Posted on 10/21/2015 4:25:39 PM PDT by Isara
Tries to rescue brother's campaign by trash-talking Ted Cruz
We havent heard much from President George W. Bush during the past seven years.
After leaving office with approval numbers in the high 20s, he made a conscious decision to keep a respectful distance from Washington, to refrain from becoming the Pundit-in-Chief criticizing his successors every move.
He deserves my silence, Bush said of the newly elected Barack Obama. I think it is essential that he be helped in office.
Indeed, when the left was going wild in Obamas first term, all the Bushes went mum. George W. was suddenly applauded by elites in both parties as a gallant statesman when he announced that he wouldnt criticize his successor.
Thankfully, grassroots Republicans didnt agree. And when the Tea Party upstarts helped the Republican Party roar back in the 2010 midterms, the Bushes knew they were revolting not only against Obama, but against Bushism.
President Bush broke his self-imposed silence in January 2011, in a speech at Southern Methodist University. The only problem was, he wasnt attacking Obama, but conservatives. Addressing the immigration debate, he said: (I)f you study history, there are some isms that occasionally pop up One is isolationism and its evil twin protectionism and its evil triplet nativism.
These were potent insults directed at millions of hard-working patriots who helped elect him twice to the White House. Elites in both parties gleefully gobbled it up.
Now, with his younger brother Jebs presidential campaign sputtering, George W. is officially silent no more. The man whose own party wouldnt feature him as a speaker at its past two conventions is trying to reclaim the GOP for the Bush family, to preserve his presidential legacy and that of his father.
At numerous closed fundraisers, George W. Bush is sounding off on the GOP field, according to a new Politico report. Sources who attended say he singled out his home states junior senator, Ted Cruz, for withering criticism.
I just dont like the guy, he sniffed. The former president went on to call Cruzs anti-Iran deal alliance with Donald Trump opportunistic.
The more I think about it, the more troubling this is. For years now, as the left has been trying to destroy the country with its open borders, a bumbling foreign policy, the health care takeover, and massive executive overreach, George W. Bush never said anything. He never criticized Obama, or Harry Reid, or Nancy Pelosi. Not when they sunk to their vicious depths to use the war on women against Mitt Romney. Not when they whipped up racial tensions in Eric Holders Justice Department. Not when they used the IRS to harass patriotic Tea Party groups.
George W. Bush never defended the people who voted for him, or explained that they arent guilty of all the cultural or political crimes attributed to them by the left. In fact, he essentially dumped all over the millions of conservatives who were responsible for electing him twice.
Fast forward four years. When George W. emerges in a campaign setting when he finally breaks his silence to attack someone by name he attacks Cruz. Apparently, while Obama deserved George W.s respect and silence, not so for Cruz, who actually worked in his administration, and who became a U.S. senator by tapping into a wave of anti-Washington discontent. The Bushes take this as personal criticism of their family perhaps Cruzs biggest sin of all.
Conservatives are trying their best to sort out the post-Bush era within the Republican Party. I believe the vast majority of conservative voters including those Tea Party voters who like Cruz honor the Bush family for its service and would like to work with the Bushes and their supporters to build a better country. But it is disappointing to see former President Bush a man who so many conservatives worked for and believed in resort to behind-the-scenes attacks on someone like Cruz, who is risking his own career to fight for conservative principles.
Any partnership requires an element of trust on both sides. If conservatives believe that the Bushes and other GOP establishment types are attacking them behind closed doors, the trust and cooperation necessary to build a winning Republican message in 2016 may be impossible to develop.
“To Rubios credit he did admit that he did not really understand the opposition to the reforms. He then changed it to seal the border first.”
Rubio had been the leader of the Florida legislature before he went bigtime in the US Senate.
In Florida he racked up a lengthy history of killing all efforts to control illegal immigration.
His Gang of Eight adventure wasn’t an anomaly, and he wasn’t naive. Preferring illegals over Americans is what the real Marco Rubio is all about. He’s not fit to be considered for President.
I was not aware of that.
I thought his associations with the immigration reform was a DC thang......as they say.
Well that puts Rubio in the same basket as Bobby Jindal. Smooth talker, but all hat and no cattle.
This is a perfect example of just how important a long term track record is for a president, the leader of a nation and of the party.
It’s why I have problems with outsiders not involved at all in policy or politics.
Just sayin....
Normally I’d feel the same way. But this time around I’ll support Trump. One reason being that for a very long time I’ve believed that mass third world immigration is destroying America. And I think that Trump really intends to change that. No one else comes close. It may well be too late for California, where I am. But if this isn’t reversed the rest of you will go the way that we have.
Ramos and Compean. Yes, by then we knew W was all flatulence. And at that, the best of that gang of carpetbagger illuminati.
Don’t let this thread fool you
97% of this forum toe sucked George Bush and Rove and Cheney including me even after 9-11
The only anti Bush stalwarts were a few Paleos and objectivists
And only Cheney merited the adulation bestowed btw imho
And only Cheney speaks out now in the right way
You could be zotted here for being too outspoken on Bush or his policies especially amnesty
Howlin ...sinspur...Dane....bayourod....prnd321....and many others...some still here pretending to be bona fide would run in packs and find a dissenter and hound them from the forum and then cackle in delight at their deering do in expelling yet another racist or bigot
That’s right ...opposing amnesty was the province of bigots and racists even though the stats were already in his immigrants legal or not voted and other not good data
I know this cause I was in their crosshairs
What I post today is not one whit different in persoective than 15 years ago except I’m more tired of the Bushes and GOPe than I ever figured I’d ever be
You learn a lot here in a decade and a half about human nature especially if cursed with near photographic recall like I am
Newer Freepers have no idea
I miss one thing the most....even if it meant the harpies returned....we need our old traffic....this place used to roar with threads rolling in the 100s even over silly crap
You could refresh your replies and have a hard time scrolling back to where you were
It was a combination of things I guess
I cannot say that I miss the harpies....especially Howlin..lol
Great post, true all dat.
I was merely commenting on Rove’s ability to work the squishy middle. Was he a genius...nah. But, I will say that he knew the politics of the time. These days things have changed and the old formulas aren’t going to work. The middle is gone, and they are undeclared democRATS. So that leaves Rove out in the cold. Unfortunately he won’t just go away, sort of like Dick Morris. Morris knew his business (the squishy middle) at the time, and that time has passed.
I do remember the packs who would attack anyone who said anything remotely critical of GWB. The republican alternatives then were less conservative than what we have in Ted Cruz, or even Trump or Carson.
Quite a few got zotted in 2011/12. The Comedian, and Pissant come to mind. I always liked them, even if I didn’t agree with them. They were smart and able to defend their positions without getting personal.
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‘Nativist’.
Nuff said.
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