At times, I have argued that the modern GOP is actually a coalition of three factions, which have only a passing interest in each other's obsessions. The factions are:
- Imperialists (neocons) - Obsessed with foreign policy and military conquest. This faction is exemplified by Dick Cheney.
- Corporatists - Obsessed with taxes and regulation, and drowning both in the bathtub. This faction is exemplified by Grover Norquist.
- Fundamentalists (the religious right) - Obsessed with everyone else's sex life, and Ragnarok or whatever they call that time that they think God will take them to Heaven so the rest of us can get some peace and quiet. Exemplified by James Dobson.
Bush's political genius, if you can call it that, is to serve as a figurehead for all three factions - he freely promotes all three agendas. But how well has he done, really?
And this is where I cease to understand the GOP... I mean, I can understand the GOALS of the three factions, even if I disagree with them. But Bush has been a disaster for ALL THREE factions!
For the Imperialists... Bush has bogged America down in a nation-building quagmire with no exit strategy. He's allowed our enemies to grow stronger. Europe (they're our enemy, right?), Iran, North Korea, China (they're our enemy too, right?) are all on the rise. Aren't foreign policy Republicans opposed to nation-building and international quagmires? Blowing up shit is cool, but you have to LEAVE afterward!
For the Corporatists... The Dow is lower now than it was when Bush took office nearly five years ago. Sky-high deficits suck up money from business investment. Government is growing faster than ever. Juicy no-bid contracts are only good for the well-connected few, and skyrocketing oil prices hurt everyone but the oil companies.
For the Fundamentalists... Bush hasn't done ANYTHING for them. He has given them barely-acceptable to unacceptable SCOTUS candidates, so there's no guarantee Roe v Wade will be overturned. He hasn't delivered a constitutional ban on gay marriage, either. And the Rapture STILL hasn't happened! (Or maybe it has, and they were all Left Behind and don't know it...)
So you see... if you're a Democrat or liberal/moderate of any stripe, hating Bush is easy and obvious. What I don't get is why he isn't roundly hated by his own party. After all, he's been a total failure for THEIR issues as well.