"It's great that Bush beat Kerry, but any comparison between Reagan's two landslide wins and Bush`s close reelection victory in 2004, is a dishonest effort to tear down The Gipper"
ReaganMan, I don't know why you are so defensive about Pres. Reagan. The fact that we are celebrating Pres. Bush's record-setting performance is not a put-down of Pres. Reagan. In fact, no one would be happier than Pres. Reagan himself since Pres. GW Bush is the true heir to the Reagan legacy.
I agree that Pres. Reagan's victories in '80 and '84 were remarkable (I worked in both campaigns as well as '76), but except for the anti-Carter 1980 vote, Pres. Reagan's victories did not translate into Republican gains. Pres. Bush is the first Republican since Coolidge to score gains for Republicans in both the US Senate and US House in BOTH the mid-term and general elections. Republicans have also made historic gains in the states and in voter registration stats. The 62 million votes for Pres. Bush is just the topping on the cake.
If I'm not mistaken, I went through this with you before. You still don't get it. You have engaged in distortions on this thread and have attempted to undermine the legacy of a great President.
First off, you're obfuscating the 2004 election returns to make Bush`s victory seem larger then it was. If that wasn't bad enough, you have the audacity to compare Bush`s win with Reagan's landslide victories in 80&84. While its true that the GOP did pick up seats in the House and Senate, something that hadn't been done since LBJ in 1964, its also true, Reagan's party leadership and election day coattails actually gave the GOP control of the Senate for six years, from 1981-1986. Reagan used that Senate power and control to negotiate with Speaker Tip O'Neil to get his economic recovery plan passed into law.
I defend President Reagan for good reason. He set the stage for the 1994 GOP takeover of Congress and much of the current Bush policy agenda is straight out of the Reagan playbook. Strong defense, tax reform and support for pro-life issues.
But Bush`s victory this year was not amazing, surprising, astounding or record setting. Receiving more votes then Reagan did 20 years ago, when the nations population stood at 230 million, compared to 293 million today, isn't a great achievement. Turnout was key for the GOP victory and Christian consrvatives, aka. The Religious Right, came out in force for Bush. Just as they did for Reagan in 1980 and 1984. Reagan beat Carter by 8.4 million votes. Reagan beat Mondale by 16.8 million votes. Bush did receieve 11.5 million more votes then he did in 2000, but he beat Kerry by just 3 million votes. A solid win, but in historical terms, a tight victory margin.