WHAT happened w/ Bush 1 and the Evang Xtians?

[JamboGuide]

I was reading a post SOMEWHERE here about how Poppy brought the RR out of the closet in '92 which scared the HELL of out of the country which was a FACTOR in his re-election defeat. The same SORT OF thing is happening now, sort of. Can anyone elborate on what happened then?

[NAO]

1. He delegated handling them to his idiot son...

Who actually believed in that stuff.

GHW Bush was a bit appalled and grossed out by all those rabid true believers. So he sloughed them of onto his idiot son...the rest is history.

[Tux]

3. And now

We have to deal with them.

Bush 1 is hanging out with CLinton is the RW must be really mad.

[adwon]

2. Fun time

The first Bush was vilified by the right for heresy: he implicitly acknowledge Reagan's economic plan to be bogus when he raised taxes in 1990. For that 'sin,' the Christian Coalition was formed to remove the 'liberals' from the GOP. The liberals were identified, I am not kidding, as Reagan-Bush Republicans.

The best part came when Pat Buchanan got up at the 92 GOP convention and declared a culture war. He did this with Pat Robertson sitting in the presidential box, no less.

The first one tried to woo the nuts, but they were smart to realize that he had no love for them (unlike his VP). Enough voted for Perot to finish up his spectacularly pointless political career.

[JamboGuide]

4. Hmm ....

I think i remember hearing this w/ talking heads during the RNC. That it was Buchanans speech that turned everybody off and cost Poppy reelection. So the Xtians knew that Buchanan had no love for them?? Any more juicy info? How did it freak the country and out and will it happen AGAIN?

[adwon]

5. Er

The wingnuts loved Pat for his speech. It got comparisons to Reagan's 64 speech for Goldwater. It was HW who they realized didn't care for them.

I wouldn't say it was a huge effect, but it was damned odd. It's hard to tell just effective Pat was at scaring off Republicans because of Perot.

Will it happen again?

Yeah, it will. If nuts like Ralph Reed get elected, then rest assured, they will demand a place at the podium. And watch for the meltdown if anyone tries to keep them off primetime.

[JamboGuide]

6. So, in THEORY...

We could have Buchanan/Robertson Part II at the RNC in '08?

[adwon]

7. Personally

I'd like to see Reed/Robertson, but either way, it's all gravy.

[Melynn]

8. The economy sunk Bush I in '92

The perception was that Poppy didn't care about the economy or the living standard of the American people. A very true perception. Clinton was asute enough to see a opening and he was able to win the election by running on the economy.

Some people might have been scared by the RR but I think that overwhelming issue in that election was the economy.