Posted on 06/11/2012 9:14:09 PM PDT by Qbert
Former FL Gov. Jeb Bush says Ronald Reagan would have a hard time winning the Republican nomination today, because the party has veered too far to the right, and is “dysfunctional.”
“Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad — they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party — and I don’t — as having an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement, doesn’t allow for finding some common ground,” Bush said, adding that he views the hyper-partisan moment as “temporary.”“Back to my dad’s time and Ronald Reagan’s time – they got a lot of stuff done with a lot of bipartisan support,” he said. Reagan “would be criticized for doing the things that he did.”
The GOP has nominated a Bush in 2000, re-nominated him in 2004, and then nominated centrist John McCain in 2008 and centrist Mitt Romney in 2012. During this same period, the Democrats nominated a sitting vice president once seen as a centrist but who had flown hard left on environmental causes, a left of center senator from blue Massachusetts, a left of center senator from blue Illinois, will soon re-nominate him after a left of center term as president. The Democrats made all of these nominations after two successful terms by centrist, DLC alum Bill Clinton, effectively repudiating centrism.
Of the two major parties, the evidence suggests that it is the Democrats who have radicalized to a greater degree than the Republicans have. The Republicans have responded to this Democratic leftward lurch by emphasizing economic issues, chiefly excess government spending and corresponding stress on the private sector in the form of high unemployment. If the Republicans had ignored these issues, it would have failed to stand on its core principles, and would have spawned a third party as fiscal hawks in the Tea Party and the GOP bolted to form a more fiscally serious party.
The fact is, Jeb Bush’s read of the past 30 years or so and of the current state of play between the two parties and their trajectories, is terrible. Jeb Bush’s analysis is incomplete at best if he sees the GOP as more sharply partisan now than it was under Reagan. Reagan spared nothing when criticizing Democrat and socialist policies. He went over the heads of the Democrats and the media to articulate his goals, and used the presidency effectively to achieve them. He occasionally compromised, and was sometimes criticized by many Republicans when he did, but more often than not his compromises brought the Democrats to the right, not the Republicans to the left. Jeb Bush apparently forgets that after Reagan signed one of his arms deals with the Soviets, many in the GOP base accused him of lapsing and becoming a Democrat again; he was criticized when his policies warranted it by his own party. Bush also apparently forgets this his own father coined the phrase “voodoo economics” to describe Reagan’s economic policies. That was before George H. W. Bush accepted the vice presidential nod from Reagan, such is the nature of politics. Bush 41 did find the common ground that Jeb Bush seems to hope current Republicans will find with Democrats, in the form a huge tax increase that sparked a recession and cost him his presidency. Bush 41′s finding common ground with Democrats paved the way for eight years of Bill Clinton. Is that the sort of functional party that Jeb Bush wants? — one that compromises on bad policy and hurts the country and itself at the same time? One that just becomes Democrat-lite rather than pulling Democrats over to support conservative ideas? One that creates “Obamicans” rather than Reagan Democrats? That isn’t how Bush governed Florida, and it’s among the reasons he left office as a very popular man.
There obviously is room for Ronald Reagan and the Bushes in today’s GOP. Romney is obviously to the left, at least if you go by past policy, of Reagan and Bush 43. If Jeb Bush cannot see that, or see how the media will play up his comments to hurt the Republicans, then that’s on him, not the party. He needs some brush-up media training to remind him that whatever he says about Democrats, if he reserves his sharpest criticisms for Republicans, that will feed the headlines.
... and digruntled RINO GOP-establishment types as well.
In other words, Jeb Bush hates the tea party. Tough! We don’t like him either. We’ve had enough with high-spending Bush’s.
“Re veered to the right”
Let me see. Over the past 30 years the libs have tried to cram
extreme environmentalism, gay rights including marriage, business
over regulation, over taxation, open borders, a depleted military, an
anti religious agenda, and any number of other anti American ideas
down our throats. As conservatives we oppose these efforts and we
are “dysfunctional”. Our job has ALWAYS been to resist the many
bad ideas of the left. This crap is both funny and sad.
Why is this cowardly assclown Jeb Bush popping up all of a sudden?
Good grief, go away already.
Not to me and millions of Americans, we knew that a giant was in the White House during the Reagan years, we knew that we were living through the presidency of a major historical figure.
That was the main reason for all of the enthusiasm and confidence during the Reagan years globally, people knew that Reagan was changing the rules and was altering the state of the world.
“Reagan...was disparaged a lot during his terms.”
And before. Remember the disparaging phrase “voodoo economics”?
It’s funny now to hear Jeb pretend his dad and Reagan were ideological soulmates.
But Jeb’s probably just frustrated that he’s not going to inherit the dynasty.
I think you may have missed my point.
I don’t care what who said back during the day. But I lived thru those days.
He was not as revered then as he is now.
I heard an interesting interview with Michael Reagan.
Paraphrasing his comments..We weren’t looking for a Reagan back then. It just happened.
stay out the bushes!
I am glad you saw it and recognized him for what he was.
As I recall, back in the day, we had no alternate media.
As I recall, we heard a lot of negatives.
But he was absolutely the best.
“just frustrated that he’s not going to inherit the dynasty”
That’s the truth!!
People were pumped during the Reagan years, hope and optimism, pride, and patriotism were plentiful.
Military enlistments were high and happy, soldiers finally started getting high tech gear at the ordinary grunt level, to replace inferior things that hadn’t changed since WWII, Gore-Tex, good winter gear, bullet proof helmets, MREs, etc., people wanted to get in and serve under Reagan.
What exactly is Jeb selling?
The democrats controlled Congress in the time of Reagan. Reagan had no choice but to compromise with the democrats.
In GW Bush’s time, Republicans controlled Congress reflecting the right tilt mood of the electorate. Today the electorate is still tilting to the right. There is no need to compromise with the Left now.
What is he selling? Himself in the VP spot, that’s what. Just what we need. NOT! Go away, Jeb. We don’t want you.
I have a sinking feeling that Romney has made some kind of deal involving Jeb and Rove. Barf!
Hey, RINOs, I want Allen West! If you want my vote, don’t give me 2 RINOs on the ticket.
“Reagan left the Democratic party because the Democratic party left him.
The Bushes all joined the Democratic party.”
I wonder if that is too long for a tagline.
Dangit. Now there are two potential taglines in this thread alone.
Decisions, decisions.....
(not that I’m complaining, mind. ;-) :-) )
Reagan had a hard time with the GOP back then. He wasn’t supposed to win according to the elites.
The truth is, if the daddy Bush wing of the Gop had their way, Reagan would have never been elected. Daddy Bush was an unsuccessful, one term President because he went against Reagan’s conservative reform. Ever since we read his lips about no new taxes and then he proceeded to join his lefty friends across the aisle, abandoned the cause of cutting government and raised taxes, he has been campaigning for the ‘moderation’ of raise taxes and ending efforts of ‘extremist’ reform.
Jeb is a crusader and a one note nelly for the legalization of all the millions of illegals who have invaded our country. His nonsense is that all the hispanics will vote for the GOP if only we legalize all of mexico’s peasants who have invaded our country.
The truth is, people who are racially indoctrinated by the left and vote by their skin with no concept of freedom, will not vote for the Gop. Racial pandering will not win over the left’s indoctrinated foreign tribalists.
The way to get the majority of votes in the US is to do what Daddy and Jeb don’t do too well but that Reagan did successfully. Sell America on it’s ideology of constitutional freedom and independence. Condemn the incompetent, unfair and poverty stricken ideology of socialism and it’s tribalism.
"What exactly is Jeb selling?"
I think he's become obssessed with "his" issue. You are either a "good guy" who agrees with him on illegal immigration, or somebody who needs to be cut off at the knees.
It's the same old song and dance that other wannabe reformers have used: "The GOP is on the 'wrong side' of a certain issue (global warming, bailouts, socialized medicine, gay marriage, public sector unions, etc., etc.) and unless the GOP adopts the Democrat position, it will be forever left in the dustbin of history"... (which of course has been proven wrong time after time).
You’ve got that right. Jeb and his GOP pals have done more than enough compromising with evil. We know where that road is taking us, and we don’t want to go there. Jeb should do us all a favor, and quit whining.
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