George W. Bush merged the worst of two worlds

[Ardent15]

The first was the Ivy League, traditional Republican businessman world, the world that his father and grandfather belonged to.

The second was the "proud to be ignorant" Religious Right world, which he became a part of in Texas.

Bush was the epitome of modern American conservatism-he bridged the gap between the establishment that provides the money and the useful idiots who provide the votes.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. I thought you were going to talk about the merger between the animal kingdom

and the frivolous world of fratboy party dudes.

But your point about the crossing of the fundie nuts and the aristocratic elites is better.

[Warpy]

2. Actually, that was Reagan's coalition

He made the original deal with the religious right devils in order to get a large enough voting bloc to get into power.

Stupid was the one who let them take over, though.

I don't think the GOP will survive this deal with this devil. They survived Nixon's deal with southern bigots. However, the religious loonies have made the party too radical even for many of them.

The GOP will likely go the way of the two other Hamiltonian parties this country has had, fitfully sputtering on for a decade or two before it fades away, replaced by a new Hamiltonian party.

[Ardent15]

3. Reagan had a broader coalition that included Democrats in the North

You have a point, though, that Reagan made the deal with the Religious Right originally.

But as you said, Bush Jr let them take over in this nation. Why? Because unlike Reagan or Poppa Bush, Bush Jr believed the religious right bullshit.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. K&R - however, it wasn't the Cheney presidency that promoted this....

It began with Raygun, who wasn't even a religious evangelical. In fact, he was into astrology and soothsayers and all that.

[Ardent15]

5. Reagan began it...

Poppa Bush ran with it, and Bush Jr, a true believer, completed it.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. I recently began calling it the Cheney presidency

I believe it was that evil a-hole that ran the thing. Bush was just a dry drunk, coke addict with a learning disability and LOTS of anger. He certainly wasn't brilliant enough to run anything.

[Ardent15]

7. They were a team IMO

Cheney ran the behind-the scenes operations of the White House.

Bush went out on the front lines to campaign. He was the face of conservatism.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. A face with a very low I.Q. and lots of anger nt

[Ardent15]

9. I don't think Bush is dumb

I'd like to think that the asshole is smart enough to know that what he was doing was evil.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. I used to think evil required intelligence. I honestly did.

It doesn't.

[sam sarrha]

13. here is the Wiki.. info..>>Link>>"...according to his mother, "he flunked everything", .."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh
"snip..Education
Limbaugh graduated from Cape Central High School, in 1969. His father and mother wanted him to attend college, so he enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University. He dropped out after two semesters and one summer; according to his mother, "he flunked everything", even a modern ballroom dancing class.<1> As she told a reporter in 1992, "He just didn't seem interested in anything except radio....snip"

[Orsino]

11. Who the else would have support such an evil agenda?

His entire appeal was to the corrupt and the ignorant.

[evenso]

12. Very well written...

The conservative movement is an alliance between neo-con educated/corporate elites and the know-nothing dimwits from backwards parts of the country. Such a connection can be evidenced in the lobbyist/Dick Armey backed Freedomworks, and the middle class useful idiots who think they're part of the capitalist class. A look at the many 912 rally videos gives plenty of evidence of this.