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So far during this Republican presidential primary season, discussion of George W. Bush and his policies has been almost non-existent.
But at last night's GOP debate, He Who Must Not Be Named -- Bush -- was named by the candidates or moderator nine times.
And his presence over the debate was even bigger: Almost every heated exchange invoked, one way or another, policies, endorsements, or legislation from the Bush era.
No Child Left Behind. That infamous "Bridge to Nowhere." TARP. The 2001 airline bailout. The 2002 steel bailout. Even the 2004 Specter-vs.-Toomey primary.
With Mitt Romney highlighting and criticizing Rick Santorum's Senate record, perhaps it was inevitable that votes in the Bush era would receive a more thorough examination last night than in previous debates.
Still, all of last night's criticism of policies and endorsements from 2001 through 2008 -- some of which weren't all that controversial at the time -- reflects how much more conservative the Republican Party has become since the man who billed himself as the "compassionate conservative" sat in the Oval Office.
Perhaps the clearest example was Bush's signature education policy, No Child Left Behind.
Early in the debate, Romney charged Santorum for voting "to expand the Department of Education."
The former Pennsylvania senator replied, "I had some votes -- look, I think we all have had votes that I wish I wouldn't have voted to -- No Child Left Behind. You're right, it led to education spending. That's why I've said that we need to cut and eliminate No Child Left Behind."
Later, Santorum said he voted for No Child Left Behind because he was taking "one for the team" -- that is, the Bush White House.
"I have to admit I voted for that; it was against the principles I believed in. But, you know, when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team for the leader, and I made a mistake."
Santorum also took "one for the team" when he endorsed Arlen Specter in his 2004 primary fight against Pat Toomey -- a subject that Romney also raised at last night's debate. In fact, it may have well been Romney's most effective dig at Santorum.
"The reason we have 'Obamacare' -- the reason we have 'Obamacare' is because the senator you supported over Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, the pro-choice senator of Pennsylvania that you supported and endorsed in a race over Pat Toomey, he voted for 'Obamacare.'"
What was left unsaid in that exchange: The Bush White House asked Santorum to endorse Specter in that race, because it feared that a Toomey win would give Democrats a chance to win that Pennsylvania Senate seat in a presidential year (when John Kerry ultimately carried the state).
Also in the debate, Romney whacked Santorum for voting for the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," which was tucked into legislation Bush signed into law in 2005.
"You voted for the "Bridge to Nowhere," Romney said. "I think these earmarks -- we've had it with them... The earmark process is broken."
But Santorum countered with an earmark that Romney sought for the Olympics.
"He's out there on television ads now unfortunately attacking me for saying that I'm this great earmarker, when he not only asked for earmarks for the Salt Lake Olympics, in the order of tens of millions of dollars," Santorum said of Romney.
That legislation in question? It became law when Bush was president in 2001.
And Santorum used another piece of legislation that became law during Bush's presidency -- the TARP bank bailout -- against Romney.
"[Romney] supported the folks on Wall Street and bailed out Wall Street."
Add up all of these examples, and last night's debate was the first time when George W. Bush's record -- directly or indirectly -- was criticized as much as Barack Obama's.
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as GWB said " it will be years before they figure out what we did in the white house...."
The whole purpose for the Tea Party was to have a group that wasnt tied to the Bush failures....same people,
same message, new name
The only ones left who are going to vote Republican are the Obama-haters and the dopes. You can't cure stupid.
But there are so many of them..it is frustrating.
These people actually believe ( first hand account here );
Obama is not a citizen and is Muslim,
Democrats are all socialists who want no one to work and all to be reliant on the government.
The current depression is because of Obama. ( like Dubya had no hand in it at all...??? )
It goes on...but it is too sad to repeat.
Challenge Ignorance
All it takes for Evil to prevail is good men doing nothing.
and your post proves exactly that morron
Thank you gentlemen, for reminding us of some of the Bush Administration failures. Methinks although Ricky may have voted for some of it, Mitt verbally supported it (and then he did't and then he did again and now he is back to didn't).
At least George W. managed to get elected twice! As a disappointed Republican I don't see any significant threat to President Obama from our current Republican mud slingers.
He was appointed, not elected, once, and the other time his brother rigged the Florida vote. "Lil" gw bush-league still makes any other President look good, even that dick, Nixon, and the Alzheimer's President Ronald Reagan.
And this surprises anyone? The Dumbya Bush era was the most massive catastrophe to hit this country, and in fact, the World. Nothing but a goddam disaster that lasted 8 LONG years, and the mindless goddam Buybull-thumpers in this country gave us this presidential MORON for TWO TERMS! Idiots.
Comparing Dumbya Bush to Voldemort is about the closest Accurate description I've seen. While still -- it's a bit of an insult to Voldemort...
To think -- that almost 50% of the people in this country want us to head down a similar path again. And just because of their own backwards political ideologies, they cannot do anything but blame Obama for trying to clean up Bush's mess, and Dammit Obama -- you're just not repairing the damage quickly enough, so IT'S YOUR FAULT. It takes twice as long (or more) to rebuild than it does to destroy -- and it took the Dumbya/Cheney team a solid 8-10 years (with a GOP Congress) to completely screw us but good. The right-wing logic: Obama should have had it fixed in less than half that time. um...WTF???
So, now that we're finally starting to see some recovery and growth -- let's put the goddam GOP in the driver's seat once more, and totally F things up again.
Yeah. Great idea!
DMorgan,
I couldn't have said it better myself! Kudos!
Fun facts! % debt ceiling raise under presidents
Carter 34%
Reagan 199%
GH 48%
Clinton 44%
W 90%
Obama 34%
Too Funny...
Under Dubya, it was raised 5 times...and guess who supported it...?
LOL at these lying nobodys. They gave us No Child Left Behind, and promised to follow with funding so local districts wouldn't get hurt. Now Santorum says he regrets that the law "led to education spending". Yeah dumbass, THAT's the problem. Wow...
Since they all LOVE LOVE LOVE the Bush era wars, economic policies, etc... so much they equate changing them to treason, how is it that they speak against those same policies and do not burst into flames? What a bunch of lying sacks of nothing.
Lying sacks of feces.
I'm beginning to believe the rumor circulating around the caucuses that Ron Paul threatened to bitch slap both Mitt and Rick if the didn't start focusing on issues instead of sex . Newt was exempted by Mr . Paul who understands Newt's position on the matter .
The old Republican Party was bad enough..This newer version is backed by Billionaires and at our expense. The systematic attack on The People of this country is blatant and exhausting....even the Girl Scouts, now. There are more women than men....any women that votes for a GOP candidate must have their heads examined or are beyond childbearing years. All I could do watching that debate was shake my head...the people in that audience were clapping? They are the 1% and truly believe that we don't pull our weight. Bush won due to FL and his brother. ow, they are restricting our voting rights with their stupid ID requirement. We will STILL WIN - Right has Might!!
J,
I agree, if you are a woman and vote Republican in ANYTHING, you are doing a major disservice to your gender.
Janis your statement makes you look like you have no idea what's going on in this country. You don't think Obama has billionaires backing him you must be naive.
Mtex -- you really need to take your hatred for black people and walk it down the road. You're transparent, and frankly, you're comments are boring and consistently without any substance. Get a life, will ya?
Surely there must be a thread somewhere on the Vine where you can scream out your hatred for gays -- even for a little while? You know, just to change thiings up a little... Tell 'em all how gay marriage will unravel the fabric of America and how horribly your life will be affected once gays are allowed to get married -- you know, the usual baseless claims that haters make when they wants to crap all over an entire community of people in order to feel like you're "better than" some others that you're trying to classify as Second Class Citizens... I'm just saying -- the "I hate black folk" charade that you are running here must even get boring for you after a while... it sure as hell bores the rest of us to tears!
I would love to hear what Republicans really say at a gathering about these sorry SOB's debating and distancing themselves from the doofus bush. How do you pick from Huey, Dewey, Louie & Screwy?
How about when some of those dems distanced themselves from the doofus Obama?
Why don't you just ignore them and go back to your cartoons. What the Republicans are really saying at a gathering about these debates are they are very good for the American people to see them and hear them debate, but the issues are never addressed in these debates becuase they too, just like this wipe of a news reporting toilet, are always scewed by the facilitators dumb ass biased questions.
What the Republicans are saying is that a slightly trained monkey could do better than Obama, so we are good with the candidates. If you are so sure of your destiny, why worry about us Repubs! Sleep on that.
aboutthat you must be one of the 152million people that don't pay federal income taxes.
kansas...etc.
Tell me, then, who do the Cast of Candidate Clowns continue to participate in the debates organized by the media they supposedly hate? The Republican party certainly has the staff and the $$ to organize and hold their own debate, where they could actually address the issues they want.
They do the media-sponsored debates because they want to pontificate on their silliness and spout their nonsense to a friendly crowd. I personally think the debates go exactly the way the candidates want them to.
The problem with your second paragraph is that, even if true, none of the current candidates are even equal to a slightly trained monkey.
And if this is such a "wipe of a news reporting toilet," as you say, feel free to deprive us of your company.
I'm sleeping just fine, BTW. Obama/Biden 2012, thanks to people just like you! :)
He probably pays more in taxes annually than you make in a year. And that wouldn't be tough for anyone to crest.
All you demolibs keep thinking everything is going great and headed for great days ahead! If Obama were re-elected, and i am sure he will not be, you would see the real Obama in action about two days after the election. He would first gouge all the taxes he could, on income, fuel, energy,your grandmothers teeth, etc. Next he would be rid of that troublesome Constitution, that he states worked OK about 250 years ago but is outdated.
Then your guns, then your individual freedoms one at a time, then your freedeom to speech, Religion, assembly, etc. Then his fat ass old lady would have US all eating rice and greens while she eats whatever she wants in the Ivory White House.
You will also see all media closed down that promotes the truth and not the Obama agenda, which after you figured out what happened you would not like. Yes, your ever biased MSNBC would be shut down because the regime would no longer need them.
Then will come his own version of the SS to control everyone that does not follow his commandments.
You are all cattle going to slaughter (sorry all you PETA loving libs). As history has proven, it will be too late when you realize what happened by voting your own personal gains and party lines vs. what is good for the US and all of it's citizens. Yes, the system is very flawed, but Obama the Great Divider is not the answer.
And yes, I may be racist, but that is my right as a US Citizen. I do not dislike all black people, just the ones of authority that are habitual liars, which includes the Obama's.
Lots of hyperbole...no facts.
Go on Fox blog, they are much more responsive to ignorant grand statements that mean nothing.
I love the golden Oldies... in moderation. Help a Brother out? spare a dime. Will work for food... a job?
You played the same record starting out, Jan 28, 2009... and have had it on auto play for 3 freakin' years. Time to bring out a new record, or the very least - put a new recording of this record on the turntable. as it is - it seems to be scratched and keeps skipping back over the same lyric over and over and over and over...
I'd love to change the channel, but it like corporate radio - its playing the same song all over the country. Where is an A.M. station when you need one? even if the reception is bad - at least the music is regional and varies from time to time.
kansas...&tc
Hyperbole, fear, hypocrisy, more fear, hysteria, mock outrage, racist rants, even more fear.
Yep, that's today's Republican/TP platform. Well done!
Here's a fact for you 152 million people in this country pay no federal income taxes. You mean to tell me you can not pay 1.00 in taxes. This is the definition of a socialist country get people depending on you and they will follow you to hell. This country is headed for a major bubble bust, and I will blame the Democrats and republicans
Dionysus, I watch both fox and msnbc at times and they are both are bias and full of @!$%#
This quote by Santorum shows that he is not fit to be president. If you let this influence your thinking then you need to run for stooge, lackey, henchman, or goon but, certainly not President of the United States. "I have to admit I voted for that; it was against the principles I believed in. But, you know, when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team for the leader, and I made a mistake."
if i remember correcty when bush was president gas was about 2.50 then katrina hit gas went to 4.00 fer +nleaded, also that was when republicans and christians was in control of house,senate, an excutive gootimes for all. in 2006 when the chistians were rooted out of the conservative party by bush, by the harriet myers appointment to the supreme court, intentionally or not, it damaged the replublican party by dividing the conservative(liars) from the christians. That made us impotent as a party in the election of 2008 because real christians couldn't support a party that denied one of our own,an evanglical, on the supreme court or a sitting president to appoint. i've yet to understand what was the conservative principle to that denial. Let's not blame bush but rather blame Rush Hannity Laura and all the other wind bags for the crap were in today because when they could have supported a evangelical GOD and Pres which is constitutional they chose not to so therefore Feel Gods wrath on a nation. the wicked and all nations that forget God shall be cast into hell. HE'S turned us over to the reprobates
Mr grover, the gop, & the rushbo will tell you that their bushman's record was perfect. Ken lay's rolling blackouts sucking billions, crashing jets into the wtc & pentagon on 911, invasion of iraq, the economic crash of 1929 i mean 2007. Perfect record they say.
And Ron Paul? The media practices censorship of what it doesn't want the general public to know as it would be practiced in Soviet Russia or China. The media doesn't like Ron Paul's stand on foreign policy or the Fed so they just ignore him. The thought someone should even mention the Fed (their boss) makes the media cringe.
I agree
Nine times huh...only 8,432 short of how many times Obama has said "Bush".
Yes, the rattlesnakes are starting to turn on one another.
Sanitarium sounds like a broken record--"I took one for the team." --and he voted like this not just once--My question is why are you even still there, you can't think for yourself, why didn't PA didn't vote you out.
He doesn't even believe in education--"keep'em home and pray for them that'll learn'em."
Romormony does believe in America--let Detroit fall. Hey they don't make great cars, but now all of a sudden they have record earnings. Can you say BAIL-OUT. By the way the BAIL OUT funds are to be paid back.
yes buy the tax payers
Evangelical Conservative right wing NUTS have a penchant for projection. They constantly project their own chicanery onto anyone who sees through it. Their disdain for education speaks for itself. If I was interested in being a con man, the first thing I would do is become a right-wing, evangelical Bible thumper, because these close-minded, ignorant, people have to be the most vulnerable and the easiest to con in the world! And the fact that they follow someone like Santorum, is all the proof you need!
Evangelical Conservatives = useful idiots!
These guys are so desperate that they have forgotten the script! LOL, what a circus. Next thing you know they will be claiming that the drop in unemployment was THEIR idea or that THEY really got bin Laden!
First, they claim that the idiot was a good president who did a lot more good for America than Obama. Then, they go silent on the comparison when the facts are pointed out and the polls show they are on the wrong side of reality. Now, they start to criticize the idiot to get votes from the moderates. What will their next attempt at pandering be?
Let me quote the GOP Messiah, Reagan..------No one in their right mind would try to lower taxes and fund war at the same time.... Reagans words , not mine. GHW BUSH was asked why he thought a governor could unseat a sitting president.. His answer was.....Clinton didnt beat me,,Following Failed Reaganomics. the trickle down supply side plan put Pres Clinon in office.. Didnt Abe Lincoln tell us== A house didvided amongst itself cant survive... Just proof that gop/tp members dont pay attention to their own great leaders. Isnt it odd,,just a few years ago,,republicans were supporting the hippie peace ,anti war movement..Amnesia runs deep in the gop/tp crowd. I bet money that all 3 candidates got phone calls from GOP hdqtrs, and from Mr Oxycotin el Rushbo...and the message was STFU
"You're right, it led to education spending. That's why I've said that we need to cut and eliminate No Child Left Behind.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good god, Santorum and the rest of the republiCon loosers actually vying for who cut more funds needed to educate our children and country!
The party of stupid doesn’t need educated people. That’s why they have Fox. Just feed ‘em ignorant one liners and slogans and send ‘em off to work for minimum wage.
Damnedest thing is, the very people who need help are those ignorant rednecks who vote republiCon....
..... because it’s easier than thinking.
Santorum: "No Child Left Behind. You're right, it led to education spending." +++++ Bull! No Child came with No Funds. Extra math classes to prepare low-academic level kids for classes they'd never use while they were denied vo-tech skills for good-paying jobs occurred. But they occurred at the EXPENSE of the high-level kids whose standards were lowered and who are now less ready for college.
You know the only thing I have learned in my almost 63 years on this earth is that absolutely, no one is perfect!! Those that think they are, are usually the furthest from it. I prefer people with humility, just seems like the Republicans do not know of this word! All these bible thumpers, if you truly (truly) believe the Bible not your thoughts but Gods words, then we are all brothers (sisters) born of one family. Families disagree and fight, but in the end they come together and compromise and get the job done. We need this attitude in our everyday life. " I respect your opinion but disagree with you, can we come together and figure out how to make this work " I was a hippie in the 60's and will die one, love in my heart for all mankind. Because according to God you all are my family..PEACE
Jesus denied being a God, instead, he taught that we are ALL the children of God.
Peace back at ya.
Bush = "He Who Must Not Be Named"
Paul = "He Who Must Be Ignored"
DionysusOmega = "He who is full of @!$%#"