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Ryan · 07-21-03, 02:04 PM

Not that this represents the population as a whole, but this is what I experienced this weekend while visiting my family and the family of my girlfriend. You would probably find this a whole lot more interesting if you knew the people involved. Nevertheless, I found it to be an interesting look into the minds of some Bush supporters.

Here are the characters and their take on Bush's performance:

1) My father: an extremely outspoken far-right conservative. He worshipped Ronald Reagan, aligns himself with the policies of the Christian Coalition, foams at the mouth when he hears the name "Clinton," holds a lifetime membership to the NRA (and carries a concealed Glock with him everywhere he goes), has held a subsrciption to Rush Limbaugh's newsletter for almost a decade, and has thought that George W. Bush hung the moon since he was elected governor of Texas many years ago. He worked for the Bush campaign, sent him financial contributions, and has stuck by the man throughout his presidency, until recently. He has never voted for any candidate who was not a Republican and has, in the past, sworn to me that he never would.

His current view: He admitted to me that he saw Bush as even more irresponsible and liberal with spending our tax dollars than was Bill Clinton. He is fuming about the handout given to non-taxpayers in the recent "tax cut," the proposed prescription drug plan, and the massive corporate handouts given by the administration. He says he is "EXTREMELY displeased" with Bush's handling of the economy and believes that the administration is doing irreparable damage that his grandchild will be paying for when she is an adult. He is still in support of the war in Iraq but admits that he thinks Bush was dishonest and manipulative in pushing us to war with them. Of course, as a conservative, he is more displeased with the economic impact of this war than he is with the thousands of human lives that have so far been ended or completely wrecked.

His position: If the election were held today, he says he would vote for a third party candidate. He says he does not trust Bush any longer and wants to send a message to the GOP that Bush's brand of "conservatism" is not what keeps the campaign contribution checks rolling in.

Strike 1

2) My mother: an extremely conservative woman who bases most of her beliefs upon what my father thinks. Like most Americans, she has a very short attention span and therefore turns on her political heros (or falls in love with them) as often as the wind changes directions. She is also a typical middle aged woman and grandmother who is much more conerned about issues like banning abortion and "saving the children" than she is all that complicated economic stuff. She is a very educated woman, but is rather oblivious when it comes to what is really happening in politics.

Her current view: Her baby is in Iraq risking his life for a war waged upon lies. Bush is a coward who did not fulfill his military duty and then stands up to the world and says "bring it on." She says, "that is my child upon which he is calling for violent retaliation by the Iraqis. If anything happens to my baby, I'm gonna bring it on his ass! I want this crap over and my child home NOW!"

Her position:She says she "hates" George W. Bush, especially after hearing the "bring it on" comment. She says she will not vote for him and may even vote for a Democrat for the first time in her life if she thinks it will end the war sooner. In actuality, her vote will probably depend on whether or not my brother makes it home safely before the election. Regardless, she is very unhappy with the man.

Strike 2

3) My girlfriend's mother: a staunch conservative and Zionist Christian

, she "votes her faith" and always will.

Her current view: She disagrees with some of what Bush has done, but believes that most of it was in response to the "mess Clinton left behind." Regardless of his record, she proclaims that Bush is a "man of God" and therefore a vote against him is a vote against righteousness. Also, she feels that opposition of the war on terror is equivalent to support for the destruction of Israel, God's chosen people.

Her position: She voted for Bush in 2000 and will vote for him again in 2004, and she does not want to hear any more negative information about the man.

ball 1

4) My girlfriend's father: The only kind of conservative that I can get along with in a political conversation, and the only type worthy of the label "conservative," he hates the government and loves the Constitution. He wants to abolish the IRS, put strong limits on welfare, and expand social freedom to include legalization of drugs, gambling, and prostitution. Basically, he wants the government out of his bedroom, his paycheck, and his gun rack. He begrudgingly voted for Bush in 2000 thinking that he would reduce the size and power of the federal government, but he has always been suspicious of the man and thought him to be "an idiot with a trust fund."

His current view: He "hates that little lying SOB and wants his goddamned money back. How dare that little shit spend my money like it's his play toy and then poke his nose into my life." He is extremely concerned about the Patriot Act and the expansion of federal power that has come under the Bush administration. Also, his response to the "bring it on" comment was "I'd like to put that little pansie out in the desert and watch him cry when those bastards 'bring it on.' Our boys need to be home defending our country, not running around the desert chasing some asshole cavedodger!"

His position: He's voting Libertarian. He says "that son of a bitch fooled me once, but he isn't going to do it again. I'll be damned if that bastard gets my vote!"

Strike 3

Of course, this is not conclusive evidence of Bush's overall sinking approval, but it is interesting. I had the same conversation with these people six months ago and their opinion was 180 degrees from where it is now. Bush has failed miserably to even push the agenda of the people who got him into office, and he has failed the rest of us even more. We'll see what happens next year but one thing is certain, all of you smug Republicans ought to think twice before you write off the next election.

07-21-03, 02:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ryan Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 3,783	Not that this represents the population as a whole, but this is what I experienced this weekend while visiting my family and the family of my girlfriend. You would probably find this a whole lot more interesting if you knew the people involved. Nevertheless, I found it to be an interesting look into the minds of some Bush supporters. Here are the characters and their take on Bush's performance: 1) My father: an extremely outspoken far-right conservative. He worshipped Ronald Reagan, aligns himself with the policies of the Christian Coalition, foams at the mouth when he hears the name "Clinton," holds a lifetime membership to the NRA (and carries a concealed Glock with him everywhere he goes), has held a subsrciption to Rush Limbaugh's newsletter for almost a decade, and has thought that George W. Bush hung the moon since he was elected governor of Texas many years ago. He worked for the Bush campaign, sent him financial contributions, and has stuck by the man throughout his presidency, until recently. He has never voted for any candidate who was not a Republican and has, in the past, sworn to me that he never would. His current view: He admitted to me that he saw Bush as even more irresponsible and liberal with spending our tax dollars than was Bill Clinton. He is fuming about the handout given to non-taxpayers in the recent "tax cut," the proposed prescription drug plan, and the massive corporate handouts given by the administration. He says he is "EXTREMELY displeased" with Bush's handling of the economy and believes that the administration is doing irreparable damage that his grandchild will be paying for when she is an adult. He is still in support of the war in Iraq but admits that he thinks Bush was dishonest and manipulative in pushing us to war with them. Of course, as a conservative, he is more displeased with the economic impact of this war than he is with the thousands of human lives that have so far been ended or completely wrecked. His position: If the election were held today, he says he would vote for a third party candidate. He says he does not trust Bush any longer and wants to send a message to the GOP that Bush's brand of "conservatism" is not what keeps the campaign contribution checks rolling in. Strike 1 2) My mother: an extremely conservative woman who bases most of her beliefs upon what my father thinks. Like most Americans, she has a very short attention span and therefore turns on her political heros (or falls in love with them) as often as the wind changes directions. She is also a typical middle aged woman and grandmother who is much more conerned about issues like banning abortion and "saving the children" than she is all that complicated economic stuff. She is a very educated woman, but is rather oblivious when it comes to what is really happening in politics. Her current view: Her baby is in Iraq risking his life for a war waged upon lies. Bush is a coward who did not fulfill his military duty and then stands up to the world and says "bring it on." She says, "that is my child upon which he is calling for violent retaliation by the Iraqis. If anything happens to my baby, I'm gonna bring it on his ass! I want this crap over and my child home NOW!" Her position:She says she "hates" George W. Bush, especially after hearing the "bring it on" comment. She says she will not vote for him and may even vote for a Democrat for the first time in her life if she thinks it will end the war sooner. In actuality, her vote will probably depend on whether or not my brother makes it home safely before the election. Regardless, she is very unhappy with the man. Strike 2 3) My girlfriend's mother: a staunch conservative and Zionist Christian , she "votes her faith" and always will. Her current view: She disagrees with some of what Bush has done, but believes that most of it was in response to the "mess Clinton left behind." Regardless of his record, she proclaims that Bush is a "man of God" and therefore a vote against him is a vote against righteousness. Also, she feels that opposition of the war on terror is equivalent to support for the destruction of Israel, God's chosen people. Her position: She voted for Bush in 2000 and will vote for him again in 2004, and she does not want to hear any more negative information about the man. ball 1 4) My girlfriend's father: The only kind of conservative that I can get along with in a political conversation, and the only type worthy of the label "conservative," he hates the government and loves the Constitution. He wants to abolish the IRS, put strong limits on welfare, and expand social freedom to include legalization of drugs, gambling, and prostitution. Basically, he wants the government out of his bedroom, his paycheck, and his gun rack. He begrudgingly voted for Bush in 2000 thinking that he would reduce the size and power of the federal government, but he has always been suspicious of the man and thought him to be "an idiot with a trust fund." His current view: He "hates that little lying SOB and wants his goddamned money back. How dare that little shit spend my money like it's his play toy and then poke his nose into my life." He is extremely concerned about the Patriot Act and the expansion of federal power that has come under the Bush administration. Also, his response to the "bring it on" comment was "I'd like to put that little pansie out in the desert and watch him cry when those bastards 'bring it on.' Our boys need to be home defending our country, not running around the desert chasing some asshole cavedodger!" His position: He's voting Libertarian. He says "that son of a bitch fooled me once, but he isn't going to do it again. I'll be damned if that bastard gets my vote!" Strike 3 Of course, this is not conclusive evidence of Bush's overall sinking approval, but it is interesting. I had the same conversation with these people six months ago and their opinion was 180 degrees from where it is now. Bush has failed miserably to even push the agenda of the people who got him into office, and he has failed the rest of us even more. We'll see what happens next year but one thing is certain, all of you smug Republicans ought to think twice before you write off the next election.