Is George W. Bush still hurting the Republican Party

[Mr. Smith]

Doubt it, he was and may become so again if Jeb gets nominated.

But for now, it's the Tea Party that formed in response to the fall of neoconservatism in light of Dubya.

They've moved the GOP away from conservatism in favor of regression, which simply doesn't sit with most voters.

[Mr. Smith]

@Wolverine: I could argue that Bush is the final nail in the coffin for the Northeast, as the election of rural born-again hick pretty much got rid of what few Rockefeller Republicans there were...sure Toomey,Kirk, Johnson, Collins, and Ayotte exist...but four of them are likely dead politically in 2016 and Maine will probably be DEEP ATLAS RED for good once Collins retires

So don't cry about the South for the Dems, they have the Northeast and California to more than make that up.

As for Obama, he brought in Virginia and brought the coastal South that didn't even vote for Clinton back to competitiveness.


And anyway, Clinton was considered an scourge for a long time and personally very disregarded in spite of well received policies...sorta like Reagan...propped up by hindsight by  harsher ideologues, and one day so will Obama....if Christie or some GOP actually beats Clinton.




As for Carter, he's made a new name and like Truman, most of what he did is now considered quite sensible in the situation anyway.