What makes George W. Bush a conservative?

Question

I am really curious about this one. I mean really, since I have been a conservative all my life.

I believe in:
Personal Responsibility
Individual Rights (Goes hand-in-hand with the responsibility part)
States Rights
Small Federal Government
Low spending

The only one Bush meets in my view, as long as you don’t count his past indiscretions, is Personal Responsibility.

Overthrowing the filibuster: Liberal or Conservative?
Constitutional amendments to Abortion, Gay Marraige Wouldn’t that be anti-states rights?
Domestic Spying, Gathering Telephone Data, Banking Data, and reading private mail. Um. Individual rights?

Bush is for Religion, and for Business, and that is about it.

So, back to the question...

What makes you think Bush is a conservative?

Answer 1

Dio, I think you probably qualify as more of a right-wing leaning libertarian than a conservative.
I would say conservatives are
(a) For more governmental control of social affairs, including "moral issues," religion, media, and culture
(b) For less governmental control of the economy, including lower taxes and less government regulation of business
(c) For smaller business regulatory and entitlement parts of government, but heightened "enforcement" types of government (i.e. police and prisons)
(d) Generally hawkish and for increased military and security spending, regardless of whether there's a war on or not.

Certainly there are more moderate republicans out there on social issues, and I would absolutely agree that Bush is not a conservative based on his "spend and spend" mentality (particularly on the military and entitlements such as the Medicare prescription drug benefit), but I think you're falsely labeling yourself as a conservative.

Answer 2

George Bush is a New Right Republican, which label he has changed to Compassionate Conservative. The fact is New Right Republicans cloak themselves in moral conservativism, but are closer to socialists. They preach the moral high ground while establishing more government control of the individual. The Republican party base is most concerned with Moral conservatism so the New Right pushes that while moving fiscal and foreign policy left toward socialism.

This may seem hypocritical coming from me, because my history on YA has been to support GW, but I am a Nationlistic Libertarian. I will support my country and President no matter who they are. Be it a Clinton, a Bush, a Kennedy I will support them. I am registered Republican but the New Right is destroying our party.

Answer 3

It's an interesting question because he labels himself as one but often times isn't what a traditional conservative looks like.

Traditional conservatism was less government control. Just like you said it was personal responsibility and states rights. It's what I believe in firmly, the problem is that the new wave of Conservatism has scared me out of the party. ( I can't support the democrats, though)

It's important, either way, that you watch whatever your leader does with a criticizing attitude. I'm with you, buddy.

Where did real the real conservatives go?

Answer 4

He's a religious conservative, that's not the same as a political conservative. I can't wait for Jan 20th of 2009. I'm a political moderate. I believe in many of the same things you do. I'm almost a libertarian. To say I am not a fan of Bush II is a HUGE understatement. :) Goldwater, he's not.

Answer 5

Bush is a conservative because he's worried he'll say the wrong thing to the American public, and he'll be liable later on. He doesn't want Congress to vote on whether or not he'll send more troops to Iraq, because he doesn't want to be slammed for doing the wrong thing.

By the way, we have no individual rights.

Answer 6

the word conservative is a public label that has nothing to do with illuminati strategy and their Agenda,
many of the Masons who represent them have different public labels but follow the same strategy and obey the same orders

Answer 7

1. low taxes
2. enormous cut in entitlements i.e. education, pell grants, SBA, NASA, VA and more.
3. signed many free trade agreements with several nations.

He's certainly a social conservative...a fiscal compassionate conservative...overall, in my personal view, he's a fiscal conservative.

Answer 8

Well, he's not a liberal. I guess that's the most you could say for him being a conservative, although he is a non-typical one at that.

Answer 9

He is a right leaning moderate.

Answer 10

bush is the oposite of everything you believe in.