Posted on 10/06/2002 9:24:33 AM PDT by sheltonmac
The Republican Party, it seems, is now domestically divided among two extremes: those who are blindly supporting President Bush and those who aren't domestically supporting the president based on his actions while in office.
However, many of us have been caught up in the middle, undecided, and staying as spectators in this situation. The truth is, Bush is a very likeable guy, and he knows what he's doing. Most conservatives long for the time when the great Ronald Reagan was president, and Bush has filled that gap for some.
Yet, we have seen questionable actions by President Bush that Reagan would despise. Politics is a game and, in that game, you will have to compromise on issues and legislation to gain political capital in order to push for those core principles you believe in – that's the way it works. That means you will not compromise your core beliefs.
In addition, the real and pure conservatism submits itself to the Constitution and will follow it to the end, not supporting unconstitutional programs and bills. Unfortunately, this is a rare breed of conservatism in Congress and in the Oval Office today.
To make the case for this, we must outline some of the key programs and bills to be supported and signed by the president since the start of his administration.
President Bush and his White House buddies passed the USA Patriot Act after the Sept. 11 attacks. This has got to be one of the most freedom-grabbing bills for some time and specifically goes against the conservative principle of smaller government.
Bush pushed for, agreed with and signed the farm legislation this past summer. This bill, which is in the stack alongside other unconstitutional legislation, takes money from one person's hand and gives it to someone else – a legalized theft operation that the Constitution does not allow. Again, this bill also goes against the conservative principle of smaller government.
Campaign finance reform is another one of them. Yes, this is the same bill that Mr. Bush vowed not to support and to veto during the campaign. Still, with all his political capital, he signed the legislation. This legislation destroyed a key element of basic freedom – something real conservatives usually like to keep.
Another issue in the pile is the Homeland Security legislation. While Congress has yet to pass this, the White House has practically authored it, demanding certain components and financial plans. Although security is a must in the post 9-11 world, the proposed Homeland Security Department will amazingly increase government, the power it has, and will suck up billions of dollars from the budget.
Lastly, you have the Sept. 11 charity program, which gave millions of dollars to each victim of the terrorist attacks. While this may sound fine, it goes back to the concerns of Davey Crocket that a precedent such as this will open the spigot of the federal budget and allow for any victim to receive some sort of severance pay – such an ability is economically unfeasible.
Our president has done many things for conservatism, such as opposing the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Treaty, as well as being the leader we need in the war on terror. But on core, constitutional issues he let us down, and he continues to let us down.
We keep hearing from the neoconservatives that it will be different when Republicans take over the Senate, but I'm not so sure. I'm anxious to find out what the excuse is going to be from Republicans when they do take over the Senate.
I really wish I could support President Bush on domestic issues, but I can't. My principles are stronger than my emotions, and I hold true to that. I will not sacrifice those principles for a likeable guy.
George W. Bush is no conservative.
Kyle Williams is 13 years old, home-schooled and lives in a rural community in America's heartland. His column title, "VERITAS," is Latin for "truth." He particularly enjoys following current news events – and writing about them – and is extremely interested in politics. Kyle believes he may one day have a career in journalism. For now, he offers his unique perspective to the readers of WorldNetDaily.
Well, that's a good way to get people to read your articles, isn't it, start right off with a "if you don't agree with me, you're a lockstep BushBot."
No need to read any further.
I think this has great bearing on both the foreign and domestic fronts.
And please tell me why there are ONLY two choices in YOUR world, either thinking Bush does no wrong or everything he does is wrong?
Bush isn't conservative enough for some people. I think he's doing just fine, considering he has a Rat senate, a narrowly held house, a war, and Clinton-supporters in and out of government colluding with the press to undermine everything he does.
In fact, I have decided that people who don't understand the give and take of Americian politics and the difficulties involved are so wrapped up in their "principles" that they will happily see us ruled by the Clintons just to prove a point. I am done arguing about it.
So you think this sentence:
The Republican Party, it seems, is now domestically divided among two extremes: those who are blindly supporting President Bush and those who aren't domestically supporting the president based on his actions while in office.
doesn't mean you're either in lockstep or not?
No wonder you don't understand my point.
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