Has the Bush administration gone too far?

[pintofguinness14]

Since we're already talking about abortion, let's move on to another politically charged topic.

http://www.slate.com/id/2134845/?nav=ais

I voted for Bush in 2000 because the thought of Al Gore in the White House made me want to hurl.  By 2004, the Bush team had me blowing chunks.  I'd like to know what other Republicans (like me) think about the administration's decision to railroad the Congress, trample civil liberties and ignore states' rights.  Is the War on Terror worth all of this?

[ADeadSmitty]

I voted for Bush both times, and I think I'm done supporting him.

pint, what reason is there for any conservative to support him? He's jacked up federal spending faster than any Democrat, and not just on the military. He promoted and won huge farm subsidies and a bill to make healthy young people pay for old sick people's prescription drugs. He's drastically expanded federal power by broadly interpreting his authority to conduct surveillance on American citizens. He didn't oppose affirmative action in the two Michigan cases a few years ago. He's stuck it in the face of states by increasing the exclusive jurisdiction of federal courts over class-action suits and allowing the DOJ to fight Oregon's assisted-suicide law.

Maybe, maybe, the one justification during the elections could have been that as bad as Bush has been on conservative principles, the alternative would have been worse. But even if that were true, and I'm not sure it was, it's irrelevant now.

[Dave Gray]

This thread makes me happy.  Not because I hate Bush (which I do), but because it shows me that Republicans aren't all just blindly following the leader.  I think that the Republican party has changed.  This isn't the old Republican party, based on small government.  This is some new party, based on Christian morality.

I always have voted Democrat, but I've been against some of their (unsuccessful) wars - like censoring video games and music, and their push for affirmative action.  ...it's good to see that old school Republicans aren't necessarily porting over.   I (and many Dems I know) like certain Republicans -- especially McCain, and it'd be nice to see someone with more free views on personal freedoms.

[Philly Fin Fan]

 I (and many Dems I know) like certain Republicans -- especially McCain, and it'd be nice to see someone with more free views on personal freedoms.

I am so hoping he will be the Republican candidate in the next election. He is a personal hero of mine.

[pintofguinness14]

He promoted and won huge farm subsidies and a bill to make healthy young people pay for old sick people's prescription drugs.

Let's not forget about the highway bill.

[ADeadSmitty]

This is some new party, based on Christian morality.

I don't think this is a fair criticism. What exactly has Bush done to promote Christianity or Christian morality? I think the specter of Christianity is just raised as kind of a catch-all bogeyman to suggest to other liberals that Bush is unenlightened or stupid or backward. I don't think it's based in any actual fact.

None of the complaints I listed in my post above had anything to do with Christianity. Nor do any of the more common complaints: the war in Iraq is wrong, Bush is in bed with oil interests, Bush picks extremist judges, etc.

The one thing might be stem-cell research. But that's small potatoes. You can't really say the theme of the Bush Administration has been Christian morality. I think saying it shows kind of a malicious desire to somehow try to link Christianity with things that are just plain bad in some general sense.

[TonyB0D]

I am so hoping he will be the Republican candidate in the next election. He is a personal hero of mine.

hell yes!!  him or buchannon please....

[Dave Gray]

I think that the party's progression with censorship, the selection of judges with abortion in mind, school vouchers, the stance on Terri Schiavo, and the stance on homosexual marriages -- all of these are based in Christian morality.

[Phishfan]

I don't think this is a fair criticism. What exactly has Bush done to promote Christianity or Christian morality? I think the specter of Christianity is just raised as kind of a catch-all bogeyman to suggest to other liberals that Bush is unenlightened or stupid or backward. I don't think it's based in any actual fact.

None of the complaints I listed in my post above had anything to do with Christianity. Nor do any of the more common complaints: the war in Iraq is wrong, Bush is in bed with oil interests, Bush picks extremist judges, etc.

The one thing might be stem-cell research. But that's small potatoes. You can't really say the theme of the Bush Administration has been Christian morality. I think saying it shows kind of a malicious desire to somehow try to link Christianity with things that are just plain bad in some general sense.

He didn't say Bush, he said the Republican Party. Although Bush is the head, by virtue of being the President, there are other people at play within the GOP.

[Fau Teixeira]

school vouchers are hardly a christian issue

they're plainly a case of the parents knowing what's best for their kids, vs. over bloated government beurocracy deciding where to put funds based on a detatched view of statistics

just because some parents would opt to place their children in schools affiliated with churches, doesn't mean school vouchers is a religious issue

[bsfins]

Not Mine,I found it when looking for details for Frimps' time magazine..
(I thought a good thread to post it...)


(I did clean it up,adding*@ )

[Dave Gray]

school vouchers are hardly a christian issue

they're plainly a case of the parents knowing what's best for their kids, vs. over bloated government beurocracy deciding where to put funds based on a detatched view of statistics

just because some parents would opt to place their children in schools affiliated with churches, doesn't mean school vouchers is a religious issue

This can be argued both ways.....I'm not really trying to argue the merit of school vouchers with this thread...but I'm trying to make the point that it's one of the stances on the Christian Right agenda.

[Brian Fein]

Question for the republican population.

Hypothetically, if Jeb Bush runs for president in 2008, will you vote for him?

[TonyB0D]

^^^^^^

NOOOOOOO

[ADeadSmitty]

I would definitely vote for Jeb. I don't think he'll run or win though, because it smacks of an un-American dynasty. But then again, that's not stopping Hillary.

Dave, Bush didn't do anything in the Schiavo matter, or propose school vouchers, or do anything to fight gay marriage (Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, remember?). You also don't really know anything about how his judges will treat abortion rights -- no one does. Maybe the party in general is more influenced by Christianity, but it's unfair to paint Bush with that brush without more hard evidence.