George W Bush just delivered a scathing indictment of Trump's America: "Bigotry seems emboldened"

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Worth a read or watch and good on him. I hope more on the GOP side find their spines and speak out as he has been.

George W. Bush’s anti-Trump manifesto, annotated

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[+7] - Robert Gentel - 10/25/2017You can always second guess them and no act will be entirely pure of personal considerations, but the bottom line is that there are principled differences these people have with Trump and are...
[+6] - Robert Gentel - 10/24/2017[quote="McGentrix"]I saw nothing in that speech that even indirectly pointed at Trump. Only if you were so opposed to the current administration would you equate what Bush said to be...
[+5] - edgarblythe - 10/25/2017I don't see Bush rushing to contradict those who interpret this as an indictment of Trump.
[+5] - edgarblythe - 10/25/2017So all the national headlines are invisible to him?
[+5] - Robert Gentel - 10/25/2017These are patently partisan blinders to something incredibly obvious. A pity. We need more conservatives whose principles outweigh their partisan instincts. Thankfully Bush is not alone and can...
[+4] - edgarblythe - 10/25/2017But he knows Trump doesn't give a crap.
[+4] - Robert Gentel - 10/26/2017[quote="oralloy"]Well, I admit that I am generally content with Trump's position on gun control, and that's what's really important to me.[/quote] This is a false dilemma when it comes...
[+3] - edgarblythe - 10/24/2017American institutions are not just the media.
[+3] - Robert Gentel - 11/01/2017This discussion does sound a lot like science fiction. I'll give you that.
[+3] - glitterbag - 11/30/2018Former President Barack Obama released a lovely tribute to President George Walker Bush. He joins his wife Barbara Bush, married 73 years. Rest in peace.

@Robert Gentel,

Whoa! That’s interesting.

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No spine in Bush. If he had a spine he'd do the right thing instead of kowtowing to Democratic demonization of his fellow Republicans. But as we saw when he abandoned Scooter Libby to wrongful prosecution by the Democrats, doing the right thing just isn't a priority for Bush.

If you want to see a Republican with a spine, look to Dick Cheney.

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Did you guys read the thing? I figure Robert did, but after reading it myself, it would appear that beauty is quite indeed in the eyes of the beholer. I saw nothing in that speech that even indirectly pointed at Trump. Only if you were so opposed to the current administration would you equate what Bush said to be meaning anything about Trump.

I think you'd all fail reading comprehension class on this one. Especially Aaron Blake.

Quote:

...our democracy needs a media that is transparent, accurate and fair. Our democracy needs religious institutions that demonstrate integrity and champion civil discourse. Our democracy needs institutions of higher learning that are examples of truth and free expression.

In short, it is time for American institutions to step up and provide cultural and moral leadership for this nation.

The Washington Post is none of this.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

Did you guys read the thing?

No. But I just did after your post. I'll admit that the speech wasn't as bad as what I'd been led to believe. But it was still unforgivable for W to abandon Scooter Libby the way he did.

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@McGentrix,

American institutions are not just the media.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

I saw nothing in that speech that even indirectly pointed at Trump. Only if you were so opposed to the current administration would you equate what Bush said to be meaning anything about Trump.

Obama doesn't name Trump either in most of his criticism, this is by intention as it is harder to dismiss it as partisan when couched this way, it's still undeniably about Trump. It's not like we have any other president who has a nativist and protectionist platform, this is about the biggest mouth in the room speaking to those subjects.

Only a determined and concerted effort to avoid context allows for the interpretation that Bush isn't being motivated to speak out due to changes he doesn't like in Trump's America.

Quote:

Quote:
...our democracy needs a media that is transparent, accurate and fair. Our democracy needs religious institutions that demonstrate integrity and champion civil discourse. Our democracy needs institutions of higher learning that are examples of truth and free expression.

In short, it is time for American institutions to step up and provide cultural and moral leadership for this nation.

The Washington Post is none of this.

For example, here Bush is criticizing Trump's attacks on the media, not sharing them like your interpretation of this seems to be. But not naming Trump specifically is done for a reason, and you are here illustrating what that is (it allows you to agree with his words more readily vs instinctively rejecting it).

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@Robert Gentel,

I disagree. Despite his wishes, Trump is not the center of the political world and not everything revolves around him.

As Abraham Maslow said in 1966, "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

I think you and others are only seeing nails. Just like when Bush was in office and he was the smirking chimp... Now, give a speech that many can misconstrue into an attack on their mortal enemy and Bush has become an elder statesman...

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@McGentrix,

I don't see Bush rushing to contradict those who interpret this as an indictment of Trump.

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@edgarblythe,

He probably doesn't see a need to.

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@McGentrix,

So all the national headlines are invisible to him?

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@edgarblythe,

"our democracy needs a media that is transparent, accurate and fair."

He knows...

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@McGentrix,

But he knows Trump doesn't give a crap.

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@McGentrix,

These are patently partisan blinders to something incredibly obvious. A pity. We need more conservatives whose principles outweigh their partisan instincts. Thankfully Bush is not alone and can count with Romney, Lindsey Graham, McCain, Rubio, Flake, Corker and more on the RNC side criticizing Trump by name. This is not normal and you shouldn’t be playing the normal partisan games.

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@Robert Gentel,

There are no principles behind these guys bitterly lashing out at Trump.

Some of them just like stabbing their fellow Republicans in the back because they are addicted to the temporary praise that the left gives them whenever they do so.

Some of them are has-beens who are bitterly lashing out because they are being swept from their positions of power.

The first case is unfortunately normal. That coward McCain has been stabbing his fellow Republicans in the back in exchange for cheap praise from the left for decades.

The second case is indeed not normal. Trump is sweeping these political has-beens from power and remaking the Republican Party in his own image. But this not-normal is a good not-normal. The new Trumpist Republican Party is going to lead America for the first half of the coming century.

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@oralloy,

You can always second guess them and no act will be entirely pure of personal considerations, but the bottom line is that there are principled differences these people have with Trump and are willing to speak out about it. Whose voices win will largely determine whether the Republican Party becomes like Trump or if this is transitive. I see that you have picked your side. I am rooting for the grownups in the party to win, though I expect your side to. I think this is the new RNC for better or for worse.

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@Robert Gentel,

Robert Gentel wrote:

intersting...interesting...I am rooting for the grownups in the party to win, Ah! He's full of ****!

The grownups... Come on Robert. That's some pretty lowball stuff. If the 2 Senators were truly being honest, why the hit and run? Why have they both stated they had no intention of running again? If they truly wanted to change things, they'd stay and represent the people from their states (who voted for Trump) and make change happen.

If those are your "grownups" then you can have em.

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@Robert Gentel,

Robert Gentel wrote:

I see that you have picked your side.

Well, I admit that I am generally content with Trump's position on gun control, and that's what's really important to me.

I'll be happier yet if we can get the (pro-gun) SHARE Act passed and get a few more conservatives on the Supreme Court.

Robert Gentel wrote:

You can always second guess them and no act will be entirely pure of personal considerations, but the bottom line is that there are principled differences these people have with Trump and are willing to speak out about it.

If someone argues in favor of free trade, that's a principled difference.

If someone makes a baseless proclamation that Donald Trump is a menace to America, I see no principles there.

Robert Gentel wrote:

I think this is the new RNC for better or for worse.

Indeed. But it is more than that though. Wait until North Korea starts a nuclear war with us and the nation coalesces around Trump as our great leader. The new Trumpist Republican Party will dominate American policy over the first half of the 21st century.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

If the 2 Senators were truly being honest, why the hit and run? Why have they both stated they had no intention of running again? If they truly wanted to change things, they'd stay and represent the people from their states (who voted for Trump) and make change happen.

They're leaving because Trump and Bannon are going to back someone who will defeat them in the primaries, and they'll be voted out of office next election no matter what.

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@oralloy,

oralloy wrote:

Well, I admit that I am generally content with Trump's position on gun control, and that's what's really important to me.

This is a false dilemma when it comes to picking between whether the future of the RNC is to stay at Trump's level or to get back to where it was before him. After all, he doesn't differ in gun control from any of the RNC alternatives.

In short, you don't have to pick between a grown-up RNC or guns. You had both a short time ago and can have both again.

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George W Bush just delivered a scathing indictment of Trump's America: "Bigotry seems emboldened"

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