Bait and Switch

Picture someone you know who is very conservative in his or her beliefs. Someone to whom the phrase "family values" is very important. Picture someone who has a picture of Reagan on the wall and is put off by the very word "liberal."

Do you know who they are voting for this November?

Chances are it's George W. Bush, because they are likely victim of one of Bush's grandest hoodwinks: He has successfully convinced Americans that he is a defender of traditional values.

In fact, Bush is anything but traditional - his politics and his policies smack of extremism, and as more and more conservatives are discovering, he has strayed far away from traditional conservative values.

Conservatives believe, for example, in small government. Does a small government come and knock on the doors of people who plan to organize a protest, as FBI agents did last month before the Republican convention?

The USA PATRIOT act has expanded the government's powers to heights all Americans should be afraid of, especially those who espouse the value of a small government. Bush's government can tap your phone without a warrant, see what books you are taking out of the library, and throw you in jail indefinitely without cause and without giving you a lawyer. That's not small government, and that's not conservative.

Conservatives believe in being tough on crime. Bush recently allowed a ban on assault weapons expire without saying a word. His administration also reduced funding for community-oriented policing programs. So now there are more assault weapons on the street, and less police. That's not being tough on crime, and that's not conservative.

Conservatives rail against "tax and spend" Democrats. Bush has not vetoed a single spending bill during his entire time in office. We now face the largest deficit in history, another thing that should upset true conservatives. As Republican Senator John McCain put it, his administration has spent "like a drunken sailor" - and that is not conservative.

Conservatives believe strongly that taxes should be reduced as much as possible at almost any cost. But if you are a conservative and not a member of the high upper class, Bush's tax cuts probably haven't benefited you too much. Most of the cuts were targeted at the top one percent of taxpayers. The average low-to-middle income family has not seen a significant reduction in taxes under Bush, and that's not conservative.

Conservatives these days are proud to display "Support the Troops" bumper stickers and loudly criticize any affront to the military, whether it is in the form of a reduction in defense spending or a simple criticism of the war.

But Bush has sent thousands of our troops to fight in a war for which he keeps changing the rationale. Over 1,000 troops have paid with their lives for Bush's decision to go to war, and we are not any safer as a nation for their sacrifice - they died to remove a threat that didn't exist. Bush's willingness to expend the lives of young men and women in the armed forces is reprehensible and should incense any supporter of the military.

Conservatives are generally religious as well. Bush often claims a higher authority guides him, but his policies don't show it. Christianity teaches the value of peace and justice, as do most religions. But Bush is a self-described "war president" - he has led two wars during his administration, one of which was hugely unnecessary and based on illegitimate information. The war in Iraq is directly opposed to the principles of peace and justice. Many religious leaders have spoken out against it, including the Pope. The fifth commandment says "thou shalt not kill," but over 12,000 innocent civilians have died in Iraq since the start of the war.

Bush is out of step with religious values, conservative values, and the standards of civil society. Those who hold deep Christian beliefs should be angry Bush has betrayed them and absolutely enraged that he uses the Christian faith to mask his extremism.

Many of Bush's supporters are hard working middle class families who love their country and believe strongly in preserving traditional values. They are religious people who are proud of the military. But they are baited by campaign rhetoric into voting for Bush and will find themselves the victims of a cruel switch if he wins.

Conservatism is but a mask Bush wears. Time is running out for people to see behind it.