[Proud2BAmerican]

I've always been of the mind that if Republicans would just put forth bold, unapologetic, authentic conservatives -- they'd ignite their conservative base to become so motivated to turn out the polls, and overwhelming victory.

Instead, the GOP goes "big tent" and spits on their base, thus either de-energizing that sizable base to either stay home or take their vote elsewhere -- and the result, not surprisingly, is defeat.

Bush fooled a lot of people with his Texas accent and "aw shucks" speaking, which got people thinking he was a gin-you-wine conservative. But really he's just a big-business, globalist, big government Repub., and he only appeals to those constituencies as well as the Republicans who don't care who's in office, just so long as there's an (R) next to their name.

[Jim Noble]

they'd ignite their conservative base to become so motivated to turn out the polls, and overwhelming victory

The "conservative base" is less than 30% of the electorate, perhaps less than 25%.

Actions which "ignite" them make winning the remaining votes to get to 51% less likely.

[WorkingClassFilth]

This is because conservatism is an icon to be displayed and held aloft to the slobbering masses - not applied. Until we gut party leadership and gain control of the 'R' machine, we'll only get liberal-lite leadership.

[Finny]

... [Bush is] a big-business, globalist, big government Repub., and he only appeals to those constituencies as well as the Republicans who don't care who's in office, just so long as there's an (R) next to their name.

Yet if I had it to do over again, I'd vote for him gladly. History will judge him as a wise and measured president in many ways. He was THE right man for the time.

I have no beef with big business. Businesses big and small in a free market inspire the most moral system of interpersonal commerce imagineable. Free of class envy, that is -- envy is a very bad thing, and even many Republicans are tempted to be misled by it.

Big nanny government is, to me, often inspired by envy and it is the biggest enemy of the (R). Or at least, it should be. When it stops doing that, then either I'm no longer an (R) or the (R) is no longer Republican.

[aroostook war]

“Bush fooled a lot of people with his Texas accent and “aw shucks” speaking, which got people thinking he was a gin-you-wine conservative. But really he’s just a big-business, globalist, big government Repub., and he only appeals to those constituencies as well as the Republicans who don’t care who’s in office, just so long as there’s an (R) next to their name.”

You’re right on the money...