Jeb Bush: GOP can't be 'anti-everything'

[babylonsister]

Good luck with that.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/other-races/288569-jeb-bush-gop-cant-be-anti-everything


Jeb Bush: GOP can't be 'anti-everything'
By Cameron Joseph - 03/15/13 09:35 PM ET


Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) called for an aspirational, big-tent conservative movement Friday night, telling leaders that the GOP "must move beyond the divisive and extraneous issues that currently define the public debate."

"All too often, we're associated with being anti-everything," the former governor and potential presidential candidate told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Committee's (CPAC) dinner event.

"Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on. Many voters are simply unwilling to choose our candidates even though they share our core beliefs because those voters feel unwanted, unloved and unwelcome in our party."

snip//

"Never again can the Republican Party simply write off entire segments of our society because we assume our principles have limited appeal. They have broad appeal and we need to be larger than that," he said to applause. "I'm here to tell you there is no us or them. The face of the Republican Party needs to be the face of every American and we need to be the party of inclusion and acceptance."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Sorry, Jeb.

He's right when he says "people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker." And he thinks the GOP needs to do something to change that impression. Problem is, Jeb, that the party is, with respect to its core beliefs, anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, and anti-worker. So you guys are never going to attract those constituencies as long as the beliefs you hold and the policies you propose result in actual harm to them. As long as your candidates continue to advocate ideas like self-deportation for immigrants, draconian laws that restrict women's reproductive rights, laws against same-sex marriage, laws that ignore climate change and allow corporations to pollute the environment, laws that restrict workers' rights to unionize and to earn a living wage, you will never, ever attract a significant number of voters who are not white and affluent.

[wandy]

6. +1 Darn it, you bet me to it. I was gonna say that. nt

[sofa king]

8. Amen.

Jeb's stated concern is public perception, not the actual practice.

Maybe they could tack a catchy term to the false idea that things have changed, and hype that.

Have they tried, "compassionate conservatism," yet?

[whatchamacallit]

2. Let the rebranding begin! n/t

[Cha]

3. The gop is anti-smart, anti-poor, anti-humanity.. Pro Greed.. that

will never change.

[cbrer]

4. Wanna' Bet?

The rebranding, and falsehoods are in full swing.

But the GOP on the hill hasn't moved an inch. Smoke and mirrors. Lies and Bullshit. If they retain a single seat in the House, it will be because of corporations (relatively) new found status as people.

And/or the success of current attempts at rolling back the voting rights act.

Rolling Stone did an excellent piece: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gops-real-agenda-20130313

[Aerows]

5. Um, Yeah, Jeb, the proof is in the pudding.

"Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on"

Because you are. It would take a blind fool not to see that. Give me one reason to think that you aren't. Oh, you can't, since even your own CPAC denied anyone that spoke up for gay equality (S.E. Cupp, and GOProud for example) no matter how stark raving conservative they are from attending.

Look at what happened when the African American "Frederick Douglass Republican" speaker took the mike. People in the audience openly stated and supported the idea that slavery guaranteed a roof over their heads and food.

Your own CPAC convention illustrated more eloquently than even the most rabid of speakers could have stated your positions - which are "anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on".

[Flashmann]

7. GOP can't be 'anti-everything'

Obviously they can,since they ARE....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. GOPers like Jeb definitely have a problem.

Jeb is from the money wing of the GOP, as was Mittens. That bunch tends to be relatively moderate with respect to most social issues; they don't care all that much about things like abortion and same-sex marriage, preferring to focus instead on policies that make money for the 1% - so of course they oppose unions and increasing the minimum wage. I think most of them would admit (privately) that they don't especially oppose same-sex marriage or some abortions; and with respect to immigration, they're all in favor of bringing in and keeping lots of low-wage workers. But the GOP is now controlled by its lunatic fringe, which overtly and proudly hates immigrants, gays, minorities and uppity women. So guys like Jeb are stuck: He knows the GOP is toast if it can't broaden its base, but in order to broaden its base it will have to stop hating and oppressing the people it needs to do that. And the lunatic fringe won't allow that to happen.

Ha. Sucks to be you, Jeb.

[gulliver]

10. Impressions and "core beliefs"

Republicans only think they have core beliefs. What they have is impressions and core impressions. Nothing that they propose works, and that is because their intellectual core is nothing but facile, disproven dogma. Their emotional core is a grasping selfishness combined with fear and misanthropy. They haven't hit rock bottom yet. Voters are going to need to do a few more interventions.