More Conservatives Against Bush Links

The debates are focusing people's attention on George W. Bush's failures and weaknesses. He has little going for him but residual paranoia about 9-11 and terrorism. There are issues more important in every sense, but he has to keep coming back to this one thing to excuse and justify his pathetic overall record. Meanwhile, conservatives are getting tired of the broken record. Useful results are not to be expected from this president. We need and can get better leadership. Now is our chance. Here are some measured, well reasoned conservative views:

Faith or Madness

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?pagewanted=1&oref=login

This is another great Ron Suskind article. It's long, but hold on until the end. That's where Suskind reveals the doubts of some of Bush's most conservative and richest supporters. Mentally, emotionally, intellectually and even spiritually, these folks mainly live in the world of reality. Reality means a great deal to them. They worry that Bush's grip on reality may be a bit too weak, and that there's no telling where he might lead us. If they're worried, shouldn't you be too?

A Judge Judges Bush

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1013-34.htm

Here is a concise statement of a wise man's reasons for departing from Republican orthodoxy. The striking thing is the breadth and scope of the inditement against George W. Bush and his administration. Only our forgiving natures have permitted us to tolerate what he has already dished out. Reason requires that we abandon him as he has abandoned justice, equity and reason itself.

What Bush Has in Common with Stalin

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0826-02.htm

Yup, it's the big lie! The more outrageous it is, the more people believe it's true. We've got to develop defenses against this thing! Bush has a notable big liar on the payroll full time chipping away at Kerry's record, character, and competence. Count on it, most of it is twisted, distorted and just plain wrong. The problem is that sometimes we can't figure out we've been duped until after we've cast our ballots. They're counting on this in the Bush camp. Pray we don't get fooled again!


Why Bush is Bad for Conservatism and the Republican Party

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005540

Want to kill a movement, an idea, a party? Choose a bad leader and let him run it into the ground. If George W. Bush wins four more years he can be expected to bungle them the way he screwed up the first four. After all, why should he restrain himself? There'll be no second term to plan for. By 2008, neoconservatism will be a discredited movement. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. On the other hand, basic, plain-Jane conservatism will be on life support, and the Republican party will be on the decline. Maybe this is something to guard against. The conclusion: support the caretaker government of John Kerry.

Get Historical Perspective Now!

If a Voter Could Inform Himself through Time Travel

Let's suppose you could step forward in time 25 years and consider the administration of George W. Bush with 20-20 hindsight--using the historical perspective. How would you view him if you could review the complete series of proximate events attributable to his deeds as president? How would you judge him if you were the historian, with full access to declassified documents, presidential correspondence and, above all, with a perfect grasp of the yet future historical record? Well, it's not a fair question, because you can't travel in time. The needed data aren't available, and much of it won't even exist for years. I'm asking you to judge future consequences, and you balk. I can't blame you. Still, here in 2004, you are being asked to vote for the man--or against him. In effect, your opinion is being sought now on how the future is going to turn out -- with him or without him in the most powerful office on earth for four more years.

Maybe you need to learn how to project forward to likely future consequences based on historical precedent. You do know some history, don't you? Well, then, perhaps you are not doomed to repeat the more distasteful episodes! There are eerie parallels to a well-known political career with startling implications for the upcoming election. I want to talk to you about President George W. Bush and Senator Joseph McCarthy.

W's Surface Resemblance to Joe McCarthy

First, let's go over some obvious points of similarity. Joe McCarthy was a mediocre politician with a weak record as a senator. Check! George W. Bush had a dismal record as president and no obvious re-election prospects prior to 9-11.

Joe McCarthy exploited public fear to expand his personal power and extend his career. Check! George W. Bush is doing the same. The sense of crisis has been prolonged in a highly theatrical, unnatural but effective way. The "war" against terrorism has become a cover for incompetence and misrule and must now be expanded and extended in order to protect the President's career.

Joe McCarthy smeared his opponents, securing the defeat of colleagues in the Senate on the basis of false accusations, terrorizing the press, the State Department and the entertainment industry. Check! Good Americans who oppose Bush have been regularly criticized as un-American and as caving in to terrorism. There is no just cause for these accusations.

The press was, at first, largely powerless against Joe McCarthy, even though many journalists came to loathe him. McCarthy's claims about communists in the government were electrifying. Fearful of his power, and not yet having the facts, the media repeated his lies, which were certainly newsworthy, in so doing giving them force and credibility. Fortunately, the highly respected journalist Edward R. Murrow took a stand against McCarthy and his methods. With the Army-McCarthy hearings, public opposition to McCarthy grew, and the press at last felt free to let loose a withering barrage of criticism. With the exception of Murrow's courageous stand, the public led the press on both sides of McCarthy's rise and fall.

On this point of resemblance to George W. Bush, check, with reservations. The mainstream press has yet to drum up the courage to oppose George W. Bush with real vigor or to expose his failings as they deserve to be exposed. Journalists are as afraid of being called un-American as everyone else, don't want to appear soft on terrorism, and don't have the time to verify every presidential miss-statement and factual distortion. In the meantime, the stream of falsehoods and "spun" truths the President and his surrogates daily inflict on us actually are newsworthy, and so get a great deal of play in the press. As a result, the President's take on many subjects is widely believed by a public now too rattled to think straight. Americans who tend somewhat to paranoia in the first place have proven easy to manipulate and provide a solid base of support for Bush despite evidence of the administration's awful failures that ought to be compelling to rational minds.

Where is this Thing Going?

Eventually, we, as a people, are going to sort this out. Perhaps Bush will get a second term and we'll have even more to think about than we do now. Most of us are only going to get "historical perspective" years from now. Here's what were going to feel:

1) Regret. That we lost so much momentum as a just nation in an era of tragic mismanagement and error. People feel that way now about all the Hollywood people Joe McCarthy ruined. It was a waste of human potential. A political detour in which the country's energy and attention were squandered on an unjust and unworthy cause. We see a lot of our past like this, unfortunately. Test yourself. How do you feel about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. What about the Cherokee Trail of Tears? How about Viet Nam? Got any pangs about Hiroshima? When you think of our nation's past, doesn't it strike you that slavery was a shame? Well, we're going to regret George W. Bush, too. We'll wish we never knew him.

2) Embarrassment. Yes, it's hard to admit you were wrong. It's hard to make a mistake and own up to it. Remember, it took people actually casting ballots to put George W. Bush in the White House. Some of them don't want to admit it now. In the future, that group is going to grow. Give it twenty years and scarcely anyone will want to admit it. It will mean we were fooled. It will mean we didn't have the discernment to see that Bush is unfit for his office. It will mean we made a grievous mistake with wide-ranging consequences. You'll be embarrassed every time you think about it. Who says they supported Joe McCarthy today? Who was his friend? Nobody!

3) Dismay. Why? Optimist though you may be, you can still acknowledge that some mistakes are irreversible. George W. Bush has a penchant for that kind of mistake. It's not just Iraq. When he undertakes to mess something up, he does the job right. Social Security, NATO, the Environment, relations with France, federal finances, jobs, whatever. If you want it destroyed, George W. Bush is your man. We won't be able to just say we're sorry and get back to where we were. In some cases we won't have the economic resources to repair the damage flowing from his errors for two or three generations, or maybe ever. Joe McCarthy was a sideshow compared to this. He just didn't have the scope of George W. Bush. The man is as talented a wrecker as anyone who ever held office in this country. Bar no one.

Your Challenge

Every U.S. presidency is historic, perhaps, but in the present case, we need to get historic perspective early. We need to anticipate the historical meaning of this present-day political experience. So, try to extrapolate a bit. Stretch your mind to imagine how this thing is going to play out. Travel through time in your mind. Try to be rational. Try to be realistic. Read some history. Compare. Contrast. We're just as vulnerable as the people in the history books, and right now, we're taking it on the chin. We can't stand up to bad management like this indefinitely. Nations and peoples invariably and inescapably suffer under misrule. We are no exception. History is efficient, like nature, and no respecter of persons. So defend yourself. Get historical perspective now, and vote against George W. Bush!

Conservatives Against Bush Links

Thoughtful conservatives are taking a stand against the Bush administration. A spontaneous ground swell of grass-roots conservative opposition may well spell the end of the worst presidency of modern times. Here's a sampling of reportage and commentary relating to this unexpected but significant movement:


Even Conservatives Are Wondering: Is Bush One of Us?

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040531&s=press

This superb article from The Nation documents the radical departures of the Bush administration from past conservative theory and practice. What kind of government would we have if right wing extremists took over? This article surveys the current administration and provides an answer for anyone capable of putting two and two together.


Conservatives Raise Doubts on Bush

http://www.iht.com/articles/128976.html

Breaking news: The Bush administration is spending us into oblivion! With the deficit growing at the rate of just under a half a trillion per year, no U.S. president, and no leader anywhere on earth at any time, has run up more debt. Social Security is permanently impaired, our children may be working their entire lives to just pay the interest on the national debt. Here's a quote:

"George Will, the conservative columnist, wrote in his syndicated column on Sunday, 'It is surreal for a Republican president to submit a budget to a Republican-controlled Congress and have Republican legislators vow to remove the 'waste' that he has included and that they have hitherto funded.'"

Corporate welfare. Gluttonous tax cuts for the privileged. Military waste without end. No wonder more and more conservatives are sick of George W. Bush.


Conservatives Against the War Party

http://antiwar.com/mcconnell/pf/p-mc082102.html

Many thoughtful, influential conservatives are convinced that the neocons are actually destroying conservatism in the U.S. A new magazine, The American Conservative, is dedicated to the notion that neoconservatives should not dominate the rest of us and crush the saner and more responsible strains of conservatism whose proven, practical principles have done so much to build our country. Here's a quote:

"Basically the 'war party' is trying to convince Americans that the opinion of foreign governments doesn't matter, that the US can always go it alone. A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal published the absurd claim that the US essentially won World War II by itself, and did not then need democratic allies and has no real need of them now. So the War Party urges, the US should ignore the counsel of its longstanding Nato allies, the opposition of Russia, China, and every erstwhile pro-American government in the Middle East, and launch a pre-emptive war against Iraq. We will have Israel on our side of course, and Sharon's government can be counted on to use the fog of war to re-arrange the West Bank to its own liking."

The bad part is that they got away with it. The worst part is that more is on the way. A vote for George W. Bush is equivalent to a vote for more fruitless warfare, the further alienation of our allies, and poverty for ourselves as the crushing war debt flattens the economy.


We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/979/

Garrison Kiellor weighs in on the disease afflicting the Republican Party, and it isn't pretty. Fellow conservatives, he's talking about our party, the one we have supported with few exceptions, but who can recognize it anymore! So, what's the problem, you say? What's wrong with the Republican Party today? Basically, this party doesn't do anything good anymore!

Control of the Republican Party has been gradually wrested from the kind of righteous conservative we used to respect and admire and has been given to a new breed of political animal that doesn't think or act the way good Americans ever think or act. The straightforward analysis: bad people are running the country. If you look, you can see that the nation is going downhill by degrees. And it's not just nature and circumstance causing the decline; it's orchestrated. There are observable reasons for our country's ills and they center on poor leadership. The wrong kind of people are in charge, and they don't really work for the average American's benefit. Nor do they work for the average conservative's benefit. They work for themselves!

These people are deliberate cheats and liars and they are systematic, even scientific, about it. They run massive financial scams against our wallets at the same time they run disinformation against our minds. They keep the opposition unbalanced with a constant flow of negative campaigning and fear. They keep the money flowing into their pockets while all others scrimp and suffer. They're warmongers, spendthrifts and frauds and they're sinning against all younger generations of Americans, setting them up for sad lives in new age of debt, ignorance and poverty in America. They're liquidating the country. It doesn't have to be this way. Here's a quote:

"This is a great country, and it wasn’t made so by angry people. We have a sacred duty to bequeath it to our grandchildren in better shape than however we found it. We have a long way to go and we’re not getting any younger."

Conservatives, throw the bums out! Vote for Kerry! It'll be a sacrifice, but one we have to make. Nobody should be allowed to be as destructive, unintelligent and irresponsible as George W. Bush and remain President of the United States!

Remember Why You Vote Conservative!

A real American conservative always votes; it's the responsible thing to do. In November, you'll vote for the candidates that will serve your country best, in your estimation. Fundamentally, you will be voting for ideas and principles as much as for people. This Fall you will want to vote conservative, as you always have. In the past, that has generally meant voting Republican. Your habit of voting Republican is pretty strong, and sometimes you don't think about it much. It's automatic. Your mind set has been that voting Republican is the best way to further the conservative cause and strengthen the Nation.

Friend, things have changed. This election isn't really like the others. You have never before had to consider the idea that the conservative thing to do may just well be to vote for a liberal. If you haven't yet had this realization, perhaps there are some things you seriously need to think about. If the record of George W. Bush is actually more about incompetence than conservatism, then every conservative, every moderate and even every liberal in the country needs to pause for a moment, and reexamine his thinking about the meaning of the upcoming presidential election. Maybe it's not really about ideology at all.

Events in Washington have taken one bad turn after another under George W. Bush. It seems as if every headline challenges our ability to put faith in this administration. Everyone is hesitant to say it, but it begins to appear that the Bush administration is a sad failure of historic proportions. It's changing the country. It's hurting our institutions. It's turning the future bleak. The President appears to be in over his head, all the while completely unconscious of his mistakes and misapprehensions. Nuance is lost on him. His lack of knowledge and pertinent experience is glaringly apparent. He appears to be controlled by smarter people with hidden agendas. The finances of the government don't make sense, but there's no real plan for reducing the deficit. Overseas we're making enemies where we ought to have friends. Iraq has become a permanent burden, and our military is stretched paper-thin. Domestically, our rights are under attack and anyone who disagrees with the administration is labeled unpatriotic. The economy is flat, the federal bureaucracy is growing, they're bringing back the draft, and the President's campaign appears to be wholly based on defaming his opponent.

Will you really vote Republican this time? Will you really vote for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? If you are a responsible, thinking conservative, perhaps you will not. Perhaps you will think about where this all might lead. After all, politics is not a sport. There are real consequences to live with if the wrong team wins. George W. Bush is making history - bad history that is damaging our country's future and that may be depriving our children of their chance for happiness. There's a terrible disconnect between reality and the Bush world view. Are you really going just pull the lever and vote straight Republican this time? Are you going to just accept the double talk and pretend nothing is wrong? If so, we think you, and everyone else, are going to pay a heavy price for not thinking hard enough about your choices in this election. Still, if a relative handful of wise conservatives and moderates will say "enough is enough," perhaps the situation can be salvaged.

Now is the time to remember why you vote conservative. You do it for the country, right? Well, this time your country needs you to make an exception. In this one race, hopefully on this one unique occasion, you need to vote for the liberal candidate in the presidential election. This is the only option we have to four more years of misrule. With most of the electorate polarized and frozen in group-think, only thoughtful conservatives and moderates who can read the current political situation accurately are in a position to make the vital difference.

Below we will post a thorough defense of our conservative position against George W. Bush between now and the election. Please hear us out!