Clipmarks | Kore7's 'gop' clips

Republicans' Outlook Dims for '08

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:31:41 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: For the first time in 30 years, Texas may vote for a Democratic president. New surveys in the state show Clinton tying McCain and Giuliani in popular support.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

WASHINGTON -- The race for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination has become wide open, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows. But the value of winning it has fallen sharply.

Of greater concern for Republicans generally, however, is the party's weak state heading into the 2008 election. By 52% to 31%, Americans say they want Democrats to win the presidency next year.

Americans give the Republican Party their most negative assessment in the two-decade history of the Journal/NBC survey, and by 49% to 36% they say the Democratic Party more closely shares their values and positions on the issues.

"The political environment for Republicans continues to erode," says Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, who conducts the Journal/NBC survey with Democratic counterpart Peter Hart. A long-term worry for the party: Republican gains among the Hispanic constituency, long a target for President Bush, have vanished at a time when Washington is enmeshed in a debate over immigration policy.

Tags: republican, republicans, gop, election, president, 2008, poll, survey, america, politics

Where Were Vocal Conservatives When It Mattered?

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:11:31 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Rod Dreher is a conservative writer for Beliefnet.

Few of us stood up to Bush when he took us to this disastrous war in Iraq. Few, if any, stood up to him over his foolish support for Rumsfeld, long after it became obvious what a disaster Rumsfeld was. Few, if any, stood up to him over his amassing of power in the executive branch. Few, if any, stood up to him on the spending....

Clip Source: www.beliefnet.com

So yes, by all means let's turn our backs on this failed presidency, and save what we can, while we can. But let's not kid ourselves: Bush has failed conservatives, yes, but we have also failed ourselves. It doesn't take much courage to stand up for conservative principle to a president as weak as this one has become.

If we're looking to blame someone for the failure of Republican government and the conservative crack-up, look to the White House, yes, and look to the late, unlamented Republican Congress. But also look to the conservative talk show hosts, the conservative columnists, and finally, in the mirror. The only way we're going to rebuild after the present and coming political shattering is through honest reckoning, and taking responsibility for what we've done.

It is tempting to blame Bush for everything. But it's not fair, and it's not honest. Bush is today who he always was. The difference is we conservatives pretty much loved the guy -- when he was a winner.

Tags: conservatives, republicans, gop, bush, failure, blame, fear, responsibility, principles, honesty

Closest GOP Insider Yet Comes Out Against Bush, Cheney

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:07:40 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: GOP insider Vic Gold doesn't let his longtime friendship with the Bushes and the Cheneys stop him from cataloging the permanent damage the White House has done to the reputation of the GOP — and America.

Under Bush and Cheney, he argues, the GOP has moved away from principles of small government, prudent foreign policy and leaving people alone to live their private lives — all views Gold associates with his hero, Goldwater.

I'll add that to read about the distressing political and personal position Bush Jr. has placed his aging father in because of his actions is downright painful.

(Via Andrew Sullivan).

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Rightist Indignation

"For all the Rove-built facade of his being a 'strong' chief executive, George W. Bush has been, by comparison to even hapless Jimmy Carter, the weakest, most out of touch president in modern times," Gold writes. "Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots."

Gold is even more withering in his observations of Cheney. "A vice president in control is bad enough. Worse yet is a vice president out of control."

For Gold, Cheney brings to mind the adage of Swiss writer Madame de Stael, who wrote, "Men do not change, they unmask themselves." Cheney has a deep streak of paranoia and megalomania, Gold suggests -- but he says he did not see it at first.

"He was hiding who he really was," Gold says. "He was waiting for an opportunity."

Tags: gold, vic gold, gop, republicans, white house, bush administration, bush, george bush, cheney, dick cheney, president, vice president, america, politics

The Coulterization of the American Right

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 20:23:36 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: "And if the Republicans go down big in 2008, conservatives will finally be forced to confront the Frankenstein monster they created...."

Clip Source: www.salon.com

The Coulterization of the American right

For this isn't really about Coulter at all. This is about a pact the American right made with the devil, a pact the devil is now coming to collect on. American conservatism sold its soul to the Coulters and Limbaughs of the world to gain power, and now that its ideology has been exposed as empty and its leadership incompetent and corrupt, free-floating hatred is the only thing it has to offer. The problem, for the GOP, is that this isn't a winning political strategy anymore -- but they're stuck with it. They're trapped. They need the bigoted and reactionary base they helped create, but the very fanaticism that made the True Believers such potent shock troops will prevent the Republicans from achieving Karl Rove's dream of long-term GOP domination.

Tags: coulter, ann coulter, limbaugh, rush limbaugh, america, usa, gop, conservatives, republicans, politics, faggot, extremism, hate, fear, values

National Review Online: What's wrong with the GOP?

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:10:41 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Even the big daddy of all conservative commentary sites has smelled the coffee.

(Via Andrew Sullivan.)

Clip Source: article.nationalreview.com

November 30, 2006 12:16 PM

My Kind of GOP

Why do the Republicans seem to be on autopilot?

What’s gone wrong with the GOP? Let me start by quoting a friend who is both gay and conservative (yes, I know several such): “I’m for low taxes, strong defense and limited government. Why doesn’t the Republican party want me?”

There’s a two-part answer to that question and neither half is good news. The first is that today’s GOP doesn’t really want gays — and it yearns to supervise everybody else’s bedroom and reproductive behavior as well as (implicitly, at least) their relationship to God. The second is that Republicans are no longer really in favor of limited government. Besides having their own version of a nanny state, they want to spend and spend, start program after program, ladle out the pork, make deals with influence peddlers, and spin the revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street. Yes, they still pretend to favor low taxes but that’s an illusion; they pay for limitless government via huge deficits that will mean high taxes for my granddaughter.

Tags: national review, nro, gop, conservatives, conservative, gay, government, spending, corruption, taxes, politics, deficit, usa, republican

Prominent conservative surveys the wreckage of contemporary conservatism

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:52:12 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: The entire article is highly reccommended for those that want to trace the GOP's post-9/11 "stumble into neoconservatism" from an insider's perspective. Bramwell's honesty and way with words are refreshing.

Until recently, it has been almost impossible for me to speak candidly about the conservative movement, for it was my strange fate to serve as director and later trustee of the movement’s flagship journal, National Review. Earlier this year, at William F. Buckley’s request, I resigned both positions. I can therefore now declare what perhaps has oft been thought but never, at least not often enough, expressed. Notwithstanding conservatives’ belief that they, in contrast to their partisan opponents, have thought deeply about the challenges facing the United States, it is they who have become unserious.

Clip Source: www.amconmag.com

November 20, 2006 Issue

The American Conservative

Good-bye to All That

by Austin W. Bramwell

Despite their vacuity, the metaphors have inspired specific policies. In defending the invasion and occupation of Iraq (and possible attacks on Syria or Iran), conservatives invoke 9/11 with astonishing alacrity. I once heard an NR senior editor, a man revered for his high-mindedness, begin his defense of the Iraq occupation by reminding the audience that on 9/11 “they” attacked “us.” In his mind as in others’, the invasion of Iraq has so inescapable a connection to 9/11 that only a traitor or fool would deny it.

In short, the steps in the causal logic whereby Iraqi democracy defeats anti-American terrorism are so numerous and doubtful that it becomes impossible to believe that Bush’s supporters have ever actually thought them through. Those who wonder what error befell the conservative movement since Bush took office are asking the wrong question. Since 9/11, the conservative movement has not made unsound or fallacious arguments for supporting Bush’s policies. Rather, it has made no arguments at all. T.S. Eliot once asked, “Are you alive or not? Is there nothing in your head?” The answer: “Nothing, again, nothing.”

Tags: bramwell, austin bramwell, national review, conservatives, neoconservatives, 9/11, iraq, war, politics, usa, foreign policy, middle east, islam, terrorism

Republican House Speaker Hastert Will Step Down

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:44:22 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Fox News confirms:

The officials who described Hastert's plans did so on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Hastert Will Step Down

Exclusive: The Speaker bows out of the Republican leadership after Democrats take his power. The contest to succeed him will help define the Republican Party in a new era of divided government.

Posted Wednesday, Nov. 08, 2006
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will not seek reelection to the Republican leadership when his members return as a minority party after taking heavy losses in Tuesday's elections, a Republican official tells TIME. Hastert, 64, a low-key former high school wrestling coach, was beloved by members as a "good cop," compared to the enforcer style of the longtime number two leader, former Rep. Tom Delay (R-Tex.). But Hastert was badly damaged by questions about how much he had known about former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and his contact with pages, and members felt Hastert also handled the aftermath of the revelations clumsily.

The battle to succeed him will be bruising, as members attempt to allocate blame for the Foley mess. Among those seeking to replace him at the top of the House leadership, which will now be the minority leader, are House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), now second in the House leadership, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), chairman of the House conservative caucus, the Republican Study Committee. Other possible candidates are Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), now chief deputy whip and one of the most popular and hard-working members of the leadership, and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), now chairman of Energy and Committee.

The Speaker plans to announce his departure this week and perhaps as soon as today, officials said. Leadership elections are scheduled for next Wednesday but are likely to be pushed back to closer to the deadline under party rules, which is Dec. 20.

Tags: republican, gop, house, congress, speaker, majority, minority, hastert, dennis hastert, departure, foley, scandal, politics

Rumsfeld Stepping Down!

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 18:06:47 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Bush is announcing Rumsfeld's resignation on TV right now.

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

GOP officials: Rumsfeld stepping down

BREAKING NEWS

Updated: 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, a key target of Iraq war critics, is stepping down, Republican officials said on Wednesday.

Former CIA Director Robert Gates will replace him, Republican officials said.

Earlier today, a spokesman for Rumsfeld said he'd given no indication that he would step down in the wake of Democratic election gains. The spokesman said Rumsfeld would work with Congress on Iraq but added that the focus on stabilizing the country will remain the same.

This breaking news story will be updated.

Tags: rumsfeld, donald rumsfeld, resignation, bush administration, iraq, war, pentagon, defense, secretary, politics

American Conservative Magazine: GOP Must Go

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:05:26 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks:

There may be little Americans can do to atone for this presidency, which will stain our country’s reputation for a long time. But the process of recovering our good name must begin somewhere, and the logical place is in the voting booth this Nov. 7. If we are fortunate, we can produce a result that is seen—in Washington, in Peoria, and in world capitals from Prague to Kuala Lumpur—as a repudiation of George W. Bush and the war of aggression he launched against Iraq.

Clip Source: www.amconmag.com

November 20, 2006 Issue

GOP Must Go

It should surprise few readers that we think a vote that is seen—in America and the world at large—as a decisive “No” vote on the Bush presidency is the best outcome. We need not dwell on George W. Bush’s failed effort to jam a poorly disguised amnesty for illegal aliens through Congress or the assaults on the Constitution carried out under the pretext of fighting terrorism or his administration’s endorsement of torture. Faced on Sept. 11, 2001 with a great challenge, President Bush made little effort to understand who had attacked us and why—thus ignoring the prerequisite for crafting an effective response. He seemingly did not want to find out, and he had staffed his national-security team with people who either did not want to know or were committed to a prefabricated answer.

As a consequence, he rushed America into a war against Iraq, a war we are now losing and cannot win, one that has done far more to strengthen Islamist terrorists than anything they could possibly have done for themselves. Bush’s decision to seize Iraq will almost surely leave behind a broken state divided into warring ethnic enclaves, with hundreds of thousands killed and maimed and thousands more thirsting for revenge against the country that crossed the ocean to attack them. The invasion failed at every level: if securing Israel was part of the administration’s calculation—as the record suggests it was for several of his top aides—the result is also clear: the strengthening of Iran’s hand in the Persian Gulf, with a reach up to Israel’s northern border, and the elimination of the most powerful Arab state that might stem Iranian regional hegemony.

The war will continue as long as Bush is in office, for no other reason than the feckless president can’t face the embarrassment of admitting defeat. The chain of events is not complete: Bush, having learned little from his mistakes, may yet seek to embroil America in new wars against Iran and Syria.

Tags: american, conservative, conservatives, gop, bush, bush administration, war, iraq, policy, washington, election, campaign, midterm, vote, voters, referendum, principles, conservatism

Another Republican FL Congressman Resigns Amid Scandal, Felony Charges

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 01:34:44 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Republican Rep. Arza and his cousin were recorded using racist slurs against a black school superintendent.

Sometime after 8 last Saturday night, state Rep. Ralph Arza, in calm voice that betrayed just a hint of inebriation, left a 20-second message on the cellphone of his colleague.

''Hey, bitch,'' he said. "You're nothing but a bitch. You're a bitch. You're nothing but a bitch. God Bless you, bitch."

Sometime later, in a voice just a little less calm, Arza left a second message for Rep. Gus Barreiro. "Hey, bitch. You ain't nothing but a bitch. You ain't nothing but a bitch, brother, my n****er.''

A second caller dialed Barreiro and cursed Barreiro out even more, profanely threatening him with physical harm for filing a complaint.

Hear the two phone messages in question (1, 2).

Clip Source: www.forbes.com

Fla. Lawmaker Charged in Slur Scandal

11.01.06, 4:44 PM ET

A state lawmaker under fire for leaving a message filled with obscenities and a racial slur on a colleague's voice mail resigned Wednesday and was charged with two crimes.

Rep. Ralph Arza, who had been urged to step down by fellow Republicans, including Gov. Jeb Bush, apologized for his actions and said he was resigning because he did not want to distract from the work of the GOP-led Legislature.

"I do not want to be the story," he said.

Arza acknowledged leaving the message on fellow Republican Rep. Gus Barreiro's voice mail last month but said he was drunk.

He said he had learned that Barreiro had filed a complaint accusing him of using a racial epithet to refer to Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. He used the same epithet in his phone message to Barreiro, who is Hispanic, but has vehemently denied ever using a racial slur to refer to Crew.

Prosecutors charged Arza with retaliating against and tampering with a witness, both felonies, for allegedly trying to thwart the investigation of the complaint.

Arza's cousin was also charged with the same offenses. They could get up to 10 years in prison.

Authorities said 10 phone calls were made between Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 to Barreiro from phones belonging to Arza and his cousin. Five threatening calls were recorded, two from Arza's cell phone and three from the cousin's phone, officials said.

The two men were expected to turn themselves in Thursday

Arza resigned about an hour before a special House panel was set to begin hearings on whether to expel him.

Tags: arza, ralph arza, fl, florida, miami, republican, gop, congress, representative, racism, racist, slur, felony, scandal

Republican O.C. Candidate Is Disowned Over Letters to Latinos

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:23:33 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks:

The letter evoked memories of the 1988 race for the 71st Assembly District in Orange County, when the local GOP hired uniformed guards to stand in Latino neighborhoods with signs stating, "Non-Citizens Can't Vote." Even when it paid an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit, the GOP doggedly denied wrongdoing.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

O.C. Candidate Is Disowned

Republicans urge their House hopeful to quit over a campaign letter scaring Latino voters.

By Christian Berthelsen, Mai Tran and Christopher Goffard, Times Staff Writers
October 20, 2006

Orange County Republican leaders urged their own congressional candidate to withdraw from the race Thursday after he acknowledged that his campaign was involved in sending out a letter intended to scare off Latino voters.

Tan Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant waging an uphill battle against a longtime Democratic incumbent in central Orange County, faced a battery of questions from state attorney general's investigators and possible civil and criminal liability for voting rights violations.

With a political firestorm growing less than three weeks before the Nov. 7 election, Nguyen said Thursday that he had fired the campaign's office manager, who he said helped produce the letter, but that he had no prior knowledge of it.

His account was contradicted by the chairman of Orange County's Republican Party, who said he had been told by the mail house that sent the letter that Nguyen was personally involved in its development.

The episode was a jarring reminder of what some observers call Orange County's history of xenophobia and voter intimidation, an ugly distinction that Republican leaders say they've tried hard to bury.

Just days ago, Nguyen had been largely overlooked as a quixotic challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, running a largely self-funded campaign that had little support from the Republican Party apparatus.

But the racially charged letter sent to an estimated 14,000 registered voters in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Anaheim brought sweeping, national condemnation from both political parties.

Written in Spanish, the letter stated at one point: "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time…."

Tags: tan nguyen, republican, gop, candidate, house, congress, election, campaign, voters, latinos, immigrants, illegal immigration, dirty politics, letter, oc, california, xenophobia, nativism, scandal

Republican Ad Calls Black Women "Ho's"

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:34:40 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: According to the source, the same group was responsible for similar ads in the past that were so derogatory, even the Republican National Committee called them "racist":

America's Pac is the brainchild of a Kansas-based Republican consultant, Richard Nadler. He said Sunday that he is no longer affiliated with the group.

"Mr. Nadler is the genius. We basically follow his game plan," the group's new chief, Thomas Donelson of Marion, Iowa, said. In 2000, Mr. Nadler came under fire for a school choice-related ad in which parents said their son's violence ridden public school "was a bit more diversity than he could handle." Mr. Bush's campaign denounced the ad as "inappropriate," and the Republican National Committee called it "racist or race-baiting in intent."

Clip Source: www.nysun.com

Republican Group Chides Democrats With Abortion Ads
Aim Is To Win Minority Voters, But Democrats Cry Foul

BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
October 17, 2006
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/41648

A little-known Republican group that claims to have swayed the 2004 presidential election with provocative radio advertising aimed at black and Hispanic audiences is spending nearly $1 million this year to boost the GOP's chances of holding on to a majority in Congress.

The group, America's Pac, began running ads last month in more than two dozen congressional districts.The campaign discusses issues ranging from warrantless wiretapping to school choice, but the most inflammatory spots pertain to abortion.

"Black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies," a female announcer in one of the ads says, as rain, thunder, and a crying infant are heard in the background. "The Democratic Party supports these abortion laws that are decimating our people, but the individual's right to life is protected in the Republican platform. Democrats say they want our vote.Why don't they want our lives?"

Another ad features a dialogue between two men.

"If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,' you'll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked," one of the men says.

"That's too cold. I don't snuff my own seed," the other replies.

"Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican," the first man says.

In one of the communities where the ads are running, South Bend, Ind.,some blacks were outraged.

"They're awful.They're repulsive," a Democratic activist and community leader in South Bend, Gladys Muhammad, said. "When they say Democrats don't like black babies, that's damn fools.They're very insensitive."

"This is so dirty, but it works," a sociology professor at Indiana University, Johnnie Griffin, said. "These are race ads. It's incredible."

Tags: black, african-american, election, campaign, ad, advertisement, tv, republican, gop, women, abortion, new york, dirty politics, derogatory, race, racism, richard nadler, america's pac

Voters' Approval of Congress Falls To 16%, Lowest Point in 12 Years

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:32:17 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: More bad news for conservatives. Three new records were set with today's Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. 16 percent!

The latest results set other records, also to Republicans' disadvantage: Fully two-thirds of the electorate rates this year's Congress "below average" or "one of the worst" -- the poorest showing on that question since it was first asked in 1990. As for the Republican Party, 32% of voters rate it positively and 49% negatively -- the highest negative ever for either party in the surveys. The Democratic Party, after months in which it also had a net negative rating only slightly better than the Republican Party's, now is viewed positively by 37% and negatively by 35%.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Voters' Approval of Congress Falls
To 16%, Lowest Point in 12 Years

JOHN HARWOOD

Public support for Republicans' control of the U.S. Congress has eroded to its lowest point since the party took over 12 years ago. And with just 19 days until the midterm elections, both President George W. Bush and his party are in worse shape with voters than Democrats were in the October before they lost their House and Senate majorities in 1994.

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows that voters' approval of Congress has fallen to 16% from 20% since early September, while disapproval has risen to 75% from 65%. That 16% approval statistically matches Congress's lowest point in the 17 years the Journal and NBC have polled, set in April 1992 at the height of a congressional scandal involving members' overdrafts from their House bank.

By 52% to 37%, voters say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress after the Nov. 7 election. That wide 15-point Democratic advantage is another record in the history of the Journal/NBC poll.

Also, the result marks the first time that voters' preference for one party has exceeded 50%. In October 1994, just before voters ousted Democrats' majorities, they said they preferred a Republican-controlled Congress by a six-point margin, 44% to 38%. Back then, voters were split over President Bill Clinton, with 46% approving of his performance and 45% disapproving. Mr. Bush's job-approval rating, which had crept up to 42% in early September, has fallen back to 38%. A 57% majority disapproves of his performance.

The Journal/NBC telephone survey of 1,006 registered voters, conducted Oct. 13-16, carries a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Tags: conservatives, gop, democrats, congress, bush, approval, opinion, poll, survey, election, voters, midterms, wsj, nbc

New Poll: Democrats Open Up Giant Gap Before Midterm Elections

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 04:21:58 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks:

Government corruption, Iraq and terrorism were the three most important issues to poll respondents. They said Democrats would do a better job on all three. The party had a 21-point advantage on handling corruption and a 17-point advantage on Iraq. A longstanding GOP advantage on terrorism vanished; Democrats had a 5-point edge.

Yet another set of record-breaking poll results in.

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

Poll: Democratic candidates open large lead in congressional races

Updated 10/9/2006 7:32 PM ET

WASHINGTON — Four weeks before congressional elections, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Democrats hold a 23-point lead over GOP candidates. That's double the lead Republicans had a month before they seized control of Congress in 1994.

President Bush's approval rating was 37%, down from 44% in a Sept. 15-17 poll. The approval rating for Congress was 24%, down 5 points from last month.

The plummeting GOP ratings in the poll of 1,007 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, come after a series of dismal developments for the party. They include high levels of violence in Iraq; a National Intelligence Estimate that contradicted upbeat administration statements on Iraq; a new Bob Woodward book about internal White House disagreements over Iraq policy, and the Sept. 29 resignation of GOP Rep. Mark Foley hours after reports that he exchanged sexually explicit instant messages with teenage House pages.

She called the Foley scandal "the absolute crystallization for people of everything they dislike about Washington and the congressional Republicans."

Two-thirds of those in the survey said they are following the page scandal very or somewhat closely.

On the question of which party's candidate would receive their vote if the election were held today, Democrats held a 23-point lead over Republicans among every type of person questioned — likely voters, registered voters and adults. That's the largest lead Democrats have held among registered voters since 1978 and a jump from last month's 48%-48% split among likely voters.

Tags: poll, survey, usa today, gallup, voters, election, house, congress, representatives, conservatives, democrats, politics

The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:59:34 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks:

Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years.

From Stephen Slivinski at the Cato Institute.

Clip Source: www.cato.org

May 3, 2005
Policy Analysis no. 543

The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders

by Stephen Slivinski

Executive Summary

President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years. His 2006 budget doesn’t cut enough spending to change his place in history, either.

Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bush’s first term. The federal budget as a share of the economy grew from 18.5 percent of GDP on Clinton’s last day in office to 20.3 percent by the end of Bush’s first term.

The Republican Congress has enthusiastically assisted the budget bloat. Inflation-adjusted spending on the combined budgets of the 101 largest programs they vowed to eliminate in 1995 has grown by 27 percent.

The GOP was once effective at controlling nondefense spending. The final nondefense budgets under Clinton were a combined $57 billion smaller than what he proposed from 1996 to 2001. Under Bush, Congress passed budgets that spent a total of $91 billion more than the president requested for domestic programs. Bush signed every one of those bills during his first term. Even if Congress passes Bush’s new budget exactly as proposed, not a single cabinet-level agency will be smaller than when Bush assumed office.

Republicans could reform the budget rules that stack the deck in favor of more spending. Unfortunately, senior House Republicans are fighting the changes. The GOP establishment in Washington today has become a defender of big government.

Full Text of Policy Analysis no. 543 (PDF, 1 MB)

Tags: bush, republicans, government, congress, economy, politics, spending, budget, deficit, debt, cato, stephen slivinski

Clipmarks | Kore7's 'gop' clips

Republicans' Outlook Dims for '08

Where Were Vocal Conservatives When It Mattered?

Closest GOP Insider Yet Comes Out Against Bush, Cheney

The Coulterization of the American Right

The Coulterization of the American right

National Review Online: What's wrong with the GOP?

Prominent conservative surveys the wreckage of contemporary conservatism

Republican House Speaker Hastert Will Step Down

Hastert Will Step Down

Rumsfeld Stepping Down!

GOP officials: Rumsfeld stepping down

American Conservative Magazine: GOP Must Go

Another Republican FL Congressman Resigns Amid Scandal, Felony Charges

Republican O.C. Candidate Is Disowned Over Letters to Latinos

O.C. Candidate Is Disowned

Republican Ad Calls Black Women "Ho's"

Republican Group Chides Democrats With Abortion Ads Aim Is To Win Minority Voters, But Democrats Cry Foul

Voters' Approval of Congress Falls To 16%, Lowest Point in 12 Years

New Poll: Democrats Open Up Giant Gap Before Midterm Elections

The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders

The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders

Republican Group Chides Democrats With Abortion Ads
Aim Is To Win Minority Voters, But Democrats Cry Foul