Associated Press
There was an enormous amount of interest in former President Bill Clinton's kinda sorta off-message comments recently, but just as interesting are the recent comments of one of Mitt Romney's highest-profile supporters: Jeb Bush.
Last week, for example, the former Florida governor praised President Obama on education policy, hot on the heels of Romney delivering a speech condemning Obama's education policy. Bush also said his party is being "short-sighted" on tax and immigration policies, which is not what the GOP mainstream wants to hear.
This morning, Jeb Bush went further, endorsing Obama's line about economic "headwinds" from Europe, and agreeing with Obama's recent argument that both Ronald Reagan and his father George H. W. Bush would have a hard time getting nominated by today's Republican Party.
"Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad -- they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party -- and I don't -- as having an orthodoxy that doesn't allow for disagreement, doesn't allow for finding some common ground," Bush said, adding that he views the hyper-partisan moment as "temporary."
"Back to my dad's time and Ronald Reagan's time -- they got a lot of stuff done with a lot of bipartisan support," he said. Reagan "would be criticized for doing the things that he did."
It's a stretch to suggest that Jeb Bush is somehow becoming more moderate, or even sensible. This morning, he also praised Paul Ryan's radical budget plan, for example, and blamed Obama for Washington dysfunction, condemning the president for pursuing "partisan" policies in his first year, rather than "common ground." (In his first year, Obama pushed Mitt Romney's health care plan, John McCain's climate plan, and a stimulus with massive tax breaks. Partisan? Please.)
But those comments don't change the overall message Bush has offered over the last week, which is clearly at odds with what Romney and his campaign have been saying.
The line about Reagan this morning was of particular interest, because it's a growing meme.
Just a few weeks ago, former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said Reagan "would be stunned by the party today," adding that there were similar divisions in the early 1950s between Eisenhower Republicans and GOP extremists like Joe McCarthy, but the difference is, in 2012, "the extremists are winning."
In April, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) said the same thing. What's more, Mike Huckabee said a year ago, "Ronald Reagan would have a very difficult, if not impossible, time being nominated in this atmosphere of the Republican Party." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had a nearly identical take in 2010, arguing Reagan "would have a hard time getting elected as a Republican today."
I continue to believe this matters.
As we discussed a while back, Reagan raised the debt ceiling 18 times, and he supported the precursor to the Buffett Rule. In his first term, Reagan raised taxes when unemployment was nearing 11% -- imagine trying this today -- and proceeded to raise taxes seven out of the eight years he was in office. It's a fact the right finds terribly inconvenient, but "no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people" as Reagan.
Reagan gave amnesty to undocumented immigrants, expanded the size of the federal government, tripled the deficit and added trillions to the debt, bailed out domestic industries, and called for a world without nuclear weapons. Reagan also met with our most hated enemy without preconditions, criticized Israel, and illegally funneled arms to Iran.
And then there's his gubernatorial record: in California, Reagan increased spending, raised taxes, helped create the nation's first state-based emissions standards, signed an abortion-rights bill, and expanded the nation's largest state-based Medicaid program (socialized medicine).
Reagan "could not get through a Republican primary today"? Reagan could not get through a Republican primary without being laughed off the stage today.
Why is this relevant today? For one thing, it's at least interesting to appreciate the fact that Republicans have a religious-like reverence for Reagan, they have no use for his approach to governance. For another, it should tell the American mainstream something important when the GOP moves so far to the ideological extreme that it's no longer the Party of Reagan.
And finally, there's the small matter of Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush's ally, having said the exact opposite, making the former Florida governor another surrogate who isn't sticking to Boston's script.
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"not what the GOP mainstream wants to hear."
OH? There is still a GOP mainstream?
If there is, Jeb's message to them: "When you dickwads have finished your love affair with Romney, put down the crack pipe, and give me a call. I'll still be here in 2016. . ."
FTW!
Jeb Bush smells another Republican defeat in the air. He is positioning himself as the voice of reason when Fox News loses control of the Republican party.
But..but..butttt. St Ronnie fired the Air Traffic controllers . Union bustin' superhero ...just like Scott Walker and Mitch Daniels
I would still never vote for him (Lord knows we've had too many Bushes in the WH), but I can at least see why Jeb is the one the Bush family thought stood the greater chance of becoming President, not George.
I had the unique privilege of living in Mr. Jeb Bush's world for two terms as governor of Florida. Believe me he is no friend of the working man , he just looks reasonable when the rest of them are off the charts .
He was a duplicitous lying weasel who was looking out for big bidness. Got his brother elected too. Remember that ?
Points taken. I stand guilty of having too short a memory. Ultimately that ill-fated election got us where we ended up in 2008.
Today's GOP isn't the party of Reagan, it's the party of Norquist.
Since Jeb Bush is having second thoughts about his role in his brothers' Presidency, he has every right to change his party affiliation. Especially since he is no longer involved in politics. I'm sure we're going to see more of the same. The American people don't have to verbally out loud forgive them, we can personally choose to. They need to show more signs of apologizing though. The sooner they start doing this on both sides the sooner we can start to heal the Democratic process. The 1% can choose to stay on the sidelines or on the side of Greed and continue playing in the Devils' garden , there are less of them. We can choose not to vote for them as long as they stop tampering with the voting laws, using pawns who are being promised a kick-back.
This is a great line to use against those claiming Obama is too partisan:
"In his first year, Obama pushed Mitt Romney's health care plan, John McCain's climate plan, and a stimulus with massive tax breaks."
The fact is, McCain circa 2000 was a moderate, and Massachusetts-era Romney had to work with his legislature to accomplish anything. We have no idea how they would govern as presidents, but I suspect McCain would have been more moderate in governing than he was in the 2008 campaign. Romney? He would worry only about pleasing his political contributors.
"It's a stretch to suggest that Jeb Bush is somehow becoming more moderate, or even sensible."
Jeb is trying to be pragmatic in a GOP that doesn't understand what "pragmatism" means. It's not that Jeb is actually talking to "the base" he's talking to those GOP & Independents that are scratching their heads watching this wreck of a campaign cycle. Jeb and the other politicians that have spoken out against this reich-ward yank don't realize that the lame-stream corporate media isn't really giving any of the truth traction -because it's the truth and the GOTP deal in everything except truth.....
Total nonsense. Reagan was an actor first and foremost, who espoused those positions and made those statements deliberately calculated to play to the conservative base. All one needs to remember are Philadelphia, Mississippi and welfare queens to remember the depths of Reagan's true cynicism. Given that, one should understand that it was only the relatively more moderate cast of the GOP base and the political center at the time the drove Reagan policies that Bush and others see as anathema today. If Reagan were campaigning today I have no doubt he would act out the same role that Mitt Romney plays today. The issue is not character, policy or position. Republicans have proven over the last 3 years that they will espouse any position no matter how dangerous or counter productive as long as it feeds the base they have choreographed into existence but cannot control.
could it be that economic conditions now, as opposed to then, are too different to compromise?
compromise got us where we are: $16 TRILLION in the hole. both sides got what they wanted. in the 80s, the cliff was far off in the distance. today, it is thisclose.
fiscal sanity must be restored, no matter who does it. right now, there is no fiscal sanity. and when a glimmer of hope is shown (as in wisconsin), partisan political power plays rule the day.
ignore the closed budget hole. ignore that almost 50% of now-optional union members opt out (can anyone explain that away?). ignore that those running the election knew this and made the recall about anything but fiscal sanity. partisan politics trumps all. it's pathetic.
>> For one thing, it's at least interesting to appreciate the fact that Republicans have a religious-like reverence for Reagan, they have no use for his approach to governance.
Well, it's less surprising when you realize they have exactly the same attitude about Jesus.
If he isn't really setting himself up for running in 2016, then I don't believe he wouldn't take VP now. Of course, saying things to cause doubt about today's Republicans could serve several purposes:
- to help him in 2016
- to help a 2012 ticket with him as VP to attract the independents. (Say what you want, but there will be NO defections from the religious right.)
Whichever it is wouldn't surprise at all.
Notice Jeb Bush said Reagan and his father wouldn't fit in. He didn't mention Shrub. Pretty clearly that idiot fits in.
I am disappointed in our Ex Governor jeb Bush. Of course, from my Florida DEP Director Castile Sunshine Law records requests in 2005-6, I was sent all of Jeb bush's 2006 meetings at the Governor's office. Apparently, it was in a slush email account. In it, Jeb bush most certainly DID have a meeting mid year with Grover Norquist.
I do not know how you can feel he is the elder GOP "Father" of our party. Since I was a GOP precinct worker and prided myself with the fiscal conservative party since Reagan, Jeb was never a fiscal Republican.
As you watch the Dem's ads about Mitt Romney, they say Mass. state's deficit increased over $2 BILLION during Romney's Governorship tenure. Jeb Bush, by the Orlando Sentinel story of Jason Garcia And John Kennedy in 2006 showed a $7 BILLION increase.
Yes! Jeb never balanced a budget. He borrowed by long term debt, and took funded reserves from Realtor, Dept of Transportation et. all depts. to pay for the general fund. Jeb's only redemption is if Rick Scott can do what he did not have the political stamina to do. Florida is a fiscal Titanic.