I think you misunderstood me a bit, Tom. There's not a snowball's chance in hell that my father would not vote for Bush in 2004--he's as true-blue a True Believer as they come. But where once he viewed Bush as the right-wing Messiah who'd lead the country into the promised land of conservatism, now he sees him as a betrayer of conservative principles because Bush has commited the unforgivable sin of compromise. I've seen this cycle with every Republican President since I learned the meaning of the word "President", and I call it "cannibalism"--conservatives eat their own.
What I've observed is the severe "mood swing" of the conservative voter--initial euphoria and hero-worship, expectations for radical change and an assumption of the absolute power to transform society overnight into a right-wing paradise; followed in a year or so by deep disillusionment and resentment when the conservative politician is revealed to have feet of clay.
The phenomenon isn't solely the quirk of conservatives, I'll readily admit. But it's more dramatic among conservatives, probably because of a basic difference between conservatives and liberals. Conservatives believe in One True Way, and see things in black and white; while the liberal belief in diversity and accommodation of multiple cultural viewpoints conditions liberals to somewhat accept that compromise is a necessary part of governance.
Current Events » in reply to re: True conservatives never compromise
re: True conservatives never compromise
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