Below The Beltway

Over at The American Spectator, Philip Klein says something that every conservative should be saying:

The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party? How could a generally right-of-center nation be taken over by liberals from Chicago and San Francisco?

The answer, of course, is that none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush — or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. While they were in power, Republicans squandered an opportunity to push free market health care solutions. When they did use their power to pass major legislation, it was for policies like the big government Medicare prescription drug plan, which was (until today) the largest expansion of entitlements since the Great Society. They took earmarks and doled out farm and energy subsidies. They earned a reputation for fiscal recklessness and corruption and incompetent governance. President Obama ultimately forced through the health care bill in spite of the political consequences to his party because he’s ultimately a true believing liberal. But it was only because of the failures of Bush-era Republicanism that an ideological liberal with little experience was able to capture the presidency on the abstract notion of change.

Spot on.

From a conservative perspective, Bush was an absolutely horrible President. He doubled the national debt in eight years, pushed through the TARP bailout, bailed out the auto companies even after Congress had rejected the idea, and gave us Medicare Part D, No Child Left Behind, and the PATRIOT Act. He was, as I said shortly before he left office, the worst President of my lifetime.

If it weren’t for Bush, we likely would not have had Obama, and we would not have ObamaCare.

Thanks for nothing, Mr. President.

H/T: United Liberty