Posted on 02/18/2008 6:21:35 AM PST by kellynla
Conservatives are a gloomy bunch at the moment. Many believe that their party—the Republican Party—has lost its way and that it has done so by abandoning its principles. Aside from his foreign policy and Supreme Court appointments, conservatives find little to love about George W. Bush. His signature domestic policies include a vast expansion of government-financed health care (prescription-drug benefits), and increased funding for education while halfheartedly promoting vouchers and school choice. Bush also signed into law campaign-finance reform and supported a proposed immigration bill that would have allowed illegal aliens a path to citizenship. The Republican Congress is even worse, having indulged in an orgy of irresponsible spending. And now the party is set to nominate John McCain as its presidential nominee, a man who on several key issues has broken with Republican orthodoxy and voted with Democrats. For conservatives, a return to principles is the only way to be returned to power.
David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter, begs to differ. "On the contrary," Frum writes in his smart new book, "Comeback," "the evidence suggests that a more consistent, more principled, more conservative administration would have been even more soundly rejected by the public than the unpopular Bush administration ever was." As Frum documents, every Bush policy that conservatives decry is in fact wildly popular. Public support for prescription-drug benefits ranges from 80 to 90 percent. And every Bush policy conservatives favor is regarded by the public with great suspicion. A majority of Americans regard the Bush tax cuts as "not worth it," and would prefer increased spending or balancing the budget to cutting taxes. In the one area where Bush remains unfailingly popular with conservatives—foreign policy—public support has also collapsed.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
RE “Public support for prescription-drug benefits ranges from 80 to 90 percent. And every Bush policy conservatives favor is regarded by the public with great suspicion. “
There is some truth to this. That’s why a great communicator is important. I also think the way the Iraq war turned out had a big negative effect. The bottom line, I will support SOME compromises if it results in an overall conservative congress and white house. But Bush caved and is hated anyway and lost congress in 06 and probably the white house in 08. He has made the job more difficult, much more.
The liberal wing of the party and the Democrats only WISH this was true. McCain may actually win this election without the Conservatives being excited, but only because he will face a Socialist in November. It gives conservatives 4 years to regroup and strengthen, with a true cause. We have been led down the path to slaughter by the RINO element and the MSM this year, but not again.
COnservatism is about as dead as it was when Goldwater lost...seems the left is starting to count some unhatched chickens.
This is what happens when Conservatives let Newsweak and the rest of the junk media do their thinking for them. Iraq was not one of the Democrats "6 for 06" strategy. In fact, because they were deliberately vague on Iraq the whole time they were on the stump in 06, no one was actually sure what the Democrats plan for Iraq was. What they DID do was run against "A DC Culture of Corruption" that Republican Congress leadership did nothing about.
It was only after the election the Leftist media, able aided by Conservatives who were to busy screaming at their own side to fight the Democrats on anything, manufactured this mythology about 06 being a referendum on Iraq.
The proof that Iraq is not the major issue for people outside US "News rooms" it is claimed to be is the current approval ratings. Bush has been rock solid on Iraq, his approval rating has been rock solid. Congress, who has done nothing for the last year but fight with Bush over Iraq, has seen it's approval rating drop from 50% to a record breaking 11% in the same period.
“every Bush policy that conservatives decry is in fact wildly popular.”
Irrelevent. Every one of those policies are also unhealthy and unconstitutional for our nation. THAT is what really matters and a REAL leader would have used the bully pulpit to explain that to the American people and urged them to alter their views. Bush, either due to laziness, cowardice or his idiotic view of “compassion,” did not and thus the fault is his.
We have been out worked by the RINO element for the last 8 years. GET UP ON YOUR FEET AND WALK!
Iraq turned negative because the hippie illiterates like Couric, Rather, CNN, MSNBC, and even FNC only reported negative. They ARE literally working against the usa. Abraham Lincholn would have locked them up, and FDR would have stored them in canada.
Uh, I have worked my tail off for this past 10 years.
“the evidence suggests that a more consistent, more principled, more conservative administration would have been even more soundly rejected by the public than the unpopular Bush administration ever was.”
WRONG, Frum!
After 9/11, Bush enjoyed a 90% approval rating and at that time he should have deployed the National Guard to BOTH borders and the Corps of Engineers to build a fence on BOTH borders. He should have started deporting ALL foreign muzzies and illegal aliens. Either we are at war or we aren't!
Instead, he has squandered away his approval rating and it is not a matter of “if” but “when” we will be attacked again.
“after three decades of tax cutting, most Americans no longer pay very much income tax.”
Which is why the federal income tax should be replaced with a national sales tax. Half of Americans don’t pay ANY federal income taxes while more than half of Americans receive some kind of government assistance...and that doesn’t even include the millions of illegal aliens who receiver food stamps, free education, medical benefits & housing assistance while not paying any income taxes.
“The danger of Islamic militancy remains real and lasting, but few Americans believe they understand the phenomenon or know how best to combat it.”
Sooner or later, we are going to have to give the muzzies the jihad they so desperately want. And one more attack in America and every muzzie swinging dick will have to pack up his koran & family and go back to whatever hellhole they originated from. Our ancestors didn’t risk life & limb to emigrate to this country just so a bunch of camel jockeys could come here, terrorize our women & children and make hamburger out of our families.
And until conservatives start electing true blue conservatives to governorships so that we have a field to choose from for POTUS; we are going to continue to be in the predicament we are in today and for the past 20 years.
In the meantime, the Gelding Old Party needs to get a testicles & spine implant and in a brokered convention, nominate the best qualified person for POTUS, Dick Cheney.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
RE :”manufactured this mythology about 06 being a referendum on Iraq.”
Iraq was a part of it, not all(I dont want to make a list here.) . Bush went from high popularity in 2002 to hated in 2006. Up to 06 elections I was in the “liberal media refuses to tell us the good news camp” but after the big 06 loss and firing of Rumsfeld, and the new surge strategy after years of being told the current strategy was working, reality did it for me. Even FNC was reporting negative in 2006. It was Bush’s job as commander and chief and head of Republican party to keep the public’s moral up. If the answer is “it’s impossible to do that with a liberal media” which some will say, well then it’s impossible to win certain wars, and that leads to a conclusion not popular here.
Democrats(Rats) could not promise an alternative , because they have none, and did not need to. Compare with them on gas prices, “Elect us if you are mad about gas prices”. Their solution, raise taxes on oil production, even just take past profits, as winfall taxes. Everything they propose drives the price up, then they blame geedy companies again. Same with Iraq, they have no solution except force Bush to surrender so HE gets the blame.
I thought the same thing up to 2006.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972220/posts?page=9#13
Many Conservatives who did not want McCain, Huckabee, or Romney, protest voted, or stayed home.
Some still are skewering the polls, they will vote to keep Hillary out, some will vote to keep Obama out.
Conservative values are shared by Citizens of the U.S. than are counted, but they will not show up in all of the polls since the MSM controls the way polls are conducted.
They control the poll results they want the public to hear.
The MSM is a Marxist few in control of the propaganda Machine, Conservatives have been turning to other means of news reporting, since the day Our Constitution was thwarted,
by the assasination, of Abe Lincoln!
Conservative’s may not agree on all issues, but I know one point is for sure, none of us will be voting for Hillary or Obama, who calls themselves Conservatives or shares a majority of thier challenges, red or blue states, come November.
Have a BLessed Day!
The liberal wing of the party and the Democrats only WISH this was true. McCain may actually win this election without the Conservatives being excited, but only because he will face a Socialist in November. It gives conservatives 4 years to regroup and strengthen, with a true cause. We have been led down the path to slaughter by the RINO element and the MSM this year, but not again.
That’s what I’m say’in.
Thank you for your optimism. I hear too many sore losers around here while I am saying that its time to dust ourselves off and get up.
Zakaria hates Republicans through and through.
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