Hardliners question Bush’s conservatism

[sabra]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11297101/

Hardliners question Bush’s conservatism
Concerns over government spending take center stage at D.C. conference

WASHINGTON - Hardline conservatives, among President Bush’s staunchest supporters, question whether he is conservative enough when it comes to government spending and growth, leaders of the movement say.

“What conservatives have realized during the last five years is that we have not elected a conservative president,” said Bill Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union. “Nor do we have a conservative majority in either the House or Senate.”

Conservatives gathered at a Washington hotel this weekend for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, where they assess the status of their movement and what they think of government policies. President Reagan remains the champion of low-tax, small-government supporters even after Bush’s re-election and the dominance of GOP lawmakers.

They are quite unhappy with some Bush administration initiatives — for example, the multibillion-dollar prescription drug program and the No Child Left Behind education law — and special spending projects from Congress that have ballooned the cost and scope of the federal government.

[xultar]

1. Well he ain't no fuckin liberal. He's a fuckin NEOCON asshat.

They never believed us when we called * a neocon.

[EFerrari]

2. Navigators question Earth is flat.

:rofl:

[Lochloosa]

3. No, you did not elect a Conservative president you idiots...

you elected and imbecile to carry out the wishes of the PNAC.

Deal with it!


Edit to supply link to the most dangerous organization in the world.

http://www.newamericancentury.org/publicationsreports.htm

[FarLeftRage]

4. I think they're a bit too late

I think they are slowing realizing that * is not one of them...


In other news, bears really do sh*t in the woods.

[glitch]

5. These must be the stupidest people on the planet. NOW they are twigging

to what bush is about? Since I doubt they are the stupidest people on the planet, their disingeniousness makes me think they think we are.
If Bush weren't being exposed as a corrupt incompetent they'd still be for him and his policies.

[deadparrot]

6. I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Do not--do not--try to palm him off on us. He's your trainwreck.

[ribrepin]

8. Amen

"Do not--do not--try to palm him off on us. He's your trainwreck." Amen

You've been telling us for five years that Bush is the second coming. He's all yours, neocons.

[Vogon_Glory]

29. You Betcha!

You Betcha! Buckaroo Bush and the rest of Team Shrub, and the Banana Republican Congress are NOT our train-wreck. They're conservative movement disasters, you conservatives made them possible, you conservatives empowered them, you conservatives own them, and the rest of us don't trust you conservatives from Hell or hunger to clean them up.

If your pet conservative politicos get swept away with Team Shrub's congressional allies, too bad. Our empathy for you conservatives died a bitter, painful death some years ago.

Once upon a time, conservatives used to talk about "personal responsibility" and the individual's duty to clean up for their own messes. The bill is now due. It's time for the conservatives to pony up!

[SoCalDem]

7. Not many sharp knives in that drawer, are there?

Gullible, under-educated. overly-religious nutcases.. They deserve Bush.. too bad we all get stuck with him..

[glaeken777]

9. wtf?

Are these people running on a five-year delay, or something?

[KoKo]

10. Tut, Tut....these Conservative Jokers think Bush has become a Liberal...

:rofl: Hypocrits...they knew what the hell he was...they are just covering their asses.

[jazzjunkysue]

11. "we have not elected a conservative president,” IT WAS RIGGED!!!

You morons! He wasn't elected: The machines were re-programmed, HELLO!!!!

[ima_sinnic]

12. oh DOH, you pathetic saps. It's not like he didn't have a record of

total incompetence, lack of business sense, and lack of integrity and eithics--just look at his numerous failed businesses and oil deals before he and his squad of vampires took over the government. dumbasses, you "elected" him, so eat shit assholes.

[PurityOfEssence]

13. That Hitler guy, he's just a softie

Hey, to the TRULY hard right nuts, Junior IS a wimp. Never underestimate the primitiveness of the real reactionaries.

[yorkiemommie1]

14. oopsie!

like when my daughter was 4 and trying to learn how to braid yarn. comes up to me w/ fistful of yarn and asks, ' mommy, am i braiding or am i just holding a fistful of yarn in my hand? "

hey, GOP suckers, you are holding a fistful of lying SOS in your hands!

[opihimoimoi]

15. If anything ...Bush is a Fraud of the Worst Kind...

[hadrons]

16. "Reagan remains the champion of low-tax, small-government supporters "

yup, look at that low-tax history:

In 1982 over $230 billion in tax increases. This included the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA), the biggest tax hike in history up to that time, $214 billion in its first five years, or $2,562 per household. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Bob Dole was key to convincing the Reagan White House to go along with the massive tax hike. Without TEFRA, Dole said at the time, "the deficits wouldn't go down." The deficit soon shot to record heights anyway.
In 1983, Social Security tax increases, a seies of automatic tax increases totalling $58 billion in the first five years, or $691 per household.
In 1984, Finance Chairman Dole steamrolled through the $132 billion Deficit Reduction Act (DEFRA), totalling $890 per household.
In 1985, $13 billion Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act(COBRA) bill totalling $150 per household.
In 1986, increase capital-gains taxes in a trade-off which reduced marginal income tax rates, all part of the "revenue neutral" Tax Reform Act. In addition to nearly $23 billion in other assorted tax


and we all know how much he spent and expanded the gov't

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. All those taxes AND a $200B deficit.

He also taxed serviceworker's tips. What a great guy.

[tanyev]

18. No, you elected a would-be messiah.

Good luck getting all of his fundie followers to get out of your bed, give you back the key, and leave you alone.

[fshrink]

19. Yeah, there are a number of healthy measures, such as

mandatory prayers 5 times a day, bonfires for bad books burning stakes for evil people, no taxes at all, with the government encouraging owners to be responsible for their workers' wellfare, as was the case in the nearly perfect plantation-model, education only for the wealthy, bible for the others, intensive compassion-sessions for the sick and the elderly, etc... There's so much left to accomplish!

[PATRICK]

20. Cons conned

who were perfectly happy that Kennedy was suckered into NCLB ar pretending that Bush's fake programs for people were ALSO including fake Conservative agendas. It was ALWAYS the Bush cabal agenda morons, not even PNAC, not any religion or ideology. An ideology of selfish betrayal just elected ta saint of conservatism, a genius of misery and hypocrisy.

What next? Will they call their fair haired heir to St. Reagan a "liberal"? Like they did (incredibly) Nixon, from whose sweat all their brood sprang?

Jeers to hardline conservatives.

[Toots]

21. Reagan talked the talk but certainly did not walk the walk

Ronald Reagan’s recent passing has brought on a barrage of praise, both selective and exaggerated, from people across the political spectrum.

Conservatives, liberals, neo-cons and libertarians have shared their thoughts on the trumpeted legacy of America’s Great Communicator.

Most of the honest praise has focused on his rhetoric, much of which, I admit, was very appealing, and certainly more eloquent than what we’d expect to hear from the White House these days.

Reagan talked a good talk about shrinking the government, cutting taxes and spending. He gave sermons against Communism. He spoke well of liberty, individualism, and limited state power.

He condemned conscription. He brandished the Constitution. He espoused capitalism.

But what did he do?

As governor of California and president of the United States, he enacted policies that, in the main, greatly expanded the role and size of government.

As governor, he oversaw the largest tax increase in Californian history. Democratic Governor Jerry Brown cut back the tax rate when he came to office.

As president, Reagan expanded the federal government by about 90%.

Ah, but this was for defense, one might protest. And defense spending, according to the conventional wisdom, doesn’t count for some reason. In fact, defense spending is good for a "capitalist" economy, even though it was supposedly defense spending that brought down the Soviet economy. (I wonder if Reagan’s increases in California’s spending when he was governor can be attributed to a good-faith effort on his part to beat Oregon and Nevada in an arms race.)

All in all, Reagan allowed the welfare state to enlarge and the military budget to explode, causing monstrous budget deficits and government growth that dwarfs government growth under Clinton, even when Clinton had a Democratic Congress. Reagan’s tax cuts notwithstanding (some of which he reversed), the state grew fat and its growth will inevitably be financed through inflation or tax increases (unless the state defaults).

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. Just another fraud.

[Piscis Austrinus]

23. Attention Conservatives:

You awake? Well, some of you are.

Those of you who are staring, blearily-eyed, at the president that you've been in bed with for the past five years, know this:

The man is not a liberal. He's a neoconservative.

We've all been suffering the effects of five years of the policies of this wretched man, to say nothing of his cronies, sycophants, behind-the-scenes money men, and brain-dead supporters. Conservatives, liberals, and moderates all have had to live with him.

But the left did not elect this man. We didn't want him. Now you see why.

Don't you dare try to make him one of us. No one on our side voted for this jackal and his pack.

You slept with him. You made a deliberate, conscious choice to get in bed with him. So he dissembled about himself? It's your problem. You're the ones have to find a way out of that apartment. You're the ones who have to chew your arms off to get out without waking him up.

You're the ones who'll need the blood tests.

You're the ones who need a long shower.

You're the ones who might have to have a penicillin shot.

You're the ones who, by your silence or by your assent, allowed this bozo and his entourage to infect this whole country.

You're the ones who want accountability, personal responsibility and morality in public service, right?

Good. Now deal with the consequences of what you've done and own your mistakes.

But never, never forget that we knew what this guy was and screamed to the rooftops. We tried to warn you.

Don't you dare blame us.

PsA

edited for typo

[flyarm]

24. YA THINK CONSERVS?? budget surplus now=8 trillion deficit

and you consevrs are just now catching on???????????

well i would say you are having a ..duhhhhh..moment!!

and conservs..just how do you explain * loosing 8 billion of Iraqi's money???

but just so you conservs that might read here don't loose any sleep..lets not tax the rich...just make the middle class pay off the debt...its the rethuglican way!!

fly

[agincourt]

25. Don't believe these guys for a minute,

This is nothing but fiddle playing. They know smirk is damaged goods politically and they are politically positioning themselves to fool us again in 2008. Conservatives since Reagen have always wanted to run up the deficit to kill social spending. When they do spend on social programs it's either a strawman like No Child Left Behind, or a camouflaged corporate subsidy like the prescription drug program. Don't believe these fuckers for a moment, Bush is doing exactly what they want, it's political positioning away from a reeking skunk.

[jazzjunkysue]

26. I prefer impeached reeking skunk, personally.

I heard someone on NBC this morning say that some town has filed a resolution to impeach the idiot boy king. THe tease was "What happens if it passes??!!"

At least they're using the I word at all. That's a huge improvement over 2 years ago.

[Lorien]

27. Worried about spending on kids and seniors, but not unnecessary war

typical. :eyes:

[FlemingsGhost]

28. That's what win-at-all costs compromises yield.

DLC-supporting Democrats will be learning that lesson, soon enough.