No Runny Eggs

(H/Ts – Ed Morrissey and DrewM.)

Byron York retells the following episode from former Bush speechwriter Matt Ladimer’s new book, Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor in today’s Washington Examiner:

Bush was preparing to give a speech to the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. The conference is the event of the year for conservative activists; Republican politicians are required to appear and offer their praise of the conservative movement.

Latimer got the assignment to write Bush’s speech. Draft in hand, he and a few other writers met with the president in the Oval Office. Bush was decidedly unenthusiastic.

“What is this movement you keep talking about in the speech?” the president asked Latimer.

Latimer explained that he meant the conservative movement — the movement that gave rise to groups like CPAC.

Bush seemed perplexed. Latimer elaborated a bit more. Then Bush leaned forward, with a point to make.

“Let me tell you something,” the president said. “I whupped Gary Bauer’s ass in 2000. So take out all this movement stuff. There is no movement.”…

Now it was Latimer who looked perplexed. Bush tried to explain.

“Look, I know this probably sounds arrogant to say,” the president said, “but I redefined the Republican Party.”

What a seriously-ungrateful fucktard. Without that movement, specifically Free Republic, Al Gore would have successfully stole Florida and thus the Presidency in 2000, and that’s the thanks we get. News flash to Bush – you and the GOP may have co-opted the conservative movement between 2000 and 2006, but as the Year of the Tea Party is proving, we’re back, and we’re mad.

As for the redefinition of the Republican Party, Bush redefined it all right. The only differences of note between the Republicans and the Democrats became the willingness to fight wars and to whom the largesse of the Treasury would be kicked back, which has given rise to the bipartisan Party-In-Government.

Of course, we should have seen the lack of conservatism out of Bush coming a mile away…

• The first seeds of doubt, mentioned by Ed, came from the compromising nature of Bush’s run as governor of Texas, and specifically his campaign-era “I’m a uniter, not a divider” line.
• Also from that campaign, and noted by Drew, we got the disaster that is known as “compassionate conservatism”. Folks, you may not want to hear it, but it is not the job of government to guarantee equality or equity of outcome.
• The 2001 tax cuts were weighted too far toward creating the 50% leech/50% taxpayer ratio that will destroy the country. At least the 2003 version was weighted more toward activities that actually grow the economy.
• While, at least thus far, the prescription-drug benefit portion of Medicare has come in under budget, its creation was extra-Constitutional.
• Speaking of extra-Constitutional acts, Bush signed the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Liberal Protection Act.
• On education, Bush made the same mistake Richard Nixon did with health care – he let Ted Kennedy write the bill, and predictably it expanded the role of and spending by the federal government far beyond the bounds of the Constitution.
• Speaking of spending, it is not a coincidence that, prior to Barack Obama’s assumption of the office, the deficits under Bush were the highest ever.
• While Byron mentions that conservatives are pleased with Justice Samuel Alito, his SCOTUS nomination came only after we revolted against Harriet Miers (some of which is in the earliest of the archives of this place).
• Finally, there’s the subject of bailouts, for which Michelle Malkin deemed the final betrayal a perfect political epitaph – “I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system.” Er, no; all it did, especially the loans to GM and Chrysler which became the means to create Government Motors and UAW Motors, was sow the seeds to destroy the free-market system.

The question is, can the conservatives keep up the momentum built since February for another 15 months? Ed Driscoll takes on that question in the current edition of Silicon Graffiti.

Revisions/extensions (10:20 am 9/16/2009) – Related coverage (H/T – Dad29) – Tom Macquire found that Bush didn’t know what TARP was supposed to do either. Brilliance; sheer unadulterated brilliance!