De Son is a third-year political science and history student. He
is also the president of the Republican Leadership Council.
By Jason De Son As the end of the first 100
days of the Bush administration came to a close last week, I was
concluding my reading of Marvin Olasky’s “Compassionate
Conservatism.” The book details the manner in which the new
ideology has evolved in recent years and explores its historical
origins. Compassionate conservatism may be the small step toward
the progressive, pragmatic path that was successful for eight years
under the Clinton administration, but a giant leap is required by
the current administration if Republicans are to return to the
right path. In a recent edition of The Economist, an article on
President Bush explores the lack of surprise in the first 100 days
of the Bush Administration. Many Democrats voice concerns about
Bush being a stooge of the right-wing faction that has controlled
the party since the reelection of Clinton in 1996. Though there are
causes for concern with some of his policy decisions, Bush has been
doing everything he said he was going to do in his campaign. For
this, credit must be given to the president. Unfortunately, no one
was listening to his statements; instead, they were too busy
waiting for him to mispronounce a word.
Illustration by ZACH LOPEZ/Daily Bruin As a moderate, I am
concerned that Bush bows too much to the right wing, but I know to
take everything from Washington with a grain of salt.
Maybe Bush does not want to keep the environment protected from
big business because that would cause economic problems. With the
economy fluctuating, we cannot afford to implement programs that
will bankrupt companies and send American workers into
unemployment. But I believe President Bush’s greatest success
comes with the recent China incident. We face two possible futures
in our relations with China: a prosperous economic coexistence and
the erosion of China’s communism, or a second Cold War with
the potential for a new arms race. There are members of Congress
who are more than willing to pursue the second option and they sit
on both sides of the aisle. If those members had their way, this
minor incident with China would have drawn us into that Cold War.
Thankfully, President Bush made the right decision by offering
defensive weapons to Taiwan, instead of more dangerous weapons for
offense. I believe the president has shown that he is no fool when
it comes to foreign policy, despite other people’s
preconceptions. The tax cut is a great tool the Republican party
has at its disposal. Unfortunately, it is not always used
appropriately. Some recent studies suggest that the theory of
trickle-down economics might have worked in the long run. The
results were delayed by the increase on military spending by former
President Ronald Reagan. But with a surplus available and the Cold
War over, it seems unlikely that a tax cut will hurt the American
people or the economy. In fact, it may give the economy a fantastic
boost. The right wing has ruled the party with an iron fist and
although President Bush is not the leader who will reform the
party, he may be the leader to set the stage for reform. His
compassionate conservatism is a small step in the right direction.
Concerning abortion, I believe that women should have the freedom
to make the choice for themselves, but I will do everything in my
power to persuade them not to choose to abort. Although abortion
was a large concern in the election, I do not find any particular
threat to the legality of abortion from President Bush.
Historically speaking, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court
““ if the justices are appointed with the intent of
overturning Roe v. Wade ““ will make abortion illegal. In the
several times this has been attempted, the 1973 decision was upheld
every time. The loss of prestige would be too great for the Court
to consider overturning Roe v. Wade and Bush knows that a fight to
end abortion would mean the end of his political career. With this
in mind, I think abortion is safe in an America under the present
administration. If I am wrong, the president will not receive my
vote in 2004. The 2000 election was close. Several studies show
that George W. Bush would have won the election anyway, had all the
recounts continued. There is little talk anymore of abolishing the
electoral college. America has moved on.
In retrospect, America was clearly divided and it remains
divided seven months later. This is shown as the president’s
approval rating fluctuates from 49 to 59 percent. The first 100
days show that the president is doing what he promised he was going
to do. For this I am pleased. There are no hidden agendas this
time. President Bush’s diplomatic skills have been put to the
test and he has passed that test with modest success. Before we
jump to conclusions about the president, I think we need to give
the man a chance. Changing a party for the better while working
with bitter opponents is not going to be easy. But a governor from
a small state in the South proved himself to be more than capable.
I did not support Clinton at first, but I kept an open mind and now
I think of him as one of our best presidents. As Atticus Finch
observes in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” you never
understand someone until you walk around in their shoes. Put
yourself in the president’s shoes. How would you do things
differently? Or would you do them the same? The first 100 days may
not be enough to judge President Bush. There is still so much to be
done and the true tests lie ahead, but I think President Bush will
do well. I hope others will open themselves to the possibility that
things may just work out in the U.S. under President Bush.