Quote of the day: Electability

Remember -- it hasn't been that long -- when people began saying that Ronald Reagan, despite his elevation to sainthood by the current Republican party, nevertheless probably couldn't even get the GOP nomination now?

Now comes Paul Waldman at TPM to make a fairly convincing case that it's been taken it to the next level:

The George W. Bush of 2000 probably couldn't get the nomination of today's Republican Party.

Waldman continues:

All his talk of how he had worked with Democrats in the Texas Legislature and how he wanted to end Washington's partisan rancor would have gotten him branded a squish who couldn't be trusted. You can argue that Bush fooled the country into thinking he was more moderate than he actually was (I'd agree). But after a few months on the trail, nobody is going to think Rick Perry is a uniter. And that's why he has a pretty good shot of being the Republican nominee.

There's something to think about: Bush trashed our economy on behalf of the wealthy and the corporations, lied his way into war with Iraq, took every opportunity to hobble the government's ability to enforce regulations or pursue justice, and polarized the nation to an extent beyond anything in living memory via Karl Rove's "fifty-percent-plus-one" political strategy.

But, only twelve years later, can it be that he's probably not toxic enough to get nominated by his own party?