I agree. George H W Bush never really did like Reagan. Bush saw himself as one of the elite, and to him, Reagan was just a rube.
I think the party started moving away from conservatism sometime around the late ninties. The 1994 election was the last hurrah for conservatives in the GOP.
Bush 1 abandoned the Reagan legacy and became a one term proposition for it. The Rockefeller wing of the GOP never understood Reagan and never bought into Reagan’s principles.
Jeb Bush is probably the best politician of the three - but he is a middle of the road type guy. Florida is a different animal - GOP Governor’s there - Crist/Bush - made a political living riding the fence because that is what gets you elected in Florida - not firebrand conservatism. That is why the Rockefeller GOP likes GOP Governors from Florida so much - the demographics favor them.
They are blind to the fact that it won’t translate to the conservative base in the rest of the country. As popular as Rubio was prior to the shamnesty debacle, I would argue Rubio would have had a better shot at being elected President than Governor of Florida.
I hate saying it, but this reality carries huge ramifications for the GOP nationally moving forward. Florida is gradually shifting towards becoming a reliable pickup for the rats in Presidential elections and when that happens, regardless of adding millions of reliable rat voters thanks to Rubio and gang, the GOP is done in the White House statistically - can’t get there without Florida.
I believe the husband and boys, listened to mama Barbara. They got their hatred of Reagan/conservatism through her. She hates them so - the impulsive woman couldn’t shut her mouth and made a comment about Sarah which showed her contempt. It was very wrong of her to say with contempt - Sarah should stay in Alaska. The old hag Barbara has many character flaws. IMO, she lost her ‘first lady’ appeal and even as a mother she sounded like not a good role model. Glad I didn’t grow up in that household.