And for the record, my county (Hamilton) is purple, I just happen to live in a very Republican part of it.
I'd check back with some of those people you were standing with in Clermont County back in 2004. I spend quite a bit of time there, around the Union Township area, and while I am sure the area is still conservative, I've noticed a decided decline in pro-Bush, support-our-troops bumper stickers and magnets.
Clermont County is the home of Matt Maupin/family and the Yellow Ribbon Campaign . . . There is definitely NO decline in support for either our troops or their Commander-in-Chief . . . In fact, we just completed a VERY successful scholarship campaign in memory of Matt and others who have given their all in the WOT!!
[FYI: Bush and Blackwell — apples and oranges . . . no comparison! FYI2: During his 7th and early 8th years in office, Reagan was hard pressed to poll as well as Bush still does among Republicans, and Reagan wasn’t dealing with the plethora of tough issues that Bush has/is.]