Too Bad - President Bush has torn the conservative coalition asunder

OpinionJournal.com ^ | June 1, 2007 | Peggy Noonan

[gpapa]

What political conservatives and on-the-ground Republicans must understand at this point is that they are not breaking with the White House on immigration. They are not resisting, fighting and thereby setting down a historical marker--"At this point the break became final." That's not what's happening. What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them. What President Bush is doing, and has been doing for some time, is sundering a great political coalition. This is sad, and it holds implications not only for one political party but for the American future.

[ChocChipCookie]

I still have my W ‘04 sticker on the back of my Tahoe, but it’s been quite some time since I was a proud Republican. I’ll vote Republican again because I believe the alternatives are far worse, but I hate knowing that my vote will be viewed as an endorsement of this party and their leadership. I put GWB on a pedestal, and maybe that’s part of the problem for me.

[Reagan Man]

Its all true. Great job Peggy!

This White House thinks its base is stupid and that its heart is in the wrong place.

Mr. Bush won in 1988 by saying he would govern as Reagan had. Yet he did not understand he'd been elected to Reagan's third term. He thought he'd been elected because they liked him. And so he raised taxes, sundered a hard-won coalition, and found himself shocked to lose his party the presidency, and for eight long and consequential years. He had many virtues, but he wasted his inheritance.

Bush the younger came forward, presented himself as a conservative .... in time he sundered the party that rallied to him, and broke his coalition into pieces. He threw away his inheritance. I do not understand such squandering.

[sageb1]

One of the saddest things is that while Bush is out of the country for the G8 meeting, friend and former freeper, Tony Snow, will be running around making speeches to build support for this.

[NinoFan]

Wow. Now THIS is the Peggy I remember. She nails it.

[Obie Wan]

No question about it, Bush is a turncoat,traitor RINO or whatever fits. I think the guy is closer to being a liberal then a conservative and America is suffering because of it !!!

[claudiustg]

I agree completely. The whole second term has been devoted to tossing the faithful overboard.

[Carry_Okie]

He was disciplined and often daring, but in time he sundered the party that rallied to him, and broke his coalition into pieces. He threw away his inheritance. I do not understand such squandering.

Amazing, a person who presents herself as an authority, admittedly without a clue of the reasons for what she sees.

All right, here you go Peggy... Listen very carefully,

It's deliberate. We're back to "watch what we do, not what we say," corporate RINO Republicanism. In case you missed it, the last one was Nixon and the results weren't that different.

[PicWzrd]

I’ll vote Republican again because I believe the alternatives are far worse, but I hate knowing that my vote will be viewed as an endorsement of this party and their leadership. I put GWB on a pedestal, and maybe that’s part of the problem for me.

I’m glad you are not one of the circle firing squad who will not vote Republican because they have been betrayed, but will let the RATS take over. Then the nightmare will really begin.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

THE OLD PEGGY IS BACK! YEAH!

[randog]

Harsh words. The money shot: One of the things I have come to think the past few years is that the Bushes, father and son, though different in many ways, are great wasters of political inheritance.

Bush and his admin may not need to be re-elected, but there are a lot of R congressmen that may have other political plans. Are conservatives motivated enough by rage and despair to crush the party? Peggy seems to hint that they may be.

[NorCalRepub]

.....yes, ....why on earth would a man with a 30% approval rating seek to piss off that last 30%.....???????

[ken21]

i’m disappointed.

i voted 3x for bushes.

i expected a president with backbone that would lead, stand up to the democrap media, and get his message across.

i’m disappointed with rumsfeld, franks, bremer et al; they messed up the iraq war.

and, as usual, our fellow americans, the democraps, have manipulated the negative to their advantage.

now, most americans are fed up with the war.

[Prokopton]

One of the saddest things is that while Bush is out of the country for the G8 meeting, friend and former freeper, Tony Snow, will be running around making speeches to build support for this.

I saw Tony pushing amnesty tonight. The sad thing was he just wasn't presenting a case for the traitorous amnesty bill, he was out and out lying. Sad, although he always has been an amnesty man.

[familyop]

Then avoid nominating celebrity politicians for their rhetoric, and nominate a man for his record—Duncan Hunter.

[Texas_Jarhead]

It has been disappointing hasn’t it? Certainly disheartening. I’ve supported the President publicly, fighting the good fight in the court of public opinion against the moon-bats and ignorant middle roaders but it’s becoming an increasingly heavy burden. IMO any firm supporter of the President absolutely has a right to feel dejected.

[investigateworld]

This good ‘ol boy feels cheapened and used. Bush could have had least left cab fare on the dresser...;^)

[MrEdd]

There never was much of a “conservative coalition”. Conservative support has always been - to a large extent - conditional. When Reagan ran he did indeed get a lot of crossover votes. but mostly he got people out to the polls who hadn’t had anyone they could support in years.

[colorado tanker]

Wow. It’s over. Bush has thrown the Bushbots overboard.