George Bush
Former president George W. Bush was looked at as being one of the most conservative presidents our nation has ever seen, but if you look at his policies you will see that due to certain circumstances he had many liberal views. What he proposed in his campaigns and preached in his speeches is not what historians will view as his legacy. Now it is not be suggested that George W. Bush was secretly a democrat, but the policies he put forward put him in agreement with politicians holding a liberal view on government.
It seems very hypocritical that many President Bush supporters now claim that President Obama is a “socialist”, suggesting that he wants government to be as big as possible. If they are against big government, that is reasonable but President Bush’s administration saw the biggest expansion of government in our nation’s history. Bush supporters are also calling out Obama saying that he spends too much. Being against mass government spending is a valid claim, but it seems odd only because President Bush spent the same amount as of all the preceding presidents combined by the end of his first term. Growing government and mass spending are actions of a politician with liberal views on government. President Bush also had a liberal view when it came to immigration. He supported an amnesty program for illegal immigration. Although it received bi-partisan support, many still consider the policy to take a liberal view. Bush’s support of the McCain-Goldwater immigration reform bill illustrated his willingness to utilize liberal views when signing legislation. Due to the lack of control of Congress, republicans maintained little difficulty in countering the liberal view-point all together and put a stop to comprehensive immigration reform from the outset. President Bush also supported NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which is an agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada permitting trade between the three countries. NAFTA was signed by President Bill Clintion. A democratic president with very liberal views.
President Bush’s liberal view on some policies should not mistake him as a democrat, but it is only fair to view his policies with honesty. Many republicans try to tarnish democrats by calling them “liberals”. It seems as though they either don’t know what the word means or they are just being hypocritical. Conservatives supported one of the most liberal republican presidents of our time. Only time will tell how President Bush’s presidency will be remembered, but it is clear that he shared and practiced several liberal views. His speeches suggested that he was a hardcore conservative and a republican to the core, but in his case actions speak much louder than words.
