Posted on 10/30/2008 6:01:25 AM PDT by meandog
That John McCain is a principled conservative?
And don't think the trolls aren't watching, waiting for signs of dissension.
Now, thanks to you, we'll all have to endure a lot more troll-attacks over the next 5 days.
George W. Bush will be judged well by history.
He protected unborn lives
He cut my taxes
He kept us out of Kyoto and the ICC
He deployed missile defense
He showed the world that you can't sucker punch the U.S.
He appointed a more conservative Supreme court
That court set a precedent for personal gun rights.
and on, and on...
He's a man who loves his country and acts on that vision unlike the “conservative” armchair quarter backs who like to shout “Me too!” with the crowd rather than show some spine by standing up for what's gone right.
No, I confidently judge that his thought were of you and Homer Simpson.
Bush had 6 years to put a real conservative agenda in place and he wasted it trying to "out-liberal the Democrat party" (to borrow a quote). The saddest part is that his policies are now the de facto definition of conservatism to many people not familiar with this philosophy.
Scapegoating is a waste of time. The question is, what to do next? The Democrats already have their agenda, so conservatives had better be ready to go to work. Unless they’re happy with being irrelevant.
I still think that some sort of mass movement will be necessary to oppose Obama’s policies. Something to big to be marginalized or controlled.
My guess is that you are wrong.
States set primary dates. It's a very hidebound process but parties do have a say. Earlier primaries gain a state more prestege and power and the huge money that follows the candidate. States have been moving their dates forward and encroaching on New Hampshire's "first" status and New Hampshire has responded by moving forward. Both parties have been fighting this extention of the primary season. (Why do you suppose Michigan and Florida delegates lost their voting status at the Democratic convention.)
The primaries, despite moving forward, remain essentially the same ones that Ronald Reagan went through in 1980. That year was the first year that South Carolina had an open primary. An open primary is a party building move designed to draw voters to individual candidates and into the party.
McCain adjusted to the primaries as they were. He did not adjust them to himself.
I'd say that was a mistake, but the primary one was his utter failure to defend himself from the lies that were told about him. He seems to believe he is above having to answer. By not refuting the lies, the lies have become "common knowledge".
Lies like, we went into Iraq on false pretenses. The war was all about the presence of WMD. The war has been a disaster. He has mismanaged the economy. Etc, etc.
Especially in the presence of a media that constantly lies about him, a President MUST communicate. Bush has failed to do so and has allowed the current anit-Bush, anti-Republican mood to exist.
The setup of the NJ and NY primaries was the work of the Guliani campaign. When Rudy dropped out, McCain seized the opportunity.
I would also add that the Chairman of the RNC was selected by Bush for the last eight years...... and the unwavering support of RINO’s and disdain for conservatives on every level of government: local, state, and federal by the RNC, NRCC, NRSC, and state Party leadership has destroyed the foundation of the GOP.
The debt was 6 trillion, not 5 trillion when Bush became president. It was less than 9 trillion when the Dems took over the check book.
They added 1 trillion to our debt just in 2008 so far.
Ohhhhh but it’s allll Pres. Bush’s fault! Wahhhhhhhh.... He destroyed everythingggg...!!/s
> Bush had 6 years to put a real conservative agenda in place and he wasted it trying to “out-liberal the Democrat party” (to borrow a quote).
For much of that time a war probably consumed much of his attention. It would be difficult, for example, to shrink the size of gummint (a Conservative agenda item that Bush certainly didn’t do) when a whole passel of new gummint processes needed to be put in place (eg Homeland Security).
And it would be difficult not to spend money that you didn’t have (another Conservative agenda item) when waging two very expensive wars simultaneously, while at the same time having new gummint processes that makes your economy less efficient (Homeland Security).
I could list more excuses for GWB, but I won’t. It’s not my role or intention to defend GWB as being a “perfect” POTUS or an “ideal” conservative. He wasn’t, and he wasn’t. Same with Reagan, tho’.
With GWB you had a President who had the bollix to stand up to the UN and do the right thing despite their whinging. You also had a President who didn’t do what he needed to do about illegal aliens. But then again, neither did Clinton. Or Bush Sr or Reagan, for that matter.
> The saddest part is that his policies are now the de facto definition of conservatism to many people not familiar with this philosophy.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ignorant people can look at this flavor of “conservatism” and if that is all that they understand of Conservative principles at least they will have grasped a few important ideas: like, for example, the idea of going after your Nation’s enemies and waging relentless war despite what the war-wimps say, both foreign and domestic.
We know that Conservatism encompasses much that GWB was not. But it takes time and effort for this knowledge to be learned, and everybody has to start somewhere.
Have Faith: Conservatism is alive and well and it will thrive. Particularly if McCain/Palin defeat Obama/Biden next Wednesday (your Tuesday).
*DieHard*
Bush's second term has been one failure after another for Conservatism!
LLS
“...President Bush destroyed the Republican Party...”
Rediculous! Republicans in government, supporting the idea that government is the solution for education, welfare, pension, infrastructure, moral turpitude, defense of the culture, medical care, business regulation and the whole cycle of cradle to grave social engneering that many Americans have grown to expect (feel entitled to) are the reason the republican party seldome reflects conservative thought these days.
Sure President Bush never saw a spending bill he didn’t like, but WE HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACKED SINCE SEPTEMBER 11th! The oath says protect and defend the constitution, and the constitution says defend the nation. Mission accomplished.
Wonder how zero is going to handle “...against all enemies foreign and domestic...” since he represents the next chapter in the attack against, and a tearing down of our Constitution.
ruefully
“I agree that President Bush destroyed the Republican Party...I cannot see how McCain, who isn’t in charge yet, can be blamed”
Actually Sen. McCain is part of a group that has more to do with the current condition of the Republican Party than Pres. Bush does. Why I bet a “Bell Curve” would show that.
Nope.
If you voted for an other than conservative Republican, it's your fault. The choices were many and varied. From scoundrels to those whose finger was always held high into the political winds were presented.
If that was you, you got what you paid for and this country will suffer, regardless the outcome next week.
Nice take.
I though I'd crackup when McC said recently, "Obama broke his promise to me" (about campaign finance).
Un-figging-believable that McC actually believed a Dem would keep his promise.
Even worse, McC did not comprehend his public griping made him look like a naive tool of Obaba. Not a very inspiring presidential picture there.
I sometimes wish there was an extra line under the candidate's name so that voters could write in why they are voting for him and why they are not.
Except I'd need about 10 lines to tell McC.
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