Contemplating another Bush Administration: No thanks!
Bush the elder was an out-of-touch Northeastern elitist …
Bush the lesser was an out-of-touch Northeastern elitist posing as a Texan (or as they say: all hat, no cattle) …
And now, thanks to the gracious planned resignation of Bush family crony, Senator Mel Martinez, we are likely to see Bush the younger positioned as a Senator in 2010 with a potential run at the presidency in 2012.
No thanks …
While I do not dispute the patriotic nature of the Bush family, we do not need another political dynasty: be it Kennedy, Clinton, or Bush.
First, the Bushes are RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) who support Rockefeller-style politics and profligate spending over Reagan-style conservatism.
Second, they do not seem to understand the clear and present danger of open borders. Jeb is an avowed open border advocate.
Third, they are highly secretive and do not openly defend the Republican Party against their democrat opposition. While there is something to be said for gentlemanly discourse, we need a vigorous debate over the issues – no more “go along to get along!”
Fourth, and worst of all, there is the matter of cronyism which saw incompetent friends be nominated to positions of great power where they failed. The exaggerated loyalty shown to President Bush by his appointees caused many to step over the bounds of propriety. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson come immediately to mind. Thank God we were spared Harriet Miers’ nomination to the Supreme Court. And we are likely to see this in Mel Martinez, who received Bush support over Katherine Harris who was promised support after her stint as Florida’s Secretary of State.
While I admit that Jeb Bush is more telegenic and probably smarter, more articulate, more conservative and more politically adept than his brother, his chance at the presidency seemed to have evaporated on the day his brother cut in line. I still wonder why I voted for Bush the lesser – except it came down, as it usually does, as a vote for the lesser of two evils.
While Jeb will talk like a conservative Republican, we have been there before. I would much rather nominate a Bobby Jindal for President with Michael Steele as a Vice President than go with another Bush candidacy.
And while I respect the domestic safety and security provided by President Bush and his Administration, I do not appreciate the results of the domestic agenda which saw unprecedented regulatory complacency in the face of clear and present fiscal dangers.
In the final analysis, there are those who believe that Jeb Bush can lead the country back to some form of Republican conservatism and bring back the Hispanics into the fold.
I say, what crap, nobody worked harder on immigration reform than President Bush and John McCain … and we now have a tangible result: the non-voting illegal aliens didn’t matter and the Hispanic vote was tied to the unions. Most blacks voted along racial lines. And those conservative Hispanics and Blacks who voted Republican did so because they believed in the conservative message – not the promise of unbridled immigration or unfettered entitlements.
The way Republicans win elections: stand for principles supported by the majority of America and let those who want to join us enter the tent. There is absolutely no benefit to be gained by acting like democrats or moderating our principled stance to become Bush-like RINOs.
The measuring stick is simple to understand …
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Bottom line: while I would have preferred Jeb Bush over his brother – it is now too little, too late. No Messiah is likely to appear to save the Republican party in its presently constituted form. Therefore, it is up to us, the people who function at the grassroots, to push our candidates upward instead of settling for what the so-called leadership is dropping on our heads.
-- steve
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