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 ...
Bush hanging with his criminal buddies. Sick.
If they think bringing up GWB is going to split Trump's support, then they REALLY don't know what's going on.
‘Fear of immigration’ I don’t believe has caused Europe’s problems. More like IMMIGRATION. Duh. I can’t stand this man whom I once appreciated so much.
“Read between the lines.”
Sticking up for the media? Why?
Now the BIG PUSHBACK by the establishment as it appears their stronghold, their embankment, their wall is on the verge of breach.
I hope our side maintains stamina, and are ready for the fight. We are up against the most cunning of liars, and confidence artists, with their well practiced sleight-of-hand.
I get the feeling his mother pushed him to do it.
Yeh, he never said one thing when the Republic was endangered by Obama, now calls Trump names? Face palm.
Right. Against Obama twice.
With the BLM/NFL handholding, kneeling, antifa/BLM riots, the bigotry of the left does appear very emboldened.
Yes it does Dubya, the opposition is not holding back a bit on their bigotry.
It’s called elitism. They all know what’s best for us, the great unwashed! Them vs. Us!
Remember, GWB and his fellow globalists tried mightily to stuff Amnesty down our throats in ‘05!
Why didn’t he give this speech when Obama was in the White House?
Looks like they took W off his medication where he is doing weird paintings.
What a turd, and still butt hurt from his low energy brother Jeb.
President Trump is certainly exposing all the Swamp Creatures.
Hitler painted too, just saying.
Yes, it seems that the ‘big’ people like the Bushes love us little people, as long as we remain ‘abstract’ and stay in our places.
Burke attributed the 'spirit' largely to religious motivation among the colonists and to the colonists' British roots.
The "spirit" was, however, at the heart of the move for Independence and the idea of national sovereignty, unrelated to international "entanglements" (Washington's Farewell Address)
Every American and every British citizen who loves liberty should take this time and opportunity read, or reread, Edmund Burke's 1775 Speech on Conciliation with the Colonies, for it contains such detailed and marvelous documentation of the "spirit of liberty" of 1775 and 1776, which, in 2016, seems to be rekindled among the citizenry of both America and Britain.
Consider these brief excerpts:
"In this character of the Americans, a love of freedom is the predominating feature which marks and distinguishes the whole; and as an ardent is always a jealous affection, your Colonies become suspicious, restive, and untractable whenever they see the least attempt to wrest from them by force, or shuffle from them by chicane, what they think the only advantage worth living for. This fierce spirit of liberty is stronger in the English Colonies probably than in any other people of the earth, and this from a great variety of powerful causes; which, to understand the true temper of their minds and the direction which this spirit takes, it will not be amiss to lay open somewhat more largely.
"First, the people of the Colonies are descendants of Englishmen. England, Sir, is a nation which still, I hope, respects, and formerly adored, her freedom. The Colonists emigrated from you when this part of your character was most predominant; and they took this bias and direction the moment they parted from your hands. They are therefore not only devoted to liberty, but to liberty according to English ideas, and on English principles. Abstract liberty, like other mere abstractions, is not to be found. Liberty inheres in some sensible object; and every nation has formed to itself some favorite point, which by way of eminence becomes the criterion of their happiness. It happened, you know, Sir, that the great contests for freedom in this country were from the earliest times chiefly upon the question of taxing. Most of the contests in the ancient commonwealths turned primarily on the right of election of magistrates; or on the balance among the several orders of the state. The question of money was not with them so immediate. But in England it was otherwise. On this point of taxes the ablest pens, and most eloquent tongues, have been exercised; the greatest spirits have acted and suffered. In order to give the fullest satisfaction concerning the importance of this point, it was not only necessary for those who in argument defended the excellence of the English Constitution to insist on this privilege of granting money as a dry point of fact, and to prove that the right had been acknowledged in ancient parchments and blind usages to reside in a certain body called a House of Commons. They went much farther; they attempted to prove, and they succeeded, that in theory it ought to be so, from the particular nature of a House of Commons as an immediate representative of the people, whether the old records had delivered this oracle or not. They took infinite pains to inculcate, as a fundamental principle, that in all monarchies the people must in effect themselves, mediately or immediately, possess the power of granting their own money, or no shadow of liberty can subsist." - Edmund Burke, 1775 "Speech on Conciliation. . . ."
Of the American colonies, Burke also observed:
" In other countries, the people, more simple, and of a less mercurial cast, judge of an ill principle in government only by an actual grievance; here they anticipate the evil, and judge of the pressure of the grievance by the badness of the principle. They augur misgovernment at a distance, and snuff the approach of tyranny in every tainted breeze." - Edmund Burke, 1775"Speech on Conciliation. . . ."
Agree, but separate issue.
Not really.
Doesn’t Dubya realize he’s being schlonged in that photo of him and Michael? Or doesn’t he care?
The media lies and puts out fake news.
Do you accept fake headline when you like them?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.