"So, you still call yourself a Republican?" (Gimme some input, DU)

I'm in the middle of crafting an open letter to the Repubs on another message board. I'm an admin there, but have so far tried to remain impartial in order to keep the peace. Today, I decided "Fuck that!"

I don't want to miss anything, so tell me why the current (mis)administration is not the bastion of conservative values that we've been led to believe by the (liberal HA!) media.

Thanks in advance, friends.

One thing conservatives are for is people making their own way, and with Bush stealing money out of hard-working americans pockets. I think that is one of the most shadiest things this ass has done.

that the current maladministration is not the bastion of conservative values we've been led to believe it is?

THEY FUCKING LIE!

Isn't HONESTY a value that decent people of all political bents aspire to?... Ideally, anyway?

In your open letter, ask them why lying has become such a high priority, why lying is so very important, why they think it's necessary, why they think they can do it with impunity.... and then ask those good "conservatives," many of whom claim to take their cues from the bible, if they've heard of this, from the ten commandments: "Thou shalt not bear false witness." Most people translate this as: DON'T LIE.

Lying fucking bastards.

edited to stay on point

Darwinism still being taught
Government at all time high for employment and spending
Abortion still legal
Illegals becoming legals
War not producing results at the pump

They have abandoned the core principles of their party.

They have also abandoned the core principles of our democracy.

Give me some examples, if you don't mind.

That's such a waste of taxpayers' money and a Kennedy kind of stupid idea.

(Please delete the plural possessive apostrophe. It's a dead give away.)

Such as "So Roger Clinton is an addict and Rush isn't?"

"If Clinton was a draft dodger, what is W? If Clinton had had a senator father and mysteriously avoided Vietnam, would you buy it?"

"How is weaseling your way to the phrase 'WMD programs' any different than 'what does is mean?"

"If Al Gore had been on the board of directors of a company profiting off of Bosnia, you would've been okay with that?"

"And if Gore had been under indictment in France during his term, you'd have thought it was politically motivated?"

"Linda Bloodworth-Thompson bad, Kenny Boy Lay good?"

"So 'I refuse to answer that cocaine question' is a better or worse dodge than 'I couldn't inhale?"

1) He signed Teddy Kennedy's massive education bill, expanding the federal govt's role in education.
2) Discretionary (non-defense, non-Medicare, non-Social Security) spending has increased faster under Bush than under any President since LBJ's Great Society.
3) Nation-builder Bush. If you hated Clinton's nation-building missions by the army, you'll really hate Bush! The military is spread desperately thin. Morale is cracking. Reenlistment is shriveling. And it's only costing us $100 billion per year, minimum. All of Clinton's ventures cost less than $10 billion/year.
4) Calling Islam a 'religion of peace'. Giving Islam equal standing with Christianity as if it's a 'real' religion.
5) He apologized to China for them destroying our plane and nearly killing it's crew.
6) He invited China's Premier to his ranch.
7) He initiated the biggest new entitlement since LBJ in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.
8) His Homeland Security Department is the biggest expansion of the Federal Govt in history.
9) He supports giving amnesty to illegal aliens.
10) He shared the stage with serial molester Arnold Schwarzenegger.
11) He has made no change in the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy implemented by Clinton.
12) He told Taiwan to back off from irritating communist China by holding a referendum on independence.
13) He has made absolutely no cuts to any entitlement program.
14) He now backs the Clinton plan for dealing with North Korea.
15) He hasn't prosecuted Clinton for any of his multitude of crimes committed in office.
16) He is going to vote to extend the assault weapons ban.
17) He flew the bin Laden family safely out of the US when every other plane in the US was grounded after 9-11.
18) He slapped tariffs on imported steel and wood.
19) He signed the most massive farm subsidy bill in US history.
20) He's a northeasterner who went to Andover prep school, Yale, and Harvard. An Ivy League Skull and Bonesman.

That's a partial list. Oddly enough, as a liberal, I still don't support most of the policies that piss off conservatives. In reviewing my own list of 'conservative atrocities', as a liberal, I would say I agree or partly agree with Bush's policy on 1,4,6,7,13,14,15, and 16. (e.g., I agree with more federal spending on education, not with the unfunded mandate of 'more testing' without funds to do the testing.)

not in the classic sense. Here's what a friend of mine wrote on another list:

Actually, while I may disagree with most conservative social viewpoints, I can actually respect and accept the logic behind many of them, particularly when you strip out a lot of the anti-minority codewords from them. For example; I actually agree with many of the so-called "family values" prescriptions that the religious right threw at us 10 years ago. Teenagers shouldn't be having babies and probably should be avoiding sex until they're old enough to understand the ramifications, harm from drug *abuse* is something that should be discouraged. Families should stay together and work hard to avoid breaking up. People should work to support themselves and their families. Kids should be in school and should get a good education, and should aspire to greatness. Service for the country should be encouraged and should be its own reward. I think it would be very good if one (or both!) parent could stay home and raise small children.

Likewise, I am very concerned that the social safety net does create an inter-generational culture of dependence, I believe that the government should be non-intrusive and spend within its bounds, that taxation should not be excessive.

And if the current conservatives practiced what they preached, then I would respect them. I wouldn't agree with their methods, but I would respect many of their goals.

However, I do disagree with the methods used by the conservatives in reaching these goals; that's where my ideologal differences lie with the Republican party, even when it's behaving well. I'm utterly opposed to the war on drugs and the war on sex; I believe that responsibility and harm reduction are far more effective ways to minimize problems. I don't believe that marriage needs to be "defended", and I do believe that for all their problems, the social safety net, responsible regulation and broad, secular education have brought about far more good than bad. I believe that everyone should have equal opportunities. I currently support the special case of affirmative action because I believe African Americans deserve special treatment for the next few generations as a response for the "special treatment" they received for the first dozen generations of this nation's history---the fair alternative, payment with interest to descendents of slaves for their labor, would utterly bankrupt this nation. I believe that religion is fine when treated as a private matter, but it does not belong in the public sector---the abuse of Christianity by the religious right has probably done more to harm the reputation of that family of religions than any perceived secular drift of society.

To be honest, if I were a true-believing Republican, I'd be embarrassed by the current leadership of the party, because they really have sold all your values up the river. They're fiscally irresponsible to the point of looting the national treasury, they're destroying our nation's national security, they are invading our personal lives, they have no credibility as far as social or personal responsibility goes, and *they're not even faking it anymore*. Publicly they're being national scolds to the rest of us, while in private perpetrating the worst excesses when it benefits themselves.

It doesn't help the conservative movement's credability when their public media face is that of hypocritical, certifiable nutjobs like Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, William Bennett and Rush Limbaugh.

It's not the conservative ideal I find wrong; I respect it and probably share it in more ways than you may realize. I just wish the Republican leadership would as well.

Thanks