Jeb Bush: 'You can't just be against the president'

Interesting source of reason on this matter.

It seems the rift in the GOP may be widening. Former Governor Jeb Bush has stated that simply being contrary is not a plan.

Though my favorite Bush's will always be the twins and Neil, I must say in this case he has an excellent point. "I am the opposite and the other guy is a Socialist" is not a platform. It is rhetoric.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/24/jeb-bush-you-cant-just-be-against-the-president/

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush offered advice to 2012 Republican hopefuls: bashing President Barack Obama is not enough to win on the campaign trail.

"I hope that the Republican candidates, when they are offering their solutions, it's good to be critical of the president, I think the president means well, but his policies have failed," Bush said on Fox News. "And to point that out, nothing wrong with that. That is politics. But just to stop there and say, 'Well, I'm going to win because I am against what is going on' is not enough."

When asked by Fox News Host Neil Cavuto if some in his party overdo their criticism of Obama, Bush said, "I do. I think, when you start ascribing bad motives to the guy, I think that is wrong. It turns off a bunch of people that want solutions."

Bush also suggested candidates not shy away from their conservative views.

"I would humbly suggest to you that being a conservative is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you are a conservative, you have to persuade. You have to defend a position. You can't just be against the president," Bush said.

"And that's the big test."

So behind whom will he throw his support?

"I'm neutral in the presidential race, but I'm an admirer of Governor Romney's," Bush said, while noting he is looking forward to the unveiling of Romney's jobs agenda in September.

Bush was also quick to deny any rift between his family and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry served as former President George W. Bush's lieutenant governor while Bush was governor of Texas.

"I have never heard anybody in my family say anything but good things about Rick Perry," Bush said. "I admire him. And I think Texas has got a great story. And he can legitimately talk about that story as a candidate for president."

Noting "it's too early to be dissatisfied with the candidates," Bush addressed those who are labeled unelectable.

"You know, I like Jon Huntsman a lot. And I think his voice should be heard. And we need to be a broad party with divergent points-of-view. That's fine," Bush said. "But Ronald Reagan was a conservative. And everybody said the exact same thing about him, that he couldn't win, that there is no way, and he was unelectable. The pundits typically get these things wrong."

No matter the candidate, Bush said he would support his party all the way to the White House.

"I'm going support the Republican nominee," Bush said. "I believe that the Republican candidate will win. And I'm looking forward to that."

 

I heard this early this morning and I liked his tone..

 

Jeb is essentially saying that the Republican Presidential candidates need to run "for" something instead of just "against" Obama and his policies....That they have to offer some alternative vision.

That all sounds good, Jeb. But Obama and Hillary were very effective in 2008 by mostly maligning Bush and his policies as opposed to focusing on the details of their own solutions.

 

.....

That is nonsense....Babs Bush merely told him what to say, and pointed him in the right direction to say it.

But he is right about Jon Huntsman. In that eerie array of ghost candidates, Jon Huntsman stands out as the only rational candidate in that motley crowd of candidates...all we need is for Guiliani and Palin to announce their candidacy now and we will have a whole minor league baseball team.....

 

I think this is all the media focused on in fairness to the Democrats. Obama told the populace that he would go after Obamacare, push Energy Prices up up up, and redistribute the wealth... but that simply was not the BIG Media's focus... they went BUSH = McCain = BUSH = Sucks = Bush = Evil = McCain

It was effective... and they were right about Bush on many of the economic issues.

 

Bwahahahahahahahaha! That is awesome. Are you seriously now blaming the rhetoric being spewed by intellectual lightweights like Perry and Bachmann on the president anf the media?

Is there any action that the tea party favorites do that one can actually blame them for or do they all get a free pass because of your partisanship?

 

Yeah.. I like Huntsman too.. He went to University of Utah and married a Christian, whereas Romney went to Brigham Young and married another Mormon. Big difference.

 

The Tea Partiers, being nihilists, aren't of course listening to Jeb Bush. They basically have nothing but a negative agenda.

Fortunately, their ugly activism will drive the GOP nomination and they will drag the GOP down with them.

I love the Tea Party.

 

I love the irrational posts.

What is the "positive plan" of Obama and Democrats? For the last 2 weeks, on this site alone all you guys have done is bash Rick Perry personally. What is the "positive Obama agenda?....lol.

I wait your dodge......

 

I think that's been a point of contention now for quite a while.

Obstructionist politics simply isn't working. You have to present a viable alternative, otherwise it's just stubbornness.

 

And please lefties, since when are you guys in agreement with a Bush family member?

If the right listened to Jeb or any other person with the last name Bush you guys would ridicule them for that too.

So which sword are the righties here suppose to fall on for ya?

What a joke.

 

You can't win an election these days without talking points, catch phrases, and bumper sticker. Come on Jeb, you want politicians to make sense? Of all people you should know better than that.

 

You mean like Cut, Cap, and Balanced Budgets?

 

.....

1) I love the posts where when confronted with a republicans/T-baggers political boo boo, scandal, or flip flop, they will immediately point to a Democrat's purported scandal, flip flop etc. as if that takes any wrongdoing away from the republican/T-bagger because, hey, everyone does it. That to me is scurrilous hypocracy.

2) To bring the republican/T-baggers obstructionism to an abrupt halt so that some meaningful legislation may be passed to benefit the American people. The bills have been waiting on the table for months while the repubs sought to delay, obstruct, and hold America hostage on the debt ceiling raise, which lowered their popularity ratings to a mere 14%, and lowered our full faith and credit rating by S&P to under our customary 3 star rating. Not once has the term JOBS been used by the repubs.The republicans/T-baggers have been dodging their constituents since then. The Dems remain constant.

3) What dodge? Dems and Independents don't need a 'dodge.' It is only the republicans/T-baggers who are searching for a 'dodge' that you implied was needed.

 

This is common sense is it not?

Obama ran on being against Bush.

But the gop will be running on how they would do things different.

 

Keep pretending. I thought you nihilist hobbits thought the plan was to socialized America. Now it's no plan.

You have to get your memes straight.

 

It is hardly noteworthy that a man who let an innocent woman be murdered by dehydration would propagate such an obvious lie.

 

Heh, I like Jeb...but I'm not sure he's giving the most sound advice. Being against the President seemed to be all you needed in the last election, and lets face it...things have not gotten better. In fact it's only gone downward.

Gitmo still open, we still have wars in iraq and Afghanistan..we have a new one in Libya, and Obama is now pointing at Assad.

All the while people at home are out of work, their 401K's in the (*)(*)(*)(*)ter, home sales have reached a record low.


Maybe Jeb is right, but it doesn't seem so to me.

 

Please don't distract from the problems of the cons. It's vastly about the cons, not anything else.
Your side has nothing but more hate to offer, and Obama can cruise into his 2nd term on that alone.

 

I knew there were some sane, intellectually honest Republicans still out there. They've just been drowned out by the howling bloodthirsty jackals as of late.

Offhand I'd say the GOP is toast for 2012... but, if they get their ass handed to them badly enough, perhaps they'll straighten up their act for 2016 at least. One can only hope. . . .

Perhaps Jeb might be looking at 2016 himself. . . .

 

You mean Cut, Cap, and Crap?




I've been dying to use that one

 

Republicans are running for something.

Smaller government and a balanced budget are positive goals.

Unless you are Obama or a big spending Republican like Jeb Bush.

Then you might see fiscal responsibility as something to be avoided.

 

Does this mean that you forgive Gov. Perry for investing in a corner video store chain sixteen years ago?



_

 

Getting rid of Obama is to America as sealing the border is to illegal immigration. A fantastic first place to start.

 

I've never had any respect for Jeb especially after that hanging chad fiasco in Florida and I never will.

Of course he is defending Obama. He is running the country just like his brother. Still warrantless wiretapping, still have tax cuts to the rich; he put in more troops in Afganistan right after being elected, etc. What's not for ole Jebbie to like?