Bush: Today’s GOP is ‘isolationist’ and ‘nativist’

Former President George W. Bush described the modern-day GOP as “isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent, nativist” in an interview Tuesday that was packed with implicit criticism of the most recent Republican president. “It’s not exactly my vision” for the party, Bush told NBC’s “Today” show in a rare live TV appearance. “But, you know, I’m just an old guy they put out to pasture.”Still, Bush remained hopeful that a more moderate Republican — one who supported reasonable gun reform measures, increased public school funding and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, among other policies — could succeed in the party’s 2024 presidential primary. “I think if the emphasis is integrity and decency and trying to work to get problems solved, I think the person has a shot,” he said. As for the Jan. 6 insurrection perpetrated by supporters of former President Donald Trump, “it did make me sick. I felt ill. And I just couldn’t believe it,” Bush said. Still, Bush remained hopeful that a more moderate Republican — one who supported reasonable gun reform measures, increased public school funding and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, among other policies — could succeed in the party’s 2024 presidential primary. “I think if the emphasis is integrity and decency and trying to work to get problems solved, I think the person has a shot,” he said. As for the Jan. 6 insurrection perpetrated by supporters of former President Donald Trump, “it did make me sick. I felt ill. And I just couldn’t believe it,” Bush said. Bush, who was on hand Tuesday to welcome 30 new U.S. citizens from 17 different countries during a naturalization ceremony on Rockefeller Plaza, also decried the divisive rhetoric that has surrounded the immigration debate in Washington — and reached new levels of hostility under his Republican successor in the White House. “It’s a beautiful country we have. And yet, it’s not beautiful when we condemn [and] call people names and scare people about immigration,” he said. “It’s an easy issue to frighten some of the electorate. And I’m trying to have a different kind of voice.”...But Bush did express disapproval Tuesday of President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that all U.S. forces would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 — a decision Biden said he made after calling Bush and former President Barack Obama. Bush said he was “deeply concerned about the plight of women and girls” in Afghanistan and feared they were “going to have real trouble with the Taliban” after American troops left the country...MORE

However you cut it, Bush wants the R's to move leftward.

Spend more money, in this case on public schools. If spending more was a determinant in winning elections, the R's would have huge majorities in both houses of congress.

Continuing endless wars, in this case because Bush is worried about the women of Afghanistan. Perhaps he should be more concerned about the 2000 plus American military lives lost there, including female soldiers.

Bush wants "reasonable" regulation of guns. To be consistent, he would support "reasonable" regulation of free speech and "reasonable" regulation of religion.

Its because the R's were profligate spenders, supported endless wars and ignored individual rights that they are in the minority today.