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08/26/2003 Archived Entry: "Compassionate Conservative"
Compassionate Conservative
Geez, whoda thunk that Bush's greatest catch phrase could turn out to be among his greatest liabilities as he goes into 2004? The evidence is all there.
Critics say the pattern has been consistent: The president, in eloquent speeches that make headlines, calls for millions or even billions of dollars for new initiatives, then fails to follow through and push hard for the programs on Capitol Hill.On one central piece of such legislation, the so-called faith-based bill to help religious charities, Mr. Bush, after two years of objections from Democrats, retreated this spring and agreed to strip the bill of provisions specifically related to religious groups. Instead, it now largely offers tax incentives to encourage giving to charities of all kinds.
On a proposal this summer to extend a $400-a-child tax credit to low-income families, Mr. Bush at first demanded that Congress appropriate the money, then backed off in the face of opposition from his conservative allies in the House, most notably the majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas. The issue is now bottled up in a dispute between the House and the more moderate Senate, and several Republican senators have called on Mr. Bush to step in and break the impasse.
Financing for another item on Mr. Bush's compassion agenda, the national volunteer program called AmeriCorps, faltered this summer under similar opposition from Mr. DeLay. Although Mr. Bush forcefully called for expanding that Clinton-era program in his 2002 State of the Union address, he was largely silent last month amid objections to a $100 million emergency infusion that it needed to maintain its current level of operations. The House rejected that spending, leaving AmeriCorps with an uncertain future.....
Education reform is one compassion issue that has left Democrats particularly bitter. In January 2002, with great fanfare, Mr. Bush signed his No Child Left Behind Act, a landmark bill that mandated annual testing of children in Grades 3 through 8 and greatly enlarged the federal role in public education. Democrats like Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Representative George Miller of California were crucial to its passage, and say they went along with the president on his assurances that the government would give states enough money to comply with it.
But the White House has now asked for $12 billion to continue that financing next year, $6 billion less than the legislation authorizes......
Democrats have also been angry over Mr. Bush's AIDS legislation, saying that on this issue, too, he has delivered less than promised. Last month, they note, the president toured Africa and heavily promoted his recently enacted bill to fight global AIDS, a measure that authorizes spending of $3 billion a year for five years.
"I'm here to say you will not be alone in your fight," Mr. Bush said on July 12 in Nigeria, to applause. "In May, I signed a bill that authorizes $15 billion for the global fight on AIDS....."
But that very week in Washington, the White House asked for only $2 billion, $1 billion less than authorized, for the first of the five years.
There's the evidence. The Democrats should make it a point to strip the 'compassionate' veneer away, and reveal him to be the smash and grab conservative that he's always been.
Replies: 2 people speak up
Did I read that opening sentence correctly: "The president, in ELOQUENT speeches that make headlines..."? Eloquent? I know people who suffer from Tourette's Syndrome who can speak more coherently.
More on-topic, as my mother told me when I was a small boy, "money talks and bullshit walks."
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 08/26/2003 12:18 PM NY
Compare and contrast Bush's words vs. his actions at:
http://www.house.gov/appropriations_democrats/caughtonfilm.htm
An excellent synopsis.
Posted by Larry LeSueur @ 08/26/2003 02:53 PM NY
