Posted on 01/28/2007 9:59:16 AM PST by FairOpinion
At a time when the conservative movement is looking bereft, humbled by midterm-election defeats and hungering for a presidential candidate to rally around, Jeb Bush delivered yesterday in Washington a resounding endorsement of conservative principles, bringing his audience repeatedly to its feet.
In his lunchtime remarks to the Conservative Summit, Bush struck every conservative chord, blaming Republicans' defeat in November on the party's abandonment of tenets including limited government and fiscal restraint.
"Don't take offense personally if I get mad at Congress," the Republican former Florida governor began. "It's important for us to realize we lost, and there are significant reasons that happened, but it isn't because conservatives were rejected. But it's because we rejected the conservative philosophy in this country."
At a Friday night panel on the state of conservatism, commentator Laura Ingraham argued that Republicans -- if they are to have any chance of winning in 2008 -- must wake up to the fact that Democrats are embracing politicians such as Sen. James Webb (Va.), a gruff military veteran who delivered his party's response to the State of the Union on Tuesday by attacking President Bush's Iraq plan while offering a populist economic message.
"We have to be careful with conservatives not to remain in an echo chamber," Ingraham said. "The party that comes off as the party that represents the American worker best is the party that wins in 2008."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
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Gingrich sees error in pull of voter base
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767715/posts
Newt Gingrich, who is considering a bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, says his party's biggest mistake is thinking that the way to a lasting majority is to emphasize its conservative voter base.
"A base-motivation party inherently, in the long run, drives away the non-base,"Mr. Gingrich said.
The better way, he says, is to define the opposition on specific issues so that the Democrats are exposed as espousing views shared by a small minority of voters.
Mr. Gingrich now talks optimistically about prospects for building a broader Republican base.
"Ronald Reagan understood that arguments should be made where we have huge advantages with virtually all Americans," Mr. Gingrich said. "He was brilliant at avoiding base-narrowing appeals and emphasizing base-broadening appeals."
Duplicate, someone else beat me to it. Please remove. Thanks.
Florida Constitution
Article 1
SECTION 2. Basic rights.--All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness, to be rewarded for industry, and to acquire, possess and protect property; except that the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship may be regulated or prohibited by law. No person shall be deprived of any right because of race, religion, national origin, or physical disability.
Jeb Bush has broad appeal to ordinary people. That's why he was so successful in Florida, a state that Republicans certainly don't have a lock on.
Laura Ingram is talking about workers who flocked to Reagan, and I think Jeb appeals to them too. Newt is smart, but he has much less appeal to those sorts of people. He tends to put people's backs up.
I know that with Bush's low approval ratings, it would be virtually impossible for Jeb to run, but gosh, I wish by some miracle we could get him in the race, maybe as vp?
I can dream....
Jeb Bush would be my first choice too.
When thinking of Jeb you should remember Terri, he makes this Repub want to puke. Jeb is damaged goods and should stfu. IMO
Jeb did everything in his power to try to save Terri.
Remember, he dispatched some part of social services to take Terri away by the strenght of the law, but someone leaked it and Michael Schiavo's attorney got a restraining order or something like that.
What did you want Jeb to do, go in with a machine gun Terminator style?!
Put the blame on Greer, some other judges, the Fl Legilature and the US Congress who tried but some of their members refused to vote to save Terri.
Lets not forget his refusal to allow drilling off the shores of Florida. The USA can't survive with another Bush Republican.
Yup, Jeb is a winner all the way around. Why not?
N.B. - Jeb refutes your 'embrace liberalism' attitude better by far than I can.
Of that, I have no doubt.
And also don't forget C.O.S.
well shoot hedge...is that all? /sarc off
no more Bushes, especially the father of or this one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/865000/images/_865697_10_300.jpg
BUMP
If you could shake Newt, Jeb and Rudy in a bottle you'd come out with the perfect candidate.
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