You are correct. It sure does seem some are taking it personally. And to some degree I take some of the mistake and slight personally too. Heck, I have to defend Bush from Liberal friends and family members who think BUSH IS WAY TOO CONSERVATIVE, who think BUSH CUT TAXES TOO MUCH and who think BUSH"S MEDICARE BILL IS A CONSERVATIVE TROJAN HORSE.
Only a child thinks that by voting for person X, you'll get everything you want. The Socialist Democrats depend on such thinking for their voting base - vote for the Dems or your lunches/medicaid/subsidy/social-security will be taken away from the mean ol Republicans out to create "Social Darwinism".
I was never under the illusion that George Bush would give everything I wanted. Some things have disappointed but some things he did BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. Tax cuts in 2003 is just one example, I am shocked and pleased he did it; without it, our recovery would be weaker. Same with Partial Birth Abortion ban and his leadership on Iraq. For all the whining and complaining on it, Bush went out on a limb and showed incredible leadership, resolve and consistency. His reward for that? He gets pummelled by the Democrats daily, and the only Republicans that get any media time are the wafflers and critics (like Chuck Hagel).
I'm as mad as a wet hen that Bush and the GOP Congress are spending like the proverbial drunken sailors. It's a disgrace. But I also know that (a) any such impulses are far worse in the Democrats side, and (b) this is one aspect of a bigger picture - spending, taxation and regulation/litigation. Bush has done well enough on most areas to deserve conservative respect.
Going into the voting booth, did I expect this big a tax cut? Nope. Did I expect PBA ban? Nope. Did I fear CFR and Medicare expansion since both were democrat hotbuttons with RINO support? YUP. DID I EXPECT BUSH WOULD TURN BOTH BILLS INTO BILLS THAT POLITICALLY DECIMATE THE DEMOCRATS ON FUNDRAISING AND POSITIONING? NOPE! I surely mis-underestimated Bush's political strategery there.
I'm an adult who's smart enough to know there is no political person who can 'deliver' exactly what I want. I am smart enough to know that there is far more to being politically effective than just voting. But when it does come to vote, I'll happily support the one party that has sent legions of Conservatives into power, in the administration (from Cheney on down) and in the Congress (DeLay, Santorum, Sununu, Nickles, Tancredo, Toomey, Paul, lots more great conservatives in the GOP). NOt to mention our 3 best Supreme Court Justices: Rehnquist, Thomas, and Scalia.
.He's done some non-conservative things, therefore there's NO DIFFERENCE between him and the Dems. Meanwhile, he's cut taxes, appointed or tried to appoint solidly conservative judges, signed the partial birth abortion bill, pursued expanded domestic energy production (which the Senate has blocked, and they weirdly blame him for that), missile defense, war on terrorism. None of that means anything. They sound like a bunch of 10 year olds.
Dittos. Under the hood of the energy bill for example is a lot of bad alternative energy giveaways but ALSO stuff a Clinton White House never would go for, namely critical support for nuclear energy, rules to fix utility ownership regulations that are outdated (going back to depression), and support for electricity transmission networks, plus the oil&gas support that greenpeace hates but is good for USA.