Did the Bush speech appease the anti-immigrant wing of the GOP?

[bluestateguy]

That is the only way that he can get a few points back in the approval polls. Otherwise, it'll be more of "limbo looower now" in the polls.

What are you all seeing from the conservative pundits, politicians and message boards?

[rodeodance]

1. not if you listen to JOE S. show -Pat Buchanan was having a hissy fit.

[Tarc]

2. The FReepers are flipping out

They were not appeased at all, and are taking quite a bit of glee pointing out how many words he devoted to assuring people that the amnesty program isn't really amnesty.

[Chimichurri]

5. Heh. His divisiveness is finally biting him in the arse.

What did they expect when they let out the rabid dogs these past 6 years? Good luck trying to get them back in their cage.

[MercutioATC]

3. Nobody's buying his "It's not amnesty" claims...

...it doesn't seem to have worked. In fact, he very well may have just lost more of his ultra-conservative base.

[saltpoint]

4. I accept that Dubya can't talk. I accept that listening to his English

is a Cubist experience.

But in light of that, why can't the little fool HIRE someone to write a damn speech for him?

I heard the address on NPR this evening and asked myself if someone in the White House thought that was a persuasive document.

It wouldn't pass a 10th grade English class, I don't think. It sounded like a grocery list of political stress points instead of a reasoned policy, and the sentences read like captions in a coloring book.

"Color Frosty's scarf green."

[joemurphy]

6. Right now, Bush can't do anything right.

I can't say I vehemently disagree with Bush's main points.

If you want to stop illegal immigration (short of addressing Mexico's problems, that is), you try to make it more difficult at the border and you try to penalize companies that hire the immigrants. As for those here, fine them and put them on some kind of path to citizenship.

I disagree about the fine points. Eleven years is too long in my opinion. But all in all I thought it was a pretty moderate and reasoned approach by past Bush standards.

That said, there's no appeasing hard core bigots. And that's about all Bush has left. If this speech was an effort to "shore up his base" as all the pundits are claiming, it failed. Shooting Mexicans at the border and making them work in sweat shops for nothing for the rest of their lives because of their "lawbreaker" mentality is the only thing that would appease the anti-Mexican xenophobes. To his credit, Bush didn't go that far. But it's pissed off his base. It didn't "shore up" anything.

[NastyDiaper]

7. It hurts to agree with * at all, but I agree..

..about the major points. The freeps didn't take the bait on the National guard, but I hope the dems and the moderate repubs can deliver pretty much what he asked for. Seriously. Are their any other alternatives short of doing nothing?

[NastyDiaper]

8. .

(Oops, doubleclick)

[saltpoint]

12. Hi, joemurphy. You are making good sense as usual. It doesn't

seem that Bush did much shoring up. Completely agree.

And that was pretty much the point of the speech, seems like.

This administration has its feet in its mouth and its head up its hindend.

[bklyncowgirl]

9. Hell No! nt

[MrTriumph]

10. Like FONZY, Bush has now jumped the perch....

Tonight's speech was ridiculous and pleased nobody.

[Conker]

11. Well if Bush can't appease them then how can the Democrats?

Americans are fed up with Bush, but they also don't trust Democrats on many issues.