Why They Hate Him

These days, conservatives and liberals seem to find it hard not only to get along, but even to comprehend one another. What liberals don’t understand about conservatives would fill several years’ worth of this magazine, and has. The chief thing conservatives don’t understand about contemporary liberals is why they hate President Bush. Conservatives see him as a decent, moderately conservative, and not-especially-partisan figure. They can’t understand why he arouses such strong dislike. What follows is an attempt neither to excuse nor to damn the Bush haters, but to understand them.

Some of the reasons for their animosity are quite obvious. We conservatives may think that Bush won the last presidential election fair and square, and find most of the Democrats’ complaints about Florida foolish. But foolish grievances can also be understandable ones. An election that close, with so many disputes in its aftermath, is going to lead to hard feelings.

About the Author

Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is the editor of National Review, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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These days, conservatives and liberals seem to find it hard not only to get along, but even to comprehend one another. What liberals don’t understand about conservatives would fill several years’ worth of this magazine, and has. The chief thing conservatives don’t understand about contemporary liberals is why they hate President Bush. Conservatives see him as a decent, moderately conservative, and not-especially-partisan figure. They can’t understand why he arouses such strong dislike. What follows is an attempt neither to excuse nor to damn the Bush haters, but to understand them.

Some of the reasons for their animosity are quite obvious. We conservatives may think that Bush won the last presidential election fair and square, and find most of the Democrats’ complaints about Florida foolish. But foolish grievances can also be understandable ones. An election that close, with so many disputes in its aftermath, is going to lead to hard feelings.