podhoretz/hawkins discuss why i despair
podhoretz, as quoted at RWN:
“(T)he president is losing support from conservatives and Republicans. There are all sorts of theories about why this is true, like how they don’t like his spending plans and don’t like his immigration policies. Fine, but he had the same immigration plan in 2004 and spent like a sailor in his first term and still had over 90 percent support during that election year.
So here’s a theory: Republicans and conservatives have grown weary of defending Bush.
hawkins’ response:
Yes, he’s probably lost a few conservatives because of Harriet Miers, the Katrina response, the Dubai Port Deal, gas prices and how the war in Iraq has gone. But, to tell you the truth, I think immigration and deficit spending have been the two biggest sucking chest wounds with the base.
Of course, Jpod correctly noted that Bush had the same immigration and spending positions in his first term, but the war on terrorism was the big issue then. Now, illegal immigration and deficit spending are front and center and Bush is paying an enormous price for his stubbornness.
….He’s also not changing his positions in an attempt to placate unhappy conservatives. It’s just “like it or lump it” and that’s not good enough anymore.
Unless Bush figures that out, I hate to say it, but he’s may get to see what life is like with approval numbers in the twenties. That’s not something any Republican should want to see, but it’s up to Bush at this point. The ball’s in his court and either he’s going to have to make some substantial changes in the way he’s doing business or the next three years are going to be miserable for him and the rest of the GOP.
my take: i lump my immigration/border concerns in with our national security. i feel like this president, given his strong record on national security, should do better enforcing the border. to disagree with podhoretz, i will never tire of defending president bush simply because of the unending attacks against him. i have tired of defending him because he does not give a flying fetch what i say on an issue that is as glaring as any our nation has faced domestically in my lifetime.
stop winking at illegal immigration. stop encouraging it. stop giving people who are here illegally the idea that they have any standing to march in our streets for citizenship rights.
the ball is in your court, shrub.
2 Responses to “podhoretz/hawkins discuss why i despair”
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please elaborate on how border security is a national security issue. do we need a wall on the northern border (didn’t bush mention that those “hosers to the north” were part of the axis of evil)? from what i can remember, all the 9/11 high-jackers had visas, i don’t see what the immigration issue has to do with national security.
you kind of answered your own question. border security doesn’t just mean physically stopping swaths of people from pouring over our borders without any kind of background checks or verification of documents. it doesn’t just mean protecting vulnerable areas from overland crossing with walls and barriers. it includes withholding visas from the wrong people.
i think we also need to protect our northern border as that becomes an increasingly attractive route for entering the country. a tunnel between british columbia and washington state was recently discovered and filled in, for example.
in short, border security is a national security issue because if we don’t know what is coming into the country, bad stuff could be coming in without our knowledge.