Conservatives Criticize Bush on Spending -- Medicare Bill Angers Some Alli

[radfringe]

Conservatives Criticize Bush on Spending -- Medicare Bill Angers Some Allies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40090-2003Dec5.html
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 6, 2003; Page A01

Last month's passage of a Medicare prescription drug benefit that could cost $2 trillion over 20 years, after three years of sharp increases in federal spending, has provoked an unusual barrage of criticism of President Bush from conservative leaders.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page accuses Bush of a "Medicare fiasco" and a "Medicare giveaway." Paul Weyrich, a coordinator of the conservative movement, sees "disappointment in a lot of quarters." Bruce Bartlett, a conservative economist with the National Center for Policy Analysis, pronounces himself "apoplectic." An article in the American Spectator calls Bush's stewardship on spending "nonexistent," while Steve Moore of the Club for Growth labels Bush a "champion big-spending president."


---snip---

But in the long term, the conservative leaders say, their discontent could spread to a popular backlash if spending continues to swell, pushing up deficits and interest rates. And the free spending is already limiting Bush's policy options. For example, economist Bartlett said, "the budgetary situation is getting so off track that you simply can't propose any more tax cuts without looking like a complete idiot."

----snip to the SPIN ----

The White House prefers a different set of statistics. Excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush aides say, he cut spending 6 percent in 2002 and 5 percent in 2003, and 2 to 3 percent for 2004 -- this after a comparable increase of nearly 15 percent in these areas in the last year of the Clinton administration.

"The president has provided strong leadership to make sure we are doing what it takes to win the war on terror, our nation's highest priority, while holding the line on spending elsewhere in the budget," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said this week.

[La_Serpiente]

1. How is Crystyle's Senate campaign doing?

Just wondering.

[radfringe]

3. seems to be going ok

check out his website

[frustrated_lefty]

2. That's the plan.

You HAVE to cut spending, but you CAN'T cut spending on homeland security. So, Medicare, AIDS research, SS...sorry, the money isn't there. We have to go to the moon, you see.

[izzie]

4. Interesting that the best money we ever spent was on the GI bill.

That is one of the cuts. We now can not educate our own people with our own money because we have a man who could not even run one company is now telling the riches country in the world how to spend its money. Seems like the fox is in charge of the hen house.Then why get an education as we can import people from India and we will beable to serve them hamburgs at the jobs we can get.And also the educated people are telling us this is a smart move.So where have I gone wrong in my logic?

[snippy]

5. Quintessential Bushshit: Excluding spending, Bush cut spending.

[underpants]

6. Uh-oh they forgot Rule#1-DON'T UPSET THE BASE!!!

Rove didn't focus group this too well.