Is George W. Bush responsible for those Republican losses?

It was a poignant and singular moment.

Chuck Todd, at the white electronic board on MSNBC's campaign set, recalled NBC's beloved and much-missed colleague Tim Russert, the host of "Meet the Press" who died earlier this year.

Todd said he had been musing about Russert's prescient calls on election nights past — Tim's prediction in 2000 that the election would come down to "Florida, Florida, Florida" and his call in 2004 that the presidential race would be decided in "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio."

Russert's whiteboard has long been replaced by fancy high-tech gear. But Todd, saying he had tried to think of what the respected NBC newsman would do at the board in 2008, said he didn't think Russert would write down a state's name.

Instead, said Todd, he would write ...

"Bush, Bush, Bush."

His explanation: The size of the Republican losses — Liddy Dole loses her race decisively in North Carolina, Jeanne Shaheen defeats Republican moderate John Sununu handily, Barack Obama bests John McCain in a landslide — just doesn't happen if President Bush had been more popular.

There is likely to be much second-guessing in the morning, a whole TV cast of pundits to weigh the factors that led to the 2008 dramatic victory for Democrats. Some will say that Obama, with his massive get-out-the-vote effort and his prowess at harnessing a youth-powered social network, won the election. Others will say that it was more that McCain lost the election with his lurching from issue to issue, and with his pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

But Todd is not likely to be alone in judging that Bush, whose popularity rating according to CBS News is at an all-time presidential low of 20%, hurt the Republican brand.

— Johanna Neuman

Photo: Chris Greenberg/White House

Comments

[The Flem]

The disastrous Republican national showing today is a direct result of the dismal approval rate of President Bush. And the dismal approval rate of George W. Bush is a direct result of his lies and deceit to the American people. And it ain't over yet!!!

In the words of a great American: "Throw da bum out!

[michael McQuade]

A despicable eight years it's been, but I've a feeling that Bush is just the fall guy, the puppet for the truly evil ...

[P Greider]

You can't blame it all on Bush, He had lots of help after all. Karl Rove and he introduced a level of nastiness into election campaigns that hadn't been seen before at the national level. And after he won in 2000 with a minority of the popular vote, he proceeded to rule like a tinpot dictator, refusing to ever compromise with the 49% who disagreed with him while the Republican congress aided and abetted his every move. His trashing of the Constitution with the illegal signing statements, the illegal wiretapping of Americans and the waging of a illegitimate war could not have been done without the support of his fellow Republicans in Congress and the Supreme Court. All the Republican leaders have to share in the responsibility for this repudiation by the American people.

[Olivia]

I personally agree with this article: I think that Bush really did hurt the Republican party in these elections.

[Mr.X]

And Obama supporters can thank all those Republicans who voted for W...!

[C.N Zion]

Martin Luther's Dream Coming True half a Century Late!!

[BG]

We can all thank George Bush for driving his party over a cliff and helping elect the first black man President of the United States. This is the first thing he has ever done right in the past 8 years. Now he can go back to Crawford and ride his bike and chop fire wood. It will take decades to repair the damage he has done to our country.

[John M.]

Chuck Todd is so right when he puts the blame for the GOP losses at the feet of George W. Bush, he started this whole mess 8 years ago in Florida, and it's been a mess from day one. Bush is headed back to Crawford, his time is done.

Obama's is just beginning, after watching his acceptance speech last night, you really begin to see that this is the start of a new day, and the future looks very bright indeed.

[David Blackburn]

Are you crazy? Republicans are responsible for Republican losses. President Bush was just doing what his base told him to do. I'm more afraid of them than I am of terrorists!

[ks]

It is sad when there is so much rejoice, tears, celebration, and emotion for the new person yet not much for the one still in office. Must have meant that the general public could not stand for bush nor his policies

[cashaww]

Bush is NOT the reason the Republicans fell, but he IS the straw which broke the camels back. This US disaster has been brewing for almost 30yrs. In the US there seems to be a missing historical knowledge.

[c earl jr]

How long will it be before people once again forget the lessons of this time and vote against their self interest...? Such a struggle lies ahead to overcome the profligate spending that decimated a surplus and plunged us again into national debt (and international weakness as a result.)

Enough with the stolen elections and hateful politics of division...

Rove and Co can roast in hell as far as I'm concerned, along with those he put in power to rape and pillage our country's wealth and stature...

[gerrrg]

It's the culmination of inevitability. Bush won, Republicans held control of Congress, and it was only a matter or time when both would implode. Blindly clinging to each other, only recently did Republicans attempt to defect from George Bush, and by then it was too late.

[Louis@west]

The disastrous policies of the Bush-Cheney administration certainly contributed signicantly to McCain's loss, as pointed by Chuck Todd (who I think has done an excellent job at MSNBC explaining this electoral campaign to viewers).

In this respect, one of the wonders of this election, amongst many others, is that McCain, the Republican candidate, could still get about 46% of the votes., i.e. close to half of the electorate. One would have thought that, with the combination of Bush-Cheney's poor record and low popularity and with McCain erratic's and sometimes out of touch campaign, 30% at most of the electorate would have supported such a candidate.

Given the final results, it appears that despite these severe handicaps, McCain may still have won if it had not been for the extraordinary Obama personality and campaign, which is quite surprising and seems to indicate that America remains by and large a country still heavily leaning on the right.

[Rummy Ahluwalia]

Bush is solely responsible for this disaster. In all the TV interviews I watched I found he did not even understand the questions asked to him by press and answers were stupid or some times he was ignorant of what was going on common man's life.

[Bill]

Thank you George W. Bush for SINGLEHANDEDLY giving us our first African-American President! Without your precise narrow-minded, vision-less, backwards looking, destructive, clueless leadership (?) this would not have happened for another 50 years or so. Can we not say this morning, "America has had QUITE enough of George W. Bush." I cannot wait for Obama to start repealing and reversing all the damages you have caused this once great land of ours. I especially cannot wait for the investigations to begin into the horrific destruction and lies you/Rove/Cheney/DeLay/Craig/Gonzalez/Stevens/Gramm (shall I keep going?) have committed in the name of "democracy". The worst 8 years of my life under the most appalling and harmful regime have now come to an end. Go back to Crawford, Little George. Go. Now. PRONTO!

[WTL]

Bush couldn't do it alone; Republicans lost their moral bearings around the time of Reagan and allowed greed, selfishness, gluttony, exclusiveness, and hatred to rule them - they wallowed in immorality. Without that kind of Republican party, there would have been no George Bush. The GOP, and especially Republican voters, have only themselves to blame.

But without Bush and these morally deficient Republicans, there could have been no Obama. It took eight years for most Americans to see how bad things can get when they allow amorality to run the country. We would have muddled along a Clinton-type path going nowhere in particular with no moral compass, just more of the same-old same-old interchangeable political parties. But Bush and the Republicans took things to such an extreme of corruption and incompetence that a majority of Americans saw a sharp course correction was needed, and they found that in Obama.

My only regret is that more Americans didn't vote for him, that so many millions of people still think the Republicans know how to govern and that what passes for their philosophy is worthy of consideration. That speaks very poorly of the cognitive abilities - not to mention the moral bearings - of too many Americans.

[Rick]

If you had to pick one person, it has to be George W. Bush. He and the despicable Carl Rove have dessimated the Republican party, and further divided the country, leading to this victory by Obama. And poor John McCain, who I think would have made a good president, got caught in the middle. The country was just not going to elect another Republican after eight years of Bush.

[TRCoop]

Giving no credit to his dictating, spoiled brat style, Bush tripped on landmines left behind by Clinton, plus added a few of his own inactions. Good ridance to Clinton & Bush, as well as McCain. Perhaps now the Republicans will learn that you cant pander to demographics, but stick to the message without changing depending upon who you are talking to. Afterall, that is what Obama accomplished. He is to be congratulated for running a clean campaign. Let's hope he will not bow to lobbyists & special interest groups.

[JERRY]

The death of "Reagan`s Republican Revolution" became official last night. How sweetly ironic is it that the "killer" of Reagan`s dream turned out to be his running mate`s son?

[Ty]

Easy to point fingers to lay blame. To remember, Bush had some very tough-tough problems that any human should have to deal with. I would say the Republican party team (and voters) failed as a whole support the President. So he failed in the image of the voter. That is why the Dam-ocrats won. One player on a Pro-football team is not going to win the game.

[Daisy]

This is what I expect from leftie, liberal, dribble. I honestly do not know how Obama was elected. Our corrupt, American media has done nothing but try and destroy Pres. Bush and our accomplshments in the war. They despise conservative values so much that they jump all over each other to lie and make up stories to discredit this man. I think Pres. Bush loves America and did the best he could considering the corruption in the media. They no longer teach ethics in journalism school. It's dead...seems like they teach only the left-wing agenda. One voter yesterday said she voted for Obama because she will no longer have to worry about her mortgage. He's fooled a lot of people.

[Scott]

Who are you going to hate when Bush leaves the scene? Just go back in time. The same hate was directed at Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr and now his son. It is sad.

Compare to 1980 these are great economic times. Compared to 2000 these are good economic times.

Wait until 2011 and you will see what a great depression is really like!

[jim]

Dont be so hard on W. He's not the idiot he appears. He's not a bad person. He just wants to drink beer and hang out. Be angry about the American public's lack of good sense. They voted him in twice.

The pendulum swings the other way this time...but, beware, the right wing flat worlders are still out there waiting to come back into power.

[Bart Stratton]

The Republican party lost its moorings. Their foriegn policy has led to a messy occupation in Iraq, a dangerous war in Afghanistan, a resurgent Russia, a menacing Iran and nuclear North Korea. Their economic policies have led to a once in a centurty economic crisis, lost jobs and high household debt. Domestic policies have failed to address our declining infrastructure, or the millions of uninsured and underemployed. Add to this a culture of corruption. The American people have rejected the false philosophies and errant policies of the Republican party. They need to return to the mainstream.