Jeb Bush: GOP Is “Old White Guy Party”; “We Can’t Just Be Party Of No”

[babylonsister]

:nopity::nopity::nopity::nopity:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/jeb-bush-gop-is-old-white-guy-party-we-cant-just-be-the-party-of-no/

Jeb Bush: GOP Is “Old White Guy Party”; “We Can’t Just Be Party Of No”


There seems to be a growing consensus among former GOP officials that their party has been successfully defined — or has defined itself — in very damaging terms as reflexively obstructionist and opposed at all costs to helping the majority party govern the country.

Along these lines, former governor Jeb Bush offered a scathing assessment of his party’s political difficulties in a speech yesterday at George Washington University, calling the GOP the “old white guy party” and insisting it must shed its image as the “party of No.”

The university’s paper, the GW Hatchet, picks up the story:

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that in order for a political party to be successful it has to reach out to everyone,” Bush said. “In politics, you never win when you say ‘us and them.’ We need a more welcoming message.”

Bush added that his party needs to modernize and embrace 21st ideals and technology.

“I sense that our party is kind of in a nostalgic mode where we look back to the good old days,” Bush said. “However good they were, and there were some good days, is completely irrelevant in 2009.”

Bush discussed the need for reform in education, particularly the embracement of technology in the classroom. Bush said the Republicans need to lead the charge on education issues, as well as on energy policy, immigration policy and a foreign policy that defends America’s interests.

“We just can’t be the party of no.

“Republicans need to offer, based on their own principles, solutions to these problems,” he said.

Andrew Clark, a spokesman for the GW College Republicans, who hosted the speech, confirmed the accuracy of the account to our reporter, Beth Marlowe, though he qualified that Bush also said the “party of No” label was not accurate, which doesn’t materially alter his assessment of the party’s political travails.

Dems have been pushing the line that the GOP’s knee-jerk obstructionism has effectively exiled the party from participating meaningfully in the great debates over the direction of our country, and it doesn’t hurt Dems when someone like Jeb Bush offers a similar diagnosis.

[Captain Hilts]

1. He'll find 'sympathy' between 'shit' and 'syphllis' in the dictionary. nt

[imdjh]

2. oh my! outloud? knr

[yellowcanine]

3. Keep up the happy talk Jebbie, we still ain't gonna vote for you. You foisted W on us, remember?

Even if you don't, we do. Not going to forget that. Ain't gonna do it.

[Mike Daniels]

4. Looks like Jeb may be considering running in 2012/2016

Watch for the Republicans who have a chance of winning in 2012 ( if the economy is still in the dumps ) to start preaching "outreach and inclusion".

Why anyone would want another Bush in the WH is beyond me but I imagine that Jeb could make a decent run for it if things haven't improved by late 2011.