Katrina provides a clear counter-example. Bush handled it poorly, and much of the media and public held him responsible for that (deservedly so).

You're likely correct. At the time and in my memory he deserved much, much worse. That catastrophic failure should have relegated the conservative project to the dustbin of history. Twenty years later and, well, fuck me.

Thx for the unwanted flashbacks to the 2004 GOP Convention (Houston?) where the assembled delegates wore purple band-aids and hearts to mock John Kerry Twenty years later and President Bone Spurs captures the popular and electoral votes

I'm never going to forgive or forget that.

Damn, forgot all about those fucking purple band-aids and the whole swiftboating of Kerry.

just one more stain on America's body politic 💔🇺🇸😞

Of course, he’d just been re-elected, so nothing came of it.