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Reagan MUST remain DEAD if the party is ever to succeed! Also conservatism has NOTHING to offer.

By: General_Confusion (Diary)  |  May 4th, 2009 at 12:07 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

So says Jeb Bush during the NCNA (National Council for a New America) during its inaugural event.   From the Washington Times piece (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/03/gop-listens-in-drive-to-thrive/)…

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it’s time for the Republican Party to give up its “nostalgia” for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

“You can’t beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don’t like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that,” Mr. Bush said.

Unbelievable, well not really considering the NCNA was stacked with moderates.  Allow me to continue with other gems from the Washington Times article…

“So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant. I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the good old days in the [Republican] messaging. I mean, it’s great, but it doesn’t draw people toward your cause,” Mr. Bush said.

 

“From the conservative side, it’s time for us to listen first, to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit, to not be nostalgic about the past because, you know, things do ebb and flow.” 

Acting like liberal Democrats didn’t draw people to our side either Mr. Bush.  Sounds like your recommending we kick Democrat-lite into double overdrive and simply redefine conservatism (er, I mean upgrade our message) to be whatever the Democrats are doing at the time but just a little less so.  You see gentle reader it is a knownfact ™ that conservatism as expressed by Reagan and his apparently delusional followers just is totally unworkable in these modern times.

 

Jebs message seems to have resonated with others at the event, Mike Collins said identity politics must also be at the core of a new and improved Republican party!

 

Again, back to the article…

But Mike Collins, a former RNC press secretary from Vienna, Va., who now runs a public-relations firm, said there is an urgent need for the party to rethink its strategy.

But the Hispanic leader closed with a warning: “The fact is, if they want to be a governing majority again, they have to do that.”

“We need to be much more articulate and reach out to demographics we’re not reaching right now – Hispanics, suburban women, regions of the country that currently we’re not effectively talking to,” he said.

Mario H. Lopez, president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, agreed, and he applauds the effort by the Republican leaders.

“It starts with showing up, with listening. It starts with making an effort. We really hope that they’ll do that,” he said.

Sadly you see conservatism (the Reagan kind) does not work for Hispanics, suburban women and certain regions of the country.  That simpleminded Reagan tried to reach out to all Americans as Americans not each demographic and you see what that got him.

 

But at least there was some “good” news!

The message resonated with many of those who turned out at the Pie-Tanza restaurant, right in the heart of a firmly liberal community.

 Gee, I wonder why the expressed agenda that differed little from the Democrat point of view (Reagan BAD, Reagan conservatism BAD, Pandering GOOD) was so well received there?

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  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    He didn’t say conservatism has nothing to offer. He’s saying that, to paraphrase Fred Thompson, dragging Reagan’s corpse around is not an argument.

    We need to find ways to make the case for good ideas without invoking his name so much.

    I’m fine with that.

    • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

      oh wait… that’s cuz those would be Negatives ;-) lol

      I will NOT give a 3rd Bush ANY chance to screw me again. Sorry. He might be just fine for FL Senate – but even there I think he should be putting things in a Contract and pre-signed Resignation Letter that we could invoke should he even remotely wander from Conservatism… any hint of the Bi-Partisan Disease and he should be hung (Politically speaking).

      I have no problem with Reagan quotes, but do agree it can’t be the only play. The values/principles stand on their own!!!!

    • http://beaglescout.wordpress.com LJ “Beaglescout” Miller

      You have to be careful when the Obamedia reports on Republicans. They will always use the opportunity to make Republicans look bad, make it look like Republicans are fighting each other, or make it look like Republicans are now realizing they shouldn’t be so conservative. They never stop with this storyline because it’s their wish that America should have two social democrat parties, or a social democrat and a full-blooded communist party. Bush said that we have to make our case from principles, not simply invoke Reagan again and again. Sure, it’s necessary to invoke Reagan and other great Republicans like Lincoln and even Eisenhower and Cleveland because that’s the way we keep the left from trashing or stealing their reputations. We should do the same thing with Democrat presidents whom the left constantly invoke. No president before Jimmah Carter would have ever hung around with the SDS agitators who are in charge of the Democrat party these days. We have more right to JFK than they do.

      • McKinley

        Although no president since him has come close to replicating his ideological commitment to limited government.

        Some Texan farmers once asked the governemnt for seed to help them through a drought. Cleveland said no, and this was why:

        “I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution; and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadily resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that, though the people support the Government, the Government should not support the people.”

        • http://beaglescout.wordpress.com LJ “Beaglescout” Miller

          It makes more sense anyway.

          • McKinley

            Truman tried to give us universal health care in 1949. I’m not the biggest fan of his commitment to the United Nations and overexpansive foreign policy either.

          • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

            strong on crime, strong on defense, Tax Cuts….. certainly more in tune with Republicans than the Progressive/Socialists that control every aspect of the Democrat Party these days.

            People need to be reminded, as we all try to do, that the Democrats are LITTLE like the Democrats of old — yes, yes, many Progressives going back but even they were not as far SOCIALIST as the clowns these days and the distinction must be made to those FEW that still might be reached.

        • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

          the Democrats’ attempts at co-opting are, of course, all based on Lies.

          Unless they want to claim Obama’s lack of any respect to States’ Rights the same as Lincoln, that part I’d buy – but no other.

          • ColdWarrior

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPINBpHskow

          • Jack_Savage

            And stood with my hand over my heart. I would have crawled to DC to pay my respects.

            Hot as hell, though.

      • farstar99

        Not anyone I’d ever listen to again.

      • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

        about 40 minutes later because I hadn’t seen you made the point…. It was those thoughts/arguments that finally brought my Parents away from the Democrats — they were life-long Democrats just because the family always had been. I was the first to question the pathetic nature of the Democrats always being Leftists since. Still parts of the family I will have nothing to do with if they won’t wake up!

        • Rod_Patrick

          To be fair, I’ll reserve any comment at the moment until I hear or read the exact texts.

          I don’t want to defend Jeb but he could be misinterpreted, you know.

          • General_Confusion

            My Google search did not turn up a transcript. Hopefully something more complete will appear later.

          • Rod_Patrick

            Please see above.

            I think many people here at RS want to give the NCNA a chance. I see no problem with that.

            But I want to warn the NCNA and its frontliners to be careful of their message and be mindful of how the MSM are gonna spin their actions and intentions.

      • Rod_Patrick

        First, the source is Washington Times – not necessarily anti-conservative.

        Second, Rush also made reference on the issue. Here are some excerpt from Rush’s website:

        “What do you think of this new effort by the former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, trying to rebrand the Republicans right now, come up with a new image to counter this notion that the Republicans are the Party of No?”

        “These guys, they’re going to make a mistake if they allow Democrat criticism to shape the way they do this road show.”

        My opinion:

        The Republican Leaders are still enamored to the MSM. They still believe in whatever the MSM says about their party.

        When the MSM said that they were the party of NO, they tried everything just to show to the public that THEY WERE NOT.

        >>> Instead, they should have responded positively. NO to socialism and trillions of debt in just 3 months. Has there been at least one from these Rs who ever mentioned the case of the Chrysler holdout stockholders?

        When the MSM said that the party is dwindling, they made all tricks just to look as if they are doing something towards ‘big tent” that also caters the moderates.

        >>> Why can’t they present the fact 46% of the Americans voted for McCain in 2008? Why can’t they say that the Rasmussen Generic Congressional Ballot shows a resurgence of pro-Republicans with a margin of +3?

        They are being played by the WH and the MSM. This NCNA thing has done nothing so far except bad publicity. The conservative base is not happy. Instead of being reactionary and defensive, the Republican leaders should have taken the “offense” strategy… the winning strategy.

    • antisocial

      Lets not defend Gov. Jeb Bush blindly… I searched for the transcript… did not find it… I did see posting at politico…

      “You can’t beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don’t like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that,” Mr. Bush said.

      “So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant. I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the good old days in the messaging. I mean, it’s great, but it doesn’t draw people toward your cause,” Mr. Bush said.

      “From the conservative side, it’s time for us to listen first, to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit, to not be nostalgic about the past because, you know, things do ebb and flow.”

      Jeb Bush seems lost…. You have to look at history and learn from mistakes and successes. He thinks “conservatives” have nothing. He seems to think ideas are not forward looking and relevant. Think about it these guys are trying to revive the party.

      I don’t think you are comfortable with that. Making a case for good ideas is different from saying we don’t have any.

    • General_Confusion

      (Washington Time article snip)
      Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it?s time for the Republican Party to give up its ?nostalgia? for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

      ?You can?t beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don?t like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that,? Mr. Bush said.
      (end snip)

      What does that say to you? Reagan “nostalgia” bad, we have nothing but Democrats do!

      Here is how I build my “take”, Reagan was a solid conservative but now according to Jeb he must be purged politically. (I get it, if you are a squish then the memory of Reagan and his LANDSLIDE victories and that he stood on principle would be very embarrassing to you due to the unflattering comparison) Not content with trashing anyone that would think Reagan was a beacon of how to govern he goes on to say the party has nothing to offer and we should admit the Democrats have something. What is that something, that winning strategy he fawns over? Socialism, liberalism, the ability to bankrupt the country, what?

      If Jeb could have simply left Reagan out of the conversation he might have had a point, the McCain version of the Republican party really did have nothing to offer (other than a faint echo of Democrats agenda).

      Why was it necessary to trash Reagan and conservatism by extension to prove that the Republican party can be the ?cool? kids too. Why not take this time to point out the destructiveness of our current administration and remind the American public of Reagan and how he solved the economic and foreign policy disaster that was Jimmy Carter.

      Reagan does not need to be purged from our political discussion, he needs to be praised and his conservative principals taught as we enter the age of Carter II (now ?improved? with more socialism!)

      (Why is it we never hear Democrats saying that they need to give up their ?nostalgia? for Carter, Kennedy or FDR?)

      • http://beaglescout.wordpress.com LJ “Beaglescout” Miller

        You ask:

        (Why is it we never hear Democrats saying that they need to give up their ?nostalgia? for Carter, Kennedy or FDR?)

        Dems, it’s about time to give up your nostalgia for Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, JFK, FDR, Carter, Clinton, Tip O’Neill, Stalin, and Gorbachev. They’re all sooooooo last century. Drop them already! What a bunch of maroons you Left Lounge Lizard Liberal Luzers are.

        • Jack_Savage

          I found myself asleep in a pile of clothes in a friend’s hatchback Mustang headed to his home in Maryland, without his knowledge, with not so much as a toothbrush in my posession.

          And it WAS a great idea, JUST like the little reminder I am planning on giving liberals from now on.

          Good work General.

  • General_Confusion

    Sadly I expected exactly this tone based from the NCNA ?expert? membership. Jeb did not ?disappoint? with his let?s ignore the guy who won by landslides and embrace the strategies that continue to lose us elections.

    • General_Confusion

      nt

      • Rod_Patrick

        I got the reply. I agree with you, General Confusion.

        But personally, I’m trying to tone down my criticism of NCNA. I dunno but it could really be an honest initiative from our Republican leaders.

        I pray that they will find the right message for their efforts. I want to give Jeb et. al. a chance (i.e.,benefit of the doubt). Let’s just see what happens next.

  • http://www.the41stvote.org rcov092

    He was the master at communicating the greatest aspirations embodied in the founding documents. Are we to abandon those to make some demographic feel warm and fuzzy? If we do, what kind of whores will we have to become?