Bush Hatred vs. Obama Hatred - Call For Explanation

I remember reading this rant by Jonathan Chait back in 2004 and feeling so relieved that I promptly emailed the author just two short words.

"Thank you."

I really did despise President Bush. The very first time I saw him I had a visceral reaction to him. I did not yet despise him, but I naturally disliked him. Unfortunately, my Bush hatred got worse for all the reasons described in the article linked to above. And, as the author described, I often questioned whether my antipathy for Bush was even rational? Perhaps I was just too partisan, or too angry about our team loosing power, or something else along those lines. But no matter how much benefit of the doubt I attempted to give the man, I always determined that my hostility was more than rational - it was absolutely justified.

Then, when I read this article, the various strands of reason underlying my hostility crystallized and I felt a huge sense of relief. Somebody had outlined and articulated the reasons underlying my strongly negative feelings towards the president. Apparently, over the course of the next four years, a super majority of Americans came to see it my way. By the end, they were so repulsed by the man that they taunted him as he left office.

I wonder if anyone is equal to this task with regards to Obama hatred? Obama hatred seems equal to, if not greater than, Bush hatred. And I would imagine that at least some Obama haters are soul searching for the source of their deep antipathy. But is there a case to be made that Obama hatred is grounded in understandable reasons? Are there facts one can point to that, if not justify, at least explain the kind of rage that can move people to show up outside Obama rallies carrying assault weapons?

If anyone is willing to try, I'm all ears.

Joe H.