You know, there's historical parallels to this Hatred of Ronald Reagan, and it never boded well for the Haters.
In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt defeated the incumbent president, the Great Humanitarian Herbert Hoover, in a landslide eerily similar with another landslide 48 years later (nearly the same percentage of the popular vote, nearly the same percentage of electoral votes), when Ronald Reagan defeated the incumbent president, the Great Humanitarian James Carter, in a landslide.
(Forget about the landslides of 1936 and 1984; the landslides in 1932 and 1980 were more significant.)
Just as with the Incompetent One today, for a whole generation there were actually people who thought Herbert Hoover was the horse's banana, the best thing since sliced bread, and were angry that he had been run out of office. They really disliked Roosevelt.
And they were a significant part of the activist Republican party as it then was.
As a consequence, they were out of power for nearly a whole generation, 20 years, and once back in power, it was never as it had been before.
There are still millions who nostalgically yearn for the Incompetent One, even though his record was just as lousy as that of Herbert Hoover; and since Reagan defeated their shining hero, they Hate Reagan.
As a consequence, they were out of power for nearly a whole generation, 12 years + 8 years, and once back in power, it was never as it had been before.
Hate does that.
Another historical parallel is with that of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, circa 1824-1836.
The eastern establishment, the special interests, those waxing fat and prosperous on the government dole, really really really loved Adams and Hated Jackson, the rustic from the southwest who chopped his own firewood.
There are many similarities between the Bostonian Billionaire and John Quincy Adams, including the make-up of those who supported them.
And so as with Jackson defeating Adams, ditto for Bush defeating the Bostonian Billionaire (the argument is also valid for Alphonse Capote Gore, by the way); the supporters of Adams--the eastern establishment, the elites, the academics, the media, the special interests, those sucking at the governmental teat, remember--Hated Jackson.
The result being that the old Federalist party shattered apart.
Hate does that, to both people and organizations.
