Core Supporters PO'ed at the GOP

Bush, GOP Congress Losing Core Supporters
Conservatives Point to Spending, Immigration

By Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker

Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 11, 2006; Page A01

Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data.

Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy.

The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13-percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple of weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and, more generally, an abandonment of core conservative principles.

There are also significant pockets of conservatives turning on Bush and Congress over their failure to tighten immigration laws, restrict same-sex marriage, and put an end to the Iraq war and the rash of political scandals, according to lawmakers and pollsters.

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A lot of people point to one event or another as being the turning point for Bush and Congress but I believe that it really rests on the betrayal of the two of the core concepts of conservatism; fiscal resonsibility and a smaller less intrusive government. These are (or were) core concepts of the Republican party and are ideals that many moderates firmly believe in.

We've seen unparalelled amounts of spending, tons of pork, increased entitlement programs, subsidies galore, a war that seems to many like an unjustified expense combined with the largest most intrusive government ever. I mean whether or not you support the Patriot Act, or NSA warrantless wiretaps, or the collection of all the data regarding everyone's phone calls and web searches you have to admit that the combination certainly doesn't point to a less intrusive government. Couple all of that with "failure to tighten immigration laws, restrict same-sex marriage, and put an end to the Iraq war and the rash of political scandals" and whats left to support?

I know I just said this yesterday but its time for the Republican Party to get back to the basics. Unfortunately for them it may just take an upset in Congress to drive that message home. And that might just be a good thing for America in the long run.