tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226605107278385473.post9134442303088395014..comments2023-10-30T04:54:07.159-04:00Comments on 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE: Jeb Bush, Grover Norquist, and the Chickens Coming Home to RoostDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00835607180418553607noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226605107278385473.post-57246099442309250082012-07-14T00:13:36.585-04:002012-07-14T00:13:36.585-04:00If there is one thing I’ve learned from my 4 ½ yea...If there is one thing I’ve learned from my 4 ½ years in Political Science, it’s that very few people are capable of being nonpartisan, and 99.9% of those who try, fail. <br /><br />I don’t believe Jeb Bush is on the mark here, he’s one of many Republicans under the misconception that partisanship is only found on the right. During a debate between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan, Mondale made the assumption that his opponent wanted to cut Social Security and harm seniors. Reagan retorted by saying that any attempt to scare the American people had no place in politics. I don’t think Reagan would resign himself if he heard today’s Democrats claiming that Republicans were waging a war on women. He wouldn’t resign himself if he saw the Obama Administration’s Universal Health Care plan. He wouldn’t resign himself if he saw the current state of the Union.<br /><br />I’m not sure where or when Republicans bought into the notion that any attempt to criticize the Democrat agenda was in poor taste. I suspect it stated with the major news networks, it seems like NBC, ABC and the like tend to paint Republican dissent as radical and unprofessional. After all, their poor coverage of the Tea Party protests showed everyone that any politician who wanted to cut taxes, shrink the government and bring down spending would be labeled a “Radical Tea Party Guy” in the eyes of the media. So Republicans restrain themselves naturally, no politician wants to be shunned by the news.<br /><br />Jeb Bush is probably the one out of sync with the GOP right now; I think Republicans are trying to emerge from the malaise of the Bush Jr. years by creating a new platform centered around low taxes and small government. There’s nothing radical about signing Norquist’s pledge if that’s what conservatives want to do, time will tell if it was the right choice. What is wrong is all the hoop-lah about them doing so.Leon S.noreply@blogger.com