Many of you have seen the billboards, the shirts, and all of the other paraphernalia that has been put out with a picture of George Bush asking, “Miss me yet?” However, I would like to point out why this particular question is one of the most ridiculous that I have ever heard.
First of all, it is important to note that Bush was not a free market capitalist, so what exactly should we be missing? Second, the argument made for missing him is not logical in my opinion. To paraphrase from Ayn Rand, you cannot build something simply by abstaining from demolition. What I am referring to is the “lesser of two evils” logic, which I see as a fallacy. Obama’s horrific presidency does not justify Bush’s “slightly less horrific” presidency. The point to be made is that it should be about principles, not party. Without ideals and principals what do you have?
Asking the people if they miss George Bush because Obama is in office is like comparing two diseases, one may be worse than the other, but in the end neither of them are something you want. Bush was a failure and a statist just like Obama. Those who answer yes to this question must come to the realization that while Obama may be worse, he is not very different from Bush when it comes to his actions. If anything, Bush may have been just as harmful if not more so than Obama because he created the misconception that his policies were capitalist, free market policies. He himself has stated, “I have abandoned free market principles to save the free market system”. This alone should tell us that George Bush is anything but a capitalist, and has given the so-called “right” a bad name.
The point I would like to leave you all with is that I do not believe we are necessarily limited to only two choices in this country (i.e. the “lesser of two evils” logic). It seems to me that it’s not about “left versus right”, but rather it’s about the state versus you. So when you are considering this question think about this, do you miss Bush or are you settling for the lesser of two evils?
For more information on Bush and why he is not a free market capitalist check out this great blog from Liberty on The Rocks.
http://amanda.libertyontherocks.org/2010/01/29/speaking-of-capitalism/