Dude orchestrated the death and torture of thousands of people in the Middle East and yet he is viewed favorably? What a fucking joke.
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YouGov: 51% of Democrats Have a Favorable View of George W. Bush
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I can't imagine it'd be anything else. Bush was loathed by the left in his day, and was pitied as a joke in the Obama era. Now he looks smart (?) and respectful of the office (?) compared to the current leader.
Man what a short memory people have. Just because he's more "presidential" and less unhinged compared to Trump doesn't erase the pile of world wrecking shit that his presidency was. Some people simply find him adorable now... and it makes me want to puke.
I can see why. Most of the damage that Bush did was outside of America. Out of sight, out of mind.
that's what drifting to the right by the party at large and the media's over willingness to care about shallow personables over policy will do.
Obama escalated Bush's wars like never before and started many of his own illegal ones too, some of which ended with failed states. So something like Bush is now seen as "acceptable". Oh 2 wars? Who cares, we have like 13 interventions going on at the same time in more countries than we can count on one hand, many cases unilaterally.
Don't forget about the Dems and GOPs bipartisan support of that 700 billion dollar military budget with 80 billion on top. Its so pathetic and disgusting.
Obama escalated Bush's wars like never before and started many of his own illegal ones too, some of which ended with failed states. So something like Bush is now seen as "acceptable". Oh 2 wars? Who cares, we have like 13 interventions going on at the same time in more countries than we can count on one hand, many cases unilaterally.
Don't forget about the Dems and GOPs bipartisan support of that 700 billion dollar military budget with 80 billion on top. Its so pathetic and disgusting.
Let's start with Medicare Part D, which was a financially irresponsible bill that, along with the irresponsible tax cuts that were made, set our government well on its way to the astronomical deficits in subsequent years. Remember Dick Cheney saying "deficits don't matter"? Yeah. Dubya inherited a US Government operating on a budget surplus. Add to that getting us into a war that we shouldn't have been in, under false pretenses, which cost the lives of way too many Americans in the military, and fuck that guy. Don't make excuses for him just because he had evil people like Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld pulling the strings, the buck stops with the President. Remember when he won reelection in 2004 by a very thin margin and came out with his chest puffed out like he had some huge mandate? How he has earned political capital that he intends to spend? He tried to spend said capital on privatizing Social Security, effectively putting it into the stock market. The same stock market that would implode in 2008 with that gigantic financial crisis that he didn't see coming, and that his hopeful successor John McCain completely ignored, saying the "fundamentals of our economy are strong".
So yeah, it's still fuck Bush.
The fact that 51% of Dems actually have a favorable view of him now speaks volumes about the Democratic party and why I can't stand their establishment figures.
So yeah, it's still fuck Bush.
The fact that 51% of Dems actually have a favorable view of him now speaks volumes about the Democratic party and why I can't stand their establishment figures.
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Making Bush look good is just another one of Trump's horrible qualities, and Democrats giving shitty people a pass when someone worse comes along is one of theirs.
Bush lead us to TWO wars that were badly managed based on false intelligence. Trump yelling at people on Twitter and having a shitty domestic policy is nothing in comparison. I think his whole business career is a lie and a sham (he tries to build a casino in Atlantic City NJ, causes the city to become bankrupt, had dealings with the Italian mob while building the casino and declared bankruptcy to the point that no bank in the United States would offer him a line of credit not to mention his father's ties to the KKK).
Still, Trump is probably the most unqualified person to ever be President right next to Bush 43 and Herbert Hoover. If Trump gets impeached this year or 2018, it's because his administration will have revolted on him.
Still, Trump is probably the most unqualified person to ever be President right next to Bush 43 and Herbert Hoover. If Trump gets impeached this year or 2018, it's because his administration will have revolted on him.
The current (or any current) administration should never be part of the equation when judging past presidents. Never.
yes! that's exactly how germany managed to overcome their dark past. They were like "just forget about it guys, who cares anyway?"
yes! that's exactly how germany managed to overcome their dark past. They were like "just forget about it guys, who cares anyway?"
Realistically, he shouldn't. But he was also a fairly likable guy in terms of his personality. And for as much as he made terrible decisions and drove the economy into the ground, it's hard to look back at him during the era of Trump and not think, "I'd rather have him."
He's still one of the worst presidents in history, however.
He's still one of the worst presidents in history, however.
Likeable guy.
Terrible president.
I'd love to have a beer with the man. But not have him in charge of making the beer.
Terrible president.
I'd love to have a beer with the man. But not have him in charge of making the beer.
A blowhard with an ugly mouth waltzes into the White House and all of a sudden grandpa over here looks like a huggable teddy bear by comparison. "D'aww, look at grandpa over here with his lovely paintings. Aww shucks, this bloke can't have been too bad". Well doesn't that instill great confidence in the state of the current Democratic Party...
Once Trump and his administration somehow find their legs and show off a smidgen of competency in finally getting their putrid programme through while also culminating in tens of thousands of lives wasted, a whole region permanently destablilised, and a regime of out-of-sight torture up and running, then we can start to sit down and properly debate as to which president is the worst. Because thus far, despite the fact that Trump is a vile, bloviating sack of shit with ugly attitudes and an ugly fanbase scrambling to lick clean his many pairs of shoes, he's nowhere near Bush Jnr yet. He has plentiful opportunities to get to the seventh circle of hell though.
Once Trump and his administration somehow find their legs and show off a smidgen of competency in finally getting their putrid programme through while also culminating in tens of thousands of lives wasted, a whole region permanently destablilised, and a regime of out-of-sight torture up and running, then we can start to sit down and properly debate as to which president is the worst. Because thus far, despite the fact that Trump is a vile, bloviating sack of shit with ugly attitudes and an ugly fanbase scrambling to lick clean his many pairs of shoes, he's nowhere near Bush Jnr yet. He has plentiful opportunities to get to the seventh circle of hell though.
There's been so much work for whatever reason to paint W as just a nice old man post-Presidency but I can't forget. Just because even he recognizes what we have in the current White House, that doesn't make him better than he was. It just means he's not quite as stupid as we thought.
He couldn't stand up to Cheney, Rumsfeld and all of those goons. He would have been a far more moderate and sensible Pres had he done things differently after 9/11. He still has blood on his hands though...
Yeah a lot of people in the electorate only care about policy that affects them. The bad doesn't matter as long as they are prioritized.
This is crazy, but I also kind of get it. Favorable relative to our current public figures, extremely unfavorable in an absolute sense.
I imagine if you polled, like, Romney again now, his numbers would be high too, just from all the people thinking they'd rather have him than anyone in the current admin.
I imagine if you polled, like, Romney again now, his numbers would be high too, just from all the people thinking they'd rather have him than anyone in the current admin.
So far i'd say Bush definitely was worse than Trump policy wise, but Trump has an extremely concerning rhetoric.
But is a politically correct term like "enhanced interrogation" really better than just saying what you mean directly?
That said, the reason why Trump hasnt done much damage policy wise is mainly because he is too incompetent to get anything passed.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"
If Bush became president again, after a week those numbers would plummet. People just like the idea of a president who was relatively sane and not actively trying to dissolve the federal government.
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No, it's to illustrate that people either easily forget or simply don't care about the deaths and pain and misery that Bush caused. That despite seeing themselves as the virtuous and moral platform in contrast to the straight up fascist Republicans, Democrats still have some self-reflection to do.
"Lord Voldemort has seemed to grow less human with the passing years, and the transformation he has undergone seemed to me to be only explicable if his soul was mutilated beyond the realms of what we might call 'usual evil'…" - Albus Dumbledore
This is how I view Bush relative to the current administration. Bush was usual evil. Trump and company are the Death Eaters (Trump is more of a Pius Thicknesse than a Voldermort, though). Usual evil seems almost benign compared to what's going on right now.
This is how I view Bush relative to the current administration. Bush was usual evil. Trump and company are the Death Eaters (Trump is more of a Pius Thicknesse than a Voldermort, though). Usual evil seems almost benign compared to what's going on right now.
I take it you never heard of the time W mocked a prisoner, one he as governor was going to execute, for begging for her life?
Bush is a war criminal. Just because trump is horrific, it doesn't wash w clean.
Trump has done far less evil than any neocon.
Maybe they excuse it all because Obama did all that as well.
People are expecting worse from Trump. Given the litany of corrupt and criminal acts associated with W's administration, that says a lot about Trump.
Also, people have short memories.
Also, people have short memories.
I truly hated him as a president, but as a person, I like the guy a lot. Seems to be a straight up guy who likes to get along with everyone.
*Sigh*
At least Tony Blair is still massively distrusted and disliked.
War criminals should not have their pasts "revised" just because of some things they might be saying in the current day that seem "progressive".
At least Tony Blair is still massively distrusted and disliked.
War criminals should not have their pasts "revised" just because of some things they might be saying in the current day that seem "progressive".
A lot of history's idiots and scumbags are looking a tad more favourable in comparison to Trump.
I don't understand why people think Bush is better than Trump.
Trump fucking sucks, but so far he has not been able to accomplish anything that even touches how bad Bush was.
Don't get me wrong, Trump has tried, but he's failed. Bush succeeded in being a piece of shit.
Trump fucking sucks, but so far he has not been able to accomplish anything that even touches how bad Bush was.
Don't get me wrong, Trump has tried, but he's failed. Bush succeeded in being a piece of shit.
Maybe in 20 years or so a democrat candidate will say they will ask him for advice on foreign policy during a presidential primary debate.
edit: I should have said book, it was just brought up in a debate
edit: I should have said book, it was just brought up in a debate
This isn't meant to be a "Democrats are actually Republicans" post, because I don't believe that and I think there are very significant differences in many areas that more than justify continuing to support Democrats in national and local elections, from both a social perspective and an economic one.
But there is often a tendency from Democrats to downplay war (or deflect / change the subject) and the damage our country has caused and continues to cause with our military and foreign policy strategy. The GOP is worse in this regard, and certainly much more aggressive, so the general Democrat routine is better, but they are also complicit in normalizing the death and destruction we cause. They can do better.
Softening views on Bush is just a reflection of that. It's not just Trump. This was always going to happen simply because a lot of Democrats just don't care all that much about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the world.
But there is often a tendency from Democrats to downplay war (or deflect / change the subject) and the damage our country has caused and continues to cause with our military and foreign policy strategy. The GOP is worse in this regard, and certainly much more aggressive, so the general Democrat routine is better, but they are also complicit in normalizing the death and destruction we cause. They can do better.
Softening views on Bush is just a reflection of that. It's not just Trump. This was always going to happen simply because a lot of Democrats just don't care all that much about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the world.
I don't remember Bush calling Mexicans drug dealers, rapists, and criminals. I also don't remember him trying to ban Muslims. Bush had a much more inclusive and diverse cabinet. None of that excuses what he did but its easy to understand how people think Bush is better than Trump.
Hey, he cycled with veterans and picked up painting as a hobby! He's totes OK nowadays.
not to defend bush but, to my recollection, he never was vocally, unapologetically racist
so that probably factors into it
Most of the reason Bush Jr. was able to get away with so much heinous shit was because of the country's reaction to 9/11.
I sometimes try to imagine what 9/11 (or an event like 9/11) would be like with Trump at the helm and... nope.
So yeah, I do have a more favorable opinion of Bush than Trump, but that's like the worlds lowest bar, so it's not entirely impressive.
I sometimes try to imagine what 9/11 (or an event like 9/11) would be like with Trump at the helm and... nope.
So yeah, I do have a more favorable opinion of Bush than Trump, but that's like the worlds lowest bar, so it's not entirely impressive.
