Posted on 12/17/2014 6:38:19 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Back in 2005, Peggy Noonan wrote about the increasingly public friendship between George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton:
What bothers me about the fervid friendship of the Bushes and Mr. Clinton and the media celebration of it is the faint whiff of superiority, a sense they radiate that all those slightly icky little people running around wailing about issues tax reform, the relation of the individual to the state, the necessary character of a president and working the precincts are somehow . . . a little below them. There is an air of condescension toward that grubby thing, belief. Those who hold it are not elevated, dont quite fit into the high-minded nonpartisan brotherhood. When in fact the people doing the day-to-day work of democracy, and who are in it because they are impelled by deep belief and philosophy, are actually not below them at all, and perhaps above them. Not that theyre on the cover of People hugging, but at least theyre serious.
It is the suggestion, or the suspicion, that these men have grown close because they are not serious, were never quite serious, that grates. That makes one wonder. That leaves some Republicans, and I have to assume more than a few Democrats, scratching their heads when they see Newt smiling with Hillary, and John McCain giggling with Hillary. It leaves you wondering: Why are these people laughing?
Much more recently, former president George W. Bush has referred to Bill Clinton as my brother from another mother and to Hillary Clinton as his sister-in-law. On September 11, 2013, Jeb Bush, chair of the National Constitution Center, honored the former secretary of state with the organizations Liberty Medal, marking Clintons lifelong career in public service. At a March conference on education, Hillary Clinton praised Jeb Bush as someone who really focused on education during his time as governor in Florida, and who has continued that work with passion and dedication in the years since.
Sigh.
Insert all the standard boilerplate about the joy of friendship and personal relationships, and how political opponents dont need to be lifelong enemies. Yes, its nice that the 1992 election results didnt cause these two families to hate each other forever. Yes, its nice that the former presidents have come together to help noble causes and can unite to help charities and the vulnerable when they need it.
But come on, man.
The base of the Republican party strongly dislikes Hillary Clinton. Some might use the term hate; others would object to that term because it suggests an irrational, unthinking rage.
Weve got good reasons for our antipathy. Benghazi. At this point, what difference does it make? The reset button. The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Dead broke when we left the White House. The shamelessly phony photo ops like the fake grilling. The $225,000 speeches to public universities, discussing the high cost of tuition. Her whining about allegedly unfair media scrutiny, while enjoying coverage that would represents a triumphant day for the average Republican. Her opportunistic, only-in-hindsight, only-when-politically-convenient criticism of her former boss. Her disingenuous complaints about Obamas foreign policy as if she had nothing to do with that policy. Her no-holds-barred tactics against her critics. Her operations ruthless efforts to control media coverage of her. Her hypocritical criticism of other peoples wealth and greed. Her claim of coming under sniper fire in Bosnia and her willingness to lie, quite dramatically, boldly, and shamelessly, even in ways that can be easily checked and refuted, when her political aspirations are at stake. Her denunciation of carbon emissions while living a luxurious, carbon-spewing lifestyle. The media coverage that insists her daughter is a figure of admiration and significant accomplishment separate from her family name. The hallucinogenic claim that shes the figure who will reform Washingtons tainted ethics and culture. The allegations of influence-peddling at the Clinton Foundation. Her arrogant insistence, to this day, that her approach to foreign policy, with its results ranging from meager to disastrous, constitutes smart power. The scandals in State Department discipline during her tenure. The State Departments wasteful spending on her exit interview.
And thats just recently.
Hillarys philosophy of government, approach to public power, foreign-policy vision, vindictiveness to critics, and record of leadership matter, and the Republican partys grassroots voters have good reason to require a nominee who doesnt think of his Democratic rival as part of his family.
Yes, sometimes youll see political junkies insisting that a nomination fight or legislative amendment on a spending bill is the moral equivalent of war. But the extraordinary passion that people bring to political debates isnt always silly or a sign of unthinking partisanship, ill-temperedness, or obstinacy. Democrats and Republicans and particularly liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans have diametrically opposed ideas about what policies to enact and how to make America a better place. We dont just think that their ideas wont work; we think their ideas will make the problems worse. They are not keeping the country stuck in neutral; theyre driving it in the wrong direction. Our liberal counterparts combine a limitless hostility toward those in the private sector who dont donate to their campaigns with an endless faith in an incompetent, wasteful, fumbling government bureaucracy to work miracles. They would run on the slogan immanentize the eschaton if they hadnt skipped theology class for gender studies or to join the protest du jour.
Their idea of a heavenly America who are we kidding, half their ranks would object to such an implicitly non-secular concept is our version of Hell, and vice versa.
Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton talked about the need for empathy in our foreign policy, even with our enemies indicating shes learned nothing of significance from the global wreckage of her alleged smart power.
Over the past six years, we on the right and in particular, the previous Republican nominee have been proven right time and again. Russia is indeed behaving like our preeminent geopolitical foe. Negotiating with the Taliban was a stupid idea. We knew leaving absolutely no U.S. military presence in Iraq was a formula for trouble. We never dismissed ISIS as a jayvee team. Democrats didnt need to pass Obamacare for us to know what was in it. The Obama team scoffed at Romneys idea of giving veterans vouchers for care at private hospitals, assuring us that the Department of Veterans Affairs was reducing the backlog and giving our veterans the care they deserved. We talked about the need for a secure border decades before Central America decided to turn our border into a giant open-air day-care center.
We do not like Hillary Clinton. We do not like her philosophies, her decisionmaking, or the weapons-grade pabulum that she stuffs in her books and offers for six figures per speech. Perhaps in person she is warm and funny and all of those things her hagiographic media fans insist. But her record in public life and that of her allies, and her party has been an absolute disaster for the country for the past six years, and the 2016 Republican nominee needs to be able to make that case and win that argument six days a week and twice on Sundays.
Perhaps Jeb Bush can be that man. But to do so, hell have to bring his A-game to the task of thoroughly defeating his metaphorical sister-in-law.
Jim Geraghty writes the Campaign Spot on NRO.
Gak.
Stop. Just... stop! (Not you, SeekAndFind... I’m talking to the Review, and anyone else who’s stuck in “let’s promote stupidity and tepidity” mode by trying to anoint Jeb, Mitt, or any other fundamentally unqualified guy off the political street.)
The initial question is about as relevant to sane politics as is the question, “Is Rachael Ray ready for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe?” It goes beyond “Who cares?!”, and sails cleanly into the realm of “What the &^%# are you talking about?!”
Oh no... it’s started...
Look for The Media to start calling him “frontrunner” Jeb any time now.
What bothers me about the fervid friendship of the Bushes and Mr. Clinton and the media celebration of it is the faint whiff of superiority, a sense they radiate that all those slightly icky little people running around wailing about issues tax reform, the relation of the individual to the state, the necessary character of a president and working the precincts are somehow . . . a little below them.
...
Royalty. Ruling Class.
The media loves them because they make easy to write stories for brain dead journalists.
Too late: Jeb Bush Establishes Early Republican Frontrunner Status
Jeb and Hillary should get a room; have sex, and share their sleazy royalty.
If it’s Jeb, why even worry about the Hillabeast?
The GOP is gone, gone gone.
They proved this during the past two weeks.
Sorry, but all strategy aside, I’m NEVER voting Repub or Demo again.
(Insert standard RINO rationale replies about voting for the lesser of two evils...or more appropriately the less infected of the two flies.)
If the republicans run a Bush I will vote democrat no matter who they run. They will never get me to vote for the best of the two. I also may just not vote, but I will not cast a vote for a Bush, Christie, or Perry. In order to get my vote it will be a Cruz or his equal.
Media Propaganda will get Jeb and Romney nominated and Media Propaganda will turn around and elect Hillary. Its the same game plan as the past two presidential elections of Obama.
The biggest villain in 2016 will be the GOP elite that takes money from taxpayers, lobbyists, foreign interests to schill the public for Jeb and Romney. The Republican elite is corrupt and would spit on the crucified christ if paid to do so.
If it could be Jeb And Only Jeb, that would be great. We know the GOPe is going to support a RINO-moderate and it may as well be Jeb as Christie, or gawd-forbid, Romney. Then if Cruz runs it would give voters a clear primary choice between a moderate (liberal, if you will) Republican and a true Conservative.
But it won’t happen. Rand Paul will garner grassroots support from his own libertarian-independent coalition, for one. Cruz will likely be challenged by Perry and Walker and at least another RINO or two will enter the fray. Then some egotists with zero chance of wining will run just because someone whispers in their ears (Santorum, Portman, etc).
So if Jeb could quickly become the “front-runner” and discourage every other non-conservative candidate from running in the primary, it would be a great thing. It would be easier to throw stones if the conservative candidates couldn’t be counted on to do the same.
Jeb Bush gave a medal!!! to Hillary Clinton on 9/11/13
1 year after she abandoned over 40 Americans to die in Benghazi. She employs a terrorist family member.
Debate between Jeb and Hillary would be pointless as they both support the same things.
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