THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XI, Issue # 17, January 14, 2009
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
WHY PRESIDENT BUSH IS SO REVILED
By Christopher G. Adamo
REPUBLICAN PARTY LEADERS IGNORING & TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE PARTY'S CONSERVATIVE BASE: TOUTING
& PUSHING SOCALLED "MODERATE REPUBLICANISM" & "COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM," INSTEAD OF THE TRUE
CONSERVATISM OF MOST REPUBLICAN VOTERS -- THE PERSISTENT EFFORT OF THE BUSH PRESIDENCY TO SOFT-PEDDLE
CONSERVATISM & MOLLIFY THE POLITICAL & CULTURAL LEFT -- SEEKING THE GOOD WILL OF THE LIBERAL LEFTIST
OPPOSITION -- THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF THIS EIGHT-YEAR BEHAVIOR PATTERN ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY -- THE
IMPACT OF THE BEHAVIOR PATTERN ON THE POPULARITY OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
FULL STORY:
It is understandable that Conservatives would automatically avoid any action that might seem comparable to that of the
political Left. Therefore, given that the Liberal political/media cabal has been so unilaterally contemptuous of the Bush
administration, those on the political Right must be extremely judicious in their own evaluation of this President.
To be sure, President Bush has done a few things right during his two terms. Despite the caterwauling of the Left
regarding the fabricated “abuses” of hard-bitten terrorists at Guantanamo, phony hysterics over “spying” on American
citizens and the concocted “quagmire” in Iraq, America’s prosecution of the terror war has been phenomenally
successful.
The most profound evidence to prove this point is the indifference and apathy with which most Americans now regard
the terrorist threat. It is a luxury they can only afford in the aftermath of a victorious campaign against the Islamic
fanatics who staged the massive attacks against America on September 11, 2001, with plans for many more to follow.
Another Bush success that will likely endure for many years is his nomination of Chief Justice John G. Roberts and
Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito on the U.S. Supreme Court. They were bold choices who ultimately overcame the
Liberal games on Capitol Hill by virtue of their steadfast and well-articulated devotion to constitutional principle. And,
as such, these newest members of the nation’s highest court hold the potential to realign the court with its original
purpose, which was to uphold the principles of the nation’s founding.
Nevertheless, the overall effect of eight years of the Bush White House is that the Republican Party is in shambles.
Conservatism has been so seriously undermined that it risks being permanently relegated to the fringe of political
discourse (at least among the ruling class). Any intellectually honest analysis of the current situation requires a
majority of the blame to be laid at the feet of George W. Bush. To shun this painful truth, whether in deference to the
President or for fear of being grouped among the Liberal Democrats, is to fail to address the problems that have
devastated the GOP, and thus ensure that the situation is not corrected.
From the moment George Bush coined his vapid “compassionate Conservatism” rhetoric during the 2000 campaign,
principled Conservatives knew they were in trouble. Bush was, in essence, saying that real Conservatism was
inherently insufficient to sustain a worthwhile society. Hence, a sprinkling of Liberalism would be needed to soften it
into a form that would be less harsh to America’s “victim class.”
Nothing could have been more ill-advised and counter-productive, either as a campaign strategy (Al Gore did garner
a majority of the popular vote) or as a governing philosophy. And, ever since George Bush’s ascension to the
nation’s highest office, America has been subjected to one ill-conceived effort after another intended to institute this
flawed ideology. The results have been disastrous. And it may be a very long time, if ever, before the damage can be
reversed.
From the inarguably Socialist Medicare prescription drug entitlement, to the blatant unconstitutionality of campaign
finance “reform,” to the bloated and botched Kennedy education bill, the devastation wreaked by George Bush and
his “compassionate Conservatism” is almost beyond comprehension. In essence, he affirmed that Liberalism was
inherently right and good, and merely needed a few adjustments, thus legitimizing the nanny-state, while driving
Reagan Conservatism into a needlessly defensive position.
In return for his efforts at accommodating the political Left, the President received undiluted venom from Democrats.
Never gaining their loyalty or appreciation, he became a by-word for everything they revile among Republicans.
Democratic Party leaders claimed to despise him, as a standard bearer of the extreme Right, but, in truth, he was their
invaluable ally, both as a target of their attacks and a regular means of undermining any real Conservative opposition.
Unfortunately, instead of recognizing the futility of such attempts at mollifying the Left, he has continued in this
pattern throughout the entirety of his Presidency. The result has been one Republican disaster after another. The
2006 mid-term elections were defined by a public revulsion with the GOP, which had clearly gone wobbly in its
commitment to Conservative principle.
This pattern reached its abominable climax last Fall as President Bush, in the midst of a hotly contested campaign to
elect his successor, took the lead in supporting the foolhardy expenditure of nearly a trillion dollars in a dishonest
effort to “bailout” the thoroughly corrupted and politicized government lending institutions of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac.
America’s economic future, we were told, was at stake. What resulted was a virtual nationalization of the banking
industry, with nationalization other major American business interests soon to follow. But, while few Americans
were surprised at such double-dealing from the likes of Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (Democrat
- CT) or House “Financial Services” Committee Chairman Barney Frank (Democrat - MA) from whom Socialist
entanglements are the norm, the collaboration of Republicans, at the urging of President Bush, has been an outrage.
At a time when Republicans could have made great electoral gains by unashamedly characterizing themselves as
the proper carriers of the torch of fiscal responsibility, while righteously holding Democrats responsible for the
mess they created, President Bush rode in to the rescue of the Democrats. Thus was the fate of the GOP in the 2008
elections sealed.
Even during the time of presidential transition, George Bush seems to be doing his best to offer “moral support”
and encouragement to the American Left. Right up until the end of his Presidency, Bush loudly touts the
collectivist philosophies that opened the floodgates to trillion dollar deficits, while doing nothing to “fix” the still
flagging economy. And, throughout this time, he has steadfastly refused every opportunity to assign blame to
those who originally caused the problem and have since worsened it.
In only the last few days, President Bush worked to further remove any remaining wind from the sails of
Conservatives by publicly lamenting his inability to grant amnesty to the twenty million or more illegal aliens in
this country. On yet another key issue that could contrast Right and Left, Republican and Democrat, Liberal and
Conservative inside Washington, President Bush has done his best to blur the lines.
Ronald Reagan polarized the nation by virtue of his stridently held and courageously professed Conservative
beliefs. The result was an eight-year media firestorm of criticism. But, in the end, their relentless condemnation of
him could not prevail against a committed and loyal base of support from the Conservative grassroots.
In sorry contrast, George Bush’s wretched unpopularity stands as proof of what awaits a socalled “moderate”
who disparages his base, while seeking the good will of the Liberal opposition. Nobody on either side of the aisle
will remain to defend him, even for his occasional worthwhile actions. This is hardly the route back to political
viability for Republicans.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics, Political Competition, & the Control of
Public Policy: Elections, Political Parties, Political Factions,
Ideologies, & Special Interest Groups
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
The American Political & Cultural Left:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, Marxists, & Other Leftists:
The Democratic Party, Academia, & the Mainstream Media
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
-------------------------
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
COMPETING SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Conservatism
Traditional Conservatism: Questions & Answers
Conservatism: Attitudes, Types, & Present Status
Constitutional Conservatism: American & British
Liberalism
Classical Liberalism: Intellectual Foundations
Classical Liberalism: Conservative Liberalism
Manchester Liberalism & Social Darwinism
Modern Social "Liberalism": Statist "Liberalism"
Radical & Totalitarian Ideologies
Radicalism, Utopianism, & Totalitarianism
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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