{"id":1383,"date":"2009-01-27T10:27:01","date_gmt":"2009-01-27T15:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2009-11-03T14:46:01","modified_gmt":"2009-11-03T19:46:01","slug":"the-bush-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/27\/the-bush-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bush Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was flipping through the worthless rag that passes for our local paper this morning when I came across this joyous little piece of hate<\/a> in the Letters to the Editor:<\/p>\n

\n

A Reign of Error has finally ended<\/h3>\n

It has been said by others that “the highest patriotism is love of one’s country deep enough to call it to a higher standard.”Now that an eight-year Reign of Error is ended, an American Renewal can, at torturous last, begin.<\/p>\n

And if W’s large evangelical base is correct about the existence of a hell and a heavenly quid pro quo, dear W will be warm, now, in Texas and then, later, forever be considerably warmer than he might like.<\/p>\n

John Katz<\/p>\n

RIDGEFIELD<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh Lord, BDS \u2014 Bush Derangement Syndrome is a live well in Ridgefield.<\/p>\n

There’s plenty of room for criticism of George W. Bush’s record as President… There is, however, no need for the kind hate filled rhetoric used by Mr. Katz.<\/p>\n

Newsmax.com has detailed two part examination at the Bush legacy:<\/p>\n

\n

Bush’s Legacy: Conservatives Were Betrayed<\/a><\/h3>\n
“This administration has had a good, solid record, and I’m very proud of it. I tell people I leave town with a great sense of accomplishment and my head held high.\u201d
\n\u2014George W. Bush, Jan. 13, 2009<\/h5>\n

As the 43rd president waves goodbye to Washington, relatively few Americans share his proud assessment of his own presidency.<\/p>\n

George W. Bush leaves the White House with one of the lowest approval ratings in history. According to Gallup, only Richard Nixon and Harry Truman, who suffered the double whammy of a bad economy and the unpopular Korean War, had lower approval ratings when they left the White House.<\/p>\n

Today, Bush\u2019s legacy to his successor is two unresolved wars, a global image that is deeply tarnished, and the greatest economic crisis in modern times.<\/p>\n

Conservatives who backed Bush in two successive elections have little to show for their efforts. Bush, in fact, has decimated the Republican brand.<\/p>\n

Bush oversaw the greatest increase in discretionary social spending in history as the federal government usurped new powers in its war on terror. He placed the United States on a global interventionist path for the elusive goal of \u201cdemocracy.\u201d Ronald Reagan would not be able to recognize the party he knew, which espoused limited government, protection of personal liberty, and the idea that the U.S. should lead globally by example rather than by force.<\/p>\n

The best that can be said of President Bush is that he kept America\u2019s homeland safe. During his watch, we did not experience another terror attack on U.S. soil after Sept. 11. Read the rest…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Part II:<\/p>\n

\n

The Bush Legacy Part II: Trillions in Deficits For Years to Come<\/a><\/h3>\n

As Barack Obama assumes the mantle of the presidency and duties of the office, he has inherited from his predecessor a federal government that has a staggering national debt of more than $10 trillion, a ballooning federal deficit this year estimated at $438 billion \u2013 and a government that recently assumed responsibility for some $5 trillion of the nation\u2019s consumer debt.<\/p>\n

The irony is that George W. Bush, who billed himself as a conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan, leaves a legacy of profligate federal spending, record debt and an economy in shambles.<\/p>\n

A broad range of conservative thinkers, surveying the political and economic fallout of the two Bush terms, are openly voicing their concerns that it may take years for the Republican Party and the nation to repair the damage Bush policies have inflicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cBush has added a staggering $32 trillion to unfunded government liabilities future generations of Americans will have to bear,\u201d wrote the London Sunday Times\u2019 Andrew Sullivan, a maverick conservative who described Bush\u2019s economic policies as \u201cfiscal madness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The huge spending increases came despite the fact that fellow Republicans controlled Congress for six of Bush\u2019s eight years in office. And Bush did not veto a bill of any kind, including spending, until July 2006, and left office having cast the fewest vetoes of any modern president.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ultimately I think history will judge George W. Bush relatively well in the war on terror his record on domestic issues was at best mediocre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was flipping through the worthless rag that passes for our local paper this morning when I came across this joyous little piece of hate in the Letters to the Editor: A Reign of Error has finally ended It has been said by others that “the highest patriotism is love of one’s country deep enough […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[123],"class_list":{"0":"post-1383","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-politics","7":"tag-george-w-bush","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-mj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1771,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/22\/of-conservatives-and-tea-parties\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":0},"title":"Of Conservatives and Tea Parties","author":"Jeff","date":"March 22, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I was reading some of the comments posted on the News Times web site in response to their story on the Ridgefield, CT tea party. This comment from \"poo poo the self pitiers\" in particular caught my eye: GOP hypocrites. Unbelievable gall. Now all of a sudden, the party that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1736,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/21\/scenes-from-the-rebellion-ridgefield-tea-party\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":1},"title":"Scenes from the Rebellion: Ridgefield Tea Party","author":"Jeff","date":"March 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Roughly 300 people attended the Ridgefield Tea Party in Ballard park today... from the Ridgefield Press: Flags-wavers, bell-ringers, some in colonial military get-up, others wearing American flags as capes: angry Americans gathered 200 to 300 strong at Ridgefield\u2019s Ballard Park Saturday morning to vent their frustration. \u201cDump Dodd now!\u201d and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/rtp-03-21-2009-21.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1723,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/20\/reminder-ridgefield-tea-party\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":2},"title":"Reminder: Ridgefield Tea Party","author":"Jeff","date":"March 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a reminder to readers I'll be covering the Ridgefield Tea party tomorrow morning. The rally kicks off at 10:00 a.m. in Ballard park on Main Street in Ridgefiled, CT. Public Parking is available off Bailey Ave. and also off Prospect St. one block away. The Ridgefield Press has short\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"800px-gadsden_flagsvg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/800px-gadsden_flagsvg-300x199.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1791,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/24\/media-bias-what-media-bias\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":3},"title":"Media Bias, What Media Bias???","author":"Jeff","date":"March 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Mike over at Flopping Aces points out striking visual evidence of media bias: Mark Dziubek of Southington Conn. steps off a bus in Fairfield Conn. on Saturday March 21, 2009 as members of the media wait outside at a AIG executive\u2019s home. A busload of activists outnumbered 2-to-1 by reporters\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Media"","block_context":{"text":"Media","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Media Bias","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sdfgdftf-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1121,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/17\/george-w-bush-ive-abandoned-free-market-principles-to-save-the-free-market-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":4},"title":"George W. Bush: “I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free market system”","author":"Jeff","date":"December 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Huh? What? With all due respect Mr. President what you're doing is akin to using hand grenade to kill and ant. Allahpundit has the video over at Hot Air.","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/economy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1657,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/11\/diana-west-its-george-w-bush-not-rush-limbaugh-who-is-the-real-enemy-of-conservatism\/","url_meta":{"origin":1383,"position":5},"title":"Diana West: Its George W. Bush Not Rush Limbaugh Who is the Real Enemy of Conservatism","author":"Jeff","date":"March 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"When I wrote my election postmortem I listed \"Bush fatigue\" as one of the reasons why Republicans lost in November. Diana West takes that theory one step further in her column today and says out loud what a lot of us having been thinking: Forced to the ramparts to defend\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}