Jeb Bush Talks Political Food Fights and Obama's Education Plan

It heartens me when I hear republicans speaking in a rational manner, even though I don't agree with republican philosophy--business knows best, tax cuts for the rich. The facts are we'll always have republicans leading and it's a comfort if they're not Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle or Carl Paladino types.

Republicans Speaking Out FOR Health Care Reform

In the past week, a few big republicans and independents (Bloomberg) have spoken out in favor of getting healthcare done. Took them long enough.

Their names carry weight. They include former Senate majority leaders Bob Dole and Bill Frist, a heart surgeon; Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a health policy expert; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, now an independent; and Mark McClellan, former administrator of Medicare and Medicaid from 2004-06.

As former Republican congressman Mickey Edwards, currently a lecturer on public affairs at Princeton, puts it: "The grown-ups are beginning to speak up." Read more at USA Today

Bobby Jindal urges republicans to join in. Jeb Bush is NOT one of those grown up republicans speaking out for health reform. He aims all of his criticism at Obama. But Bush is "pleasantly surprised" about Obama's education efforts.

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GOP's "Listening" Tour Stops at Pizza Joint

Good idea the republicans have but I'd advise them to heed their message and listen, especially Mitt. Just shut up, quit talking and listen. The democrats aren't the party of the "monarchists." That's a little dramatic and falls into the realm of Michele Bachmann. Read about the council and its "blueprint for our conversation with America" here and here.

The goal of the initiative, called the National Council for a New America, is to connect Republican leaders with voters across the country to help get the party's electoral fortunes back on track.

"Certainly our party has taken its licks the last few cycles, but that's why we're here," House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said Saturday. "The reality is, the prescriptions coming out of Washington right now are not reflective of the mainstream of this country."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said it's time for Republicans "to listen a little bit, learn a little bit." He advised Republicans to work on the party's message and "not be so nostalgic."

"I would say you can't beat something with nothing. The other side has something. I don't like it, but they have it," said Bush, who praised President Obama's tactical approach to politics and commended his 2008 campaign as "forward-looking."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney compared the GOP to Americans fighting the British during the Revolutionary War. "We are the party of the revolutionaries, they [Democrats] are the party of the monarchists," he told the overwhelmingly Republican crowd, saying the Republicans needed to "once again lead the American Revolution." CNN

Jeb Bush Says Republicans Must Take California

Californians are about to get walloped by all kinds of taxes to fix the state's budget deficit. Jeb Bush believes former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who supported McCain, can clean up the state. But republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been unable to end the gridlock in California. I don't think republicans are the answer to California's troubles.

WSJ: "Beyond the ideas and all of that," Mr. Bush says the GOP must be a national party. That means "we need to be competitive in California," where the "burden of big-government policies" has produced a $42 billion deficit. "I don't care how big the state is, that's mind-boggling. It's not a tax problem. Don't they have the 'excuse me for living' tax out there? The growth of government spending has been enormous. And a creative, reform-minded candidate on the Republican side" could be elected governor.

He encouraged Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, to try. "She's the kind of person who's lived and managed and led through the disruptive changes that are going on in our lives," Mr. Bush says. On Feb. 9, Ms. Whitman set up an exploratory committee, normally a precursor to running.

Mr. Bush commented last fall that "a big-government Republican" is a nonexistent species. What did he mean?

"I think the one common thread throughout all these strains of conservative thinking and Republicanism is limited government. If we don't have that in common, what else do we have? And the next question you'll ask is what do I think of my brother's record. I think circumstances come into play. When you're attacked as a nation it's legitimate to spend resources to deal with huge holes in national security. And so there are times in history when it's important to use the power of government."

Republicans must also clean up their act on immigration, Mr. Bush insists. Last year, he says they "set a tone" that pushed Hispanic voters away. "The tone of the debate reached a point that was very damning to the Republican Party, and the evidence is in. The chest pounders lost."

Mr. Bush supports immigration reform as championed by his brother and John McCain, which would allow illegals already in this country to stay. "Politics has to be about ideas and values and aspirations." he says. "It shouldn't be about anger and preying on people's emotions. You can't lead a mob."

Jeb Bush's thoughts on Obama:

Mr. Bush has kind words for Mr. Obama. He was the first Democrat to win Florida since 1976, and Mr. Bush has nothing but praise for his "spectacularly well-run campaign. They started with the premise that we're going to have a huge database and we're going to connect people to this campaign. When things got going in earnest in the general election, it was a finely tuned machine, to Obama's credit." The campaign spent $60 million in the state, Mr. Bush says, based on the correct assumption that "if they won Florida, they'd win the election."

He also has a suggestion. "I think it would be great politically for President Obama" to break with one of his party's interest groups, Mr. Bush says. "I hope it's the teachers' union. He can bring about a transformation of education" and speak "on behalf of the kids that traditionally are shut out of the learning process, and [allow] a thousand flowers to bloom, not just one prescribed from Washington." Read the whole thing here.

George H. W. Bush Says Obama Can Give Him a Holler

On Fox News Sunday, a humble George H. W. Bush says he'll be there if Obama needs advice.

WALLACE: You're also this week having lunch at the White House with your son, President Bush, President-elect Obama, and all the other former presidents.

If you have the opportunity to take Mr. Obama aside and talk to him from the heart, what is the key piece of advice you want to give him?

G.H.W. BUSH: Oh, I — at this juncture, it really would be gratuitous for me to be giving advice to Barack Obama. It would be more to wish him well. I talked to him right after the election and did that then, assured him that he was my president.

And I think it's more that than trying to figure out one thing or another. He'll be getting a lot of free advice, and some of it good, some of it not, but I get the feeling he can sort through that.

So I don't really think at this age in my life I can contribute much to his well-being in terms of governing. But if I saw something I thought was wrong, I'd like to have the feeling I could bring it up with him just based on some experience in the past, war and peace, Middle East, Europe, Germany.

I think one of the best things we participated in doing or facilitating was the unification of Germany. And that's — looks like it's very pacified now and they're here to keep.

But if there's some — some problem came up of that nature and it's — needed some advice of an old guy, hell, pick up the phone, give me — give me a holler. Read the transcript of the whole interview

Bush on Bush

Aaaackckk another Bush for president: