President Bush has certainly taken lots of knocks during his tenure. Much of the negativity comes from the extreme left because they don't understand his belief system. Some comes from the right because they have felt that he often gave into the left. In many ways, that put him at the center.
There are in this country, still many people who are proud to call him their President. The areas of the country that continue to hold conservative values still support him. I am one of those who is proud to say the he is still my President (at least for a few more weeks) and I am proud that he will deliver the Commencement Address at my alma mater.
President Bush to speak at A&M commencement
6 comments:
I work for the No child Left Behind program that so many people revile and which Obama will most likely shoot down, but I am here to tell you it has helped children greatly whether teachers like it or not. I go into the homes to give extra help and it is much appreciated.Also Bush set aside many areas as preserves that cannot be touched. Press and populace feed the negatory. This Obama whom appears classless to me is now tauted as a John Kennedy. Are people just daft??
Laura Bush is about the classiest first lady ever!!
I don't know. I voted for him twice and everything went to hell in a handbasket. I know the Dems controlled congress for the last two years, but Bush didn't turn out the way I had hoped he would.
Bush has been a disappointment to me because he wasn't conservative enough.
Still, if it was a choice between him - and he could've ran again- or the two we had to choose from, I would've voted for Bush.
Speaking as someone on the far left, the crowds that I run with don't dislike President Bush because we don't understand his beliefs. We dislike Bush because his policies have created huge setbacks in too many places. The problem doesn't lie only with President Bush, but he happens to be the face of it. He has done some pretty detrimental things as well, the scariest being the Patriot Act. My personal disputes involve the injection of Christian beliefs into laws, when in fact church and state should be kept separate. True conservatives should be unhappy because Bush has extended the size of government and put more regulations on our personal lives...but to each his own. I don't think the guy is satan or anything, I just have fundamental disagreements with his choices as our representative. I lived in the Lubbock area for 23 years and I now live in Massachusetts. The people here aren't all liberal, but they do all follow this code of live and let live. Don't assume that the extreme left doesn't understand Bush's belief system, because a lot of us do, we just disagree.
lr: Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I identify closely with President Bush. Perhaps it is because what shaped him also shaped me since both of us spent a large portion of our life in the crucible of West Texas.
I too have difficulties with the Patriot Act because like all such acts, it is subject to abuse. I must say though, that it is mild when compared to similar laws in other countries -- including the so-called enlightened countries of the EU.
I have difficulty with the bailout measures recently enacted. However, they more closely align with the far left than with the far right. That being said, I think that it was the right move. The Great Depression was so bad because of the failure of the Hoover administration to react to the issues of that day. President Bush reacted very quickly to the crisis of the economy -- in particular, the credit crisis. The new administration will likely benefit from his quick action.
As to beliefs informing a person's behavior -- in whatever office he or she holds -- if they do not inform their actions, they are not beliefs. Who we are is deeply shaped by our belief system. Baptists, of which I am one -- a Southern Baptist -- have long been advocates of the separation of church and state. What we mean by that is that the state should not dictate to its citizens what church they should attend or what they should believe. However, it does not preclude citizens who aspire to elected office from allowing their beliefs to influence and inform their actions.
The process of electing anyone to office accounts for beliefs of the individual running for office. We should vote our conscience -- and our beliefs. Again, who we are is shaped by those beliefs. What we believe to be right and wrong is shaped by those beliefs. The majority should get their way -- subject to the constitutional protections of ALL citizens that their beliefs and rights not abridged.
We are entering into a time in which those with conservative, Christian-informed beliefs, may face significant affronts to their beliefs. It is interesting that the swing was due to economic issues -- not social issues. Those on the left will say that it is "payback" time. They have felt oppressed for some time and are ready to get back at the "right." Hopefully, just as in the Bush administration, there will be enough of a "check" within the Congress that the laws of the country will remain close to the "center." With the backlash against Congress along with that against President Bush largely due to the economy, (which incidentally, the crash has been building over many years and is largely due to "progressive" policies pursued by the Clinton administration) the cards are stacked against conservatives for at least 2 years. It will be interesting to watch.
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