Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a piece yesterday about some conservatives dissatisfaction with Bush. Here are some quotes:
1. Bush is "Nixonian" in his willingness to "subordinate everything to a reelection effort, including abrogation of one's own principles". Bruce Bartlett, former Reagan domestic policy adviser.
2. "George W. Bush will be remembered as the president who bankrupted America" and "the President cannot be trusted". Peter Eavis, a Wall Stret analyst, writing in the American Conservative magazine.
He also quotes Jim Urling, described as a grass roots conservative activist in Cincinnati saying "I'm doing everything I can to expose Bush for the fraud that he is".
If Bush loses - the bloodletting from the right will be unmerciful.
Full Version: Bush under attack -- from the right.
All together now..."Oh, the hypocrisy!" 
The feelings of alot of Shrub's supporters have been known for some time. I recall some months back that alot of them were quite unhappy over his bottomless budget defecits, and his huge buildup of governmental size and spending.
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puckman1:
The feelings of alot of Shrub's supporters have been known for some time. I recall some months back that alot of them were quite unhappy over his bottomless budget defecits, and his huge buildup of governmental size and spending.
The feelings of Shrub's supporters may have been known for a long time, but I think that a lot of conservatives will react to Shrub the same way a lot of liberals will react to KerryThe feelings of alot of Shrub's supporters have been known for some time. I recall some months back that alot of them were quite unhappy over his bottomless budget defecits, and his huge buildup of governmental size and spending.
They will vote for who they think is the "lesser" of 2 evils.
Can you imagine the race if McCain entered as an independant?
I honestly think McCain would take it!!
EXACTLY, LKS! Polman's piece is close, but doesn't hit the real target: "It's the GOP moderates, stupid!" The same McCain supporters who were disappointed when Bush got the nomination haven't gone away, and they'll vote for the lesser of TWO evils, but would much more prefer to pull the lever for their third option.
It IS very difficult to keep one's ambition in check when entering the political ring and not adopt a "win at all costs" mentality, but those who can keep their political ambition from going blind are going to see everything in a much clearer perspective. I was fortunate to run my first race for a relatively obscure post, but I remember the exact moment in the final month of the election when I caught myself in mid-breath and said, "Wait a minute! You're just running to win!" I've kept that in mind ever since and think I've got a much healthier perspective about elections now.
It IS very difficult to keep one's ambition in check when entering the political ring and not adopt a "win at all costs" mentality, but those who can keep their political ambition from going blind are going to see everything in a much clearer perspective. I was fortunate to run my first race for a relatively obscure post, but I remember the exact moment in the final month of the election when I caught myself in mid-breath and said, "Wait a minute! You're just running to win!" I've kept that in mind ever since and think I've got a much healthier perspective about elections now.
Here's a great piece about the revolt of some moderates against W Ltd.--but even more so against the hateful GOPers, like Tom DeLay and the Club for Growth crowd, who are trying to flush moderate Republicans down the drain:
Salon: Republicans for Kerry? (Requires viewing a brief ad to access)
Salon: Republicans for Kerry? (Requires viewing a brief ad to access)
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Few politicians want to admit the split, but it's getting almost impossible to ignore. Former Bush counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke, a Republican who has served four administrations -- three of them Republican -- slammed Bush this week for a weak response to the threat of terrorism before the Sept. 11 attacks. Now he's being savaged by fellow Republicans who have, in essence, accused him of working to aid the Democrats. McCain, the Arizona senator, along with Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, have made headlines by openly defending Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a fellow Vietnam vet, against Bush campaign charges that Kerry is weak on national defense. The White House is incensed.
McCain and Hagel insist they still support Bush for reelection. The same holds for the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of GOP moderates that includes Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, Gov. George Pataki of New York, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; all of them claim to avidly support the president's reelection.
But there's little doubt that behind the scenes, some moderate Republicans are rooting for the other side. If Bush wins, one aide to a moderate Republican says privately, \"that would be the worst possible situation.\"
That's because some Republicans say that a Bush loss may be their last chance to take their party back. \"If Bush were defeated by Kerry, it would certainly call into question the Republican leadership, people like Tom DeLay and Dennis Hastert,\" says Fasciani. \"That axis of the party may lose its weight and its power. The Powell and Giuliani wing of the party would certainly gain some prominence and may, during the next four years of a Kerry administration, perhaps even gain control of the party and increase the tent.\" Such hopes have even led some Republicans to found a grass-roots group called Republicans for Kerry.
It's no wonder moderates are feeling desperate. After all, a faction within their own party is fighting to purge them -- and that faction includes some of the nation's most powerful Republicans. In 1999, right-wing operative Steve Moore founded the Club for Growth, an anti-tax lobbying group that targets moderate Republicans, which it calls RINOs, \"Republicans In Name Only.\" Since then, the group, which funds right-wing primary challenges against centrist incumbents as well as general election campaigns, has become one of the most powerful financial engines of the right. Its Web site boasts: \"We are now #1 in funds for Republican candidates outside the Republican Party itself!\"
McCain and Hagel insist they still support Bush for reelection. The same holds for the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of GOP moderates that includes Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, Gov. George Pataki of New York, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; all of them claim to avidly support the president's reelection.
But there's little doubt that behind the scenes, some moderate Republicans are rooting for the other side. If Bush wins, one aide to a moderate Republican says privately, \"that would be the worst possible situation.\"
That's because some Republicans say that a Bush loss may be their last chance to take their party back. \"If Bush were defeated by Kerry, it would certainly call into question the Republican leadership, people like Tom DeLay and Dennis Hastert,\" says Fasciani. \"That axis of the party may lose its weight and its power. The Powell and Giuliani wing of the party would certainly gain some prominence and may, during the next four years of a Kerry administration, perhaps even gain control of the party and increase the tent.\" Such hopes have even led some Republicans to found a grass-roots group called Republicans for Kerry.
It's no wonder moderates are feeling desperate. After all, a faction within their own party is fighting to purge them -- and that faction includes some of the nation's most powerful Republicans. In 1999, right-wing operative Steve Moore founded the Club for Growth, an anti-tax lobbying group that targets moderate Republicans, which it calls RINOs, \"Republicans In Name Only.\" Since then, the group, which funds right-wing primary challenges against centrist incumbents as well as general election campaigns, has become one of the most powerful financial engines of the right. Its Web site boasts: \"We are now #1 in funds for Republican candidates outside the Republican Party itself!\"
Thanks, FT, that IS a great piece and just what we mod-libbers (Carnaby St., anyone? 
) in the GOP need to hear. Please keep posts like this one coming. :cool:
) in the GOP need to hear. Please keep posts like this one coming. :cool:
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