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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: marajade
Everyone who voted for CFR and the Patriot act, along with Bush have just been labeled "traitors."

Yes. There were a total of 5 Congressmen who refused to vote for the Patriot act due to the fact that nobody was given the opportunity to read the bill.

761 posted on 06/22/2002 8:45:49 PM PDT by Demidog
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To: sinkspur
Good grief sinky, you wouldn't know a libertarian if D-dog jumped up & bit your silly ass.
762 posted on 06/22/2002 8:46:21 PM PDT by tpaine
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To: Roscoe
Yes indeed. Goldwater did a 180 from 1964 to 1994.

He went from being a conservative Republican, with a radical streak to a liberal-libertarian. In other words, Barry became a has-been.

I much prefer that man who gave "The Speech" for BarryG in 1964. Now what was his name? Oh yea, Ronnie Reagan! Now there's a man I can support. That's the ticket.

763 posted on 06/22/2002 8:46:37 PM PDT by Reagan Man
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To: marajade
Everyone in AZ knows it to be true

Wrong. If I find one person that doesn't you're thesis is proven false. I already know 3 personally.

764 posted on 06/22/2002 8:46:50 PM PDT by Demidog
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To: DoughtyOne
Roscoe, what position did Buchanan give Fulani that put her in a position of power?

There isn't any power in a sideshow.

765 posted on 06/22/2002 8:46:55 PM PDT by Roscoe
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To: Demidog
Since you have never read the Patriot Act, you're arguing from ignorance.

Oh, but I have read it. There's nothing treasonous about it.

766 posted on 06/22/2002 8:47:15 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: Jim Robinson
Jim, I hate to have to tell you, but people who spend as much time in fantasy land as the Bushies do probably don't have a lot of room to accuse others of living in dream worlds.

767 posted on 06/22/2002 8:47:15 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Texasforever
I have, now point out the treasonous portions.

If you had, you wouldn't need anyone to point it out.

768 posted on 06/22/2002 8:47:46 PM PDT by Demidog
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To: Demidog
Maybe I should qualify it... Every Republican AZ freeper knows that McCain is just following in Goldwater's footpaths...
769 posted on 06/22/2002 8:47:51 PM PDT by marajade
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To: quidnunc
I would cut Bush some slack if he wasn't running the country.
770 posted on 06/22/2002 8:47:58 PM PDT by RamsNo1
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To: Jim Robinson
The principle of holding the current position at all costs until reinforcements arrive - as opposed to deserting your posts or surrendering to the enemy.

Nice military analogy, sir. Squared away.

HOOAH!

771 posted on 06/22/2002 8:48:31 PM PDT by rdb3
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To: quidnunc
Spoken like a dedicated "Bush" conservative.

But let Bush engage in the same sort of pragmatism and he gets savaged by the wingnuts who considered Pats Pas de Deux with Fulani as something completely unremarkable.

Well Pat's pragmatism got his name on the ballot in 49 states. Bush's pragmatism sees him supporting a $300 billion dollar warmed over Hillary healthcare program. I'm sure you think these are equivelant.

772 posted on 06/22/2002 8:48:31 PM PDT by DoughtyOne
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To: DoughtyOne
I said for seniors. Whatever the cost, it is a hugely popular idea. Drug policy is incredibly complicated what with patents, innovations, free riders, litigation and all sorts of other stuff out there. I know that, and how much I have to learn, from reading an outstanding WSJ series of articles on it. The real danger of subsidization is that in the end it may staunch drug innovation.
773 posted on 06/22/2002 8:49:05 PM PDT by Torie
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To: AAABEST
Let's see. We're talking about positions of strength here. Ok, in my view, the Republicans seem to be in a pretty strong position at the moment with Bush in the Presidency vs the Democrats. And, I presume you are suggesting that the Libertarians or some other unnamed "party of principle" is in a stronger position to defeat them? I don't think so.

774 posted on 06/22/2002 8:49:11 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: AAABEST
Well said.
775 posted on 06/22/2002 8:49:17 PM PDT by tpaine
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To: tpaine
Good grief sinky, you wouldn't know a libertarian if D-dog jumped up & bit your silly ass.

Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.

That's what your silly ass believes.

776 posted on 06/22/2002 8:49:19 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: marajade
Your thesis still fails. You're engaging in a logical fallacy.
777 posted on 06/22/2002 8:49:48 PM PDT by Demidog
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To: DoughtyOne
Explain in detail how Bush is supporting Hillarycare. I missed that one in its entirety. What is Kennedy pushing that Bush is backing? I missed that one too.
778 posted on 06/22/2002 8:50:24 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Demidog
If you had, you wouldn't need anyone to point it out.

LOL if you had a case you could put it forward. BTW Treason is a capital crime. Should Bush be subjected to that, in your learned opinion of course.

779 posted on 06/22/2002 8:50:24 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Grampa Dave
Yeh, and more suckers born every minute.
780 posted on 06/22/2002 8:51:16 PM PDT by RamsNo1
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