This page was last updated on April 23, 2004.

While I understand liberals (read: Democrats) would prefer a socialist president, many are not content to argue the issues.  Instead, they engage in bashing.

I’m no expert in this area, but I think I know some of the reasons why many Democrats seem to hate President Bush.

1. Democrats really liked President Clinton but were embarrassed and felt betrayed by the string of scandals during his administration.
2. Many Republicans didn’t treat President Clinton with respect during the scandals.  Though Republicans didn’t cause the transgressions of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, the investigations and the impeachment process could have been done with more class.  I certainly wasn’t a Clinton fan, and even I was angry at the total lack of tact by many –- but not all -– Republicans.
3. Believing Democrat Party leadership propaganda, I think many Democrats believed George Bush was “not real bright” and thus thought Al Gore’s election would be a slam-dunk.  It’s even worse to lose when you think you lost to an unworthy competitor.
4. Again believing Democrat Party leadership propaganda, many rank-and-file Democrats still believe President Bush “stole” the 2000 election.
5. I’ve even heard Democrats say they hate President Bush for such ridiculous things like his facial expression, his walk, and how he pronounces some words!

Rather than direct their anger at their candidates or themselves, Democrats directed it at President Bush.  As time has progressed, I believe many Democrats became even more angry and frustrated because there haven’t been any legitimate Bush scandals to exploit.

Here are some examples of the bashing President Bush has received over the last few years.

• Before the 2000 election, some celebrities said they would move out of the United States if Mr. Bush won the election.  Unfortunately, they didn’t keep their word.
• Ralph Nader claimed then-Governor Bush was “a bumbling governor from Texas with a terrible record, who couldn't put three sentences together with a cue card.”
• To a foreign audience in early 2003, an actor called President Bush a racist because he was governor of a state with a death penalty.  The actor didn’t refer to other governors of death penalty states as racists.
• Also to a foreign audience, a singer said she was ashamed to be from the same state as President Bush.
• Many in Democrat leadership positions openly call President Bush a liar because we haven’t found WMD in Iraq.  Most of these accusers saw exactly the same reports as President Bush and before the war agreed with Mr. Bush that Iraq had WMD.
• Former Vice President Al Gore called -– actually screamed -– President Bush a traitor.  Gore also said Bush “played on our fears,” meaning that President Bush twisted 9/11 for political gain.
• Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) claims President Bush cooked up the Iraq War for political gain.  Sen. Kennedy never explained how taking the United States into war would result in political gain.
• Former presidential candidate Howard Dean openly repeated a ridiculous “rumor” that President Bush had previous knowledge of the 9/11 attack and did nothing.
• Howard Dean blamed President Bush for the terrorist attack in Madrid, saying “The president was the one who dragged our troops to Iraq, which apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards over the weekend.”¹
• When filmmaker Michael Moore introduced former presidential candidate Wesley Clark during a campaign rally, Moore called President Bush a deserter.  Rather than denounce the accusation when given a chance, Clark said he believed in freedom of speech.
• Democrat National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe claimed President Bush was AWOL during his National Guard service.  McAuliffe also implied that the National Guard was not part of the U.S. military.
• By associating National Guard service with fleeing to Canada to evade the Vietnam draft, John Kerry (and his wife) implied President Bush was no better than a draft dodger.
• A liberal web site hosted two commercials equating President Bush with Hitler. The commercials were removed from the web site only after they generated a media storm.
• Democrat members of the Senate Judiciary Committee referred to Bush judicial nominees as Nazis and Neanderthals.
• A man claiming to have lost his son in the World Trade Center attacks said, “I would vote for Saddam Hussein before I would vote for Bush.”  This was immediately picked up by Arab TV network Al Jazeera and broadcast throughout the Middle East.
• When he didn’t realize his microphone was on, John Kerry made the following statement about the Bush administration: “These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I’ve ever seen.”²

Especially disturbing is that these rantings aren’t solely from wackos on the fringe of reality.  Some of these people are prominent members of the Democrat Party.  They include U.S. senators, a former vice president, a former state governor, and the head of the Democrat National Committee.

Many of these are the same people who were silent about President Clinton’s transgressions or who supported Mr. Clinton even when they knew the truth.

Many critics attempt to dodge the charge that their name-calling attacks against President Bush hurt the military effort by saying they support the troops, it’s just Bush they hate.  Recent letters to the editor by returning soldiers dispute that claim.  While no one claims the soldiers like being in harm’s way, most appear to agree the action against Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do.

We tend to miss President Bush’s reaction to all of this.  Though these insults have to get under his skin, he and his campaign team have refused to get into the mud with the Democrats.

The George Bush (#41) Presidential Library Foundation awarded Sen. Edward Kennedy the 2003 George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service.  Former President Bush presented the award.  This was after Sen. Kennedy accused the current President Bush of concocting the Iraq War for political gain.

President Bush is showing a lot more class than I could probably muster.

1. Dean ties Madrid bombing to Iraq; Nedra Pickler (AP); The Boston Globe; March 17, 2004.  Since publication of this article, Madrid officials revised the death toll down to 191.

2. Kerry: Those Who Question Me Are ‘Crooked’ Liars; Carl Limbacher; NewsMax.com; March 10, 2004.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.