Did President Bush govern from the hard right?

I've complained for years about Bush allowing the dems (and the left, in general) to define him. He didn't maintain a connection with the people like Reagan did - that was a major part of his undoing.

The "hard right" comment was made by someone who was without a clue.

McCain's campaign was equally inept at defining what was already a weak candidate and consequently Obama did it for him. The money, the media, and race lost the election for McCain.

Come by Pesky Truth sometime. Regards, G.

Thanks for the note, G.

Many times I do wonder if it comes down to "Image is everything". Either that, or politics by cliche.

Another example, something that happened to me years ago, I was asked by someone "Are you a Jesse Helms type of conservative?" I responded back by asking "Well, what does Jesse Helms believe, and what types of legislation has he sponsored in the past?" The answer I received: "I don't know." Basically, had I answered yes or no, it should have been meaningless, because the person had no idea what kind of law-maker Jesse Helms was, other than that he was defined by the media as ultra-conservative.

I agree with your observation about John McCain and his campaign. I think he went far out of his way to appear nice and bi-partisan.

An example of this is his appearance on the View, contrasted with the interview Biden gave to Barbara West. I can't remember the specifics, but West asked Biden something about Marxism, and Biden responded saying "Are you joking?"

On The View, Whoopi Goldberg asked McCain if she should be worried about becoming a slave again. McCain responded by saying he appreciated her asking that, and worked to calm her fears, and she was visibly relieved.

I'm not saying that McCain should have said "Are you joking?" like Biden, but the way he answered it sounded like he was saying that it was a legitmate concern, that there are many people now who want to bring slavery back to the U.S., but he will make sure it doesn't happen.