Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) blames Obama for the Republican Party’s ant-LGBT vitriol. (Washington Blade file photo by Lee Whitman)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may have had an abysmal showing in the Republican presidential primary, but that isn’t stopping him from blaming President Obama for GOP vitriol against LGBT rights.
In an op-ed published Friday in the Washington Post, Bush explains his lack of support for Donald Trump, who’s set to accept the Republican presidential nomination this week in Cleveland, saying he isn’t the future the Republican Party.
But Bush blames Obama’s policy decisions and efforts to act as his own when Congress won’t as the reason why Trump rose to prominence.
“Eight years of the divisive tactics of President Obama and his allies have undermined Americans’ faith in politics and government to accomplish anything constructive,” Bush writes. “The president has wielded his power — while often exceeding his authority — to punish his opponents, legislate from the White House and turn agency rulemaking into a weapon for liberal dogma.”
Among Obama’s executive actions are signing an executive order barring federal contractors from engaging in anti-LGBT workplace discrimination. The Obama administration undertaken has numerous actions on behalf of LGBT rights that a President Trump could undo under his administration.
It’s these executive actions Bush says are to blame for the Republican Party attempting to “out-polarize the president” with vitriol against LGBT people as well as other minority groups.
“In turn, a few in the Republican Party responded by trying to out-polarize the president, making us seem anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker and anti-common-sense,” Bush writes.
The same week Bush published his op-ed, the Republican Party drafted a national platform that critics have called the most anti-LGBT ever. Among other things, it seeks to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in favor of same-sex marriage, supports barring transgender people from bathroom use consistent with their gender identity and endorses widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy.
For his part, Bush said during his failed presidential campaign support for traditional marriage — code for opposition to gay nuptials — should be “a core American value” to protect children born in poverty.
“It’s talking about being formed by one’s faith, it’s at the core of the Catholic faith and to imagine how we are going to succeed in our country unless we have committed family life, committed child-centered family system is hard to imagine,” Bush continued. “So, irrespective of the Supreme Court ruling because they are going to decide whatever they decide, I don’t know what they are going to do, we need to be stalwart supporters of traditional marriage.”
He’s a hateful little man who is but the latest spokesperson for Bush family values and hypocrisies.
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For his part, Bush said during his failed presidential campaign support for traditional marriage — code for opposition to gay nuptials — should be “a core American value” to protect children born in poverty.**
No kne is listening to your crap anymore.
This is ridiculous. The GOP has always hated LGBT people. It was Bush’s brother who ran for president by vowing to add in a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality nation wide, and last I checked, that was at least a decade before Obama ever won the election. It’s sheer revisionist history for Jeb Bush to make it seem like the radical bigotry of the GOP is some modern invention that’s all the fault of liberals while ignoring all their past history of opposing everything from hate crime laws to DADT repeal.
As told by the rest of argument he is one and the same Republican who is anti everything. “In turn, a few in the Republican Party responded by trying to out-polarize the president, making us seem anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker and anti-common-sense,” Bush writes. Your problem is not LGBT. We are not violent, we do put others down, we just wish to live and be treated as a fellow human being. You and many of your fellow Republicans are haters, you are not Christians. Christianity is about loving others as you love yourself. Our government is about our people and treating them equally. You may claim to practice any religion you want but you may not force your beliefs on others. Otherwise,
your just another terrorist looking to be a dictator. Who made you GOD ‘s spokesperson?
Jeb is not the first Republican to utter the rich-with-hypocrisy accusation that OTHERS are “divisive”. Republicans swore from the start of the Obama Administration that they would do everything that they could do to make him fail, and they followed through on that threat beautifully. What pray-tell are the Republican Congress and Senate getting paid for?
Republicans defy their very own Constitution by fighting to keep Certain citizens from their guaranteed rights to equal protection. Republicans are Anti-American Treasonists.
Using Jeb Bush’s logic…. if the federal government had not meddled in slavery then we would not have had lynchings, the Klan or the need for Jim Crow laws.
“In turn, a few in the Republican Party responded by trying to out-polarize the president, making us seem anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker and anti-common-sense,” Bush writes.
He (and 99% of all Republicans) are already anti-all of those things. He is a despicable, miserable pile of garbage. He should do us all a kindness and take his archaic way of thinking and leave the country. Or play with matches. Either or is fine; I just don’t want to see his mug in the news unless it’s about something worthy.
No, he should douse himself in gasoline, THEN play with matches.
ROFL?????
He must not remember his brother’s 2004 reelection campaign.
If Pres. Obama would just stop presidentin’ while black, he wouldn’t be so gosh darned divisive!
Read the GOP platform for 2016. Page 31. You’ll see exactly where the vitriol flows from.
https://www.gop.com/the-2016-republican-party-platform/
Duh Bha never had very many cattle on his central Texas rent a ranch. Is that because gathering up a herd of cattle is called a ’round up’ and he was afraid he might wither? None of the shrubs are smart enough to find their way out of a burning phone booth. And, we still have to listen to the other idiot brother mansplaining their bigotry away.
Jeb evidently hasn’t been paying attention these last 7 1/2 years. His party has done everything they could possibly do, obstructing anything, and everything, President Obama has tried to do, to make this a better country for everyone. Not just the elite like Jeb. If anyone has been divisive, and polarizing it’s people like Jeb. People like Jeb only want rights for people who think like they do. Well Jeb we are all apart of the Human Race. We all have a right to live our lives the way we choose, without government interference. Your party wants to dictate how other people live. America is a melting pot, not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth like you were. Stay out of Americans private lives and MYODB!
Bush junior’s blame game reminds me of when I was nine or ten and got into some trouble and was called on it. Being a little kid what did I do? I blamed my sister, “If Karen hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have …” The GOP seems to be populated by immature, self aggrandizing children. Grow up, children!
Hey, they blame him for everything else…but how is someone’s ignorant and hateful behavior not the product of being reared by ignorant and hateful parents??
Jeb Bush, Our beloved President Obama did not make you hate. You did that all on your own. Own it!
Screw Jeb. That sounds like something a a bigot would say. He should take a hint from the rest of his family and turn his back on Herr Drumpf. What was Jeb promised by Trump? Promising someone a cabinet or staff position in return of support is against election laws.
To think the Republican Party has gotten where it is by supporting the UNborn child and condemning LGBTQ will never make sence to me. As rude as they are I naturally would think both causes would be wast of their time.