Posted by
Mantic on Monday, June 11, 2007 12:41:44 AM
As a result of the immigration 'reform' act recently denied cloture in the U.S. Senate, a chasm of some proportions has been discovered in the Republican Party. It pits Big Government/Big Business/Country Club/'Moderate' Republicans against both social and fiscal conservatives. It has become much easier to see who is who. I have a Senator who has been shown to be very much a Country Club Republican. Luckily he heeded his constituency and voted against cloture.
George Bush has been, always, a Country Club/Big Government Republican. The compassionate conservative moniker was merely a term used to garner support from the right in the party. Since Bush is definitely a Republican, he has often made common cause with the conservative side. However, when you look at some of his programs, they are right there with Big Government/Big Business. Steel tariffs helped big producers but whacked the heck out of little producers. No Child Left Behind and the expansion of the Department of Education were definitely Big Government Republicanism as was the Prescription Drug Medicare program.
Tax cuts were an area where both the left wing and right wing of the Republican Party agree, so Bush pushed and succeeded. A virtually veto-less spendthrift Congress was a result of Bush's Big Government frame of mind. This leads us to the latest Big Business measure, open borders... supported so passionately by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Wall Street Journal. Bush has always been a proponent of open borders and the 'comprehensive immigration reform' effort was an indicator of that.
Just like his father, Bush without the War on Terror is just another Country Club Republican in office. He will likely go down in history as just as (in)competent as his dad. What a disappointment for genuine conservatives. Now Bush is definitely better than any Democrat, but one must still hold one's nose when remembering Harriet Miers and Alberto Gonzalez. Mediocrity and Loyalty trump competence every time in the Bush White House.
Conservatives have been given short shrift throughout the Bush administration... it's just that we didn't believe we were being so thoroughly marginalized. We were. Although so many on the left have thought Bush to be a little less than normal... it appears that so have we conservatives by the Bush Administration. Bush in the center, sees wackos to the left of him and, unfortunately, wackos to the right of him. He sits in the middle, grimaces, and continues to make strategic and tactical errors throughout his presidency.
The left makes a big deal on this schism. Although our feelings are hurt, when push comes to shove in the Presidential election in 2008, there is no doubt that the party will pull together. The conservatives will move to nominate a "righter" candidate than Bush. It won't take much. Again, any Republican will be better than the Socialist/Communist candidates (Edwards/Obama/Clinton) of the Democrats and their far left wing.