Jeb Bush, GOP: Time to leave Reagan behind ("nostalgia" for the heyday of the Reagan era)

The Washington Times ^ | 5/3/2009 | Joseph Curl

[Born Conservative]

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it's time for the Republican Party to give up its "nostalgia" for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

"You can't beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don't like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that," Mr. Bush said.

The former president's brother, often mentioned as a potential candidate in 2012, said President Obama's message of hope and change during the 2008 campaign clearly resonated with Americans.

"So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant. I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the good old days in the [Republican] messaging. I mean, it's great, but it doesn't draw people toward your cause," Mr. Bush said.

"From the conservative side, it's time for us to listen first, to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit, to not be nostalgic about the past because, you know, things do ebb and flow."

The Florida governor joined former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor on Saturday at a small pizza parlor in Arlington for the inaugural event of the National Council for a New America (NCNA).

[timetostand]

I understand that a third party only elects demon-crats, which puts us in a quandry, if the Gop continues as demo lite then a vote for the gop is the same as a vote for a third party!!! what to do???

[EternalVigilance]

TheHill.com

Less than one in four identify as Republican

But unlike Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), who became the first U.S. senator in history to leap directly from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, voters who once called themselves Republicans are not ready to jump into bed with the other side. Though Democratic identification has inched up in the past six years, former Republicans are now largely calling themselves independents.

[org.whodat]

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it's time for the Republican Party to give up its "nostalgia" for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

What ever that butt wipe is for I'm against. Period, no negotiations.

[wavynavy]

Earth to Jeb and Romney and everyone who might agree with them:
This new strategy exemplifies exactly why the RINOs will lose election after election. They cannot understand that there was actually a message to the public from Reagan, and it resonated.

Yeah give it up, and copy-cat the Dhimmis in their tactics. That makes stale sense, and is as transparent in its bankrupt outreach as One thousand points of light and No child left behind.

This is complete crap from the so-called leaders of the GOP. The only people on your side now were sitting on the sidelines while 50 years of indoctrination of the children took place. There is no winning an election now, only whining about how you will be losing them.

I ask people in this forum to stop thinking that your ideas are winning people over or making any difference. They’re not, even if they do make rational and logical sense. You are preaching to a choir that is shrinking as the thoughtful people quietly die or give up.

The dhimmis don’t listen to rational arguments or logic anymore. They don’t have to because they have won the hearts and minds of the electorate, who just want a lot for nothing, and have no idea what a just and free society is made with, or was built upon, or how it makes sense to continue that legacy. They just want hope and change,

I leave it to you people to figure out how to take your country back. Posting bitches and whining about how the dhimmis are winning, or trashing the only good ideas from Reagan that have come down the pike for 50 years, isn’t going to do it. Sorry.

[Sioux-san]

The Bush family has always been Globalist One Worlders. They’ve never hidden that view from anyone listening. Bush 2 helped pave the way for Obama. The former held hands with the Saudi Arabian nazi king, and the current deeply bows to him. McCain is a relic from the past glory days of America, yet he still sucks up to Soros money to fund his bogus Climate Change foundation. Anyone who stands for a sovereign and free America will never be President. Beware of sheep in wolves clothing.

[muawiyah]

No doubt ~ but the fact is there's been a long term effort to change the theoretical sample base. That way the pollsters have a better chance of getting leftwingtard news media to hire them to do surveys.

Since a purely Democrat sample base would result in off-world reports, it's been necessary for the pollsters to build up their "independent" sample base.

Eventually you will find the pollsters telling you that NO ONE, not even you, self-identify as a Republican!

[muawiyah]

No doubt ~ but the fact is there's been a long term effort to change the theoretical sample base. That way the pollsters have a better chance of getting leftwingtard news media to hire them to do surveys.

Since a purely Democrat sample base would result in off-world reports, it's been necessary for the pollsters to build up their "independent" sample base.

Eventually you will find the pollsters telling you that NO ONE, not even you, self-identify as a Republican!

[org.whodat]

The Bush family, themselves, have largely been the downfall of the Republican party - Jeb is simply trying to divert our attention from the truth of the matter.

BINGO!!

[maggief]

http://republicanwhip.house.gov/newsroom/2009/04/national-council-for-a-new-america-formed.html

National Council for a New America Formed

...

Our National Panel of Experts:

Governor Haley Barbour
Governor Jeb Bush
Governor Bobby Jindal
Senator John McCain
Governor Mitt Romney

...

Sincerely,

John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, John Carter, Pete Sessions, David Dreier, Kevin McCarthy, Roy Blunt

Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn, John Thune

[mysterio]

Are any remaining Republicans still listening to anyone named Bush? If so, wow.

[org.whodat]

The southern states would vote RAT if not for the gun issue.

Wrong, but they would not vote for willard are another bush.

[wardaddy]

young cubans don’t vote like older cubans

[org.whodat]

IN his own bumbling way, Jeb Bush is attempting to say that Republicans need to EDUCATE the public as to the conservative vision. As Rush suggests, if we are not CONSTANTLY educating then we are losing.

In my own bumbling way, a liberal from a family of liberals cannot teach something they have no comprehension of and never practiced.

[meyer]

Reagan started the slow unravelling of socialism. The republican party failed to follow through, and now they want to demonize those of us that want to return to the direction that Reagan led?? What a bunch of idiots!!

No wonder the freakin' republican party is sinking - it's no different from the socialist/fascists on the left. Perhaps a bit slower to reach the ultimate goal, but they're heading in the same direction and that direction is the opposite of freedom and liberty.

Eff 'em.

[Anima Mundi]

So true that the message of the dems is an easy one...we will give you stuff for nothing. The right has a harder task which is going into a business (government) that they are wanting to be smaller. I think once the politician is accepted into the “company” of the government they then decide they want it to be bigger and more powerful. This leads to a left turn and gets more left the longer they are there.

[WaterBoard]

That Hill piece backs up this Ramussen poll on party identification.

The GOP is seriously F-ed itself if it continues with the "Democrat-Lite" leadership and ideology.

They GOP gave us a liberal Republican for the last election, John McCain, and we see how that worked out. You can't out Democrat a Democrat.

Remember a while back when Republcans said they would never ever write another check to the GOP because of their position on Immigraiton Reform. I think they burned alot of bridges on that issue and now many Republicans view themselves as independents since the Republican Party in 2009 is no different than the Democrat Party.

They pass big government spending, vote to confirm leftists Obama appointees (Eric Holder, Sibelius), vote yes on the Stimulus Bills, etc.

[EternalVigilance]

Eventually you will find the pollsters telling you that NO ONE, not even you, self-identify as a Republican!

I don't self-identify as a Republican. I'm an Independent.

And it appears to me that the "leadership" of the formerly grand old party is doing a fine job of moving their own numbers steadily towards zero.

[muawiyah]

I knew I'd "out" you eventually, but so quickly?

Let me guess, you were for Ron Paul before he gave up his newsletter?

Hmmm ~

[meyer]

Jeb Bush is a RINO’s Rino.

He is indeed a RINO, but his replacement (Charlie Crist) is even worse!

[MaestroLC]

National Council for a New America Formed ... Our National Panel of Experts: Governor Haley Barbour Governor Jeb Bush Governor Bobby Jindal Senator John McCain Governor Mitt Romney ... Sincerely, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, John Carter, Pete Sessions, David Dreier, Kevin McCarthy, Roy Blunt Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn, John Thune

I see now, the moderates have formed a new Republican Party and want to bury Reagan and conservatives. Same bunch of losers Reagan had to beat back in order to win landslides in 1980 & 1984.

I don't see Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, etc. any true conservative, on that list. Shows how phony this 'new' GOP strategy is. Their 'listening' tour is bogus.

2010 Primaries are coming up. Time to sweep out the moderates one election at a time and put in some conservatives that will really listen to the people.