https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 780213001/George W. Bush delivers clear rebuke, without mentioning Trump by name
Former president George W. Bush on Thursday called on Americans to reject bigotry and white supremacy.
In a speech for the Bush Institute’s Spirit of Liberty event in New York, Bush made bold statements that seemed to be a veiled criticism of the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party that has rallied around President Trump.
"We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism," Bush said without directly mentioning Trump. "Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."
Bush's speech was a bullet-point list of what he sees as threats to a democracy. He called for Americans to reject divisiveness and renew their spirit and institutions.
"When we lose sight of our ideals, it is not democracy that has failed. It is the failure of those charged with protecting and defending democracy," he said.
Later, Bush added, "We need to recall and recover our own identity. Americans have great advantage. To renew our country, we only need to remember our values."
"Our governing class has often been paralyzed in the face of obvious and pressing needs," Bush said. "The American dream of upward mobility seems out of reach for some who feel left behind in a changing economy."
Bush said American children need their leaders to be role models of civility. "Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children," he said.
And he took a clear stand against racism, something Trump's critics have said he has been unwilling to do.
"Bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed," Bush said.
He added that people today are too often "judging groups by their worst examples" and ourselves by our "best intentions."
Earlier this year, Trump faced criticism after the comments he made following the violence in Charlottesville, Va., saying there was fault on "both sides" — the white nationalists and the counter-protesters who opposed them — for the violence that led to the death of one counter-protester.
Three days ago, GOP Sen. John McCain gave a speech similar in tone to Bush's remarks, calling for a return to American ideals and rejecting bigotry.
What makes this particularly noteworthy to me, is that there has probably been no former President in modern American history more reluctant to speak ill publicly of a successor President than George W. Bush...
For almost the entire first Obama term, Team Obama publicly and repeatedly used him as pinata, blaming him for just about every ill under the sun, and not once did he ever rise to give any public response...
Ol' George must feel very strongly and deeply about this to speak out in this way...
