When Are Republicans Going to Get It?

OR: Bush is not one of you

Published on September 24, 2004 By CrispE In Politics

Another day brings still another set of reports from across the political spectrum, including FOX news this morning on the deteriorating situation in Iraq. More deaths (American servicemen numbering now into the thousands, the Iraqi death toll reported to be over 30,000) and reports of beheadings and hostages taken. A Canadian Report last night (CBC) said that less than 15% of Iraq is under control of either the Americans or the Iraqi interim government and that fighting was too widespread to report even half of the incidents occuring on a day to day basis. Republican senators this week remarked that the situation in Iraq is not as portrayed by the White House and Iyad Allawi in his visit on Thursday used almost the same exact language in his speech as the President signifying to many that the same speechwriter wrote it.

The United States itself is in the grips of a falling stock market, rising inflation and a lower dollar abroad. Unemployment and downgraded employment (workers who used to have good jobs with good benefits now with lower paid jobs with no benefits) means over 5,000,000 workers have lost or been downgraded in the last 4 years, the first time this has happened since Herbert Hoover. Healthcare is becoming a financial disaster as the United States, which spends 1 out of every 7 dollars on it but still cannot find a way to cover between 30,000,000 and 50,000,000 people each year. The governmental deficit, now at 7 Trillion dollars will rise to $10 trillion in the next 4 years meaning that 1 out of every 3 tax dollars collected will go to paying it.

Does this sound like a White House of Republicans? Recently, Joe Scarborough (a right-leaning talk show host and former congressman from Florida) wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal in which he talked about "admiring" Bill Clinton for making the tough choices in 1993 to try and balance the budget. He then talks about the spending by the current administration which is "something for everyone" politics designed to get Bush reelected without regards to the cost to the future. He cannot understand why the White House wants to extend tax cuts in a time of war and continue spending at almost an unparalleled pace.

Pete Peterson, Commerce Secretary under Nixon has written a book called Running on Empty in which he talks about the emergency in the deficit budgeting crisis that threatens to overwhelm the american economy. While being critical of both parties, he too takes aim at the current administration's almost endless deep pockets when it comes to giving away the government's money.

What we seem to have is a White House that is trying to do "nation-building" in Iraq and Afghanistan at no apparent advantage to the U.S. disregarding what Republican foreign policy always says is a no-win situation. The situation worsens every day and at a cost of $5 to $10 billion PER MONTH with no end in sight according the recently released CIA report that yesterday the President said was "just a guess" and he described as good, bad, or better (the report said civil war at worst or a "tenuous peace" at best).

What we seem to have is a White House with no fiscal responsibility and no priority to get any responsibility. A White House that disregards all reports that don't fit it's rosey picture that the U.S. and Iraq are "getting better and safer" all the time.

Now, I know that democrats reject President Bush as a leader because he is right wing and doesn't share their priorities and values. I respect that we live in a great country that encourages every person to live as they want within the law.

But, how do you Republicans look on a day to day basis and see what is going on and say "He's our man"? Can't you see how this administration lied to YOU? Can't you see how it was not so much the democrats who were duped into thinking that what we are now doing in Iraq is not a messy mess getting messier, but rather the Republicans? Can't you see how it was you who continue to support your own downfall by allowing this insanity in the budget, the war, the lack of honesty in how the Bush administration works?

Bush is not one of you.

Comments (Page 1)

drmiler

on Sep 24, 2004

But, how do you Republicans look on a day to day basis and see what is going on and say "He's our man"? Can't you see how this administration lied to YOU? Can't you see how it was not so much the democrats who were duped into thinking that what we are now doing in Iraq is a messy mess getting messier, but rather the Republicans? Can't you see how it was you who continue to support your own downfall by allowing this insanity in the budget, the war, the lack of honesty in how the Bush administration works?

I have no problems day to day, but *obviously* YOU do!

d3adz0mbie

on Sep 24, 2004

We are in a world war.

The world changed forever on September 11th, 2001, and many of us Republicans 'get it'. The US economy plunged, unemployment soared as long standing expansion and work projects across every sector shut down due to the attacks on our homeland. Already in a recesssion that had begun in 2000, the US economy was spiraling into a depression.

Now, with an unemployment rate less than what President Clinton was re-elected on, it seems silly for Democrats to even discuss the economy. The President, the Congress and 'the fed' pulled us out of our crash diving economy into a recovery. It's not a full recovery, not yet, but its good enough to make me wonder where the hell liberals have been for the past three years. Probably too busy protesting in the streets against a war that we didnt start.

Defecits run high during war, this is a hard fact. Defecits reached immense porportions during the last world war, during the Korean war, Viet Nam and during the end of the cold war during the 80's. Yet, as history shows, once we come out of a war the defecit is paid off within a decade. Easy enough.

The true brilliance of President Bush is the understanding of the current world war we are fighting. It would be easy enough to lock down our borders, to make surgical strikes against encampments across the world and to keep our fingers crossed, hoping for the best. Yet this is a war like no other, with no clear border. To lock down The United States would be akin to revoking our freedoms, and surgical air strikes and incursions would commit to a long term policiy that would only foster massive resentment from the Middle East. Instead President Bush understands that to defeat terrorism you have to change the way of life that harbors the hatred. Invading Iraq and Afghanistan had the short term effects of removing several of our major enemies from power, but the long term effects are so much more important. Nation building is a must; the building of free nations in that region of the world is the only way to plant the seed of change, to allow freedom to grow in the Middle East. And only then, a generation or two from now, can we truely end this world war.

I hear so often that Liberals are 'free thinkers', the true intellectuals of the nation. And yet I am taken aback about how they wish to repeatedly ignore the lessons of history, of how regions undergo true, long term change; about how the economy of this country actually works, and the harsh lessons that appeasement has taught us.

When are liberals 'going to get it'?

CrispE

on Sep 24, 2004

d3adz0mbie:

You will note I am not reporting on what other democrats think. These are REPUBLICANS talking about the President, not democrats (been a long time since I heard democrats say FOX was "their network"). You think I am writing from a liberal viewpoint. I'm not. I'm saying what Republicans say about the President and ask you the question about why you believe the White House and not the people traditionally respected by the party.

What is your answer?

Your answer is that Bush is brilliant, deficits are good and that Iraq isn't important (you don't even mention it.) One more thing, Bush said before the war that the Iraq mission would pay for itself! Any thoughts on that?

CrispE

on Sep 24, 2004

drmiler:

I have no problems at all with how I see Bush. But that is not the question. Again, as I said in my previous reply, these are Republicans who are trying to tell you what is wrong with what is happening, not Democrats.

The point is simply this: So many in the Republican party are making negative comments about Bush. Isn't it about time you listened to them?

thatoneguyinslc

on Sep 24, 2004

The repubs really need to stop using 9/11 to justify everything that is wrong in the US right now.It does a great dis-service to those who died in the attacks and their survivors. The economy was having problems before the attacks. They have been so focused on what is going on outside our borders that the have practically abandoned us. Then they use lies and half truths to say that everything is ok with the economy and other domestic issues. Well...It's not ok, and now folks inside the republican party are calling BS on bush 2.0 and his cronies. What does that tell you? It tells me that internally his support base is eroding, because some repubs are having a real hard time justifying to their constituents why things aren't getting better, and they're getting worried that maybe it might cost them their jobs.