Reagan Bounce Seems to Elude Bush

[mrbowler]

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By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - So much for a Reagan bounce. If President Bush (news - web sites), who often casts himself as the political heir to conservative icon Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), expected the nation to see him through the same political prism, it's not happening.

A number of conservative Republicans say Bush lacks Reagan's ability to inspire and think big. Many Americans say history will remember the actor-turned-politician, who died earlier this month at the age of 93, as the better president than Bush.


Even the real Reagan progeny — Ronald Prescott Reagan — pointedly criticized the current Republican president and promised to vote "for whoever the viable candidate is who can defeat George W. Bush."


Conservatives praise the current Republican president for his tax cuts and backing for the military, and they say the two share many of the same credentials — pro-business, anti-abortion, little patience for unions, tough in the foreign policy arena. But they grumble that the federal government is growing under Bush's watch — something they argue Reagan wouldn't have allowed.


President No. 40 had a vision, conservatives say. President No. 43 doesn't.


"Reagan was a man primarily of ideas," said Don Devine, a former Reagan administration official and a conservative activist. "Bush is a man primarily of politics."


The anti-tax group Club for Growth is financing ads that compares Bush's handling of the war on terror to Reagan's Cold War (news - web sites)-era crusade against communism, but its president, Steve Moore, doesn't see Bush the way he sees Reagan.


"Bush is not a big anti-government conservative," Moore said.


To his credit, says David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, Bush did show some of Reagan's traits after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, bonding with the American people as Reagan did.


"To some degree that has dissipated," said Keene, who argued that Bush "has become isolated and separated from the people, something Reagan did not allow."


The gulf between public perceptions of Bush and Reagan is substantial. By a 6-to-1 ratio, those surveyed in a recent Associated Press polls aid they thought Reagan would be remembered as a better president than Bush.


The poll was conducted in mid-June, a week after Reagan's state funeral and a flurry of tributes to the former president. It also came shortly after Bush attended D-Day ceremonies in France with allied leaders and the Group of Eight summit in Georgia with various heads of state.


"Reagan was the more effective leader by far," said Republican Bob Crider, a 46-year-old businessman from Camarillo, Calif. "I don't think Bush is inspiring. When half the country turns against you, it's hard to get anything done."


About half of the public said they view Bush in a favorable light and approve of the job he's doing. More than eight in 10 viewed Reagan favorably, according to the AP poll conducted last week by Ipsos-Public Affairs.


"Reagan was a lot better at making the hard decisions," said John Barnes, a Republican from Booneville, Ark., who is retired from the military. "Bush is still young, in a few more years he might be just as good. You've got to give him some time."


The gap between perceptions of the two could make it hard for the Bush re-election campaign to tie itself closely to the public's nostalgia for the Reagan era. The campaign turned its Web page into a tribute to Reagan for several days, and Bush got a boost in polling immediately after the Reagan funeral.


Some polling analysts attributed those changes to Americans getting a break from steady media coverage of bad news from Iraq (news - web sites).





Veteran Republican strategist Charlie Black said he doubts that the Bush campaign will tie itself closely to Reagan.

"The president and his campaign know the voters want to know about him and about John Kerry (news - web sites)," said Black, an adviser to the Bush campaign. "This is about the future and not about the past."

While Bush patterns his presidency after the former president, that wins him no praise from Reagan's son. The young Reagan said recently that the Bush administration lied about its reasons for invading Iraq and questioned a commander in chief who cites religious guidance for military decisions.

"When you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the Almighty, I get a little worried," Reagan said on CNN's "Larry King Live," adding that it was something Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and others do.

Asked whether his father would be upset with his vow to vote against Bush, the young Reagan said, "I can't imagine he would be. So long as I was telling the truth he'd be OK with that."

___

[bobbcat]

What doesn't seem to "elude" the Bush camp is the endless, senseless bashing that makes the Clinton/Lewinsky-sex-scandal witch hunt look like child's play. Is it any wonder that Bush's numbers are no better? It is truly maddening to watch what putty so many of the American people are in the hands of the ever-so-manipulative mainstream media! Talk about stupid! There ya go, Michael Moore--they are putty in your hands too, and you just LOVE it!

[mrbowler]

What doesn't seem to "elude" the Bush camp is the endless, senseless bashing that makes the Clinton/Lewinsky-sex-scandal witch hunt look like child's play. Is it any wonder that Bush's numbers are no better? It is truly maddening to watch what putty so many of the American people are in the hands of the ever-so-manipulative mainstream media! Talk about stupid! There ya go, Michael Moore--they are putty in your hands too, and you just LOVE it!


I don't agree with your statement about a endless, senseless bashing. You make it sound like the american public is a bunch of moron's that are manipulated by a so called mainstream media-I would think that if someone felt that they were being manipulated that they wouldn't watch it. I won't comment about Michael Moore because I have not seen.

[mrbowler]

Here's a comment from article:

"Reagan was a man primarily of ideas," said Don Devine, a former Reagan administration official and a conservative activist. "Bush is a man primarily of politics."


As Mayor might say " Just one man's opinion "...maybe so..but I think it's important to find a more conservative voice-so you might question or find it more acceptable/believable...then again

[luvmetender]

"Abecnce of evidence is NOT evidence of abecnce"

HUH??

[luvmetender]

ah, nevermind, the s's look like e's on my screen, and the e's look like c's!

[bobbcat]

Are you referring to that hard-to-read font featured on my signature sign, luv? If I could change that font, I would.

[prism68]

Originally Posted by bobbcat

What doesn't seem to "elude" the Bush camp is the endless, senseless bashing that makes the Clinton/Lewinsky-sex-scandal witch hunt look like child's play. Is it any wonder that Bush's numbers are no better? It is truly maddening to watch what putty so many of the American people are in the hands of the ever-so-manipulative mainstream media! Talk about stupid! There ya go, Michael Moore--they are putty in your hands too, and you just LOVE it!

I had that same thought this week. America is like one big Dr. Phil audience when it comes to the media.

Feed them whatever spin you want and eventually that becomes the pulse of the nation. It always amazed me to watch the audiences in these talk shows how they changed loyalty depending on which side was talking. Then whatever lean the host takes on the issue, suddenly they all believe the SAME THING.

That is exactly what goes on in this country when people get spoon fed all this liberal garbage going around.

[mrbowler]

Originally Posted by prism68

I had that same thought this week. America is like one big Dr. Phil audience when it comes to the media.

Feed them whatever spin you want and eventually that becomes the pulse of the nation. It always amazed me to watch the audiences in these talk shows how they changed loyalty depending on which side was talking. Then whatever lean the host takes on the issue, suddenly they all believe the SAME THING.

That is exactly what goes on in this country when people get spoon fed all this liberal garbage going around.

Just repeating what I said earlier: Maybe your being manipulated by the conservative media ;


"I don't agree with your statement about a endless, senseless bashing. You make it sound like the american public is a bunch of moron's that are manipulated by a so called mainstream media-I would think that if someone felt that they were being manipulated that they wouldn't watch it."

[prism68]

Originally Posted by mrbowler

Just repeating what I said earlier: Maybe your being manipulated by the conservative media ;

LMBO!!!

Which conservative media would that be, MrBowler?!
That seems like an oxymoron to me- 'conservative media'.

Too funny; made my day.

[mrbowler]

Originally Posted by prism68

LMBO!!!

Which conservative media would that be, MrBowler?!
That seems like an oxymoron to me- 'conservative media'.

Too funny; made my day.

You tell me..if a person can't determine liberal media..then a person can't determine a conservative media...

Funny; You made my day too.

[prism68]

Originally Posted by mrbowler

..if a person can't determine liberal media..then a person can't determine a conservative media...

I don't get it.

[bobbcat]

You were not the only one to be confused by that statement, Angela. Someone who is so dense that he/she cannot determine a bias when listening to news output is very likely someone who would not listen to news in the first place.

[mrbowler]

Originally Posted by bobbcat

You were not the only one to be confused by that statement, Angela. Someone who is so dense that he/she cannot determine a bias when listening to news output is very likely someone who would not listen to news in the first place.

Hmmmm...I said that earlier..TY

"I don't agree with your statement about a endless, senseless bashing. You make it sound like the american public is a bunch of moron's that are manipulated by a so called mainstream media-I would think that if someone felt that they were being manipulated that they wouldn't watch it."

[mrbowler]

By Person meaning either:

Person manipulated by Conservative Media

or

Person manipulated by Liberal Media