2008 Woodie Awards
How Bush Ruined U.S. Conservatism
John Ferreira
Issue date: 4/7/06 Section: Opinions
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The year 2000 seems so far away. Not only has six years passed, but the events and the concerns of 2000 seem to be a distant land, a fairy tale past that existed between the Cold War and the War on Terror. It is important to recall the troubled election of 2000 and to remember precisely, why and how, George W. Bush was elected.
Many at the time questioned whether or not Bush was a true conservative; after all he was trying to move away from the angry and reactionary image the party had crafted for itself during the two presidential elections of the 1990s. He was different because he was a "compassionate conservative" which has become a euphemism for not believing in small government. He would use his compassion increase the size of the Department of Education, to give federal support to faith based initiative and has never used his veto pen to slash a spending bill. In 2000 George W. Bush said he was fed up with nation building, and that he would never use the American military to undertake the creation of a state from the ground up.
It is also imperative to recall what the nation was looking for in 2000. No one was worried about national security. Terrorism was not one of the hot button issues of 2000; the nation was looking for a peace time president. The nation yearned for an honest and competent president who would restore honor and dignity to the White House and the rowdy years of the Clinton administration. George W. Bush was a man prepared for the challenges of 2000, to deal with domestic concerns and America's changing role in world. He was going to attempt an approximation to Latin American countries so desperately in need of strong American leadership.
September 11 changed the challenges that the president had to face, and today in 2006 I am able to say with unequivocal certainty that George W. Bush has failed in meeting those challenges and that he was never prepared to deal them. We cannot blame those who elected him, because after all he was the right man in 2000, he is not the right man in 2006. With Republican gains in congress and the Senate, Bush's abrasive style and lack of conservative fortitude has led to a split in the Republican Party.
Many at the time questioned whether or not Bush was a true conservative; after all he was trying to move away from the angry and reactionary image the party had crafted for itself during the two presidential elections of the 1990s. He was different because he was a "compassionate conservative" which has become a euphemism for not believing in small government. He would use his compassion increase the size of the Department of Education, to give federal support to faith based initiative and has never used his veto pen to slash a spending bill. In 2000 George W. Bush said he was fed up with nation building, and that he would never use the American military to undertake the creation of a state from the ground up.
It is also imperative to recall what the nation was looking for in 2000. No one was worried about national security. Terrorism was not one of the hot button issues of 2000; the nation was looking for a peace time president. The nation yearned for an honest and competent president who would restore honor and dignity to the White House and the rowdy years of the Clinton administration. George W. Bush was a man prepared for the challenges of 2000, to deal with domestic concerns and America's changing role in world. He was going to attempt an approximation to Latin American countries so desperately in need of strong American leadership.
September 11 changed the challenges that the president had to face, and today in 2006 I am able to say with unequivocal certainty that George W. Bush has failed in meeting those challenges and that he was never prepared to deal them. We cannot blame those who elected him, because after all he was the right man in 2000, he is not the right man in 2006. With Republican gains in congress and the Senate, Bush's abrasive style and lack of conservative fortitude has led to a split in the Republican Party.