question everything
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Tue Feb-10-04 11:40 AM
Original message |
Bush Finds Party Faithful In an Ugly Mood - WSJ |
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(snip)
A new level of tension is emerging between President Bush and the congressional Republicans he expects to deliver his election-year agenda. Among the sore points, Mr. Bush's initiative to give legal status to immigrant workers who are here illegally, a bid to attract Latino voters, instead has roiled the party's conservative faithful. Republicans have been put on the defensive over the President's policies on Iraq. And record deficits and spending suddenly have Republicans questioning his fiscal stewardship.
(snip)
No one goes so far as to say the tension yet threatens Mr. Bush's re-election or his party's House and Senate majorities. But Republicans would like to pad their narrow margins, if they and Mr. Bush hope to achieve much in a second term. Party leaders insist they can still avoid lackluster turnout by conservative voters, which Bush advisers blame for their near-defeat in 2000.
(snip) Activists in the think tanks and hard-line conservatives in Congress, though, insist the unrest is bottom-up, with grassroots Republicans erupting over pork-fattened appropriations bills, spending rates exceeding those of the Lyndon Johnson era and a new, budget-busting Medicare drug benefit. The conservative groups and lawmakers now "are trying to stay ahead of their grassroots base," says former House Republican Leader Dick Armey, who heads one such group, Citizens for a Sound Economy.
(snip)
In response to conservatives' anger, Mr. Bush now has struck a theme of fiscal conservatism. His administration's first targets are the highway bill and his energy package, which grew from an initial $8 billion in production incentives to $31 billion before conservatives balked. "The White House was all for the energy bill when we passed it, and now they're slowly walking away from it," says John Feehery, a spokesman to House Speaker Dennis Hastert and a top House leadership aide.
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Just Me
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Tue Feb-10-04 11:43 AM
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I thought the administration was going to do some "sneaky" sh*t by inserting "energy bill" provisions into the highway bill.
Has anyone been keeping up to speed with that?
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question everything
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Tue Feb-10-04 11:50 AM
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2. Here, however it is for paid subscribers only |
Bandit
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Tue Feb-10-04 12:03 PM
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3. Part of the Highway bill had gas tax increases to pay for some of it |
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Bush* says no way we will allow any Tax Increases so no highway bill. He is just adamant about not paying for what they pass. Hey everyone here is a new credit card for you so spend spend spend cause times are good.
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dArKeR
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Tue Feb-10-04 12:10 PM
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4. I've always been the Black Sheep Dem. but my hardcore Repuke friends |
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have (honestly) dumped Junior and will vote for Kerry. (4 lifetime Repuke friends in the insurance and building contractor businesses.)
Dem. activist, this is the truth from 'my world'. But don't let this be a sign to give up and let someone else 'protect our country'. Don't stop working until Junior is tried for Manslaugher.
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CheshireCat
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Tue Feb-10-04 12:11 PM
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5. I want to read the whole article! |
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Is it in today's WSJ? Could you PM me a few more paragraphs?
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question everything
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Tue Feb-10-04 02:58 PM
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7. Was in yesterday. How do I PM it? |
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Sorry, relatively new here..
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JNelson6563
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Tue Feb-10-04 02:28 PM
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6. Oooh, excellent article! |
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Wish it weren't a subscriber article, it's very good. I noticed dissension in the ranks at the grass-roots level too. Our caucus on Saturday had record turn-outs and I signed up 72 new members to the party. Many were "independent" formerly bought into GOP lies. Now they are firmly in our camp.
:toast:
Julie
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starroute
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Tue Feb-10-04 04:05 PM
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8. Conservatives turning liberal |
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The quoted story focuses on conservatives turning against Bush because he violates their conservative expectations. But some of them are having their eyes opened well beyond that point.
A friend of ours who is a life-long small-town Republican has not only changed his registration to Democratic, but is reading Al Franken and just sent us a link to the story about the Des Moines grand jury.
Once people start to think for themselves, it's amazing how much that was formerly invisible to them suddenly pops into their field of vision.
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Sun May 05th 2024, 01:34 AM
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