When George W. Bush ran for the presidency in 2000, he called his new ideology "compassionate conservatism," a term that would change how Americans view conservatism as a whole. It was supposed to be more understanding of the poor, relate to traditional families, welfare reform and highight personal responsibility.
"It is compassionate to actively help our citizens in need. It is conservative to insist on accountability and results."—President George W. Bush
But it aligned itself more with Bush's form of Christianity and neoconservative foreign policy and what America received in the aftermath after he was elected was more of the same failed initiatives and responses to adversity which sent this country back decades.
Under George Bush, America was attacked in the worst terrorist episode since Pearl Harbor, and he handled it by lying us into the Iraq war, torture, Abu Ghraib, NSA spying on US citizens, rendition, etc, and our economy plunged into a cataclysmic economic disaster that reminded the country what 1929 was like.
Bush's former speechwriter Michael Gerson then coined another term for conservatism that was supposed to change things, but never took off. Do you remember "heroic conservatism?" neither does most of America.
Now brother Jeb Bush, is unveiling yet another permutation of conservatism to show the country that he's not the same as his brother and conservative principles can be adapted for 2016. His new vision is called "reform conservatism."
Jeb Bush on Wednesday introduced the core principles of an economic platform that could become the central tenant of an eventual presidential campaign.
In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, the former Florida governor tapped into the struggles of "too many Americans (who) live on the edge of economic ruin," debuting what Bush dubbed a "new vision" to create more economic opportunity in the U.S. and give Americans "the right to rise."
His old ...new vision will be called the "right to rise." So we're getting his camaigning slogans. What else:
Bush said those Americans are not held back by a "lack of ambition" or "hope" and "not because they're lazy or see themselves as victims."
Take that Mitt Romney. Conservatives have been blaming the poor for being lazy and so very happy receiving Obama dollars since Obama took office that Jeb is trying to change the narrative that helped lose Romney the 2012 election.
Here's a little more from
…Let’s embrace reform everywhere, especially in our government. Let’s start with the simple principle of who holds the power. I say give Washington less and give states and local governments more.
When he says reform, he means cutting taxes, cutting taxes and cutting taxes. but you won't know that until he decides to tell you.
Aides cautioned Bush would not be unveiling a specific policy platform. They said it would be more general, that he wants to begin to lay out a "positive" and "hopeful" vision for the country, especially the middle class.
He also decided to use the old racist Southern Strategy of "states rights," to punctate his hatred of Washington, DC. A trick of the tea Party to make beleive he's an outsider.
"Let's embrace reform everywhere, especially in our government. Let's start with the simple principle of who holds the power. I say give Washington less and give states and local governments more," Bush said.
We have social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, cultural conservatives, compassionate conservatives, neoconservatives, paleoconservatives and even crunchy conservatives. Now Jeb wants to add reform conservatives to the list. I say, why not? They all add up to the same failed ideology that we're still trying to recover from.
