Losing Faith in Compassionate Conservatism
Losing Faith in Compassionate Conservatism
David Kuo, former deputy director of the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has decided to speak candidly about his experience. His message: this administration doesn’t care about the poor. In a piece published on Beliefnet yesterday, Kuo writes, “From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the ‘poor people stuff.’” As a result, while President Bush spoke a lot about providing funds to “groups caring for drug addicts, at-risk youth, and teen moms” most of that assistance never arrived. In a bizarre attempt to rebut Kuo’s charge that the administration was all talk on the issue, White House spokesman Trent Duffy noted, “The president has mentioned the initiative in every State of the Union.”
The White House ignored opportunities for the President to make good on his commitments. For example, Kuo writes that in 2001 former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) approached the White House “with an offer to pass a charity relief bill that contained many of the president’s campaign tax incentive policies plus new money for the widely-popular and faith-based-friendly Social Services Block Grant.” The reaction: “The White House legislative affairs office rolled their eyes while others on senior staff yawned.”
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It seems all the former employees of this administration are coming out to voice their disdian with this administration. First it was Paul O’Neil, then Christine Todd Whitmann and now David Kuo
February 15th, 2005 at 10:13 amThe “shock and awe” with which bush invaded Iraq is really a domestic policy for gutting every program in our country.
February 15th, 2005 at 11:47 amThe 50% of us who recognize this, are shocked and awed, but the rest of our countrymen will not see this until their children are cannon fodder and they are controlled from womb to tomb by compassionate conservatives like de lay,
I work for a non-profit in Detroit that serves instiutionalized seniors. Every time bush speaks out in favor of funding programs for the poor, we KNOW that means more cuts. We are scrambling now to survive…and there are more and more homeless people in our neighborhood. From what I remember in Sunday School, Jesus would NOT like this administration!
February 15th, 2005 at 11:56 ambushie is one of the biggest liars in this country. Why can’t the faith groups see this? Because they do not want to admit they have been had. Even if faith based groups want to help are they willing to be accountable to the taxpayers? Are they willing to keep the same records and reporting systems that private and public providers are now required to so that the public can evaluate their programs for future funding? I doubt it. Once they have the money they will scream separation of church and state if asked to account for the results.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:03 pmCompassionate conservatism is one of those two word oxymorons such as military intelligence and jumbo shrimp.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:07 pmComment? Popping the buble of BS related to the Bushites claims of funding programs that help practically ANYONE who is not already rich can be summed up best by the age-old adage:
February 15th, 2005 at 12:10 pm“…Talk is CHEAP.”
Obviously, they take shamelessly take great delight in proving it with everything they do.
I’ve said it so many times before that it’s beginning to frighten me that the media doesn’t take them to task on any of it: This administration brazenly tells outright lies to the American public, and subsequently the whole world… and then acts offended when questioned on it. The double-speak is so classically Orwellian that its terrifying in its implications. Because what I read in junior high school as science fiction at its most far-flung, and “speculatice fiction” at it best has, since the year 2000 become very real indeed.
Big Brother is alive and well, my friends. And it’s up to all of us to take back our country before it’s too late…
Sociel, environmental, and educational programs are loosing suppot under President Bush. Are these losses to our citizens the true meaning of compassionate conservatirm according to Bush? Where is the compassion for the AVERAGE AMERICAN?
February 15th, 2005 at 12:16 pmThe Preamble to the Constitution says that the purpose of our union to “provide for the common defense, promote the common welfare”. Since George W. Bush publicly took an oath to uphold the Constitution and he is clearly not doing that, he should beimpeached.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:17 pmIt is growing more and more evident that with President Bush taking the oath of office to uphold the constitution and he has clearly not done do that he should be impeached but there are no checks and balances in either the house or senate so nothing will be done.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:27 pmBy their fruits ye shall know them.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:33 pmI read the Kuo piece on Beliefnet, and I have to say that I think he let Bush off very easily. Despite his profound disappointment with the results of the president’s faith-based agenda, he never places the blame for it at Bush’s feet. He is not nearly as “off the reservation” as The Washington Post suggests in an article about the article.
February 15th, 2005 at 12:41 pmThe terminology is mutually exclusive.
February 15th, 2005 at 1:10 pm“…He is not nearly as “off the reservationâ€? as The Washington Post suggests in an article about the article. ” (post #11)
February 15th, 2005 at 1:12 pmYou are absolutely right. The reason is simple: Kuo wants to be able to WORK again somewhere in his lifetime, and if he truthfully dished out the REAL dirt on Bush and his lack of compassion his career would be OVER, period. Bushites “outed” a deep cover CIA operative who had been putting together a huge operation inside Saudi Arabia… and all because her husband wouldn’t corroborate their phonied-up “yellowcake” uranium purchase claims against Saddam. If they’d do that to someone who’d been working on behalf of the US in an extremely dangerous setting, for almost 10 YEARS… just basically throw her to the wolves… what do you think they’d do to a whistleblowing pen-pusher? They are as vicious as they come. EVERYONE is expendable… except the “inner circle”, of course. The ones who know too much. They’re all in it for the LONG haul…
There is nothing compassionate about this administration beyond the nice sounding words. As for conservatism, I’m not real certain how that matches up with special interests and greed that seems so prominent.
February 15th, 2005 at 1:18 pmWhen listening to bush or anyone associated with this cabal, learn to THINK OPPOSITE and THANK ORWELL! We must, as many here have suggested, move to impeach! This President and his cronies are destroying America…… we must not let this happen. Their goal? “Those that have the gold make the rules!”….. plain and simple. They continue to suggest our “liberal” media….. THINK OPPOSITE! Fox, NBC, just two examples, are owned by Murdoch and G.E. respectively; both of which were hugh contributors to the bush campaign and advance the “right wing” agenda. Apply the opposite to “compassionate conservative”? bush cares NOT about either the middle class or the poor. His spending is totally unacceptable and only the military industrial complex will survive….. more wars, no doubt, are on the horizon! Feeling the draft yet? Get some background by searching Google for Bilderburg and Carlyle Groups. The Project for a New American Century will also assist in getting a perspective on what is really going on….. to coin a phrase so often used by the bush cabal……”connect the dots”.
February 15th, 2005 at 1:19 pmKarl Rove just wants the fundies to vote, he doesn’t want dubya to serve them unless they are contributing big bucks to campaigns. Why the religious groups refuse to admit they are being played & used I can’t figure.
They should say put your money where your mouth is.
February 15th, 2005 at 1:44 pmCompassionate Conservatism is an oxymoron. This administration, as shown by its behavious, cares only for power and its attainment through any means. The “end justifies the means” takes on an even more heinous meaning when one studies this administration. Why are we so silent?
February 15th, 2005 at 1:44 pmHistory seems to teach us that, overall, the human condition gradually improves. That may be true when the broad perspective is taken, but on a fine scale there has always been and continues to be unnecessary strife, bigotry and inhumanity. What’s more, there are critical periods in pinnacle societies, when they survive or decline depending upon the resilience of their character. Barely more than ten years after the Soviet Union collapsed under the sheer weight of its empty ideology, the only remaining superpower is itself being tested, and again the threat is an internal one. Triggered partly in reaction to and partly by the actions of international criminals, reckless and incompetent leadership with blank checks from an undemocratic and extremist governing party, compounded by civic ignorance and apathy, further compounded by populist and irresponsible standards of journalism, is undercutting American institutions, heritage, and guiding principles. My fear is that unless the American people wake up soon, the 21st Century will become dominated by values which are not traditional American ones. America will have become the Old World.
February 15th, 2005 at 2:26 pmGreat comments from all. We do have a terrible problem however; and that is we are preaching to the choir and not yelling loud enough to get all the extreme right wing to hear the truth. Much of our country is being run by the few bushie supporters with most of our money. We must unite and impeach the bunch of them. Bush is a pupet for Rove, Chaney, Delay and a few others. Remember also this christian movement is strong on creating an early armageden of their own doing right after they get world power. Impeach now.
February 15th, 2005 at 2:29 pmCompassionate conservatism is a sham. It was meant to obfuscate the Bushies real agenda. He has done just the opposite by bankrupting the country so it may have no choice but to curtail programs that help ordinary Americans. The administration has lied and continues to lie to the American people. Wake up America — the emperor has no clothes!!!!
February 15th, 2005 at 2:35 pmMaybe if we had more justice, we would need less compassionate conservatism…with apololgies to Dorothy Day
February 15th, 2005 at 2:53 pmI think it is futile to spend energy on impeachment when the House & Senate will do NOTHING. Better to spend time writing letters to the editors & trying to get better folks elected in 06.
February 15th, 2005 at 3:10 pmThe “compassionate conservative” is another facade to hide behind, just as is their use of religion. These neo-con terrorists in the White House count on an uneducated American public to be afraid and to blindly follow the lies without thinking for themselves or questioning their “leaders”. Maybe, just maybe, that is why education in this country is never properly funded, but our military budget continues to grow year after year. I don’t consider slashing the budgets for programs that help out the needy, cutting spending on education and after-school programs, corporatizing our Social Security, starting unjustified wars, and attacking your own country(9/11) to be in the definition of compassionate. Until this country wakes up and educates itself with the TRUTH about our government and corporations, one thing will remain certain. WAR is a good thing for certain corporations, and a great scare tactic to cover up the TRUTH on an uneducated public that is told that if you don’t agree, or if you question the people in power then you are unpatriotic. America, don’t buy into the LIES and DECEPTION.
February 15th, 2005 at 3:10 pmThis administration’s compassion? That’s easy — follow the money.
February 15th, 2005 at 4:22 pmThe greatest question is why so many good people blindly follow such a lead.
One commentor mentioned Orwell. Orwell said people have difficulty seeing what is right under theie noses.
In a recent essay,Howard Zinn said, “”There was a moment in our lives(or month or year) when ceertain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were fixed in our consciousness — embedded there by years of family prejudicies, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television.
That means “open eyes and minds.”
Actually, Zinn speaks of an uncomfortable minority. Most people need the comfort of image before reality. Reality is so damned uncomfortable.
There is another secret of this administration other than blinders; that is the power of victimhood. They use it successfully.
So many victims. The NRA says, “They are going to take our guns away. The fundamentalists say, “They are going to take our bibles away.” Now black males are victims of Social Security. Corporations are victims of de-regulation. Ceos, whose incomes have increased 2600 percent over 30 years are the vicitms of unfair taxation. It goes on and on. Vicitmhood was the primary tool of the Nazis, making the pure-blooded Germans victims of the Jews and homosexuals (non-pure).
Indeed, victims have a hard time seeing what is right under their noses.
I warn, “Illusions, even when faced with the facts, remain doggedly. And, myths resist facts as easily as the armor of an Abrams tank does BBs.
Regrettably. so many people take comfort in the darkness and flickers of Plato’s cave.
Bush is neither compassionate, nor conservative. He only feels for rich people’s wallets–the bottom line, and all he conserves is his compassion for the people who really need compassion. He also is not a Christian. If you look in the Bible, he more resembles the Pharisees.
February 15th, 2005 at 4:47 pmAnything $hrubco says; READ THE OPPOSITE and you’ll be pretty much right on target. If they say a new initiarive will “help” something,you can be sure it will in reality destroy it; if they say they’re “going after wrongdoers”, they will be enabling the “wrongdoers” they speak out against and hamstring those trying to actually DO something about them……..You get the picture.
February 15th, 2005 at 7:47 pmI wonder if “Little Dubbie” wears a WWJD wristband?
February 15th, 2005 at 7:54 pmI know a snake when I hear one. And every time Bush opens his mouth all I hear is hissing!
February 15th, 2005 at 8:40 pmI keep wondering if it would be more compasionate to round up the old, infirm, and poor and put them on a train to forty miles from nowhere on a February day in ND and tell them to have a nice walk. It surely couldn’t be anymore a death warrent than what is propossed in the current and projected budgets. After all those of us with Indian herriage know that the old “in the months of hunger ” would sometimes “walk out” to make more food for the young. Is that what our “leader” wants?
February 15th, 2005 at 9:03 pmWhen does it stop? Do we need a revolution? If so, in the words of the “idiot in chief”, “bring it on.”
February 15th, 2005 at 9:06 pmBush & co. have committed so many impeachable crimes that they should’ve been imprisoned years ago. The fact that they haven’t is a matter of grave concern, but our people seem to be asleep at the wheel. There’s nothing compassionate about lying us into a tragic, unnecessary war, riding roughshod over our civil rights in the name of “national security”, trashing the enviornment, and ignoring the REAL needs of our people-to name a few. Let’s get rid of these roaches: there’s got to be a way!
February 15th, 2005 at 9:50 pmMy God! I knew I was not the only person that feel that the world was upside down. I saw threw the lies before bushie got elected the first time. This Think Progress is the best. It really makes me think that if enough people think like we do, let’s work to take back the House and Senate in 2006.
February 16th, 2005 at 12:44 amThis fits the picture that this administration is all about rethorics. They use honorable words and phrases, initially coined for a more meaningful and honest use, to please the crowd and keep themselves afloat of the truth, a truth which is very different from what the rethorics suggests. A truth that consists of benefitting friends and businesses, securing their own future wealth and going imperialistic in old-sovjet-style.
February 16th, 2005 at 4:28 amLike I said before ” WE THE PEOPLE” NEED TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY. Lets start with march on washington and after the revolution put Bush and his crime family in jail for war crimes and money laundering. I will give 5% of my income for legal fees.
February 16th, 2005 at 10:38 amThe point of this Administration is to role back all programs and entitelments to pre New Deal.
All of thier efforts are aimed at doing this such that the US, once it secures a source of energy, can also become an isolationist nation that is only interested in buiness. In the end Bush wants a country that is goverend by and for Business.
February 16th, 2005 at 4:18 pmOk–here are a list of people who actually understand what is happening–where is the rest of the country–How much do we need to endure? Depression is my day, every day.
February 16th, 2005 at 8:01 pmYou all may be preaching to the choir but it’s an insightful, articulate and collectively intelligent one. I’m impressed by many of the comments. I try and remain hopeful that Republicans will turn off enought people in the next two years to enable the Democrats to regain a majority in at least of one of the legislative bodies. It happened here in the so called red state of Montana, it’s not impossible at the national level either. Work hard and keep your fingers crossed. America has lucked out before, we got FDR. Sometimes clueless people accidently vote for the party representing their own best interests.
February 16th, 2005 at 9:59 pmI was very moved by Sarah Pope’s comment and I agree with the underlying tenor of these comments that Bush should be impeached on political grounds, not because he messed with a woman and tried to cover it up. What’s a personal moral failure in comparison with the huge moral failure Bush has made our country into? A World Tribunal is finding the clay feet of the US govt in Iraq. Where is our moral fiber?
February 19th, 2005 at 7:12 pmDidn’t mean to pontificate so, but is it possible for the US citizenry to impeach a President? Can we at least start a petition? Can we blog enough to get mainstream media attention? I’m beginning to think journalists have no conscience but maybe they just know which side their bread is buttered on because they’ve tried and been threatened with loss of livelihood. That’s a big problem with wage slaves; unfortunately too many people in the US are and don’t admit it to themselves.
I’m having trouble figuring out if bush weara a; WWJD, WWWD, or a WWGWD wristband.
March 6th, 2005 at 6:08 pmI think the comment about preaching to the converted and not the “converted” is very true. we need to engage our freinds, co-workers, and families about this subject. Just a cautionary note, some people are quick to get defensive and if just because you have some relationship with them doesn’t mean they”l accept what you say (tread lightly)
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