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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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this just keeps getting better by the minute-first the GOP is fighting among themselves and now they are taking shots at the Bush White House-so why bother with the election just give it to Obama all ready. If this country needs to make some money put this on a pay per view event-you cant make this up.
We all hated Bush, conservatives and liberals alike. But look what we have now. All the Bush policies have become Obama policies. No change.
Stuck on Stupid? Or are you just being dishonorable by spreading nonsense archaic right wing talking points again that you are well known for doing?
Some of Bush's policies never got the funding or attention they needed, many improvements have been accomplished on others even on the border policies.... Other bad Ideas Bush had was scraped & others allowed to expire
Keep up Road, People wouldn't have to keep explaining these things to you, take notes or something
Here are what the liberals hated about Bush. We heard them gripe about them for eight years:
Fast forward to the present and we have more of the same. You Kool-Aid drinking libbies might turn a blind eye to it, but many independents voted for change and have seen little change. There goes the winning margin.
stuck on stupid
It takes short term deficit spending to correct these problems & you own conservative candidates only increase spending
It took "short term deficit spending" just to put in legislation to "End the Era of Federal Baiouts"
Bush's was TARP, 3 pages of spending for nothing in return.... Obama's was the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act which brought regulation & an END TO FEDERAL BAILOUTS & billions was returned
SHOULD I CONTINUE?
LOL....Please do. GM gets a $60 billion bailout and made a $3.5 billion profit last year with $1.5 billion of that from the sell-off of parts manufacturer Delphi. Short-term spending? Hahahahaha. Average annual $1.5 trillion deficit for four years after promising to cut the deficit in half in four and adding 52% to the debt when he took office. You know they say only a mother can love the face of a hipo baby. Only a Jim Jones liberal can defend Obama's Bush policies.
Thousands of American Families have jobs in those auto industries ---- The BAILOUT WORKED
Every time a country enters a recession, the economy shrinks by definition. The first thing private corporations do is cut spending: layoffs, reduce inventory, manufacturing etc. and await the recovery. At that point, the government has to step in and increase spending, including entitlements, in order to make up the economic shortfall. If all President Obama had done in 2009 was cut taxes for the rich, does anyone think businesses would simply start expanding? Of course not.
Companies are in business to make a profit. Until they feel certain that the economy is expanding, they will keep costs and employment low. Deficit spending is an essential part of the government spending cycle. Since this was the second worst Recession in our nation's history, the amount of deficit spending and the high unemployment, as well as the rate of recovery, can't fairly be compared to previous recessions. Those who naively compare government economics to a for-profit corporation or (even sillier) to a household budget, simply don't understand that government exists to serve the public good, not to make a profit.
Whatever President followed the failed Bush experiment, he/ she had two choices: spend in a deficit to save the economy, or watch the Second Great Depression sweep in.
Hmmm, $60 billion saved 200,000 jobs. Very nice. I wonder how many more jobs the government can buy before going bankrupt? It's welfare by any other name. I'll stick with Ford, thank you.
I'll always stick with Ford... But GM's situation restructuring via bankruptcy wouldn't have helped & it wasn't the fault of the Unions
Clotho,
Then the smartest president ever shouldn't have promise to cut the deficit in half in four years. He knew it was impossilbe. He lied, just as he lied about the shovel-ready jobs to get the $800 billion spending bill. He told us this was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression over and over. Last month, he said in an interview that he had no idea things were this bad as a justification for his failed policies. He knew we had a second Great Depression, but he didn't know it was this bad. LOL
Jim - Then GM, like any other failed company should disappear. Another more efficient, more accountable company would pick up the pieces and make it profitable. The government should butt out, espeically with tax dollars.
Nothing worth doing is easy - if it were easy, 100% guaranteed to not fail, then even idiots would be doing it. Progress comes at a cost, and that cost is often pointed out -endlessly- by those too small to dream big ... or allow others to do so either.
What I hear from many small business owners is... they start and fail several times on the way learning how to temper desire with knowledge.
Are you willing to go into debt - spend that last penny you borrowed, to keep the lights on for your small business to succeed? If not - then get a corporate position! They'll take care of you until they decide they don't wan't want to anymore. What happened to the GOPper party? You guys used to believe in American and Americans... now? .... Not so much....
I miss George W. Bush as President. He was a leader to the core. Agree or disagree, you always knew where he stood -- by his convictions. And as the years go by, the bravery and greatness of his leadership will be appreciated more and more.
*Snicker* Your either trolling or suffering from a sucking head wound.
It's obviously a sucking head wound. Bush left the country in a severe downward spiral heading toward a Great Depression. Obama halted the hemorrhage with his policies, has turned the country back around and it is heading in the right direction. I suspect many in the GOP secretly have to agree, which is why the GOP presidential candidates have turned to social wedge issues, since they can no longer logically and convincingly argue that Obama has ruined the economy. Even the gas price issue holds no water since the President does NOT control global commodity prices. But of course there are moronic Republicans who will blame the President "just 'cuz."
Well I think both candidates are correct when they say the other would be a terrible president.
-Rick Santorum
Education spending is bad Rick?! If we let these idiots be in charge we will be making cheap plastic crap in American slum factories and shipping it to middle class Chinese consumers within a generation. Remember Republican idiots- we need smart Americans to make new bombs and guns for the military you so love. Today's spending on education is an investment in tomorrows military and weapons!
Not when the unions are involved.
Make no mistake: These GOP candidates want to go back to a 19th century Dickensian education system, where only those who could afford it got to go to school. No more "socialist education" for poor children. No more opportunity to move up the economic mobility ladder. They want the rich to stay rich and the poor to stay poor.
“Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home–but not for housing. They are strong for labor–but they are stronger for restricting labor’s rights. They favor minimum wage–the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all–but they won’t spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine–for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing–but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing–so long as it doesn’t spread to all the people. And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it.”
~President Harry S. Truman
Observations by man who obviously knew whereof he spoke, taking the GOP spin-machine to task even in 1950(!) And unlike the Right who give empty, insincere lip-service to the buzz-phrase 'personal responsibility', Truman actually practiced his own motto, 'The Buck Stops Here". And Harry was quite prescient with regards to the last sentence, for the 'writing on the wall' has indeed morphed into a Wall Street cartel that remains unchecked, unregulated, unprincipled, just the way the GOP bought & engineered it. Talk about a truly 'un-holy alliance', as the Occupy Wall Street backlash movement makes plain.
While I agree with your statements Keith, I believe that both Republicans and Democrats have sold out to Wall Street.
Every time I hear the word 'Obamacare' I instantly think, "Well, I'm done with this conversation. This person will have absolutely nothing logical to say."
Totally spot on there cousin --- They need to eat more carrots, huh?
I prefer to think of it as a reminder that Obama cares, while the Republicans don't. The President should wear it as a badge of honor. I was surprised last night, to hear Romney call his plan Romneycare.
Couldn't agree more. I moved back to Canada last year primarily to have access to affordable healthcare. The system here isn't perfect, but at least I won't die due to a lack of affordability, and won't have to file bankruptcy because of a catastrophic illness or injury. Most Canadians think Americans against single-payer socialized medicine are out of their minds. Canadians pay a little more in taxes to cover the costs, but who cares? Also, we have the ability to opt out of the "system," and pay more to have non-life-threatening procedures performed more timely. Why should approximately 50 thousand Americans die every year for a lack of access to affordable healthcare, with millions more under-insured? It's ludicrous.
It's so sad that the Republicans did such a masterful job of scaring a lot of Americans out of the idea of socialized medicine with their catch-phrases of Socialism etc., but it's just as telling that Americans are so easily frightened. If the country ever does catch up with the rest of the civilized world, I'm sure they'll be scratching their heads and wondering: "What was I so afraid of?"
The saddest thing is ALL of these candidates would make a better president than the current one.
hands down by a mile
I thought LSD was gone by now. HC and Mark you are obviously not watching the same show the rest are. The economy is improving despite NO help from the repubs. We are beginning to come out of the nightmare Bush and his buddies drug us through. And you want to say Obama has failed? How much do you get paid for coming on here and spewing this totally wrong rhetoric? Is this what they mean by "earn money at home from your computer" ? I think so.
Nope. The "saddest thing of all" is that you are stupid and brainwashed enough to actually believe that. Actually, I apologize for saying you are "stupid". That would be an insult to the intelligence of stupid people.
Look at the facts: Without the support of these two candidates for President, a lot of Democrats, a lot of Independents, and the Republican party former President Bush would never have been able to get the poor quality packages passed that we deal with and gripe about today.
Where are candidates going to come from who will lead the US away from these kinds of mistakes? I do not hear one original thought come from any of their mouths, only criticism for the other side. Not smart!
Speaking from a conservative (NOT a republican - there is a huge difference) point of view, this pointless series of "debates" is as ugly as it gets in politics.
I am amazed at the stubbornness of the GOP, who practically refuse to acknowledge to Bush to be every bit as responsible for the downfall of our economy ,as was each and every one of his predecessors, as is Obama's complacency in allowing our decline to continue.
Yet I am equally amazed at the propensity of Democrats to disregard the obvious political gamesmanship practiced by Obama in order to foist a second term upon us.
It would be my opinion that the entire current lot, from White House to the Congress, be run out of Washington on a rail.
Politics is a game, all politics is a game --- When you put your money behind a horse you take the chance at the horse stumbling at the gate & breaking it's neck... And you still don't know anything about the horse or jockey
If you listened to conservatives last night telling you why they do every thing they bitch at others of doing & defending themselves for doing it
You would have seen it is ALWAYS A GAME
OBAMA-BIDEN 2012
Isnt the difference between a man like Ron Paul and the others running just amazing. Ron Paul is the obvious choice for president.
Ron,,, Think about it, Congress has a 6% approval rating --- Ron Paul is a 35 year part of that Congress. He hasn't a lick of business sense in his head.
I'll be honest with you, independents screwed up, Ross Perot was a hell of a better candidate & he held my attention... Ron may be a nice person, but he just doesn't cut the mustard
i.e., Paul promises to get rid of foreign aid,, Yet last night he told you he will only trim it. Obama is trimming foreign aid.... Pretty much every thing involving foreign policy, Obama is already doing.
Figure it out, Paul's "isolationist rhetoric" was just rhetoric & he has always been a "Big Government Independent"
Seems like things are getting testy if the bush's name are being mentioned because they have tried to stay away from it during the whole process. It is really funny to see two dumb guy's fighting with each other over issue's that are not as important as jobs or the economy but want people to vote for them any way when the people are suffering. WTF do these guys have any clue what it feels like to be hungry and broke?
Bush and his obvious unrecognized, unresolved, unmentioned mistakes and miscalculations have been and will continue to be the Elephant in the room for this and many future elections. His is the tap, tap, tap-ing which Edgar Allen Poe wrote of in "The Raven". The guilt will find a voice. It can't be suppressed forever, no matter how hard you try.
Never More, Never More...
Here's the GOPper choice; Keep avoiding the "Bush" delirium and leave the high ground to President Obama when he brings out the battleship to crush these unorganized Skiff as then dance in the wind or... face the facts, which they have attempted to obscure and avoid throughout the years of President Obama reasoned march through all the fake, bluster and bombast they could muster.
By keeping his attention on each stage of engineering his vison for our recovery (while they were satisfied to chip away in mindless petty glee, chasing butterflys. Birthers were a distraction only to them - the rest of us understood that every branch of government - was ruthless in plumping the depths of any issue to dispute allowing Obama as a candidate. Do you seriously want the "Thinking Public" believed that "everyone" would bend over backwards to give him a shot at the Office of President of the USA if there were any hint of of a problem, shred of proof?
So they nit-ed and picked all the way to the last minute ... while it let them and the public tire of these manufactured tempestuous teapots. Here we are - coming up on the final count down and no candidate of merit from the GOPper is willing to sacrifice his reputation based on the timid, burnt earth policies which didn't work. The reasoning about resurrecting Newt was and is clear - if he could have somehow prevailed, he owed them a bunch of favors. If he failed, as it seems he is destined to do - nothing lost, he was sacrificial from the get go... expendable.
Ultimately the whole current crew of GOPpers are expendable. Fodder for the cannons - they were bait to see how many of the public remained gullible.
I wish these politicians would start considering the American people as "thier team." Maybe then just once they could "take one for the team." Actually putting aside childish squabbling (similiar to what I read in these posts), so that something positive can actually get accomplished for the American people. The two party system has turned into nothing but the feuding of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Sickening really, the American people are of no concern really to these talking heads. The only thing that matters is that thier "team" wins.
What a debate between the Flipper and the Flopper.Santorum being the latest GOP flavor of the month, one can't help but wonder who's next up on the GOP agenda of candidates. It appears Newt Get-Rich has all but faded into the woodwork even though his PAC monies just keep rolling in. Lately, his gift of gab has had so many inaccuracies, you wonder is he that poorly informed, just plain stupid, or does he tolerate being ostracized in order to share the political spotlight. I think the latter is the case.
Obama/Biden 2012.
How about the GOP just rally around the candidate with the best record. Ron Paul 2012
You have two completely separate thoughts there. Ron Paul has been almost completely ineffective during his many, many years in the House. He doesn't introduce bills and he votes against everything. I give him credit only for sticking to his beliefs without changing, but someone like that should be writing books or hosting a talk show, not working in Congress.
If he were President, nothing would get done because 80% of his ideas are insane, Congress would never pass the legislation he asked for, and Paul would just veto everything else.
If Ron Paul Had real plums instead of dried up prunes - he would be a proper villain, ... like Rust Limberger. Instead he's a perennial campaigner ... the worst thing that could happen would be he were elected President - then, he as well as his sycophants would have to put up or shut up.
Secretly - both hope he is ignored and can run again, and again... the promise if preferable to actually producing something that works.
Reminds me of the Apple faithful... they want to be heard, but for Gods sake, please don't force them to actually organise a real solution.
Democrat or Republican, one thing is clear; the U.S. system of government is broken. It's no longer an argument of party ideals, but an argument of math and physics. You can't get something for nothing, and our elected officials have bankrupted the nation, buying votes with taxpayer money that never existed in the first place. Our government has been failing us for the last 30 years. With each term, officials keep kicking the real problems down the road, for the next incumbant to resolve, and now we're here; bankrupt, gridlocked, and angry. The unfunded social programs will have to stop. The usurpation of our Constitutional liberties will need to stop. We will either see a civil re-order of American government based on Constitutional principles or we'll have World War III. Have a nice day!
It's pretty simple. Government is run by corporations and billionaires. We've been living in a plutocracy for decades, but these out-of-control SuperPACs illustrate how much the 1% picks the leaders and writes the legislation to make them richer.
We need to get corporate money out of elections.
clotho- good point. dems and repubs do not need corporate or union money.
If it is broken ... you only need to read the first line of the Constitution to understand how it happened...
We, the People... (are the Government). Anything after that line is superfluous. The rest is merely frosting on the cake.
Wigs, Tories, Republicans, Democrats are nothing more than the methods we choose to assemble and organize ... the cake is the More Perfect UNION.
Blame game is good - we dont want an encore performance from the republican party. We need President Obama to be a one term president. Only problem - do you trust your country with any of the current candidates?
Farther right you go, you GOP are just going to fall off the edge of the political spectrum.
I like how there was no mention of Ron Paul and how he slapped all of them around. RP the only one who would persue peace and talks about our constitution.RP was the obvious winner. And the only one who talks about tackleing the dept.
Obama and the other republicans represent the establishment and the people who got us where were at.
Well, IT'S ABOUT TIME! President Obama certainly, in my opinion, exudes much more class that the GOP stable. At least, when he lays out the criticism, it's done with examples and statistics. I haven't heard him questioning their Christianity. I truly think the GOP is going to hand him a re-election on a silver platter.
Amen to that
I was very disappointed in George W. never has a republican president spent borrowed money placing this great nation in debt while wall street ran without regulation causing the second great recession.I will say he has a great first lady.
LOL...Well, this was overdue! Face it, my respected fellow-Republicans. The scrambling, scrapping desperation is just beginning. If the GOP expects to win in Nov., they need to move more to the center, where most Americans are; and they need to separate themselves from Reagan, the Bushes, and any other ancestor who, although impressive, failed to bring this country above water. If Obama does it; the Rebublicans might as well start all over.
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."
Please tell me that I'm reading this wrong and he really does not mean that voting fo the No Child Left Behind Act was a mistake because it led to education spending.
That's exactly what he means. Astonishingly, Santorum wants both federal AND state government to stop being involved with schools. He doesn't explain who will run the schools, presumably for-profit corporations and home schooling.
Bad policy is bad policy. Every politician has to own up to it when they do it, its the same for both sides. Repubs have endlessly tried to dump the repercussions of these bad policies, on Obama. It hasnt worked on anyone who isnt party aligned. Right has to get back to reality, if they want to grab votes from that group. I dont see that happening enough to win.
Is it just me. All these candidates when they are striding across the stage: One reminds me of a bloated trundling hippo (NLG), the other walks like a fag (WMR), the other does not walk so much as he shuffles (RP). and last but not lease one walks like a female that was subjected to the latest repub suggested ultra sound atrocity. Then again it may be that they just wear ill fitting shoes except for the tub of lard, will somebody get him a corset.