Why Isn’t Bush Hated as Much as Trump?
Posted by hollywood_rodrigues@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 301 comments
Bush is actually the person Democrats think Trump is. During his presidency, the U.S. witnessed:
- 9/11
- Patriot Act
- The 2001-02 Recession
- Not signing Kyoto Protocol
- Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
- The Afghanistan War
- The Iraq War
- He fought to introduce an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage in 2004 and using gay hatred to get re-elected.
- Hurricane Katrina
- The 2008 Economic Crash (the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression)
Although Bush is, in my opinion, one of the worst presidents in U.S. history and caused great harm to the U.S. and the world, I don’t remember the media and celebrities giving him much heat. He is hated only a fraction as much as Trump. Why is he so underhated? Was it politically incorrect to criticize him after 9/11?
Rare-Limit-7691@reddit
Because he didn’t try to overturn an election or incite a riot on our capitol
No-Raspberry7610@reddit
good point actually
Somerandomedude1q2w@reddit
If you take Trump at what he says, he is much worse than Bush. It's just that Trump says a lot of shit that nobody takes seriously. So the stuff that he actually does isn't that bad. Most politicians are the exact opposite, including Bush. They talk less and do more. Obama had the façade of a peace loving progressive, yet he did quite a few drone strikes and deported more illegal immigrants than either Bush or Trump.
Optics are everything. Nobody cares about policy. Bush had better optics than Trump.
PhilosophyEcstatic89@reddit
Couldn’t have worded it better. People vote based on feelings and vibes
BlueFJ07@reddit
He was, you're just to young to remember.
mmic0033@reddit
He was laughed at but not despised. I remember the 2008 election so vividly because it was the first time I followed the republican primary and got introduced to Ron Paul.
Bush was a joke, Trump is labelled as literally Hitler. The contrast is evident even today with an amazing coalition government that Trump has secured.
Closest we've been to a libertarian candidate in office. Fingers crossed he gives the right people good positions. Really want to see people Rand and Massie as the future of the Republican party.
FilterBubbles@reddit
Yeah but it wasn't wall-to-wall coverage of him being called a dangerous Nazi fascist dictator.
CaptainMorton@reddit
FilterBubbles@reddit
Yeah, that's a caricature. That show is parody.
AnusAbruption@reddit
Just a Democrat passing through here, but it's not hard to go on google, set search range for the years 2001-2008 and type in "George Bush Nazi". The reason south park "parodied" it, is because it was a thing that was happening.
FilterBubbles@reddit
The point was it wasn't the media, Al Gore, and John Kerry calling Bush a Nazi. It was just some random celebrities and protesters. It wasn't the 6 o'clock news.
CorruptedAura27@reddit
Yup exactly. He sucked! By his second term I was talking shit about him on almost a daily basis lol
wtf0208@reddit
No. Yes he was hated but he never sought out to detain or jail political opponents. This take is just idiotic. You should be old enough to remember.
gyn0saur@reddit
I still hate him. I think he should be tried for war crimes but people’s perception of him has softened. He’s now that goofy old dude who committed atrocities that have faded in people’s memories.
Gratedfumes@reddit
Ya, but at least he wasn't an asshole, you could sit down and have a beer with the guy. Could you imagine spending fifteen minutes with Trump in a bar? You'd leave $5k short, but with the title to a brand new 2007 Lincoln.
gyn0saur@reddit
Trump doesn’t drink and neither does W. George is a reformed alcoholic who is a born again Jesus freak. Trump is funny and is not stupid like George is.
Gratedfumes@reddit
My bad, in America "you could sit down and have a beer with" was a turn of phase often used to signify approachability in a political candidate, it was popular in the mid oughts.
Lagkiller@reddit
I still don't believe that people believe he was stupid. Bush had a 1206 on his SAT scores which puts him pretty high among people. His speaking gaffs are absolutely nothing except a media that tried to find any way that they could criticize him. I mean lest we forget covfefe or any other mistakes that Trump made in speaking or in his tweets.
itsquinnmydude@reddit
Stole the election from Gore, funneled money to his family friends to do 9/11 through the CIA and Saudi Arabia, killed 2 million people, and took away more civil liberties than any other president in modern history - and then as soon as trump stepped up to run for office, every hack Establishment Democrat news pundit stepped up to rehabilitate him.
He was hated for a while but when Trump stepped up to attack his legacy the whole establishment media huddled together to rehabilitate him, and it worked. It makes me furious.
Trump has basically the same policies and surrounds himself with many of the same people, but at least he didn't kill 2 million people or pass the Patriot act and create DHS, ICE, TSA etc.
Malagoy@reddit
Because he's establishment
Southern_Profit_1460@reddit
Because they dont care what trump did in office their whole campaign is just a smear campaign about him and clipping larts of stuff he says
Brick_Shitler@reddit
It was basically Cheney and Rumsfeld running things behind the scenes, plus Bush has a loveable idiot quality to him.
kunzinator@reddit
This. Bush always came off as a guy who would be fun to sit down and slam beers with and he was just playing the republican party part he was assigned at the time. Dick and Don did all the heavy lifting in that administration.
Brick_Shitler@reddit
Agreed
tombombcrongadil@reddit
He was well hated when he was president. Made fun of plenty. Same sort of mocking on SNL, late night shows etc.
You are right though, he is one of the worst presidents. I voted for him twice cause I was young and my parents were republican. It was Bush who turned me into a libertarian cause of the wars and patriot act. I felt guilty for my vote and started doing more research and found Dr Paul, who I have voted for every election since, even when he isn’t running.
Visual-Baby-3457@reddit
He does have some badass deer off one of the creeks running through his land tho lol
Visual-Baby-3457@reddit
Bush fooled the entire country I haven’t spoke to a person who still likes him post presidency
MTGriz08@reddit
Same story here.
XCivilDisobedienceX@reddit
I mean Micheal Moore got booed at the 2003 Oscars for speaking out against the war in Iraq. Yeah Bush got heavily criticized but not to the same extent as Trump. I remember Bush criticism was more on the same level as Republicans mocking Joe Biden and calling him stupid.
ScientificBeastMode@reddit
Trump has a lot more personal faults. Like exponentially more.
Jarte3@reddit
It shouldn’t be about personal faults. It should be about quality of governance
ScientificBeastMode@reddit
Which is also shit…
ppadge@reddit
How so? He wasn't the Perfect Libertarian President (though we'll probably never see one of those), but he implemented more "libertarian" changes during his term (lower taxes, massive deregulations, peace treaties in the middle east, etc.) than any other president in my lifetime, and the positive impact was certainly beginning to show in the economy, et al, before the chaos in the streets unfolded.
This is coming from someone who was kinda worried when he took office originally, but I gave him a chance, despite my biases against him, and started sifting through the bullshit in media, etc, and began realizing the guy really is trying to do right by America, and the backlash he's gotten from media, government officials, etc, should be concerning to anyone who can see through the bullshit.
Jarte3@reddit
Lmfao
keepitrealbish@reddit
That was my thought too. Trump seems to be seriously lacking in the humanity department.
Bush is much more likable in my opinion. He’s also able to laugh at himself, unlike Trump who would never find humor in any gaffe he might make.
UnclePaulHargis64@reddit
I love it, the cope is so fucking brutal. How many kids did Bush Jr bomb during shock and awe? How many WMDs did his cronies condoleeza and Powell dig up? Ah, but it's all good, cause ol dubya is "much more likeable" and probably a guy you'd have a beer with, right? You're a fucking clown.
thalidomide_child@reddit
These kids just weren't old enough to know how bad Bush actually was. Him and the neocon warmongers Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and Cheney. Those fucking guys are real life actual monsters compared to make fun of you playground bully Trump.
keepitrealbish@reddit
Holy shit buddy, don’t burst a vessel. My thoughts on the matter are mine. No reason to get all twisted up over there.
wkwork@reddit
I beg your pardon? This is the Internet, sir!
TianShan16@reddit
Dude, he isn’t defending Bush, he is explaining why he gets less hate from most people: he is better at optics than Trump, regardless of his crimes.
endthepainowplz@reddit
Bush was a bad president, but seems like an alright guy. Trump isn’t an alright guy, so there is a lot more to after him for. They definitely would have done the same to Bush if they could.
UnclePaulHargis64@reddit
I love it, the cope is so fucking brutal. How many kids did Bush Jr bomb during shock and awe? How many WMDs did his cronies condoleeza and Powell dig up? Ah, but it’s all good, cause ol dubya is “an alright guy” and probably a guy you’d have a beer with, right? You’re a fucking clown. I copied my above comment cause you're all a bunch of scrubs.
conffra@reddit
Also it's a different time. A lot more opinions are voiced publicly today than back then.
ScientificBeastMode@reddit
That’s a really good point. Times have changed, for sure.
Gratedfumes@reddit
I was too young, but would have voted Bush in '00. Voted for Kerry in '04 because of all the Patriot act stuff and everything else he did. But I never saw him as someone that didn't care if things went wrong, you could tell that the job weighed on him. He was always respectful, and he could still be a smartass without being vulgar or hateful. You know, a decent respectable person that you could have disagreements with.
billet@reddit
No, 2003 was early. He was still riding the 9/11 high. Opinions on Bush changed drastically after that.
bt4bm01@reddit
I remember the animosity too. I recall when people chanted “Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye” during Obama’s inauguration. Back then, at least the party leaders weren’t calling the other side fascists or comparing them to Hitler. The establishment, or “uniparty,” seemed satisfied because they were getting their wars and the Patriot Act. Bush laid the groundwork for Obama to expand on everything the uniparty wanted, while still providing enough cover for the left to believe he wasn’t. Those were wild times.
I’d argue that Trump was a marginally better president than both Obama and Bush. I also believe the left fueled the intense hatred for Trump with fabricated controversies. They targeted him from day one with serious accusations like the Russia-gate claims and impeachment attempts, which I think were unfounded and unforgivable. It was unlike anything I’d seen with any other president.
GreenBuilding842@reddit
Um the left called Bush hitler all the time
Global_Register547@reddit
Kkkkkkk bullshit
endthepainowplz@reddit
I think Trump really showed a lot of people the media’s bias. I don’t like the guy, but I remember watching the 2016 election on NBC, and when he won the newscasters were having a meltdown, and crying. I was sixteen and didn’t care much for the news or for politics since I couldn’t vote, but I always assumed that they at least tried to hide their bias. Since then though it has been an all out war against anything non democrat.
CrownVicDude@reddit
Very good analysis. (some) People freak out when you suggest Brush was worse than Trump, and honestly, it's not even close. Bush was an insider, like every president since before and after Trump, therefore he wasn't automatically targeted like Trump was.
not_today_thank@reddit
Of all the crazy things in the 2024 election, for me perhaps the craziest was Harris embracing the endorsement of Dick Cheney and thanking him for everything he has done for the country.
FunStrike343@reddit
They literally called him fascist everyday it was hilarious the tactic are the same
Privatizeprivateyes@reddit
That's what people don't seem to get. It's not Trump now, it wasn't Bush then, it's whomever is the progressives opponent right NOW.
It doesn't matter who gets the nomination-they are the enemy, they are hitler, they are the manifestation of evil in earth until, like Dick Cheney, they become useful decades later. Then they're just fine.
It's a tactic, not a principle or an argument.
joelfarris@reddit
"Hey, Ron! You got another vote this time. Yes, it's from TomBomb again."
Eyerishguy@reddit
Because he comes across as an otherwise nice dude. He's on his ranch in Texas, making little paintings and not messing with anyone. Whereas Trump comes across as a complete narcissistic asshole.
I personally don't care for Trump, but let's face the truth... The guy could cure cancer, foster world peace and bring an end to world hunger and suffering and people would still hate the dude.
Dolmenoeffect@reddit
Trump lies continuously, shamelessly and maliciously to an unforgivable degree. All politicians lie; he lies 10 times as much as anyone else.
Viend@reddit
This is it. He’s basically the Republican Jimmy Carter. Awful president, let Dick Cheney ruin the country, but otherwise he was just another old dude. All of his controversies stemmed from his presidency, not his personality.
Eyerishguy@reddit
That's a fair assessment.
PrimusDCE@reddit
I don't know how old you are but I defintely felt he was actively disliked while in office. Iraq and the Patriot Act stuff was not well received. You also started to hear people coming back from traveling and saying things like Europe hates us. All the Ron Paul stuff reached its peak in the wake of his administration, and was basically the prologue to the current "Insanity Era" of politics we are currently in, IMO.
travpahl@reddit
Bush was part of the establishment and never strayed from it. Trump is not.
Chennessee@reddit
No. People saying he was hated just as much are lying or misremembering. Bush was hated but not to the level of Trump. The media at least had a little more ethics back then. I mean, Trump coming into the spotlight made GWB America’s sweetheart. The maddening part is all my fellow anti-war friends from back then have now pivoted to Establishment Dems and ready to join another round of endless war in Ukraine.
It’s wild to see the war hawks switch their preferred party to D during the Obama years.
townsforever@reddit
To be fair to Bush a lot of that stuff was way beyond his control. There's not a leader in history who could have prevented 9/11 or hurricane Katrina.
GreenBuilding842@reddit
Very true. He was a victim of circumstances in many ways
lord_bubblewater@reddit
Half of the things you mention were not his doing and basically every politician was anti-gay back then.
GreenBuilding842@reddit
Even Barack Obama was anti gay marriage at the start of his presidency
ForbiddenDelight@reddit
Check back in say 6 - 8 months and you'll have your answer.
sjnunez3@reddit
9/11 - Directly attributed by intelligence failures under Clinton
Patriot Act - Horrible violation passed with overwhelming BIPARTISAN support.
The 2001-02 Recession - Product of the Dot-Com Crash, again, under Clinton, exacerbated by 9/11.
Not signing Kyoto Protocol - Wasn't signed by Obama either. Both passed on it because it put minimal requirements on developing economies.
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act - partial bipartisan support, and affirmed through judicial system
The Afghanistan War - Poorly waged. Should have been targeted strikes. It did allow a generation of Afghan women access to education.
The Iraq War - Never should have happened.
He fought to introduce an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage in 2004 and using gay hatred to get re-elected. - Extension of DOMA, which had bipartisan support and signed by Bill Clinton.
Hurricane Katrina - Failure at all three levels of government, but most of the blame falls on Kathleen Blanco (governor who refused to allow the Feds to take over the response effort, completely politically motivated) and Ray Nagin (New Orleans mayor who refused to issue an evacuation order until 19 hours before landfall; Did not have evacuation plans prepped. Now, city and school system buses are put on standby).
The 2008 Economic Crash (the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression) - Broken by bipartisan efforts to artificially boost the housing market (Republicans driven by profit, Democrats driven by profit and vote-buying through mortgages).
GreenBuilding842@reddit
Thank you . Op’s analysis is ridiculously one sided and lacks nuance
Far_Squash_4116@reddit
You mentioned the major reason why he was not hated that much: 9/11.
Sailor2uall@reddit
Because Bush was part of the UNIPARTY
Dre_LilMountain@reddit
Because he's not currently running, the current GOP president/nominee is always the worst person to ever live until they're not in office/running anymore.
goobersmooch@reddit
simple
Mean tweets
chechnyah0merdrive@reddit
I thought about this through the course of the 2016 presidency and chalked it up to the increased use in social media. We could get angrier, faster, and in large numbers, and while I didn't give a shit about his Tweets, Trump wasn't exactly helping himself on his platform. I could see people getting their panties in a bunch over his posts.
I was a liberal during the Bush II years and while I was a miserable uninformed piece of shit, I was nowhere near this level of crazy. I think Bush is the last president we'll let slide in terms of shit policies and in his case, war crimes.
2016 was a great year for trolling, tbh. Homies were made of glass and up until it got tiresome, the daily freakouts on FB were solid gold.
"Was it politically incorrect to criticize him after 9/11?"
This is a question of short-term memory. The loudest liberals are under 30, 9/11 is just something taught in history classes. Which is to be expected but what does Bush mean to them? They can freely float the "term" terrorists for anything they don't like, so it's the language as well.
joerogantrutherXXX@reddit
He was elevated during the Trump administration. Bush vilified by every sector of Hollywood and entertainment. Kayne West said Bush didn't care about black people. The common left wing talking point of the era was that Bush was a Christian Dominist pseduo-fascist or a stupid corrupt moron who duped religious with fake jesus talk. His legacy was trashed right up to 2017 then boom him and Michele Obama hugged boom now he was old folksy nice dubyah.
Swarez99@reddit
9/11. People thought he was doing good things since he was the president after 9/11.
SpiritAnimalLeroy@reddit
If you "don't remember the media and celebrities giving him much heat" then I would like some of the drugs you were consuming from the moment he became the Republican nominee until the coming of the Obamassiah (with a very brief grace period post-9/11). Bush was hated, pilloried, and mocked constantly throughout his two terms and for all the criticism Trump properly received for saying the 2020 election was rigged, it was democrats two decades earlier who were undermining "democratic norms" and damaging our political discourse by calling Bush's victory over Gore illegitimate, popularizing the "not my president" bit, and literally hanging/burning Bush in effigy during protests. Trump deserves massive amounts of criticism and vitriol but it galls me to hear Dems and the media engage in their circle jerk of how Trump has so damaged our institutions and discourse without taking any responsibility for how they tilled the earth to allow a candidate like him to become remotely viable and who would then go on to use the same playbook against them.
scamp9121@reddit
Websites that promote and create extremists such as Reddit were not as prevalent.
LOSTmyMoney2wice@reddit
There was that guy who threw a shoe at him
Thrifty_Builder@reddit
Out of sight, out of mind.
Routine-Maximum561@reddit
At least you learned, some might never.
Ravenerz@reddit
Didn't dick chenny at that time/during that administration, repeal a law that forced news outlets to be honest/truthful and also allowed them to start producing misleading headlines? Basically once gone it allowed the media to run wild and basically didn't have to be fully truthful anymore if at all.
UsedWoodpecker8612@reddit
Because he created war. War = $$$
wtf0208@reddit
Libertarians advocate for the expansion of individual autonomy and political freedom, emphasizing the principles of equality before the law and the protection of civil rights
urko_crust@reddit
Bush wasn't threatening to the legacy FDR bureaucracy. Simple as
ThreetoedJack@reddit
Exactly. You take the most flak when you're over the target.
Trump is already making moves to a constitutional amendment imposing term limits for congress. That will put a serious obstacle to purchasing senators.
His plans to dismantle FISA and defund huge chunks of the bureaucratic state are starting to hit real close to the target.
joelfarris@reddit
So, "I would bomb the shit out of them" would seem to apply to more than just a middle eastern country? Here's hoping it turns out to be true. Target hot.
ThreetoedJack@reddit
I'm getting the feeling that Trump hates the same people I do.
mmmhiitsme@reddit
You, of course, hate all the right people.
ThreetoedJack@reddit
Yes. When the Federal Reserve steals 8% of the nation's wealth for a decade through inflation...when the ATF drives tanks through a building full of children or when they shoot a mom holding an infant because of a short shotgun, yup, I don't like them.
The list is pretty extensive.
Parody_of_Self@reddit
It was under Dubbya that people started joking they were leaving for Canada
frosty147@reddit
Overton window has included/includes neocons. Notice the Dems will vote yes for things that would make neocons happy, and the republicans (and democrats) who are the most marginalized are the ones that don't agree with neocon shit.
Mugtown@reddit
Bush seems to have a moral compass. Trump is a horrible person.
Jombes_Industries@reddit
Because TV and social media tell me what to think and feel.
Bumbahkah@reddit
I got you. Fuck G W bush
yvonnalynn@reddit
Probably because he was more agreeable in personality & less abrasive on camera.
YodaCodar@reddit
He used to be
timmage28@reddit
His policies and impact on the country aside……Dubya seems like a good guy on a personal level, to me at least. Out of all the presidents of my lifetime he is the one I want to meet and hang out with the most, I think I’d gel with his personality. He doesn’t seem like a reptilian, looking back at his highlights (I was too young to understand or care so I have a different perspective) he seems like a human…maybe a nepo baby that was in over his head trying to run the most powerful country in the world, but a human nonetheless.
And he’s hilarious. And he paints dogs, how can you stay mad at an old man that paints dogs? Sure he started two frivolous wars, but haven’t we all done that when we were younger? 😆
Initial-Attorney-578@reddit
I dont know how old you are, but even when I was in my teens during his reign.
I saw a lot of hate for him. Honestly, from both political extreme sides. I guess, he didn't spray tan and bleach his hair enough.
dillhavarti@reddit
lots of people hated Bush, loudly and vehemently. however, there was still a very small measure of civility in politics then. you could still have a conversation with someone you disagreed with wholeheartedly and not always have it devolve to insults and dehumanization of the other side.
Lagkiller@reddit
John Kerry's entire election was "anyone but Bush". Much like Kamla was "anyone but Trump".
ShitArchonXPR@reddit
Yeah, I'm dying to know why Dem voters who say "we need a better system than capitalism" want to keep first-past-the-post voting rules that enforce a two-party duopoly. Because instead of having to appeal to voters, politicians can just say "vote for me because the other candidate is worse! Stop that horrible candidate!"
Einat Wilf's "It's NOT the Electoral System, Stupid!" pointed out that most stable democracies on the planet aren't first-past-the-post:
Lagkiller@reddit
Well they keep it because it allows them chances to win.
Now as to your desire of some other system. Firstly, the named countries aren't voting for candidates. Which is a much preferred system. Look no further than the democrat party who wanted Sanders, but was pushed into Hilary. That same party would do the same today, pushing candidates that you wouldn't want. It's honestly a terrible system that is ripe for corruption. It also prevents moderate candidates from coming up within the party and pushing more division into politics.
We'd also have to completely reform our legislative structure as it is not designed to accomodate such a grouping of candidates.
dillhavarti@reddit
you'd think they'd learn from past mistakes, but here we are.
Numerous_Teacher_392@reddit
Because the hate is never about real bad things like starting wars. It's about threats to the Orwellian leftist game plan.
Piles of dead people? Meh.
Trans women are men in dresses. REEEEEEEEEEE!
liberty_is_all@reddit
I wouldnt necessarily agree. One thing that that I think we share with progressives right now is the disdain for the stuff happening in Gaza and within Israel. The motivations may be different, but I think we share a very similar sentiment: our tax dollars should not be used to kill people, especially when there is no threat to the US.
Also, and I agree that the auth left is scary, but much less if a threat as of the results from Nov. 5th. What I haven't heard much in libertarian threads is the very real threat the auth right poses for us. There is some excitement about Trump because they think he will provide more freedom. If it serves him, maybe, but I'm skeptical at best. I'm more concerned with Vance becoming president. I think he believes in the Heritage Foundation and their Mandate for Leadership. The Gilead potential is now higher and of more danger than Oceania I would dare say.
I'm legitimately curious if others have concern or if the potential for some positive changes in the federal government is more important or even blinding the long term outlook? Am I the only one with these concerns? Do the majority of libertarians not feel at risk because statistically speaking most of us are not in a targeted demographic for the auth right?
Numerous_Teacher_392@reddit
You might have a lot in common with progressives. I don't.
One thing I don't share with them is an irrational fear of the 'authoritarian right.'
Have you read "Cynical Theories?" Do you have a grasp on the philosophical underpinnings of progressivism today?
What groups are the targeted demographics you're talking about?
Bear in mind that I don't conflate gay rights with Queer Theory, for example. I support Live and Let Live, not Orwellian power plays.
I don't think there's any consensus at all on Gaza among libertarians. There's limited consensus on what the facts even are. The only consensus I've heard is that American tax dollars shouldn't be used for wars across the globe.
liberty_is_all@reddit
Thank you for your insight, I have not read that, I will have to take a look.
By not being a target demographic, typically I would consider folks being safe from the Auth Right as white, male, heterosexual, and Judeo-Christian. Maybe even just Christian, and even then specifically Evangelical. The history of disdain for Catholics is not too far in the past.
I guess by targeted demographics I simply mean anyone but that. That is where I think the auth right differs significantly from us in that the live and let live does not jive with them. Christian Nationalism is incompatible with that.
Lagkiller@reddit
Reading both your posts I get the feeling you've done absolutely no reading on the subjects you talk about, instead relying on what talking heads are telling you. For example:
Was never a thing. The right has never had a disdain for Catholics. They did have problems with the stances of American Catholicism, but Catholicism as a whole was never frowned upon. So when you say something like this, it makes me wonder if your entire knowledge is based on what you've been told to believe instead of actual investigation.
The fact that you care about "targeted demographics" indicates that you've done little to no reading about the right. The right doesn't play those kinds of games. They're not looking for a specific type of person, unlike the left which wants to showcase and promote how much they care about identity politics.
Equally troubling is your idea that "auth right" exists in such an amount as to be a concern. The right is almost universally the group that is letting you do what you want to do and keeping the government out of it. However the "auth left" is nearly the entirety of their party now. Everything that they want they propose should be encoded into law. It is not enough to encourage good behaviors, it must be done under the force and watch of the government.
Furthermore, if you believe that Trump is "auth right", I honestly don't think we can have a conversation, because you are too indoctrinated by talking head points, or literally only started following politics October 30th. We had 4 years of Trump of which he showed he wasn't an authoritarian.
Numerous_Teacher_392@reddit
So is Zoroastrian Provincialism.
mcnello@reddit
Now we need to just convince them to stop funding the proxy war in Ukraine.
kjbanks@reddit
Time. Time has passed. And to add to it, Trump is Trump.
SynapticSignal@reddit
That's a good question. Trump is actually a better president than any in the last decade.
Shubashima@reddit
People called Bush Hitler too.
wesevans@reddit
Yep, and they also worried that he wouldn't leave office (and ditto with Obama), people hated Bush passionately. I think Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911" is a pretty good dose of what the average non-Republican felt in that era.
ScottyMcScot@reddit
And by the end of his 2nd term, Bush's approval rating was far below what Trump ever reached. He never had the fanatic support that Trump has had since '16 to keep him in the 45-50% range.
FunStrike343@reddit
Yep they called him fascist everyday on the news
SynapticSignal@reddit
Because Bush put us in a bunch of wars and approved the patriot act and spying on American citizens.
Intelligent-Diet-623@reddit
The generations that were adults during his terms are getting older and older.
CastleBravo88@reddit
Bush is hated waaay more than trump.
Bananag4@reddit
The media landscape is very different than it was in 2000-2008. Mainly the rise of social media and echo chambers plus the fact that people’s media consumption is much more “fractured” these days. To use a non-political example, there is no longer “must see TV” like there was on the 90s when masses of people watched “Friends” or “ER”.
NaturalCarob5611@reddit
But at the same time, I think the media landscape is far more systematically against Trump than they were against Bush. Things like the "weird" campaign really illustrated this.
ScottyMcScot@reddit
Howard Dean's "yell" ended his primary campaign. Trump never graduates from kindergarten by those standards.
ShitArchonXPR@reddit
YES.
choodude@reddit
Perhaps you could add FOX (and all the Murdock outlets - such as Wall Street Journal - in the US), OANN, News Max as part of the media landscape and reconsider your opinion.
Bananag4@reddit
I don’t disagree. If 9/11 wouldn’t have happened, a lot of the criticisms of Bush wouldn’t have happened either.
Plus as libertarians know, both major parties opposed gay marriage at that time.
Trypt2k@reddit
I don't know, I also found out after years that the media just made up shit about Bush, I hated him for all the wrong reasons, but then I was a mainstream liberal back then, a young mind of the sort that is evident in most young people today, who swallow media propaganda hook line and sinker when it comes to Trump, it's the way of the world.
mcnello@reddit
Bush deserves a lot more hate. The dude literally lied us into a 20 year war, blowing up poor people in the desert, while his defense contractor buddies got filthy rich.
America is less naive now than it was then. Social media is a thing.
TellThemISaidHi@reddit
And the Cheneys.
Watching the DNC proudly latch onto those warmongers was what made me start to think Harris might actually lose.
CupformyCosta@reddit
Harris attending rallies with Liz Cheney was insane. The dems were so proud to have a Cheney in support of their candidate.
I couldnt help but think that the same people would been mortified about this 20 years ago.
ShitArchonXPR@reddit
It makes sense when you see jingoist articles about the need for crackdowns on "domestic terrorists" like the January 6 political prisoners.
Simple_Butterscotch1@reddit
Exactly this. I posted more comments about this leading up to the election than anything else. I'm turning 37 in a few days, 911 happened the second week into my freshman year of hs. Our schools became direct pipelines into the MIC war machine (even more so because we were in southern California with all the marine core bases) It lasted this way for YEARS. To find out later that that piece of shit was PROFITING off all the death and destruction was infuriating and not something anyone my age could easily forget. For those who could or, with time, seem to, it all came back with a vengeance with the withdrawal from Afghanistan during THIS administration. That alone I'm sure turned plenty off from voting, especially if you already didnt like the idea of having to vote for Trump but the arrogance and ignorance of her campaign to take it further and come toating out the Cheney endorsement like a badge of honor turned those stay at home non votes into fuck you votes against the whole establishment. Suddenly, it was remembered even if you hate Trump you still HATE the Cheney's more.
Quttlefish@reddit
36 year old Socal guy here. Quit NJROTC my sophomore year. I was so gungho my freshman year.
I know too many guys who came back fucked up. For what?
Been antiwar since.
jamyjamz@reddit
The Cheneys and McCains now support the democrats
Lagkiller@reddit
Now? They pretty much always have.
boomgoesthevegemite@reddit
Because people don’t have a memory anymore.
ShitArchonXPR@reddit
See also: "America showed their true colors in 2024!" when the level of gay-hate was exponentially more in the 2000s and early 2010s. And the people who say this always act as if arresting people for skidding on a rainbow crosswalk won't radicalize conservatives. By their logic, gatekeeping NAMBLA from parades is "respectability politics" and therefore bad.
RunAndPunchFlamingo@reddit
Agreed, this is the reason. People have short memories.
FunStrike343@reddit
Well smart people like libertarian have better memory. Healthier people have better memory, their kid develop faster in the womb etc.
I remember everyday seeing bush called a fascist
NeoMoose@reddit
And a lot of people on Reddit weren't alive or were small children.
UtopiaThief@reddit
He’s a deep state pawn
carax1@reddit
I think this is a fairly easy question.. Bush they could disagree with on policy but at his core people don't believe Bush was a bad person.
Trump on the other hand is openly racist, attacks veterans and their families, mocks people with disabilities.. List goes on.
I truly believe that in his heart of hearts bush wanted the best for the country, while Trump wants to find more ways to get more money out of it while being finally able to be openly racist instead of behind closed doors.
TheWest_Is_TheBest@reddit
He (Bush) aught to be considered a war criminal.
SketchTeno@reddit
Isn't he by most that were born in the 1900s?
TheWest_Is_TheBest@reddit
I’d have thought so but then why’s he never been tried.
cTron3030@reddit
People are happy to redirect blame to Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Woo, PNAC at large.
OnyaMarks@reddit
Because Bush actually had respect for democracy and the US Constitution. Trump could give a fuck about anything other than himself.
themanfromarkham@reddit
unless trump does something really bad his second term i agree bush has the blood of many on his hands
still a far worse president but democrats seem to forgive him now because trumps the new big bad
cplog991@reddit
How old are you?
Sledgecrowbar@reddit
I was pondering exactly OPs idea yesterday. I was young and liberal when W was elected and it frustrated me, but it frustrated me more when he was re-elected.
I didn't feel anywhere near the meltdowns that are recorded for tiktok, and it was my most dramatic age, so I think there is something weird going on with attention-seeking, but that's for another thread.
As someone who was firmly liberal during W's terms, I can say that democrats were definitely frustrated by him and his being elected, but social media did not exist, so there was no viral movement to gain momentum and cause basic bitches the world over to start screaming into their pillows en mass, careful to remain in the center of their phone cameras lens.
I also agree that W is probably the best example of a president that the media presents Trump to be. He was a career politican, and yet he had barely more speaking ability than Trump has, he did not present an aire of leadership to the world, and he didn't sound smart.
Also he allowed 3000 people to be crushed to death by two buildings, and then went to war in a different country over it, and then didn't win the war in Afghanistan, which went on for two decades and lost another 3000 soldiers lives, fighting dirt farmers who had never heard a radio before and kind of, sort of knew there were places outside of Afghanistan that might not look like Endless Hot Dirt.
SelfOwnedCat@reddit
Hated by whom exactly?
In feverish, delusional minds, every Republican president since Nixon was Hitler or worse.
Stldjw@reddit
High speed internet and social media weren’t as wide spread in his time.
Marvin-face@reddit
I think it's because Bush came off as stupid and manipulated by Chaney. I mean, Comedy Central had the show Lil' Bush that started airing while Bush had over a year left in his second term. Bush was anti-gay, but he was only a few years after Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act. The flip from the vast majority of Americans being anti-gay marriage to 60+% being in favor of it was pretty quick, so I think a lot of people give him a pass for being behind the times.
But the main difference is that Bush didn't use authoritarian rhetoric unless he was talking about Muslims, and even then, he didn't rely on it nearly as much as Donald does.
morphoyle@reddit
There was also "That's my Bush!". Amazing show made by Matt Parker and Trey Stone.
crzytimes@reddit
Oh I missed this…gonna have to look for it.
AyeHaightEweAwl@reddit
W was just the warm-up act.
KarachiKoolAid@reddit
He’s still my least favorite president
Chance-Fox3616@reddit
He danced with Ellen so all is forgiven
comehonorfac3@reddit
Because the liberals of today are all about identity politics
BTC_90210@reddit
all politicians should be hated!
nobinthewoods@reddit
I can’t tell if this is serious. Bush and trump are very different human beings. Clearly.
TheRealPaladin@reddit
Trump's greatest accomplishment is improving Bush's reputation. Bush also helped himself by mostly staying out of the publics eye since the end of his presidency.
penguinman1337@reddit
Because Bush wasn’t a “class traitor” like Trump.
throne-away@reddit
Social media was very new at the time. Blogs, MySpace, Live Journal, Friendster, things like that were new, and nobody was checking major news media like they do now.
zeppelin528@reddit
Bush never said “Grab’em by the pussy”.
LittleBobbyG614@reddit
I think it’s mostly because the loudest voices are the youngest because of social media, I’ll be 30 in January and don’t have much memory of bush or Obama because I was too young to care at the time. Most people who were aware during the bush administration are likely nearing 50. Plus relevance.
cthulhurises345@reddit
Because orange man bad.
rylanschuster6969@reddit
I feel like Bush was pretty thoroughly despised, he’s just been out so long at this point.
merlot2K1@reddit
Because Trump can't be controlled.
medium-rare-chicken@reddit
Because he’s part of the deep state so he’s one of them
Witty-Air2594@reddit
He also believed humans and fish can coexist peacefully smh
SpamFriedMice@reddit
Bush is a war criminal.
Both of them.
bighomiebread@reddit
Bush was part of the system. Trump isn’t. That’s literally the only difference. Bush did the war machines bidding.
Infinite-Ad5743@reddit
I hate Bush more than Trump… so..
DixieNormas011@reddit
Bush was hated....until he came out against Trump like 8yrs ago, since then he's on the Democrats Rushmore...he is still hated by conservatives though
vfrflying@reddit
Because the media didn’t tell you to hate one over the other they just made trump out to be worse and rallied the low info voter
natermer@reddit
Because Bush wasn't running for office.
The whole election process in the USA including the media are, at a fundamental level, completely fraudulent and corrupt. They don't care about principals or reality or history or truth. They only care about winning and will say almost anything and do almost anything.
Including trying to get supporters whipped up into such a frenzy that they contemplate suicide when they lose.
It isn't healthy.
LinuxForever4934@reddit
- The 01' - 02' recession wasn't that bad (relatively), and he had just barely been in office.
- 9/11 wasn't really Bush's fault. Most of the blame was placed on islamic extremists, correctly so. But even the potential security failures that were pointed out were covered up by national pride.
- Because of 9/11, support for things like the Patriot Act, The Afghanistan War, The Iraq War was high (at least at the time).
- Few people know what the Kyoto Protocol is to even be upset at Bush for not signing it.
- Half the country dislikes abortions, and not an insignificant portion of the remaining half have some hesitation about late term abortions.
- The amendment to ban gay marriage didn't get passed and the issue has no longer been relevant since Obergefell v. Hodges.
- Hurricane Katirna had plenty of blame to go around. Could the federal government's response have been better? Sure. But the state and municipalities' failure to plan ahead was equally to blame.
- Yes, the 08' Crash happened under his watch, but to what degree was he actually responsible that the average american would know about? The TARP package was an issue. But I have no doubt in my mind that many other presidents would have done the same thing.
fasteddieg@reddit
Many factors for sure, but this was definitely one of them.
“In April 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) loosens the net capital rule, which had limited broker-dealers and investment banks to a 12-to-1 leverage (the ratio of debt to equity) on investments. The change allows firms with more than $5 billion in assets to leverage themselves an unlimited number of times. Qualifying firms at the time include Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. These firms greatly increase the amount of leverage they employ to a point where they routinely use thirty times leverage on investments. None of the five firms survive the 2008 credit crisis intact as independent investment banks.”
LinuxForever4934@reddit
Not necessarily disagreeing, but would the average American know this? I didn't, and I tend to follow financial events in politics.
fasteddieg@reddit
Nope they wouldn’t. The average American doesn’t really care about knowing this sort of stuff. And since it’s not a viral meme or a TikTok, they likely didn’t even see it.
I’m GenX and followed the crisis very carefully for the lead up, the crisis, and after effects.
th3revx@reddit
Easy, cause trump is “hortler”
VeganCaramel@reddit
People speculate about Trump being a globalist puppet posing as a Republican.
Bush is confirmed to be a globalist puppet posing as a Republican.
The Bush administration and the Obama administration were literally the same 16-year administration.
randle_mcmurphy_@reddit
TDS. Also they used to hate Bush until libs turned neocon war lovers.
Witchboy1692@reddit
They only think about trump 24/7 and don't know any form of history
ramborocks@reddit
Tell me you were born after 2003 without telling me you were born after 2003.
TolkienAwoken@reddit
Are you young? He was easily hated as much when he was current and relevant.
Vegetable_Bowl_5925@reddit
Because modern day democrats are pro war and pro censorship. They love Liz Cheney
Gh0stDance@reddit
Cuz he’s not able to be president again
golsol@reddit
Bush was heavily criticized but was generally likeable so not quite the same hatred Trump garners. It's amazing how stupid the American people become when someone is likeable/charismatic. It was exactly how someone as incompetent as Obama got elected.
ScientificBeastMode@reddit
Uh… we did hate him and we do now.
No_Confusion9939@reddit
I didn’t like Bush Jr. The media was different then and ran cover on his short comings due to 9/11.
Also, if I recall correctly, Bush Jrs military career came under scrutiny and was being investigated when the military complex that housed his records mysteriously caught fire. I want to say it was in Colorado.
Bush Jrs presidency was it for me tho. It forever changed my views on politics and media. Trumps first term was an equal eye opener in how far we’ve come with the subliminal/subconscious control media has over the masses while clearly have a political bias. Unfortunately you can’t make people see it and they won’t. I don’t bother trying to explain it anymore.
pfurlan25@reddit
Oh he was at the time
FartOutMuhDick@reddit
foxtopia77@reddit
Because Bush is apart of the globalist club.
Jayzbo@reddit
at least a portion of why so many Democrats react so viscerally towards Trump compared to Bush or other Republicans from before the party "bent the knee" to Trump, is because of the massive differences in their personal behavior, conduct, attitudes and words. Especially towards their opposition, but even just how they seem to treat their family and the people around them professionally.
Trump seems to be a world class asshole who revels in that fact. It's a tiny and meaningless example, but he seemed to always put little antagonistic statements about "his haters" into official holiday statements. The guy can't even just wish all Americans a Merry Christmas or whatever without being intentionally divisive. This kind of attitude and behavior coming from a party that had personally hated on Obama for 8 years previously engenders a similar response back from Democrats towards Trump.
Trump also spent years before his first successful political campaign developing a following by continually harassing Obama about his birth certificate on twitter, then launched his 2016 campaign with the infamous "rapists and murderers" rhetoric.
Contrast Trump against the early perception that Bush was a genuinely nice person who was just a bit of a goofy dumb guy who'd get chuckled at for grammatical mistakes and messing up common sayings (bush-isms). However, people still generally thought Bush was an earnest person who wanted to do good for all Americans, (even his opposition), in a period of time where that still seemed to matter to the electorate. Especially after 9/11 when the country was temporarily united in a determined resolve to kill anyone associated with the attacks and crush anything that got in the way of that.
As time went on that attitude generally stuck even as he made mistakes and the political divisions opened back up. People still generally thought that he cared, but didn't know all of the answers and wasn't great at negotiating the competing forces in the country and within his own party. The perception stuck around over time that he was just a kind of figurehead that was manipulated by people like Cheney, the neocons in the administration, and the MIC.
I don't think Democrats look back at the Bush years as a bastion of great leadership and governance, they just see it as how far we've fallen. That Bush somehow looks good compared to Trump for doing the bare minimum of attempting to act like a decent human being.
he's also long retired so there's less reason to hate him now compared to the current President Elect anyway.
The_Tequila_Monster@reddit
This. Trump's first term was not nearly as bad as Bush's eight years but it's hard to hate Bush on a personal level. A lot of Dems don't even blame him - they think he was Dick Cheney's puppet - and while that's probably an exaggeration, at least he's not malevolent at a personal level.
steadyachiever@reddit
Because he’s so much less of a troll? Is this a serious question?
Free_Mixture_682@reddit
Bush is establishment
Trump is not
JScrib325@reddit
Imo 2 reasons
After September 11, criticism of the government was seen as unpatriotic and letting the terrorists win
He's not as much of a dick personally as Trump is. He actually seemed (and still does) like a nice guy who just wasn't a good president.
A lot of normies are vibes based on their presidents vs what they actually DO.
TJJ97@reddit
“George Bush doesn’t care about black people”
Minarchist15@reddit
Too many people are indoctrinated into the mindset of Statism.
mcnello@reddit
But ZOMG THR ROADS
SirDouglasMouf@reddit
Social media didn't exist at that time nor did independent media as we know it today.
acart005@reddit
2 Reasons:
1. Dubya got the hell out of dodge when his time was done. You only see him when he has no choice and he is always affable when he does appear (ex. How friendly he always is with Michelle)
2. Obama was Dubya 2.0 in pretty much every way that matters. Everything that Bush is criticized about Obama either eventually did nothing about or expanded to the point where he may as well have still been in control. Gay marriage is pretty much the only point they vary on and the political world was very different in 2004 than it was in 2010ish.
And since Obama is Jesus to the Left, well, can't hate Dubya too much now can you. Trump even made it easy for them to be like 'I didn't LIKE Dubya but he wasn't Drumpf!'
247world@reddit
Bush has become friends with the clintons and for some reason this seems to have absolved some of his sins.
It's also worth noting that Trump was the first president to ever go into office who openly approved of gay marriage. I believe there was a gay marriage at mara lago this year. Also on the trans issue Trump was allowing trans contestants into his beauty pageant as early as 2014.
It's also fun to notice clips out there that have disappeared showing how much the media and the Democrats used to like him.
I'm all for free speech, however I've noticed there's a lot of talk in the media, including these late night talk show hosts that borders on a call for insurrection. I found some of Seth Meyers comments particularly appalling.
It's also been a lot of fun watching the Dems play the blame game with each other. Also the asking of what's wrong with America instead of asking what's wrong with the Democratic party. They can't seem to understand that by abandoning the working class the working class is not going to stand by them.
Bryan4991@reddit
Don't worry, any other republican who wins elections will be hated as much is Trump is hated.
Last_Construction455@reddit
Dick Cheney I think was there one making a lot of those decisions. bush was more of a figurehead put in place because of his name. Still you’re right they did a lot of shady shit
rawg67@reddit
he's the John Belushi of Presidents
CharlesEwanMilner@reddit
Trump has a different personality that allows people to present him as an idiotic disaster.
ni-wom@reddit
He’s in the uniparty, Trump is an outsider. That’s all it is.
pzerr@reddit
While people may not liked Bush, at minimum he was doing what he thought was best for the country. Trump is a Russian supporter and using the position to enrich himself on the back of others.
DarthFluttershy_@reddit
I remember a ton. Granted, it didn't really kick in until his second term, but he got a lot.
forty6and2oo@reddit
He was. But it was before the internet. And collectively, we have very short term memories. Also, the weirdos flipping out rn grew up with this intrusion of privacy and loss of rights.
Rojira666@reddit
The internet existed at the time of Bush, political discourse was mainly kept to channels where it was appropriate and not all over every facet of day to day life...
forty6and2oo@reddit
Idk what I was thinking but you’re absolutely right. I didn’t “discuss” politics at that time. I was fed my politics through TV and magazines so maybe that’s why I said that. How could I possibly forget AOL chat!!!??
cpg215@reddit
I think bush got a ton of criticism. That’s even when the conspiracy theorists really started up, with people even thinking he was behind 9/11
yamommasneck@reddit
I remember how Bush was viewed at that time. Kanyes sentiment of "George Bush hates black people" was pretty common in my southern state.
People just seem to forget once a new Republican nominee crops up. Mitt Romney was the racist boogeyman in 2012. Lol
But Dems and black people hated the piss out of George Bush.
Bigfoot-On-Ice@reddit
Bush isn’t President you silly goose!
trippknightly@reddit
He was hated. Reagan was hated even more. And Reagan won the Cold War.
automaticff@reddit
something something... decency
PhoenixAquarium@reddit
Bush was hated. But living in a Republican majority state I was blind to the hatred. It wasn't til Bush's final term when I discovered Linkin Park and other democratic media hating on him
snapetom@reddit
You must have not lived through it. He got plenty of deserved media hate, but social media was in its infancy.
There were fewer simpleton celebs crying over everything on portrait-oriented videos. Alec Baldwin was one of the few and loudly proclaimed he was moving to Canada if Bush won. Bush won, Baldwin bitched out his teenage daughter like the abusive fucker he is, and he's still here and relevant.
FeetSniffer9008@reddit
idk, blaming him for a hurricane is kinda stretching it
Not like the list is short
more-beans-less-rice@reddit
Don’t forget the Patriot Act and Department of Homeland Security.
Triumph-TBird@reddit
You do know that Biden did nothing to change that when he absolutely could have - and he droned innocent people, but Reddit adores him.
more-beans-less-rice@reddit
So did Obama and Trump.
First_West_4227@reddit
Yeah, and Trump’s drone strikes far exceeded both Biden and Obama iirc
Trackspyro@reddit
Because time heals all wounds and colors glasses rose
bb0110@reddit
A lot of hate or like has to do with personality, not policy, even if they day otherwise. George is a lot easier to “like” than Trump is if you aren’t a full on Trump supporter.
Swallowtail13@reddit
Bush's father ran the cia and therefore the media.
infiniti30@reddit
It's a big club and Trump isn't in it.
CrownVicDude@reddit
Spot on.
vNerdNeck@reddit
Because Bush was part of the political establishment
Barskor1@reddit
NWO is why if you know you know.
philburg2@reddit
Nothing was stopping the patriot act, it was approved by an overwhelming majority.
monet108@reddit
Legacy Media is the answer. And the model that Legacy Media has used can be found in the TV show the "Outer Limits"
“There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly, and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: There is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to . . . The Outer Limits.”
https://artjournal.collegeart.org/?p=9949 "... Warriors and Volunteers: A Review of George W. Bush, Portraits of Courage...Like many other art historians, I have looked upon President George W. Bush’s retirement pastime of painting with interest. I was drawn to the strangeness of his early self-portraits and the awkwardness of his depictions of world leaders..."
Compare that to all of the out of context messaging Legacy Media has broadcast over the past almost decade. Even when the truth is literal treason we are presented a different narrative.
""Declassified Records Shed Light on FBI Efforts to Co-opt Intel Briefings to Spy on 2016 Trump Campaign" "Intelligence officials withheld sensitive information from Trump while he was in office because they feared the 'damage' he could do if he knew: report"
RMexathaur@reddit
The vast majority of the hate Trump gets (at least online) is from the mean words he says, not from his decisions or policies.
azsheepdog@reddit
Because he was working to help the military and health industrial complexes. Trump is against those complexes, so they are going to spend all sorts of money to discredit trump.
Just like all the media who receives advertising dollars from the auto industries at an average off 5000 per car sold and Tesla comes in and spends 0 on advertising and is majorly disruptive to the standard business model. there is going to be a lot of pushback.
Same with energy industry, same with the space industry. Elon is massively disruptive to the existing models.
Sea_Contract_7758@reddit
Because he wasn’t bombastic, and he was just a regular guy that fell into the presidency. He did a lot of fucked up shit, but I think most people understand Cheney was behind a majority of it.
Now watch this drive
https://i.redd.it/v3qvx0wmuwzd1.gif
bjt23@reddit
I listen to Hasan sometimes (sue me, I like to hear from different perspectives occasionally) and he agrees W is way worse than Trump for exactly these reasons. Trump doesn't value freedom, which is a serious problem, but W actively sought to erase it.
WindBehindTheStars@reddit
Probably because Bush is still part of the Uniparty's political machine and worked to keep the deep state going. Trump is less than thrilled about the bureaucratic arm of the government, so he's a threat that Bush never was.
abc123ponycunt@reddit
Hated as much as Clinton/Obama/Biden by people with a brain.
claude_father@reddit
Bc he’s polite lol
morphoyle@reddit
He was very much hated at the time. He was called fascist, racist, etc in the media a lot. There were even several people in my liberal neighborhood that plastered anti-bush slogans and stickers all over the outside of their cars, much like some Trump supporters do with pro-Trump messages on their trucks. After Bush left office, the media moved on and the memory of that hatred faded. It will likely be the same with Trump after he leaves public life. They will move on to calling the next guy Hitler and Trump will not be mentioned much. In 16 years, you'll hear as much about him as you do Bush now, and most people will have forgotten how much they hated him. Many of them will have since died of old age or whatever, and new voters won't have a clear memory of the Trump years.
Darth-Litheran@reddit
Because he also m’t the one running. Dems bring out this rhetoric every time.
thebonecolector@reddit
Because he didn’t spank Hilary in 2016
theclansman22@reddit
I hated W as much as I hate Trump now. Both are big government authoritarians who increased spending every year they were in power. Trump is a regular criminal, W is a war criminal. Republicans really are great at picking candidates aren’t they?
GEAUXUL@reddit
Bush didn’t try to overthrow a presidential election.
Seriously, what the fuck happened to libertarians?
California_King_77@reddit
At the time, Democrats hated Bush with a passion.
Ixlyth@reddit
Because Bush was a CIA plant. He posed no risk to the system.
eddington_limit@reddit
Bush had a personality that was easier to like. He is very much remembered as a bad president though.
PowerSawPimpin@reddit
Bush wasn't against the establishment. Trump is.
DrLews@reddit
Because Bush never sent mean tweets, even though Bush is/was worse than Trump.
viper999999999@reddit
I think this is a big part of it. They literally think Trump is a mean person, and look for anything policy-related to reinforce their hatred - things they wouldn't notice or care about if done by another president.
TheRealGuyTheToolGuy@reddit
Another thing they forget about is that both George Bush and George HW Bush put very conservative Supreme Court justices into the court. It was night a new thing for the court to get stacked during a presidency and our perception of older judges being more impartial is entirely a function of values drifting over time. They were still just as political back in the day
rayvin4000@reddit
Bush sucked so bad. Especially bumbling W.
cgeezy22@reddit
Bush was called a nazi every day.
Houdinii1984@reddit
He didn't brag like Trump. Trump is outspoken, but doesn't speak correctly. He's a character. Then he does extreme things, and it's just another part of his character. Bush is a lifelong politician and knew better than to hammer on the bad stuff, and if he did, it wouldn't have been taken the same way, rather since 'he's not like that' it would have worried the world instantaneously.
HODL_monk@reddit
Can we acknowledge the sad reality that it all comes down to the fact that W Bush was, on a personal level NICE, and Trump is NASTY. Its really just this. There is nothing else. Trump without his morning dump X storms would have just been a wimpy one-term Bush Sr. moderate RINO, and would never have had a round 2. The electorate is just in a nasty mood, and they want a nasty boy to say nasty things to those other normal countries that WE are jealous of, just for them making everything we want for so much cheaper than over priced and over regulated US workers...
Helpful_Finger_4854@reddit
Because he's part of the Same political establishment that Biden and Harris come from. That's why Dick & Liz Cheney turned blue to vote for Kamala Harris. Dick Cheney was Bush's right hand man during those 8 years.
Isthisnametakenalso@reddit
What was that mobile by Michael Somethingorother that should Bush and how evil he was?
Booth_Templeton@reddit
Trump has a blusterous personality, so it makes him an easy political target. That's all.
YojimboNameless@reddit
This right here is the problem. The reason I believe he is more tyrannical than Bush is Jan 6, tax reform that actually just moved more wealth to corporations and the ultra wealthy, he is isolationist and favors despots over democracies, he is anti first amendment, he has not given us a preview of laws only dictatorial style decisions, and he is completely anti working class.
Booth_Templeton@reddit
I don't think so. I don't have the time to argue with you. We'll see what happens.
MEMExplorer@reddit
Recency bias , that and propaganda the first Trump presidency is the first time I can recall where MSM spent 24/7 news cycle just talking shit about Trump for 4 straight years . I don’t think they even talked that much shit about Saddam or Osama during the Gulf War and War on Terror 🤷♀️
avd51133333@reddit
I think anyone who prioritizes the war policy of the US would feel more animosity toward Bush than Trump (eg people like Dave Smith)
Callec254@reddit
It's just political posturing - whoever the current (R) president/candidate is, they are literally Hitler, so much worse than the last guy, how is that even possible, etc.
Everything they are saying about Trump now, they definitely said about Bush back then. And they will say the same about whoever the (R)s nominate in 2028.
joe-z-wang@reddit
He’s a decent person.
mcnello@reddit
Lying about weapons of mass destruction in order to go in a campaign across the middle east, toppling regimes, and getting us into a 20 year war spent blowing up poor people in the desert.
He knew about (and likely ordered) the of suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. Men held WITHOUT TRIAL for decades.
He passed the Patriot act and created a government spy apparatus to violate Americans right against unreasonable searches and seizures.
He's not just a bad person. He is a war criminal.
But sure... He's totally a "decent guy".
joe-z-wang@reddit
He acts like a decent person.
mcnello@reddit
His finger paintings actually aren't that bad I guess.
KindSadist@reddit
Because he was an establishment neocon of the uni party.
go_be@reddit
Laurene Powell-Jobs
According_To_Me@reddit
We will continue to feel the impacts of 43’s presidency for the rest of our lives on a global geopolitical level. In the states, many are still feeling the financial setbacks from 2008, as in we could have been more ahead had the Great Recession not happened.
Schmuck1138@reddit
The three lettered agencies did quite well under his tenure.
HeatherAnne1975@reddit
He was, remember back to the “George Bush is the Devil” comments. Late night talk shows, SNL, other news outlets absolutely skewered him.
Honestly they did the same with Romney, and he is the most mild of all republicans. They did it with the senate, governors, all of it. Bret Kavanaugh and Amy Barret, also devils. She was vilified for adopting interracial babies.
What they are doing now is the same exact playbook, except amped up multiple decibels. The reason it’s so amped up with Trump is that he fights back.
They are already starting it with Vance. I can assure you that whoever is the next Red candidate in line for the White House will be the devil, even if it’s Ghandi or Jesus himself.
mack_dd@reddit
Normies gonna norm. Here are some reasons:
-- recency bias. Too much time has passed between then and now
-- W is at least smart enough to disappear from the public and stay quiet
-- W is friendly and diplomatic towards his opponents. He's the guy you'd rather have a beer with
-- people weigh intentions more heavily than outcome. So Iraq, the goal was to "spread democracy". Patriot Act: the intention was to stop terrorism, and so on.
-- most people aren't libertarian, so they aren't as bothered by these things, even if they end up disagreeing with them
FreshlySkweezd@reddit
It's as simple as looking at how the Dems claimed the Cheney's this election. Doesn't matter what "side" they're on they're still part of the establishment. There aren't many families more ingrained in the US government than the Bushes
nepatsfan49@reddit
Because hate the current thing. 20 years from now the opinion on trump will change drastically.
MidshipLyric@reddit
Because he has a mostly likeable personality and American voters value personality over policy. He was very much vilified at the time but it was harder to call him a racist misogynistic bigot women hater lying felon (note I said harder, but not that hard considering the admins actions).
SecretHappyTree@reddit
Not old enough to have voted in GDubs election but old enough to remember his presidency. People hated him when he was president. Media just lies to try to get people to do what they want. They didn’t have a reason to talk shit after he left office.
Also I love how you blame hurricane Katrina on him.
leit90@reddit
CIA runs in his family since it’s inception…you think the CIA would let the media say anything bad about him?! It’s all what the main stream pushes at the end of the day, things are changing now they are losing control/power with independent media sources
YoungQuixote@reddit
Because Bush admin did not act alone?
And the people who helped him still have influence?
The Establishment muturally protect each other.
Long term Democrat leaders aka Biden, Clinton, John Kerry, Chuck "Chucky" Schumer etc all either voted or pushed for the Iraq War.
The Iraq War was a joint venture between Liberals and Conservatives at the time to remove Saddam.
Dapper_Suit_5290@reddit
Because the media loves Bush now, when he was President the far left hated him. After he left office the narrative changed. The sheep always follow their sheperd. Crazy how things have changed in twenty years.
SeinfeldSavant@reddit
He is, moreso in many cases. Just ask any libertarian.
scody15@reddit
Because he was on The Team^TM
Texan85@reddit
He was... they called him a facist nazi too.
He's not fotm to hate anymore.
Learned_Barbarian@reddit
Recentcy bias.
If Republicans were running Bush in 2024, he would have also been called a fascist Nazi racist - which he was in 2000.
IDrinkMyBreakfast@reddit
The media can no longer use Bush to achieve fear and uncertainty. Trump is their man now, and with the rise of social media not happening until after Bush’s presidency, he was spared a majority of the backlash
jangohutch@reddit
because he looks like a democrat these days
Isulet@reddit
Because orange man bad.
EarlBeforeSwine@reddit
Bush supported Kamala… they’re on the same side
thefract0metr1st@reddit
I was in high school from 2001-2005. We were expected to stand for the pledge of allegiance everyday. Anyone who didn’t would be ostracized. I wrote an article for the school newspaper opining that we should not be expected or intimidated to stand for the pledge on grounds of freedom of speech. Some students wrote letters to the editor. One of them said that if they were president, people like me would be deported for being anti American. I tried to write a song protesting the war in Iraq and it was shot down by my band mates because “no one wants to hear an anti war song after 9/11 happened”. At least one of those band members, and the person who wanted me deported, voted for Trump in 2016. Things changed a lot since then. I’m trying to imagine a scenario where a Trump supporter last year would say that a white guy should be deported for speaking against the government and that no one wants to hear an anti war song about Ukraine.
Small_Mushroom_2704@reddit
Oh the guy is hated, he's just old news and Americans have short attention spans. Sincerely someone who hates Bush
xstevenx81@reddit
Yeah George Bush literally had the highest support rating of any president in history of a long period after 9/11. He was giving the American people exactly what they wanted at that time.
comascape@reddit
Because for a majority of Americans, nothing really changed or challenged their daily lives.
Lickem_Clean@reddit
All he had to do was hug Obama, wag his finger at Trump and retire to his ranch to do finger paintings. Now its like none of that ever happened.
thewetnoodle@reddit
The most authoritarian part of trumps presidency was when Covid shut down stores and churches and liberals still support those shut downs. It's ass backwards
SeadyLady@reddit
Because the democrats have perfected their ability to traumatize voters into being scared of anyone who isn’t on the left. This also help keep people relying heavily on the government for everything.
randomfucke@reddit
Because Bush was merely a politically vile leader, representative of his party's distasteful agenda, which was disagreeable to certain sectors of society, while Trump is a personally vile human being who is personally driving his party's evil agenda which will be destructiveif not deadly to vast sectors of society.