Bush Hurts Republicans

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds that more than 60 percent of respondents believe that Obama inherited the current economic problems from George W. Bush. The poll also finds that only 45 percent of respondents are satisfied with the current crop of GOP candidates. God help them if that climbs over 50 percent if Palin steps into the race.

The question of Obama's inheritance of Bush's problems is underlined by the fact that 62 percent believe we're still headed in the wrong direction. I join them. I don't like that Obama has launched two additional military actions that show no sign of ending. I don't like that Obama is temporarily letting Netanyahu flip him the bird. I don't like that Obama believes it's acceptable to retain some of the worst executive excesses of Bush/Cheney as it pertains to our "war" on terrorism. I don't like that Obama can't close Guantanamo or try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian court (that's probably also inherited from Bush). I don't like that Obama has not gotten with the program on gay marriage.

I also detest the fact that Republicans in the House have so far failed to work with the President on any number of issues, that their primary reason for being is to defeat Obama in 2012. I detest the fact that, as gung-ho as Republicans were for war in Iraq and Afghanistan while Bush was in the White House, they are calling for Obama to justify his actions in Libya and Yemen. I detest the fact that Republicans, who marched lock-step behind Bush while he spent money we didn't have on Medicare Part D and two illegal wars, they now want to dismantle Medicare as we know it and cut off funding for the wars now that Obama's in charge. I detest the fact that Republicans largely regard homosexuals to be members of a leper colony not worthy of rights of any kind that would put them on an equal footing with heterosexuals. And I detest the fact that Republicans' solution to a slow recovery is further tax cuts, when today's tax levels are the lowest in history (lower than during the Reagan years), while never acknowledging the fact that the Bush tax cuts produced no measurable stimulus for the broader economy.

Yes, the GOP field should have a lot to answer for during this election cycle. Sadly, however, I suspect that the MSM will stick with cotton candy questions that do nothing to challenge the positions of any candidate. In the era of social networking, really, who needs the press when you can control your message 100%?