July 8, 2009
JEB SEES THROUGH THE 'SECRET PLAN'.... Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), not surprisingly, isn't impressed with President Obama. More interesting, though, is the specific critique -- he's not just disappointed with the president's agenda, he also thinks Obama has changed his policy agenda.
"Barack Obama would not have gotten elected if he'd let us in on his secret plan prior to the election. He would not have gotten elected if he'd said, 'My idea is to create a $1.8 trillion deficit for the next fiscal year. My idea is to spend $750 billion [the president's budget estimate puts this figure at $630 billion] over the next ten years on a government-sponsored, government-subsidized health-care policy. My idea is to create a massive cap-and-trade system [based on the idea] that CO2 is [a] pollutant and we need to tax it in a massive way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.'"
Obviously, President Obama is not above criticism, and I can think of plenty of areas where he needs to step up far more effectively (indefinite detention and DADT, come to mind). But Jeb Bush's critique doesn't make a lot of sense.
Was he watching a different presidential race last year? The former president's brother may not have liked Obama's agenda, but what we're seeing is pretty much what we were promised. Obama said he'd prioritize economic investment over reducing the $1.3 trillion deficit Jeb's brother left on the Oval Office desk, and that's what he's doing. Obama said he'd support a health care reform with a public option, and that's what he's doing. Obama touted the benefits of a cap-and-trade system, and he's standing behind it. The whole agenda was put online, talked about in speeches, and scrutinized in interviews and debates. Obama then won 365 electoral votes and the highest popular vote percentage of any Democratic candidate in 44 years.
So, what's the problem?
Jeb's vision of Obama's "secret plan" is apparently so secret, even Obama doesn't seem to be aware of it.
—Steve Benen 11:10 AM
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of course, jeb's brother ran on protecting the lockbox and being able to afford tax cuts while still balancing the budget, and i just know that jeb was denouncing him for years for hiding his secret plan to eviscerate the lockbox and unbalance the budget in order to provide tax cuts to the upper income.
Posted by: howard on July 8, 2009 at 11:11 AM | PERMALINK
Jeb Bush didn't complain about President Bush's deficits (in fact he supported them) when they weren't needed, so he is in no position to complain about Obama's deficits when we they are needed.
Posted by: CJ on July 8, 2009 at 11:14 AM | PERMALINK
The Right is so fond of conspiracy theories - inventing them where they aren't and hiding them when they've actually spawned a conspiracy.
Posted by: mlm on July 8, 2009 at 11:18 AM | PERMALINK
I though Jeb was busy investigating Michael Schiavo for the murder of Terri? Hows that going Jeb?
Posted by: ComradeAnon on July 8, 2009 at 11:18 AM | PERMALINK
Jeb Bush !!! The nerve. I lived with that duplicitous conniving two faced douchebag for 8 years. He tried to circumvent all manner of voter inititives, like trying to do an end run around a class size amendment and slowly transferring the funding of the schools from taxes to the lottery which was supposed to only suppliment the education. Thank god his last name is Bush or we might be subjected to him in 2012.
Posted by: John R on July 8, 2009 at 11:18 AM | PERMALINK
Among normal people, belonging to a family that has systematically worked to turn the nation's laws, constitution, domestic policy and international reputation into a big steaming pile of dog doody, and being aware that almost the entire global population flinches in disgust at the mention of your surname, would translate into shutting the fuck up and keeping your head low.
Posted by: shortstop on July 8, 2009 at 11:24 AM | PERMALINK
The point isn't the truth. It is a right wing noise machine to cloud the truth to anything that Obama is doing. They are all in it.
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventuall come to believe it"
Posted by: ed on July 8, 2009 at 11:24 AM | PERMALINK
Let's not forget that Obama promised to wind down the Iraq war as quickly as possible and he's following through on that. He promised to draw down the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the US and he's doing that. He promised to support democracy and constitutional government around the globe and he's not interfering in Honduras, so he's doing that.
Jeb Bush sounds like those checkout line magazines with their articles about "Oprah's Secret Diaries," or "The Top 25 Secrets That Will Drive Your Man Wild." Only they're not secrets after the 148th time they appear in print.
These magazines, like the GOP itself, count on Americans having the memory of a mosquito.
Posted by: pj in jesusland on July 8, 2009 at 11:28 AM | PERMALINK
>"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it"
Worked for Hitler... should work for the GOP.
Posted by: Buford on July 8, 2009 at 11:29 AM | PERMALINK
Jeb Bush is criticizing Obama? Jeb BUSH?? Jeb FARKING Bush?
Shut the HELL up, Jeb.
Posted by: kc on July 8, 2009 at 11:29 AM | PERMALINK
I know. Just like his brother's attempt to do his old man one better via disposing Saddam, maybe Jeb can run on a platform that he will do his brother one better by completing the job of dismanteling our Constitution. I know I'd vote for him even if he didn't do it secretly. What a moron. That family must be dumber than concrete. Nauseating...
Posted by: stevio on July 8, 2009 at 11:31 AM | PERMALINK
Nothing amplifies all the scare tactics about spending and deficits than alleging that it's secret as well!
Posted by: DrGail on July 8, 2009 at 11:32 AM | PERMALINK
And he's supposed to be the clever one ? The guy's a nut
Posted by: Polaris on July 8, 2009 at 11:36 AM | PERMALINK
Is there a fact based figure on how much money was spent by his brother on the war, the giveaway to banks and such? The trillions missing may make little Jeb go away quietly. He won't stand for big government and spending. Show him who started it.
Posted by: bird on July 8, 2009 at 11:41 AM | PERMALINK
the "secret" is that Obama actually meant it. i mean, every candidate promises to fix health care, stoke the economy, bring us toward peace but c'mon, everyone knows those are lies. how dare Obama keep secret that he actually would try to do those things! What, is he trying to make the rest of us politicians look bad or something?
Posted by: zeitgeist on July 8, 2009 at 11:45 AM | PERMALINK
i actually had a chance to talk with jeb bush recently...
i asked him what he thought of obama...
he told me...
obama is trying to do too much...
GOP 2009: Bystander Government
lol...
Posted by: mr. irony on July 8, 2009 at 11:50 AM | PERMALINK
Jeb Bush's critique doesn't make a lot of sense.
Vote Jeb Bush in '12...
most consistent man in amurika...
Posted by: neill on July 8, 2009 at 11:51 AM | PERMALINK
As he watches the rest of the trees in the Republican forest fall, Jeb is positioning himself to be the party savior in 2012.
Have fun, you worthless Bush moron!
Posted by: TCinLA on July 8, 2009 at 12:00 PM | PERMALINK
Jeb is an obvious idjit but if anything the Bushies are loyal to each other. That can be the only explanation for this rationalization of his brother's success.
Posted by: Darsan 54 on July 8, 2009 at 12:06 PM | PERMALINK
Daily check:
Sky blue (except when cloudy).
Grass green (except when brown).
Republicans lie. No exceptions.
Yup, all as usual.
Posted by: smartalek on July 8, 2009 at 12:10 PM | PERMALINK
Jeb's just disappointed that he wasn't in office to be able to rig the Florida election in favor of John McCain, and that it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference.
Posted by: Stetson Kennedy on July 8, 2009 at 12:33 PM | PERMALINK
Was he watching a different presidential race last year?
If he was watching Fox News, quite possibly the answer is yes.
Posted by: Roddy McCorley on July 8, 2009 at 12:34 PM | PERMALINK
It's important to note that we Democrats had a "Jeb" problem, some thirty years ago---it was called 'Billy Beer."
Posted by: S. Waybright on July 8, 2009 at 12:46 PM | PERMALINK
Jeb Bush - waste of breath.
Posted by: rbe1 on July 8, 2009 at 1:13 PM | PERMALINK
As for Obama's need to run up dangerous deficits to stimulate the economy, consider the main culprit: the GOP embrace of deficit spending in "normal times" (more or less!) per Cheney's "Reagan proved deficits don't matter." (Note gross abuse of "proved.") Because of them running up big deficits/debt for the years leading up to the current crisis, it is now much harder to deal with since we have so little "leg room" about deficit spending.
Posted by: Neil B. ♪ ♫ on July 8, 2009 at 1:29 PM | PERMALINK
And just what was it, Jeb, that your brother promised that he actually delivered on?
(crickets)
Posted by: Marko on July 8, 2009 at 1:57 PM | PERMALINK
Is there a fact based figure on how much money was spent by his brother on the war
Doesn't matter. To Republicans (and, sadly, too many Democrats), military spending is free. Don't forget Bush paid for his war with a tax cut.
Posted by: Gregory on July 8, 2009 at 2:05 PM | PERMALINK
it was called 'Billy Beer."
As I recall, Billy never ran for, nor was ever elected to, executive office.
Posted by: kenga on July 8, 2009 at 2:49 PM | PERMALINK
"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), not surprisingly, isn't impressed with President Obama."
Jeez, I'd love to know what he thinks of his idiotic brother George...
Posted by: Brian on July 8, 2009 at 2:56 PM | PERMALINK
It's important to note that we Democrats had a "Jeb" problem, some thirty years ago---it was called 'Billy Beer."
The Bush family has been a political dynasty of shitheads for nearly the last 100 years, starting with Prescott Bush's attempt to overthrow FDR in a military coup. That record doesn't quite compare to a numbskull brother. In any case, no political party has a lock on idiot relatives.
Now Jeb is trying to stay in the news, probably hoping that feelings will die down about POTUS #43, the worst president ever. I wonder if George is able to stay quiet specifically because that's the best thing he can do for his smarter brother Jeb if he's going to make a 2012 run.
Posted by: Travis on July 8, 2009 at 3:47 PM | PERMALINK
Fuck Jeb Bush. His whole family is a shit-streaked stain on our country.
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