The Bush defenders seem to forget how well he worked with democrats, This initiative moved democrats out into the counties to vote democrat, like here in Maryland.I used to be a "Bush defender" and on some subjects -- Iraq, "torture" and some other aspects of the WOT I still am -- but when it comes to Bush's understanding of capitalism and the role it plays in preserving individual liberty, I believe that Bush's understanding was and is very low, as it is with all RINOs.
And on many issues Bush certainly was a RINO.
The tax cuts? Well, yes. The tax cuts were good. But they weren't enough. On too many other issues he climbed into bed with the party of Barney Frank (with Barney himself often right there under the sheets). And why? In my opinion, Bush always wanted to be liked by the lefties, an evil habit he picked up from his squishy-RINO dad.
If Bush had taken a few minutes each week to read FR he may have learned what nearly all of us here knew all along... no matter how much demo-butt he licked, they were NEVER going to like him. And they didn't. And they don't.
So he basically sold out his country, sold out his core supporters, for a sick illusion... the fantasy that he could get the lefties to like him. Which was never going to happen. Not in a million years.
So he sold us out for nothing.
We went very, very cheap.
The cheapest slavery-sale in the history of human civilization.
“ It is not merely that inflation breeds dishonesty in a nation. Inflation is itself a dishonest act on the part of government, and sets the example for private citizens. When modern governments inflate by increasing the paper-money supply, directly or indirectly, they do in principle what kings once did when they clipped coins. Diluting the money supply with paper is the moral equivalent of diluting the milk supply with water. Notwithstanding all the pious pretenses of governments that inflation is some evil visitation from without, inflation is practically always the result of deliberate governmental policy. “
From : “What You Should Know About Inflation” by Henry Hazlitt
Worth repeating, very well put!,
My thoughts are that his popularity was already declining by 2004 but Rove told him he could win election if he reached out to certain groups, elderly and single Mom's with sellout spending bills (Medicare drugs, and Education, no vouchers. ) And it worked , he got elected with better margin than 2000 by pulling in a few more million voters (very expensive) . So as his popularity really started to decline he continued, more big government sellouts, but there was no amount of money or sellouts that would work long term. I can tell you what those groups complain the most about him , and it's common to most voters. He could not buy that back. Once the economy tanked it was over for him. He was hoping Iraq victory would save his legacy. So he spent more and more.