If Bush is considered 'What is Republican'...

[Imran Siddiqui]

...does that make me a Democrat?

I've been a Republican all my political life. I'm a Bob Dole / John McCain type of Republican, you know for campaign finance reform and for a balanced budget (especially with this debt load) whenever possible. This super-duper extra spending on defense and social programs by the Bush Administration is NOT my kind of Republicanism! This pandering to the Religious Right is NOT my kind of Republicanism.

I can only hope that Bush doesn't push the moderate Republicans to the Democrats just like the Civil Rights Act pushed the Souther Democrat to the Republicans.

[DinoDoc]

I dunno. Voting for Kerry doesn't seem like something a moderate Republican would do. With him being a higher rated liberal than even Ted Kennedy and all. I'd think they'd be more at home with the Libertarians.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yeah, and vote for wackos who want to abolish the income tax? I mean, I'd vote for Steve Forbes, who simply wants a flat tax, but no income tax?

And Kerry with a Republican Congress ensures nothing gets done = bliss. The fact most people seem to miss about the Clinton years is that the who gridlock thing made the whole 90s boom possible .

Bush just sucks monkey ass. I swear I'd even vote for Ted Kennedy or Ralph Nader over Bush.

[DinoDoc]

BTW when did you decide that you were "always" a McCain type Republican when you didn't support him in 00?

[Imran Siddiqui]

I realized sometime afterwards that mainstream had really blinded me in those primaries. Looking back, I was like... hmmm, I liked McCain better. Hell, during the campaign, I wrestled with backing McCain. Guess the party (cue imperial death star music) was too powerful.

Remember, I was knee deep in it at the time as well.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I dunno. Voting for Kerry doesn't seem like something a moderate Republican would do. With him being a higher rated liberal than even Ted Kennedy and all. I'd think they'd be more at home with the Libertarians.

I swear that despite what many think I am a republican moderate. And I wouldn't even think of voting for John Kerry who is a very left wing leaning liberal. You're right he is more left leaning then Ted Kennedy.

So Imran, you are willing to vote for the left over Bush? What kind of moderate are you? You aren't no moderate. I'd vote for Bush over Kerry because Bush is much closer to my views (with the exception of gay marriage).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Dude, you are gay. The Republican Party 'base' under Bush wouldn't even vote for you in any capacity whatsoever. Are you telling me that you'd vote for someone who is against who you are?

you are willing to vote for the left over Bush? What kind of moderate are you?

Left over Right (ie, Bush) in one election makes you not a moderate? Especially since I voted Right over Left in the last one.

Of course now I realize I made a mistake and loath Bush, but that's something different.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
I realized sometime afterwards that mainstream had really blinded me in those primaries.

I remember feeling the same way when I actually did some research into McCain-Feingold. Then I was glad his candidacy crashed and burned. Seriously though what were the myths you had about him? I remember the mainstream press being a little enamored with him and his Straight Talk Express at the time.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh, I had half bought into the McCain is really a liberal bull**** that the Bush team was trotting out.

Hell, I was really willing to solidly back McCain went he came out against the Christian Coalition. I hate those ****ers.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Oh, I had half bought into the McCain is really a liberal bull**** that the Bush team was trotting out.

On certain issues he is. Campaign Finance for instance. How is that BS? The main question is how much you view those issues from a conservative perspective.

[Imran Siddiqui]

See, the thing was they took those certain issues and then said he is a liberal OVERALL! Which was certainly not the case. His voting record has been very conservative. I would love to have a President McCain right about now.

President Bush is testing my faith in my party (kinda like how some Catholic's faith is being tested by the pedophile priests).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Maybe I'll start my own moderate-right party. We'll run Bob Dole every election, even after he's dead .

[Ben Kenobi]

came out against the Christian Coalition. I hate those ****ers.

If you hate those ****ers, why do you want to cede control of the Republican party to them?

[Harry Tuttle]

Imran, I used to be the same way. I initially supported McCain. In fact, I remember quite vividly when I was talking with my Democrat roommate in college about politics. We were halfway through going back and forth on a decent political discussion when McCain appeared on CSPAN for a speech. Low and behold, his speech used the same words and ideology that I had just used when speaking to my roommate. I mean the EXACT same words and ideology.

My roommate turned to me and said "So I guess you follow McCain pretty closely?". I turned to him and said: "Actually, I've never heard the guy speak, nor have I followed him" which was the truth. His speech was nearly the same one I had used when talking to my roommate.

While I was a McCainiac for a short time I did start to dislike him when he started speaking out against Bush and the rest of the Party at the time. Part of being a politician is knowing when to fight and when to gather allies and it seemed that McCain was doing to much fighting at the time. So then I turned to Bush, mostly because he seemed like he was going to be the nominee. Bush had the usual mantra of Republicanism so I went with it.

Nowadays I'm sort of up in the air between "Republican idealism" and reality. Yes I believe in the major points of the party - ie. responsible spending, big tent, individualism and independence, etc... But in todays world I also believe in fighting the good fight. That is, taking out the bad guys.

Do I believe Bush invaded Iraq just because he thought they had WMDs? Yes, kinda. Do I think it was a perfect reason for the invasion? No, not really.

What I do believe, and the reason why I support Bush and his big spending, is because he is the only president in the past few years who has the balls to stand up against the evil people of the world. He took out the Taliban, he took out Saddam, and he made the lackluster politicians of the world realize that endless diplomacy is not a means to solving the worlds problems. Bottom line, he took on the bastards of the world and made them sit up and realize that their days are numbered.

Today I don't see dictators and despotic regimes every time I turn on the news. I see people putting their lives back together and hoping for a better world.

Do I support big spending? No, not if it's unneccesary. Do I support taking the fight to the bad guys? Yes. Bush is a Republican in wartime. If Sept 11th hadn't happened then I'd probably think he was an idiot, leading the party to ruin. I wasn't impressed with his Reagan-esque flouting in Texas, I thought it was a rip-off.

What I am impressed with is his independence and having the gall to lead the U.S., against popular world opinion, into the breach. That's why I support him. He didn't take a poll (like Bubba) to decide his stance, he just made his decision and followed through. That's my definition of a leader.

And yes Giancarlo, I think his Gay-marriage stance is retarded and goes against the mantra of the Republican Party. I support gay marriage, just as long as the involved are good, well meaning people.

[Imran Siddiqui]

If you hate those ****ers, why do you want to cede control of the Republican party to them?

What? I'd rather see them kicked out of the party, personally.

--

Harry: Thanks for the post. I think you made some good points. I do like his kicking the crap out of dictatorships, but I think it's dumb to go after Saddam and then stop there. We should do more if the goal is get rid of brutal dictatorships. We should speak out against Saudi Arabia, etc.

I HATE that he totally stuck a middle finger to the world. I mean do you think France and Russia were interested in fighting Iraq in 1991? NO, of course not! But Bush, the elder, was a good diplomat. He got them to go along with it. Bush, the younger, has been a disaster in that which his father was so good (btw, I LOVE George Herbert Walker Bush... thought he was a great President).