Bush's Base Betrayal

Richard Viguerie has an excellent article in today's Washington Post about how conservatives have been utterly betrayed by the President and the GOP.

Conservatives tolerated the No Child Left Behind Act, an extensive intrusion into state and local education, and the budget-busting Medicare prescription drug benefit. They tolerated the greatest increase in spending since Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. They tolerated Bush's failure to veto a single bill, and his refusal to enforce immigration laws. They even tolerated his signing of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance overhaul, even though Bush's opposition to that measure was a key reason they backed him over Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in the 2000 primaries.

Bush talks the talks, but seldom walks the walk.

Conservatives can thank President Bush for Judges Roberts and Alito, (though Alito came after the disastrous nomination of Harriet Miers).

And we have him to thank for tax cuts and a booming economy (of which the average Joe seems blissfully unaware).

Sixty-five months into Bush's presidency, conservatives feel betrayed. After the "Bridge to Nowhere" transportation bill, the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination and the Dubai Ports World deal, the immigration crisis was the tipping point for us.

Viguerie notes the obvious:

[...]

congressional Republicans have sold themselves to conservatives as the continuation of the Reagan revolution. We were told that they would take on the Washington special interests -- that they would, in essence, tear down K Street and sow the earth with salt to make sure nothing ever grew there again.

Instead, that earth is hog wallow. Republicans have tasted pork and can't get enough of "the other white meat."

He continues:

But unhappy conservatives should be taken seriously. When conservatives are unhappy, bad things happen to the Republican Party.

[...]

In 1992, conservatives were so unhappy with President George H.W. Bush's open disdain for them that they staged an open rebellion, first with the candidacy of Patrick J. Buchanan and then with Ross Perot. The result was an incumbent president receiving a paltry 37 percent of the vote. In 1998, conservatives were demoralized by congressional Republicans' wild spending and their backing away from conservative ideas. The result was an unexpected loss of seats in the House and the resignation of Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

The current record of Washington Republicans is so bad that, without a drastic change in direction, millions of conservatives will again stay home this November.

And maybe they should. Conservatives are beginning to realize that nothing will change until there's a change in the GOP leadership. If congressional Republicans win this fall, they will see themselves as vindicated, and nothing will get better.

Exactly.

Does that mean that I suggest that conservatives voice their discontent by voting for Democrats? Only if you're a Socialist at heart.

Can the Libertarian Party capitalize on the Republican disaster? (To be continued)

Link: Washington Post: Bush's Base Betrayal.

Check out the following for more on this subject: The foolishness of tribal loyalties