frankie's Journal: Republican Reasons to Oppose Bush

Unlike some people, I have never been a Bush Republican. I was a Powell Republican from 1995 to 2003, and a McCain Republican in 2000 et al. I yearn for the GOP to unfurl the Big Tent again.

If you are a social conservative predominantly concerned about religion, abortion, gay marriage, and/or the flag, then my message is not for you. Instead, you should take a good long look at Michael Peroutka.

For everyone else, let's begin with one crucial word:

Responsibility

1. Personal Responsibility: the Republican party is supposed to be about standing tall and taking charge of your own actions, yet Bush/Cheney shift all blame for failure to anyone else.
2. Fiscal Responsibility: the Republican party is supposed to be about balanced budgets and lower spending, yet Bush/Cheney give us record-breaking budgets and deficits. How is "borrow and spend" any better than "tax and spend"?
3. Ethical Responsibility: the Republican party is supposed to be about honest and open government, yet Bush/Cheney conceal their actions and tell blatant falsehoods to the public.
4. Small Government: the Republican party is supposed to be about business-like efficiency, yet Bush/Cheney added eight hundred thousand staffers to the federal bureaucracy.
5. State Rights: the Republican party is supposed to be about reducing federal control, yet Bush/Cheney love to overrule state decisions like drug reimportation.

Republican Voices

• Admiral William Crowe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr: "By not bringing in our friends and allies, they have created a mess in Iraq and are crippling our forces around the world." and "George Bush and Dick Cheney have chosen to take their campaign to the gutter."
• Russell Train, chief of the EPA for Presidents Nixon and Ford: "It's almost as if the motto of the administration in power today in Washington is not environmental protection, but polluter protection." and "The White House has constantly injected itself into the way the EPA approaches and decides the critical issues before it."
• John Dean, White House Counsel for President Nixon (fired): Bush and Cheney "have created the most secretive presidency of my lifetime ... far worse than during Watergate." and "This administration is truly scary and, given the times we live in, frighteningly dangerous."
• John Eisenhower, son of President Eisenhower: "To me, the word 'Republican' has always been synonymous with the word 'responsibility,' which has meant limiting our governmental obligations to those we can afford in human and financial terms. Today's whopping budget deficit of some $440 billion does not meet that criterion." and "The current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance."
• and dozens of others
• and dozens more

Personally, I'll probably vote for Badnarik ( yay Maryland). But in the mean time I'm capaigning for Kerry, and for a better Republican Party.

Soooo

[Mike Hawk]

Now I'm intrigued again. How, in your humble opinion, would a Kerry Presidency reverse any of that? The very few planks in Kerry's platform all revolve around making the government much, much bigger with socialist healthcare and all. But the fact that the government grew under W means that you are supporting Kerry? Fundamentally, your arguments are shallow in light of everything else you say. Just another person claiming to be a republican because they think it will make their words carry more weight w

Ouch

[Mike Hawk]

I didn't even notice you trying to demonize me as an abortion advocate. Interesting place to put the link in that thread. As near as I can tell, you brought it up. How am I the one concerned about it?

Since your JE is mostly assumptions

[Mike Hawk]

Im going to assume that someone who is anti-federalist would also be pro-second amendment. Noone has been more anti-bill of rights than Kerry in his voting record in the Senate. This is common knowledge. C'mon man, make these hard. So far you have 2 failed points and an ad hominem attack going for you.

Lets see that pro-Kerry JE. My fingers are itching.

Diplomats for Change

[frankie]

This is a Public Service message. JK published a long endorsement list of former ambassadors. To save you the trouble, I have extracted the sublist of Republican ambassadors. I was quite conservative about it. For example, I excluded dozens who were appointed in a Republican's final year and served the rest of their time under a Democrat.

1. Harry G. Barnes Jr., Ambassador to Romania (1973-77), Foreign Service Director-General (1977-81), Ambassador to Chile (1985-88), Ambassador to India (1981-85)
2. Robert L. Barry, Ambassador to Bulgaria (1981-84), Ambassador to Indonesia (1992-95)
3. Gordon R. Beyer, Ambassador to Uganda (1980-83)
4. Jack R. Binns, Ambassador to Honduras (1980-81)
5. Richard J. Bloomfield, Ambassador to Ecuador (1976-78), Ambassador to Portugal (1978-82)
6. William Bodde Jr., Ambassador to Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu (1980-81), Ambassador to Marsall Islands (1990-92)
7. Richard W. Boehm, Ambassador to Oman (1984-87), Ambassador to Cyprus (1988-91)
8. Stephen W. Bosworth, Ambassador to Tunisia (1979-81), Ambassador to Philippines (1984-87), Ambassador to Korea (1997-01)
9. Peter S. Bridges, Ambassador to Somalia (1984-86)
10. Edward P. Brynn, Ambassador to Mauritania (1982-83), Ambassador to Gambia (1984), Ambassador to Burkina Faso (1991-93), Ambassador to Ghana (1995-98)
11. Patricia M. Byrne, Ambassador to Mali (1976-79), Ambassador to Burma (1980-83)
12. Clay Constantinou, Ambassador to Luxembourg (1994-99)
13. James F. Creagan, Ambassador to Honduras (1996-99)
14. T. Frank Crigler, Ambassador to Rwanda (1976-79), Ambassador to Somalia (1987-90)
15. C. Edward Dillery, Ambassador to Tonga, Figi, Tuvalu and Kiribati (1984-87)
16. Robert S. Dillon, Ambassador to Lebanon (1981-83)
17. Charles F. Dunbar Jr., Charge d'Affaires Afghanistan (1982-83), Ambassador to Qatar (1983-85), Ambassador to Yemen (1988-91)
18. John Eisenhower, Ambassador to Belgium (1969-71)
19. John Ferch, Ambassador to Honduras (1985-86)
20. Paul F. Gardner, Ambassador to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (1984-86)
21. Samuel F. Hart, Ambassador to Ecuador (1982-85)
22. Hugh Kenneth Hill, Ambassador to Bulgaria (1990-93)
23. Lowell Kilday, Ambassador to Dominican Republic (1985-88)
24. Dennis H. Kux, Ambassador to Ivory Coast (1986-89)
25. Denis Lamb, Ambassador to OECD (1987)
26. Lyle F. Lane, Ambassador to Uruguay (1979-80), Ambassador to Paraguay (1980-82)
27. Nelson Ledsky, Negotiator in Germany and Special coordinator for Cyprus (1989-92)
28. Donald C. Leidel, Ambassador to Bahrain (1983-86)
29. David L. Mack, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (1986-89)
30. David C. Miller Jr., Ambassador to Tanzania (1981-83), Ambassador to Zimbabwe (1984-87)
31. Robert Miller, Ambassador to Malaysia (1977), Ambassador to Ivory Coast (1983-86)
32. Jay P. Moffat, Ambassador to Chad (1983-85)
33. Ronald D. Palmer, Ambassador to Togo (1976-80), Ambassador to Malaysia (1981-85), Ambassador to and Mauritius (1986-88)
34. Edward L. Peck, Ambassador to Iraq (1977-80), Ambassador to Mauritania (1983-85)
35. Donald Petterson, Ambassador to Somalia (1978-82), Ambassador to Tanzania (1986-89), Ambassador to Sudan (1992-95)
36. Sol Polansky, Ambassador to Bulgaria (1987-90)
37. Robert G. Rich Jr., Ambassador to Belize (1987-90)
38. Edward L. Rowell, Ambassador to Bolivia (1985-87), Ambassador to Portugal (1988-89), Ambassador to Luxembourg (1990-93)
39. Howard B. Schaffer, Ambassador to Bangladesh (1984-87)
40. Peter Sebastian, Ambassador to Tunisia (1984-87)
41. Talcott W. Seelye, Ambassador to Tunisia (1972), Ambassador to Syria (1978-81)
42. David Shinn, Ambassador to Burkina Faso (1987-90), Ambassador to Ethiopia (1996-99)
43. Robert Strauss, Ambassador to the Russian Federation (1991-92)
44. Theresa Tull, Ambassador to Guyana (1987-90), Ambassador to Brunai (1993-96)
45. George S. Vest, Ambassador to European Union (

Business Professors for Kerry

[frankie]

Open Letter to President George W. Bush [openletter...sident.org]

Over 150 signatories and rising, including Nobel & Pulitzer prize winners. Here's the opener:

As professors of economics and business, we are concerned that U.S. economic policy has taken a dangerous turn under your stewardship. Nearly every major economic indicator has deteriorated since you took office in January 2001. Real GDP growth during your term is the lowest of any presidential term in recent memory.