriate to take words I wrote out of context...
I don't want to block anyone, I like the "Axis Of Whining Weasels" they are super funny !!

There are those who don't like their senses assaulted by the constant nonproductive sniveling by the so called "real" conservatives... :o)

Gwb Is The Man !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

262 posted on 06/22/2002 3:09:21 PM PDT by blackie
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To: EternalVigilance
Oh, don't you wish. No way, shape, or form are you mainstream.

Bush is NOT going to EVER govern like he's Alan Keyes, so forget it and find another candidate.

263 posted on 06/22/2002 3:09:26 PM PDT by Howlin
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Comment #264 Removed by Moderator

To: Sabertooth
"If" is a key word in the post, as in "if" only this forum were a little utopian Shangra La on God's Green Earth.
265 posted on 06/22/2002 3:09:46 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Sabertooth
Gawain's best post ever.

Best one I ever saw. :-)

266 posted on 06/22/2002 3:09:52 PM PDT by EternalVigilance
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To: All
I consider Bush a true moderate(Not Media moderate definition which is rich ultraleft freedomgrabber). Similar to his dad, but slightly better(his dad was a gun grabber and tax raiser).
He ran as a moderate, and that's what he is. He's done great(Slap the UN around with small arms), done good(tax cut) he's done bad(armed pilots), and there is the downright ugly(CFR, Patriot Act)

He's not Alwhore, but he ain't great either. He was the best we could get in 2000.

Whether I vote for him or not will depend on what happens with gun shows, and the 94 AW ban sunset. That's the line in the sand.

267 posted on 06/22/2002 3:10:06 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
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To: Sabertooth
(It scared me!)
268 posted on 06/22/2002 3:10:39 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Dan from Michigan
Is your vote really going to turn on gun shows? I have trouble believing that you really believe that about yourself.
269 posted on 06/22/2002 3:11:45 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Dan from Michigan
Whether I vote for him or not will depend on what happens with gun shows, and the 94 AW ban sunset. That's the line in the sand.

A freeper told me (unsourced mention) that GW would re-sign the 'Assault Weapon' ban.

270 posted on 06/22/2002 3:12:44 PM PDT by Lazamataz
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To: Howlin
"...it's the ones who are NEVER EVER going to vote for Bush that I am referring to."

There are certainly Trolls amongst us who have no love for the GOP OR the Conservative Movement towards a smaller, less-intrusive Federal Leviathan, but I'd wager many more of us are labelled irreparable BushBashers on this Forum than is applicable. It's become a useful slur for those who would rather not defend Dubyuh's domestic record of late!!

FReegards...MUD

271 posted on 06/22/2002 3:13:14 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim
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To: 4ourprogeny
I see. I'm naive if I don't agree with you..........ROFL. How fair of you.
272 posted on 06/22/2002 3:13:21 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: lentulusgracchus
I agree with you that a filter function would be handy.

You misread my post.

273 posted on 06/22/2002 3:13:39 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
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To: Registered; Lazamataz; Sir Gawain; Admin Moderator
If we are going to cleanse the forum of the images that point out certain factions, it only seems fair that the Axis image be pulled too. I certainly hope we all aren't so thin-skinned here that they hit the abuse button on it.

BTW, I'd honestly like to know what is so offensive about the Cleaning Lady that made it get pulled from all the threads. Seems to me it was pretty harmless, no nudity, no cussing, just plain old cartoon fun.

We gotta live one!



It's the list for you, Mr. Sore Loserman!

274 posted on 06/22/2002 3:13:45 PM PDT by Sabertooth
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To: Torie
Is your vote really going to turn on gun shows? I have trouble believing that you really believe that about yourself.

Torie, I know you don't care much about guns, but we do.

Bush has almost lost me several times. Once on CFR, and recently on the Socialist Housing Plan. Both times, freepers made reasonable arguments that made me withhold my rejection of the man.

But if he re-signs the AW ban or makes all private purchases of guns registered to the BATF, the man loses me for good.

Period.

275 posted on 06/22/2002 3:15:22 PM PDT by Lazamataz
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To: Jim Scott
That's childish, pointless and ultimately self-defeating - as should be obvious, but apparently isn't - to some fringe conservatives. They'll always be among us and are especially noticable on FR but they do not represent anything close to a majority of Republicans or even most rational conservatives as their anger, hyperbole and hysteria on FR prove, every day.



http://www.freerepublic.com/fo cus/news/693246/posts
Bush Extremely Strong With Base (The democrats don't get it after all their smears)

begin snip
Polls do not suggest discontent among some conservative activists has spread outside Washington.

"Bush wins overwhelming majority support from all Republicans and with strong Republicans it is all but unanimous," said Thomas Riehle, president of Ipsos-Reid public affairs, which conducts a tracking poll for the Cook Political Report.

"At this point in any president's first term, you would expect to have alienated some faction of your own party, but that is not the case with George Bush."

Added GOP pollster Matthew Dowd: "It gives you an opportunity to reach out to constituencies."

Bush's job approval rating among Republicans is in the low 90s and a bit higher among strong Republicans, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll and others.
end snip



276 posted on 06/22/2002 3:16:54 PM PDT by deport
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To: rdb3
You never have to use an ignore button-in my entire life Inever have, even when other men's wives. widows and divorcees are nagging me as a surrigate husband or boy friend. I can ignore whom so ever I please-an Ignore button gives too much power to those who have a weak argument and wish to pretend that others agree with their agenda.
277 posted on 06/22/2002 3:17:45 PM PDT by F.J. Mitchell
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To: Lazamataz
Think: Heaven's Gate.

I'm feeling a little parched. Got any of that Kool-Aid left?

278 posted on 06/22/2002 3:18:34 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
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To: F.J. Mitchell
-an Ignore button gives too much power to those who have a weak argument and wish to pretend that others agree with their agenda.

Those people are much too weak to be of much use in a discussion anyways. Let them weed themselves out.

279 posted on 06/22/2002 3:20:08 PM PDT by Lazamataz
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To: Howlin
Oh, don't you wish. No way, shape, or form are you mainstream.

Let's see:

Pro-Life.

Pro-Constitution.

Pro-Liberty.

Pro-Local Control.

Pro-Defense.

Pro-Israel.

Etc...

Most Republicans I know hold the same set of principles I do...the party process that leads to a party platform contains my principles...to my way of thinking, that makes me a mainstream Republican.

Just because you and others try through insult to marginalize me and those beliefs doesn't mean that a word of what you say is true...whether you like it or not, the majority of the Party is conservative, not psuedo-conservative.

Given a level playing field (one that rarely exists because of a compromised leadership) conservatives will win any intra-party fight hands down.

280 posted on 06/22/2002 3:20:47 PM PDT by EternalVigilance
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