George W. Bush just laid a major smackdown on Trumpism

[Honeycombe8]

Source: CNN

George W. Bush doesn't talk much about politics in public. Which makes the speech he gave Thursday in New York City -- a point-by-point rejection of Trumpism -- all the more important and noteworthy.

The 43rd president of the United States -- and the last Republican to hold the office before Donald Trump -- didn't mention the 45th president by name in his speech at the George W. Bush Institute. But Trump -- and his views -- were ever-present in the former President's address.

Bush condemned "nationalism distorted into nativism."

He derided "discourse degraded by casual cruelty."

He acknowledged that "our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication." And, most importantly, Bush said that "bigotry seems emboldened."


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/bush-speech-trump-bigotry/index.html

---

This is a pretty big deal. Bush has made a point of staying out of politics. Coming on the heels of a major speech by McCain in the same vein, seems the GOP is rising up in disgust, and will try to stop the destruction.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Should be a big deal, but here is why it isnt.

The GOP wants tax cuts and is willing to risk the end of the human race to get them

Nothing anybody anywhere says will change that.

These are not George Bush sr. republicans, which is where W learned his craft.

W was a horrific president, but he would never risk the end of the world for a tax cut.

A while back I DEMANDED the Bush presidents speak out, like this, but now I see it as what it is and as welcomed as it is, it wont matter.

First of all he needs to NAME NAMES. But I am grateful for what he did do. I respect him a little now.

[Honeycombe8]

2. True. I was glad to see him speak out, though. I think it is an appeal to other Republicans....

as well as a warning. Hoping it'll help. But the only thing that will really help long term is impeachment.

I don't think either McCain or Bush or anyone else needs to name names. Trump is the sort that names names. He makes it a personal fight. It's a bit classier not to say the name that everyone knows.

[Siwsan]

3. Yup

What is good for the country has been supplanted by their obsession with self-enrichment.

I was also glad to hear him speak up. But I also blame his cartel for setting this whole nightmare into motion.

[HAB911]

17. Dear god my brain is exploding

I would accept him back as president

[xor]

18. Many of the hard core Trumpers have as much hatred for Bush and they do for Clintons and Obama

Not sure anything he says will sway any of their minds, or give them any pause.

[TomSlick]

4. As happy as I was to see Dubya go,

at this point I'd take him back over what we have. It's quite an accomplishment to make me look back wistfully to the Dubya years.

[Honeycombe8]

5. I thought the same thing, then was embarrassed by the thought.

But to have just a SANE, somewhat dignified, respectful person in office again...what a change that would be. How long can teh country go on with all this exhausting drama and hate and lies and discord?

[mdbl]

6. not me.

he needs to keep sitting in the corner reading My Pet Goat.

[Jake Stern]

13. As I tell people

Dubya just pissed me off, Trump/Pence scare the crap out of me. For good or bad Dubya at least tried to be seen as respectable and once in a while worked with Dems.

[not fooled]

14. Yeah

when W is the good guy (relative to the current resident) we are in TROUBLE.

[keithbvadu2]

7. Dubya is just proud that he is not the dumbest President anymore.

Dubya is just proud that he is not the dumbest President anymore.

[BigmanPigman]

8. I have to wonder if he spoke out because of

Jeb's easy defeat due to the fucking moron (I guess the title has been passed from him onto 45). He never spoke out to criticize both directly or indirectly for 8 years during the Obama administration. Maybe it is both... thorough disgust of this loser-in-chief AND Jeb's defeat.

[caraher]

9. Probably

He always seemed to take politics personally - perhaps the most cogent rationale for taking us to war in Iraq was "Saddam tried to kill Poppy."

[Honeycombe8]

10. I don't think it has to do with Jeb. But that's me.

If it were Jeb, there are a million other things he could have spoken out about earlier.

I think what got him to speak was an attack, by implication, on HIS not having called the families of fallen soldiers. That made it personal. The President group is a small group There are only 4 former Presidents, and one sitting President. It's unwritten code that they don't openly and directly criticize each other. Trump crossed the line.

I also think it's partly because of McCain's recent speech, giving a 1-2 punch. McCain's speech emboldened him. Possible even McCain spoke to him, since Bush has power in the GOP and among millions of Republican citizens.

[BigmanPigman]

11. I wasn't aware that he was slighted by 45

for not calling soldiers' families. That could be a factor.

[Honeycombe8]

12. Yeah...when Trump made the calling of soldiers' families political the other day...

he didn't just mention Obama, he referred to all the prior Presidents (although not by name).

Bush's rep put out a strong statement that Bush had written letters and called hundreds, if not thousands, of families of fallen soldiers. Clinton's rep put out a statement, too. And of course two of Obama's reps put out statements, one saying that Trump was f*ckin' lying. LOL.

[Dave Starsky]

15. FWIW, Shrub has been doing a lot of work lately trying to help veterans.

He has been visiting wounded veterans in hospitals, painting their portraits, and selling his paintings to raise money for veterans' causes.

One could argue that he's just doing it because he feels guilty for putting them in that situation in the first place, and you may be right about that. But he's going out there and doing it. At least he feels like he needs to be trying to do something positive.

So I can easily imagine him not being too happy about what the shitgibbon said about him.

[BigmanPigman]

16. I actually have respect for him for doing that.

I can't ever imagine the fake prez doing anything for anyone that wouldn't directly benefit him or his immediate family.