Jeb Bush, the future of the GOP?

In an interview with Esquire, Jeb Bush defends intellectualism and social conservativsm and manages to avoid ticking off Rush Limbaugh while lamenting his party's damaging rhetoric on immigration. Worthwhile to read the whole thing.

Here's his case against Barack Obama: It's important for people who have a different view to explain the breathtaking, dramatic expansion of government. I mean, breathtaking. Unprecedented. This year's fiscal deficit will be $1.8 trillion. It's his deficit. He owns it. $1.8 trillion. That's 12 percent of our gross national product. The scope of government will — when you add federal, state and local government on a net basis — consume at least a third of our economic activity. The deficits projected go out as far as the eye can see. President Obama says he will cut the deficit in half. Well, he'll cut it from $1.8 trillion to $900 billion — almost a trillion based on rosy GNP numbers for the next five years. The debt that will be created in his four years as president will exceed the debt that was created by all presidents before him. These are numbers that once people understand the scale of them, they'll be very concerned about. What's the alternative? The alternative is to take time-tested practices and convert them to the world we live in. Which means you're going to cut taxes and cut spending.

*

Comments

[N.O. Morebush]

No, it wasn't worth reading the whole thing. Let me summarize.

"It's not W's fault! OK now let's do more of the same. Anybody buyin this?"

[Great Reagan-Bush Depression of 2008 continues]

Looks like JEBs running damage control for the Bush Crime Family. Good luck, sucker!

[Balfour]

2:12 & 2:16, I hope you're enjoying the ride while it lasts. The US economy as we know is collapsing and the Saint's poll numbers are dipping. I thought when your Messiah was elected, he'd be a two-termer. However, looks like this administration will end with a whimper.

[Balfour]

2:12 & 2:16, I hope you're enjoying the ride while it lasts. The US economy as we know is collapsing and the Saint's poll numbers are dipping. I thought when your Messiah was elected, he'd be a two-termer. However, looks like this administration will end with a whimper.

[Former Republican Super Voter]

Geez... the Bush Crime Family has practically distroyed this country. Never Ever Again!

I wish I had never voted for any of these low life criminals. I hope one day I will forgive my ignorance.

[CRIST=SPECTER]

The problem with the Republican party is the RINO infestation it is suffering from. When the GOP talks and walks like the Democrats, we all lose. Bush's areas of failure were those in which he abandoned true conservative Republicanism: runaway spending, expansion of government, etc.

Let's get rid of the RINOs and start here at home with the RINO's RINO, Chuckles the Clown.

[Gator(R)]

What part about tripling the deficit do Deomocrats not understand - and he has not even gotten started. If it was bad under Bush (and it was) it is even worse now. And now they are talking Stimulus 2. Oh my. Hope we have enough rich people left we can bleed dry.

[Equalizer]

Jeb Bush is no more the future of the GOP than Ted Kennedy is the future of the Democrat party.

[Conservatives' bankrupt policies bankrupted America - and Bush IS a conservative]

CRIST=SPECTOR voted for Bush - twice!

[conservative hypocrisy knows no limits]

There would be no need for a stimulus if conservative polices hadn't created a second Great Depression. There wouldn't be any need to pour money into assistance programs if conservatives hadn't been underfunding them for years and years. Where did all the money go? Yep, to the top of the pyramid. I hope we bleed them dry.

[Billy]

Sigh. Most of this deficit, as Jeb knows quite well, comes from the Medicare prescription drug benefit and simply counting Iraq and Afghanistan money as money. The Bush administration did not. There are only two places to cut spending that will matter: war and health care. Have at it.

[partisan ignorance knows no limits]

I hate to p on y'alls parade... but the cat in the White House today is no different than that last resident. He's taller, a little darker in pigment tone, and far more articulate... but it's the same damn game with the same damn results; the folks at the top win at the expense of the folks at the bottom.

Only the malleable masses who push the D because it’s a D and the R because it’s an R think they’re different. Intellectuals who take the time to understand and recognize the game, simply watch the morons toss rhetorical blather back and forth before it’s time for a commercial break…

Good government doesn’t sell the soap, folks… time for the rest of you to get with the program and help us save what’s left of this once great nation.

[old heart]

babyboomers are so shortsighted.

why don't we create a national health care plan that excludes them so we can speed things along....

history won't look back and judge 'george bush' as being awful -- it will look back and judge the entire generation as being sad and pathetic

[john]

Yes put Jeb in charge. Then we can say good by to the republican party forever. How does that saying go? shame on me once, shame on me twice, go for three times. Jeb and George is like Bevis and butt head, dumb and dumber.

[libertarian ignorance knows no limits]

Government-hating conservatives (both Republican and Libertarian) are responsible for the failed policies that caused the Great Reagan-Bush Depression of 2008 and plunged our country into this current nightmare. Part of their grand scheme (aka Rove-Norquist Agenda) is to blur the distinction between Democrats and Republicans and locate the blame with some nebulous entity they refer to as "The Government". By creating distrust for all Government, they hope to accomplish their goal of anarchy and subsequent total deregulation of the affairs of their big business masters. To remain ignorant of this scheme is to risk the establishment of their Corporate Oligarchy system, in which We the People serve as wage slaves with no rights and no government protection against the exploitation of the "free market" or the ulta-elites that pull all the strings. In fact, our only hope lies with the Democrats, who while not perfect, in general support the will of the people, the principles of democracy, and the betterment of all.

[Philosopher]

Jeb Bush would easily win a Republican Presidential primary and would do so well with Hispanics that he could seriously challenge for the White House in 2012.

[how 'bout them repiggies]

Jeb Bush? You've got to be kidding. The dingalings in Teabagistan might go for him, but their hearts belong to Sarah Palin, who is as inarticulate and poorly educated as they are. Bigotry and bumpkinism are the rule of the day for the repiggies. Intelligent independent voters have fled, holding their noses from the sheer stink.

Intellectualism and the repiggie party are mutually exclusive.
Slogans and war cries from the old fat white guys in the South are dominating what used to be a fairly intelligent and fiscally conservative party, one that died in the 1990's.

[Pretty Nice!]

All Bushes are liars. It started before Prescott who is a real criminal traitor that financed Hitler. They are a facade of decency.

[Middle Man]

4:35,

Your adolescent rants pail in comparison to your inability to recognize your own ignorance. You’re a sad soul, and I shall pray for you.

[Buzzard.]

Land sakes alive, you got diarhea of the mouth today, Pig, you wordy rascal you.

[Young American]

Republicans don't seem to understand that an entire generation of Americans basically sees them as evil fascists.

Every year, 4.5 million new young voters become eligible, whom Obama will win better than two to one. And each year, 2.5 million old voters, whom Obama lost 3 to 2, kick the bucket.

I'm wondering how long it will take for professional Republicans to take note of this trend.

[how 'bout them repiggies]

4:42, pray for yourself, you judgmental hypocrite.

Buzzard, you need to undergo Fox Detox.

[Buzzard.]

5:00 - Bwahhahahahahahahahahahah!!!! Yer a loon.

[Alice]

You Obama voters just make me laugh. You wish you had never voted for any of these low life criminals like Obama. I hope one day we will be able to forgive your ignorance.

[Young American]

Alice, where do you people come from, with your angry self-righteousness, your vengeful religiosity and bitter resentment of anyone who reads books or speaks a foreign language?

I'm declaring independence from the fundamentalist American Taliban.

[how 'bout them repiggies]

Alice, take your morality and shove it. You voted for Bush/Cheney twice, and you had absolutely no problem with all the lies that led to the Iraq mess.

Clean up your own moral closet before you trash anyone else.

Gandhi said it so well: "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians."

[Gator(R)]

'Young American' We were all 'Young Americans' once, by far Democrats. Not quite as obstinate as you, but probably because we were too apathetic. Things changed then, they may change again.

Why don't you, repiggie-man and some of the hard right-wingers that post on the blogs meet, have a few beers, get whatever is bugging you off your chest. Then maybe you can stop the childish name calling and useless blogs.

[Coach]

Can someone tell me how many Dem posters in here just use different immature snide remark names?

BTW, I usually call BS on someone who says they were a former GOP voter or currently is one to bash President Bush. Boy is that lame. Especially now after a collectivist party took over and has driven the debt beyond what was even iamginable and is spending money that the college kids who post here will be paying for in their twighlight years.

[mark]

Can someone tell me how many Repug posters in here just use different immature snide remark names?

[Coach]

Snappy comback.....but wow....another clever pig reference

[mike m]

Jeb Bush is a man of impressive intellect. And unlike bafoons such as Palin and Crist, Jeb Bush is a person of substance whose involvement in the political arena elevates the quality of the debate. And while Governor Bush makes some salient points in this Esquire interview, he omits some very important facts. Let's explore them...

First and foremost, the "fiscally conservative" Republicans under President George W. Bush squandered the budget surplus that was handed to them by the Clinton Adminstration back in 2001.

Also, the current economic crisis - "The Great Recession" - is largely attributable to the deeply flawed policies and lack of regulatory oversight of the Bush Administration. This is a well established fact.

To lift the country out from under The Great Recession, the government has no other realistic option but to infuse massive amounts of capitol into the system. This has already prevented the total collapse of the financial system, which would have led the country to slip even deeper into the abyss of a potential economic depression.

Governor Bush overlooks the fact that during the Great Depression of the 1930's, the Roosevelt Adminstration and the Congress ran-up substantial deficits. This was the case, despite the fact that FDR had campaigned against such deficit spending during his first successful Presidential campaign against incumbent Herbert Hoover. It was determined during FDR's Administration that deficit spending was necessary to lift the country out from under The Great Depression. Unfortunately (due in large measure to the flawed policies of the Bush Administration), the same logic applies at this critical juncture in our history.

Also, the American people simply need to give the Stimulus Package passed earlier this year by Congress some additional time to work. World renowned and respected economist Mark Zandi of Moody's essentially made this same statement on NBC Nightly News earlier this evening.

Remember, after Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980 during another deep economic recession, the economy did not start to change for the better until after the 1982 mid-term Congressional elections. We should perhaps expect circumstances to get a little worse before they stabilize and begin to improve.

[Paul D. Harvill]

Jeb Bush WAS the successful at elections GOP.

The times have changed.

[Coach]

MikeM: You lost youre argument at "bafoon".

First and foremost, the "fiscally conservative" Republicans under President George W. Bush squandered the budget surplus that was handed to them by the Clinton Adminstration back in 2001.

i/Also, the current economic crisis - "The Great Recession" - is largely attributable to the deeply flawed policies and lack of regulatory oversight of the Bush Administration. This is a well established fact.i/i

While well written, stating an economic assessment as economic fact that is less than 10 years old is not done in economics. Packaging it with the usual Dem/Obama segways (ie deeply flawed ploucies of the Bush era) are standard Dem party talking points.

Siting Zandi as an honest broker on the economy is, well, dishonest. He's likely to be a Democrat in the first place. He has a professional dog on the hunt as he addressed congress on numerous occassions in favor of the Obama stimulus.

Is it by Zandi's wisdom you say to give the stimulus more time? By your time table it should already be decided that the Obama-Democrat stimulus has indeed failed. As it is by the same short timeline you found it easy to factually blame Bush for today's current economic problems.

[FL voter]

As an independent voter, I actually voted for Jeb Bush and supported him the second time he ran as governor. But, times have changed...

I am now a Democrat. I look at Jeb Bush with more critical eyes, and I would not vote for him again, in a national election. Yes, he did some good things as FL gov. But no more Bushes, for starters. And, his base feels the same way, IMO.

So, his political career is actually over. I think he is struggling to come to terms with that, though I believe he still secretly harbors the hope that one day he will be president. I don't think he will.

BTW, his interview in Esquire rang very false with me. What's all this talk about him needing to support his "family" -- like he has kids at home? His kids are in their 30's. His wife has all the jewelry she needs. He made a million dollars in salary as governor. Who does he need to support?

And what happened to his education foundation?

I think he is in a mid-life crisis. Hope all goes well for him, as I wish him no ill will. But, I will not be voting for him again.

I am hoping Dems can turn this country around, and I am willing to give them a chance.

[Ipsi Dixit]

If you liked W., you'll love JEB!!!

[Gator(R)]

11:56 Doesn't look like you have much choice, willing or not.

It's their baby now.

[Just Sayin]

Here is my case against Obama:

Article 2, Section 2, US Constitution:

"He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur"

Please explain how he was able to sign a treaty with Russia without following this specific protocol.

Dictator:

In modern usage, the term "dictator" is generally used to describe a leader who holds and/or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power, especially the power to make laws without effective restraint by a legislative assembly. (Wiki)

[Time to TAKE IT BACK BARACK!!!]

YES! DO IT NOW!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[George "Signing Statements, Executive Privilege" Bush]

8:31 it is very fitting that you would post a definition of "dictator" under a Bush thread. The connection to "W" is more than obvious. He was seated through un-Constitutional election fraud worthy of a bananna republic, elected a second time by using war mongering and fear tactics, and furthermore he went back on every campaign promise he made to liberals or moderates. He ran a government for the profit of himself and his henchmen.

Obama on the other hand was elected by a true majority and is carrying out the policies outlined in his campaign. He represents democracy and the will of the people. Just because your small insignificant minority is unhappy with his actions doesn't make him a dictator.

[reasons many party members are not supporting the politicians the fringe picks for us]

Can someone tell me how many Dem posters in here just use different immature snide remark names?

Especially now after a collectivist party took over and has driven the debt beyond what was even iamginable and is spending money that the college kids who post here will be paying for in their twighlight years.

Posted by: Coach | July 08, 2009 at 06:40 PM"
Well coach,I wonder,why didn't you ask how many POSTERS in here use snide remarks as names? Your Question barely deserves a response because you ignored the extreme fringe in here using statements for names,are you alluding that the fringe right that use this same tactic should not be mentioned? That's the bias thing?
It's not the Dems,it's the posters!!!
Your second paragraph? Why didn't you refer to the incredible debt that was incurred under former Pres Bush? He had a great deal of debt and also as has been pointed out more often recently,The extreme fringe want to use all the natural resources we can get our hands on,not worried at all about oil our college kids will have in their twilight years! We know using less oil product will drop prices,and will leave those college kids you are talking about, some oil.
I have been a life long Republican as has my entire family.Many in my family were and or are politically active,a couple family members even being recognized by pres Reagan.
What would cause a change?
My self and several in my family can not stand the shift of importance of business interest over everything else.
Not only that,this new opinion based news has got to stop driving our party.
People like Limbaugh make good chatter for entertainment purposes but people take him seriously! Do you really think god and those who follow him dislike illegals,this morning on 700 club there was Sen DeMint (R)SC talking about those pesky poor people wanting health care! Good christian? Hahaha
Come on,our political leaders want us to hear sermons that are anti everything Jesus was.
The fringe media is hurting our party badly and as long as the fringe media picks our candidates,I will NOT vote Republican.

[accept responsibility, change your policies, boot the wingnuts out]

10:19 Your party will continue to fragment leaving the Democrats to clean up the mess caused by Reagan, Bush, and the other wingnuts. Their minions are already busy forming the Fascist-Libertarian Party under the leadership of the tin-foil hat wearing morons like Bob Barr and Alan Keyes. Their only platform is obstruction and attacks on the current administration. Meanwhile the few remaining moderates now branded as RINOs will admit that the extremist tactics didn't work and continue with the the traditions of the real GOP.

[Equalizer]

Would JEB release his birth certificate for the American public to review and confirm the authenticity of or would he spend of a million dollars to conceal it?

Perhaps he would at least meet the most basic qualifications to be President unlike the current imposter.

[Coach]

One hard lesson we GOP supporters are learning is to not let democrats define us. We will no longer be knee jerking it from your taunts. One only need to watch the pathetic performance of President Obama to realize that thankfully there is the great middle in this country. His disaprovals drop daily at warp speed. He's unsuccessfully attemping to spin job numbers. All you have left is to blame Bush and that only works amongst yourselves.

[equalizer,wheres your foil hat?]

Hey equalizer,its been released and visible for all on the net.
It has been certified by hawaii and sealed by them as per SOP.
BTW Joesph Farah with WND agreed after he saw it and published an article to that effect.WND overruled Farah and he changed his mind some time later.
Jeb bush tried to put together a country wide tour with all the heavy hitters in the party,after Limbaugh put Jeb in his place for not having Palin,well the tour fizzled.
The so called "base" of the party is actually extremists driven by every moon bat lie and rumor those idiots can come up with.Its rumors like yours that are killing your party.
Has Palin allowed ANYONE to view the birth certificate of her oldest grand child/youngest child?
That rumor started long before she became a national spectacle,this was started by her own group of peers.
But don't talk about that,right?
Put down the murdoch rag and get some fresh air.

[Geesh,where the honesty GOP?]

One hard lesson we GOP supporters are learning is to not let democrats define us. We will no longer be knee jerking it from your taunts. One only need to watch the pathetic performance of President Obama to realize that thankfully there is the great middle in this country. His disaprovals drop daily at warp speed. He's unsuccessfully attemping to spin job numbers. All you have left is to blame Bush and that only works amongst yourselves.

Posted by: Coach | July 09, 2009 at 11:54 AM"
What you need to do is oppose the fringe that have redefined what the GOP really is. How often do the extremists in media demand a Democrat leave office for moral proclivities,but a GOP member? Well i guess they want everybody to believe because they used to represent the religious right they deserve to be forgiven,those dirty rotten Democrats?
This is hypocrisy cut and dry,spin it all you want,right there in South Carolina another politician was slammed,smeared,dragged through the mud and he wasn't even in office!!!
What was the difference between John Edwards and Gov Sanford? Sanford is a sitting Governor that family or staff had no idea of his whereabouts and
Sanford is a GOP member,so all is good he can be forgiven.
With Hypocrisy such as this,no wonder honest Christian's as well as working class people are leaving the party in droves.
Coach,nobody redefined the party except the fringe that have taken control of the party.These media driven idiots even beat up on their own people,or claim they are not GOP members if they also do not toe an extremist point of view.You are helping to reduce the party by furthering fox/limbaughs agenda.

[Coach]

What fringe? Tell us who they are? What spin? Dems control all media outlets save Fox News Channel. There are far more Democrat blogs than GOP. What spin dominates? You must live in some sort of parallel universe if you think there are no GOP pols driven from office on a sex scandal (see Gingrich, Craig, Packwood, et al)

[another repiggie educated by limbaugh and heritage foundation]

Bush put this all in motion,I have soooooo
many more of these links if you need, that tie in Mel Martinez and others into this.Look at the trillions that were put into admittedly subprime mortgages under the command and demand of Bush(under guise of "home ownership challenge",he also had majority in both houses during this time.Just prior in 99' Phil gramm/gramm leach biley act reduced oversight of lending institutions.
Bush promised 5.5 million financially challenged people could become homeowners under his home ownership challenge.
Bush said on national tv no less then 20 times what he was going to do and he did it.Don't do the 30 second clip of barney frank.There are hours of the President.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Fannie+Mae+Chairman+and+CEO+Raines+Says+Bush+Administration+Housing...-a082669972

http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-heads/5944494-1.html

http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=157

http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-heads/5944494-1.html

[Coach]

Astroturffing again, are we? An Axelrod desciple I see. The link dump is so last year. The cutting and pasting so very lame.

[Who was it that stayed out of the fray and did not endorse Mitt Romney? OH that!]

So much for Pres. Obama being the best thing since sliced bread. Not long ago Gov. Bush said he was proud to call Obama his President and this was so Historic and all that great stuff.

Yep, a "historic" deficit of mindboggling proportions America has never seen, nor will.

Onward Americans, we are headed towards that nameless perjorative!

[Coach Norquista]

It's official. We're witnessing the birth of the Fascist-Libertarian Party on this very day. Death to Democracy! Long Live the Corporation!