Posted on 10/19/2017 11:11:19 AM PDT by Rennes Templar
President George W. Bush on Thursday issued a thinly veiled warning about the state of American democracy under the current president, arguing that "bigotry seems emboldened" and politics is "more vulnerable" to conspiracy theories.
Speaking at the George W. Bush Institute's "The Spirit of Liberty: At Home, in the World," a national forum in New York City, the former president warned that the trend in Western countries of moving away from democratic confidence and global engagement is seeping into American culture.
Parts of Europe, Bush said, have developed an "identity crisis" as a result of economic stagnation, youth unemployment and fears about immigration.
"America is not immune from these trends," warned Bush, who noted that public confidence in U.S. institutions has declined in recent decades and discontent has "deepened and sharpened" partisan conflicts.
"Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories," he said. "We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism."
Bush warned that the U.S. faces the return of isolationist ideology even though he said that American security is "directly threatened by the chaos and despair" of other nations around the world.
The former president listed a series of recommendations that he suggested would improve the state of democracy. First, he said that the U.S. must harden its defenses in terms of confronting cyber threats.
"The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other," said Bush, who added that cyber threats should not be "downplayed or tolerated."
Bush said that there should be a projection of American leadership, the importance of active citizenship should be strengthened and trust in democratic institutions should be restored. He said that Americans should pass civic ideals onto the next generation.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
That’s a Lawless Society.
He didn’t say what the paper says he said.
That’s fake news.
Why help the MSM?
Of course, stupidity was emboldened during the Bush years.
I heard Rush dissect it
Bush bashed us
Maybe not you but most of this forum
It was a protracted attack of traditionalist culture Americans
How you could view that as otherwise is unfortunate
Here’s snippets
”Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.”
“We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism.”
“We’ve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. . . . Argument turns too easily into animosity.”
“It means that bigotry and white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed, and it means the very identity of our nation depends on passing along civic ideals.”
“Bullying and prejudice in our public life … provides permission for cruelty and bigotry.”
“The only way to pass along civic values is to live up to them.”
sure Bush was remonstrating the left ....sure he was....he was using msm taking points ver batim.....who wrote it I wonder.....Frum or Wallace
Time for Trump to dig up the media narratives, themes and memes of the Bush era. They will be identical. Then tell Bush to go paint.
I don’t know about “bigotry” being emboldened, but there is no denying that there is a tremendous backlash going on. A backlash that is 100% in response o the policies, statements, and character of the previous administration. Seriously, running to a microphone every time a thug gets put down while having beers with an organization that advocates the death of cops??? Refusing to use the phrase Radical Islamic Terrorism...etc. Guess ole Bushy was tuned out during those years.
Yes.
It is clearly part of the primary campaign to support GOPe candidates over conservatives.
I am addressing the false headline.
Fake news.
“Crickets from Bush during the Obama years.”
Not only crickets from GW during the Obama dismantling of America, but crickets from GHWB as Billy Jeff took his porn show and corruption to the Oval Office.
Usual “Empty Suit speech by GW Bush!!! No substance or reality whatsoever, just Establishment gibberish!!! End of story!!! SAD!!!
And G. Herbert Walker Bush. My only proud Presidential votes now are Reagan and Trump.
FU G Bush!
Great post. Bush brought his bazooka, trained it on mosquitoes, and fired away. Maybe this guy really IS as obtuse as his critics said.
Absolutely 100% spot on.
At the time, we had no other alternative but to support him.
“Crickets from Bush during the Obama years.”
Like father, like son. It was genteel to avoid criticism of Clinton (now W’s and Yeb’s “brother from another mother”) and respectively Obama.
No problem criticizing Reagan and now Trump.
GWB must have taken Jebbie’s humiliation worse than we thought he did!
There’s something about a Bush that causes them to glow in the attention of Democrats, but GWB must be slipping. He forgets that the Democrats never gave him any kind of a fair deal, as Truman called the plan.
Yea, she got all giddy when Tip O’Neill said nice thing about her in the 1980s.
And George P. Bush is trying to “modernize” the Alamo essentially out of historical existence.
I say again...stay out da Lieberal Booshies ...
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