George W Bush - Political Black Ice

LonePalm | 7/15/2003 | LonePalm

[John Robertson]

"In October of 2000, as new member of Free Republic, I coined the phrase, "Broken Glass Republicans"...."

I liked your article. A lot. Very smart, very thought-provocative. But caution on the claims. I've heard the phrase Broken-glass Republicans for many years now, long before 2000. Otherwise, spot on.

[Eala]

BTTT

[Fzob]

BFL (bump for later)

[Pukin Dog]

Political Black Ice.

I like it.

I also like how this post allows the true colors of some of you to jump to the fore. You are negative, nay saying Neanderthals, one-issue voters, without the good sense to grab the gold ring in front of you. You talk of Bush’s signing of the Farm bill and Education bills only for their fiscal results, yet you ignore the political results, which are far more tangible and valuable to your own causes.

The reason that Republicans were able to gain control of Congress, is directly related to the passage of bills that Conservatives may not like or appreciate. Passing bills is deal-making. No one side is ever going to get everything they want in a bill, even if Congress was 99% Republican. The remaining 1% would be the most powerful entity in government. The powers to withhold, delay, stall, or filibuster an issue before congress is stronger than the power to get things done.

In spite of that, you negative nabobs never talk about the positives beyond the tax cut that Bush has brought to society. You don’t discuss how civil service jobs are being opened up for privatization. You never mention the positive changes taking place in the military, including leadership, or how pay has been raised more under Bush than under 8 years of Clinton. I don’t hear any talk about how interest rates remain low, along with the value of the dollar, which promotes trade by making imported items more uncompetitive without tariffs.

I might drop dead if one of you nabobs talks about how many potential terrorist attacks have been thwarted, how many assets of terrorists have been confiscated, and how Bush is actually reshaping the entire Middle East, which will ultimately lead to even better security here in America. How many of you nabobs thought Arafat could ever accept a Prime Minister, even in name alone?

Then there are all the bad things that DIDN’T happen because Bush is President, and we DO NOT have a Democratic congress. I would like to see some balance from you nabobs. Why don’t you discuss all the bad things that were avoided by this president? You talk as if Albert Gore would have been the answer to your prayers. You see the glass as half empty, and are up complaining, bitching and moaning before noon. It must suck to be you. People who can only see and focus on the negative, in spite of all the good and positive things around them, are hell to be around.

Why not go set up your own negative forums, so you and your partners in misery can all sit together sharing chicken little punditry until you get so worked up, you have to take a nap? Look around you. Life is good, people. Sure, people are losing jobs, and we have challenges here and abroad, but hell, did you think it was going to be cake? You think your vote is some kind of pact that the man you select is going to do your bidding. In this Constitutional Republic, the man you select is there to do what he thinks is best, with your faith and trust in his judgment over the other guy you did not vote for.

If you trust the judgment of Albert Gore, or Howard Dean, or Hillary Clinton, or anyone else this president may run against in the future, then knock yourselves out voting for them. But do this newbie a favor and stop bitching so much. Sometimes it’s not fun to come here in the morning and see your constant gripe, gripe, griping, when the truth is that there has never been more opportunity for good since Reagan. Things could be a LOT worse, dammit.

Anyone offended by what I said can just shut up, because I have not had my coffee yet this morning, and it could have been MUCH worse.

[StriperSniper]

it's the # of pages,

I see your larger point, but just the volume of them adds complexity that has a cost. If they truly reverse Clintoon regs, they shoul be removed from the books. If they are just adjustments back to the prior regs, there may be no net reduction of the burden, it might just be shifted to paper-pushers adjusting to compliance.

[Travis McGee]

It works for me!

[zeugma]

My theory is that GW is trying to pander to the more moderate liberals (traditional democrats). Remember, he barely won the election in 2000. He needs all the numbers he can get. I think that GW is going to pull in enough people to get elected in 2004, then you will see him reduce the size of government. Reagan did this. He cut taxes in his first term, then cut government spending in his second term and came out smelling like a rose.

I'll believe this when I see it. I don't see any indication that he is actually interested in reducing the size of the state. I could br wrong though, and suspect we'll have the opportunity to find out, as I really don't think anyone the rats have put forward so far have a snowball's chance in hades of winning.

[Coleus]

Huh, I guess following in Ronald Reagan's footsteps is such a nasty legacy.

Reagan went along with big deficits to defeat the evil empire, The Soviet Union. Bush is doing the same to defeat the evil terrorist network.>>>

No, actually Reagan wanted "less" government spending, he wanted to abolish the Dept. of Education and wasn't afraid of bringing it up while W added $15 Billion to it. Reagan also wanted to abolish other agencies as well including: Energy, transportation, commerce,etc. Reagan also eliminated thousands if not tens of thousands government regulations, I haven't seen any under this administration.

The budget increased under Reagan, yes, not only because of the military spending, it was having a Democrat House of Representatives who held the purse strings and increased entitlements and domestic spending and not allowing Reagan to consolodate federal agencies, Bush has a "republican" house of representatives and can't control spending and a republican Senate and can't get conservative judicial appointments through. However, when Bush appointed 6 pro abortion judges in NJ, he had NO problem getting those approved.

And Reagan dropped no bombs on the USSR and was still able to see its demise. Bush is no Reagan in my book.

I still like the president however when people say he's like Reagan, that is a misnomer.

[Coleus]

Great Job bump, and Democrats watch out in 2004, a tidal wave is coming.

[Varmint Al]

I am STILL a Broken Glass  Republican.
Are you?

A BG Republican is one who would crawl across Broken Glass to get to the polling place today and cast his vote! Here is the first reference I have found to Broken Glass Republican. Posted on the FreeRepublic.com and here is the post:

To All:
I am now a Broken Glass Republican!!!!!!
I will crawl over broken glass to vote November 7th.

Again, please forgive the vanity post. I should be feeling better around January 20th.
1 Posted on 10/14/2000 13:12:09 PDT by LoanPalm (Broken Glass Republican)

+++++++++++++++++++++++

LoanPalm, thanks for the heads up. I truly am still a BGR. I like the Black Ice too.

A little look into the past. I still have this on my Gun Rights & Politics Page.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[Robert A Cook PE]

Good observation.

Bush is far more competent than the mass media (and the liberals!) dare avow.

That said, he's also more "socially liberal" than I'd prefer. It may be more of a "Washington" disease too....among ALL who stay in DC among the attention and media too long.

The Senate Republicans, for exampple, aren't "conservatives" in any real sense.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post and ping. Playing catchup.
bttt for later.

[baseballmom]

I like it

[frithguild]

Interesting. Metorigically speaking, black ice forms when temperatures are just at 32 deg. F. We are transitioning from a deep freeze of Democrat controll of Congress to warmer conditions for individual rights and prosperity. Just the right conditions for black ice formations.

Trouble with black is that you underestimate its ability to do damage. This President is the most underestimated politician I have ever seen. This has been his secret weapon - black ice.

I think it fits well. It will fit better if the next national election results in some real damage.

The negative of it is that it implies that Bush hurts. As for the contributory negligence of those who are damaged by ice, black ice is the favorite description. It implies the "victim" made prudent and careful observations, but fell anyway. But this will probably be lost on most Americans who are geographically and metorologically challenged.

Building being a victim into political speech has been quite effective for the left. Kind of like calling a tax reduction a "cut", i.e. laceration, etc. If only we could put the attacks back into the image of a tax. If you don't pay them you WILL be attacked, that's why they call it a tax. If only leadership would say "I don't want a tax on the Americal people." But that is a subject for another day.

[Calpernia]

Ping

[Calpernia]

BUMP!!!!

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for the ping! I love this post -- Black Ice! I use the broken glass Republican all the time on here thanks to Lone Palm. Now Black Ice has entered my vocabulary.

It is 100+ today out here in parts of flyover country -- Oklahoma/Texas, but I would bet there is some black ice on the roads around Crawford waiting for the DemocRAT media to show up to cover the President while he is in Crawford. Not to mention the folks of Waco just waiting for the Arrogant D.C. DemocRAT press corps to show up!

[Calpernia]

You should add your thoughts/writings to your website. Make an editorial section or something.

[rabidralph]

In January of 1996, while driving a Ford Escort, I hit a patch of black ice on I-80 just east of the Delaware Water Gap in NJ. I made three 360 degree turns before coming to rest less than one foot from the guard rail in the right hand break down lane facing forward. Less than five seconds later an 18-wheeler that I had passed earlier passed less than five feet to my left. The driver had to have seen me spin. By the Grace of God and the steely nerves of that driver, I am alive today.

I do my sliding on dry pavement. Now, that takes real talent! :-)

[sirchtruth]

What would be a realistic way to reduce the size of gov't? And addressing your charge that any growth of gov't is not permanent, what was the last gov't program to be cut out? What are they phasing out?

Elect Conservatives!

Welfare Reduced. This would be a prime example of what I mean when Reps did this over a 4 year period until Clinton finally signed the thing.

There are many programs that have phased out,ie...HeadStart (recent). I agree with you not enough programs are reducing, however the problem is not whether we need to have certain programs cut, the problem is how to deal with people. How to cost effectively deal with people.

Example: Dept Of Education, now you and I probably agree that this monstrosity needs to be flushed. The question is if you just end it what will happen, and how does it effect people...It's not a question of whether it's needed, we know it's not, but how do you get rid of it effectively without ruining peoples lives? It's is a huge political problem because someone is going to suffer are you willing to make the choice of who?

I think what Bush is doing is making choices.