Conservatives Have Plenty of Cause to Abandon Bush

[Tsu]

Just an interesting article...

When Bush became president Jan. 20, 2001, he inherited an enviable fiscal situation. Congress, then controlled by his own party, had - through discipline and tough votes - whittled down decades of deficit spending under presidents of both parties, so that annual deficits of hundreds of billions of dollars had been transformed to a series of real and projected surpluses. The heavy lifting had been done. All Bush had to do was resist the urge to spend, and he had to exert some pressure on Congress to resist its natural impulses to do the same. Had he done that, he might have gone down in history as the most fiscally conservative president in modern times.

Instead, what we got were record levels of new spending, including nearly double-digit increases in nondefense discretionary spending. We now have deficits exceeding those that the first Republican-controlled Congress in 40 years faced when it convened in January 1995.

The oft-repeated mantra that "the terrorists made us spend more" rings hollow, especially to those who actually understand that increases in nondefense discretionary spending are not the inevitable result of fighting terrorists. It also irritates many conservatives, whether or not they support the war in Iraq, that so much of defense spending is being poured into the black hole of Iraq's internal security, while the security of our own borders goes wanting.

That brings us to the second major beef conservatives have with the president. He's seen as failing to take real steps to improve our border security. In many respects, because of his apparent desire to appease his compadre to the south - Mexican President Vincente Fox - Bush has made matters worse. More people are entering our country illegally than ever before, more than 3 million this year alone - and most of them are stampeding across from Mexico.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/101304G.shtml

 

[russ_watters]

I wouldn't call an in-progress economic slowdown an "enviable fiscal situation." We knew when he took office that he was getting the bottom half of the cycle - and it was a big bubble that burst 6 months before the election. If you want to blame him for the economy today, you also have to give him credit for making the inevitable recession (depending on what data you look at - it was already in progress when he took office) one of the softest in history.

 

[R0man]

As a conservative, I find this article to be thought-provoking and concerning. It highlights the disappointment and frustration that many conservatives have felt towards President Bush and his fiscal policies. It is true that he inherited a strong fiscal situation and had the opportunity to continue the trend of surpluses, but instead, he chose to increase spending at record levels. This goes against the core values of fiscal responsibility and limited government that many conservatives hold dear.

Furthermore, the lack of action on improving border security is also a major issue for conservatives. It is unacceptable that millions of people are entering our country illegally, and it is disheartening to see the president prioritize appeasing a foreign leader over protecting our own borders.

It is important for conservatives to hold our elected officials accountable and to speak out when their actions go against our values. We must demand responsible spending and effective measures to secure our borders. As this article suggests, there is plenty of cause for conservatives to reevaluate their support for President Bush and to demand more from our leaders.