Sure, We Need Another Hero … But Does He/She Have To Be Named Bush?
Opinion from the desk of Mark Christopher
[New York, NY] Late last month, former Florida governor Jeb Bush wrote an opinion column for The Wall Street Journal extolling the virtues of the free market and how if we just stop regulating, we can enjoy our “right to rise” as Americans.
“We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck,” wrote Bush.
Too bad he didn’t tell his brother George any of this, oh say, ten years ago.
The conservative blogosphere ignited with fever dreams of the former Gov. Bush jumping into the 2012 presidential race to save the GOP ticket, which currently finds the unlikeable – and ethically/factually challenged – former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is moving to the front.
No wonder Republicans are clamoring for Jeb – since 2008, they have been searching for an alternative to Mitt Romney, someone, anyone other than the religious cult leader mega-millionaire with the personality of a catfish and car-salesman hair who basically implemented the blueprint to President Obama’s health-care overhaul they are all campaigning against.
Yeah I said cult. Ask an ex-Mormon, they’ll tell you. Not to mention Romney’s the world’s biggest flip-flopper on just about every hot-button issue for conservatives.
But another Bush? C’mon. I think the country would rather sit through four more years of Obama, or – gasp – four years of Newt Inc. before we handed the country’s keys to the Bush family again. However much smarter Jeb is than W, it doesn’t matter – the damage done by the Bush family reign is why the country is the way it is now.
Can a Bush fix it? Maybe, but the Bush family had their chance in 2000 and they sent us the dumb one, the one Karl Rove and Dick Cheney could control like a puppet. We are still cleaning up that crime scene. The mighty white GOP is wisely trying to pin it all on Obama – you know, blame the black guy – but the electorate is a little smarter than that.
Photo: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate Images
Newt Gingrich is now tied Mitt Romney in the GOP’s quest to beat President Obama
They know that both Iraq and Afghanistan was Bush’s doing, as was the massive Wall Street bail out. They know the mortgage crisis happened under W’s watch as did 9-11. They know that deficits soared and the income gap between the haves and the have-nots widened exponentially under W’s trickle-down theology.
They know that the middle class is flailing while CEOs are banking tens of millions of dollars a year, practically tax free. George W. Bush’s fingerprints are all over the place and the chalk outline that used to be America is being erased to make room for the next big Koch Brothers-approved money machine.
For gosh sakes, W left office with an approval rating of 22%.
But that’s how bad Gingrich, Romney, Ron Paul (heroin, anyone?), Herman Cain (Mr. Hanky Panky, really?) and Rick Perry (he’s Texas Toast) are – bad enough to consider another Bush, even if he is “the smart one.” What they don’t understand is that Jeb Bush is not 100% conservative either. He doesn’t cotton to guys like Grover Norquist putting the screws to his policies, or play Rove’s reindeer games.
Jeb Bush doesn’t play by anybody’s rules but Jeb’s. He is pragmatic and unpredictable, like Obama. In short, Jeb’s a Democrat – he just leans much, much farther to the right than your average bear. You, know, like a Republican.
Does that make any sense? Neither does Jeb Bush in 2012, at least according to the man, the myth, the sort-of legend himself.
“Republicans will be choosing from the candidates currently in the race,” Jeb Bush told Right Turn last month.
Get over it Republicans – no one is gonna ride in on a glorious white horse and carry you off to Happy Conservative Place, you know the place where everything is colored brilliantly in red, white and blue, nobody on the right side of the aisle ever does anything wrong, and Ann Coulter does three shows nightly.
Your choice is simple: Mitt or Newt. Slick 50 or old salty. Get used to the taste Republicans.
By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate
Lead images: Newt Gingrich & Mitt Romney pics by Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate Images. Jeb Bush photo: official Governor’s photo
Jeb Bush
Sounds like Christopher is one of those holy roller peckerwood evangelicals who is so proud of his anti-Mormon bigotry. These American Taliban will assure another 4 years of Obama because of their asinine attitudes. Hey, Christopher…you would have made a great Nazi.
@Mark Geist – Agreed, this piece is devoid of any actual analysis and uses flashwords and hate speak to sound authoritative. Nor does Christopher seem to grasp what the majority of conservatives in this country need from a candidate. Jeb Bush’s brand of fiscal conservativism will be highly marketable to the base, and trump whatever social misgivings the evangelicals may have, either in 2012 or 2016.
Mormonism is not a cult, but a culture. A culture persistently and diligently cultivated, with the goal of elevating the standards and practices of mankind.
The process includes, but is not limited to, a never-ceasing encouragement and admonishment from the lay leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exhorting its members to upgrade their behaviors, avoid or eliminate detrimental habits, develop Christ-like attributes and share their blessings, meager or significant, with their neighbors and people in need around the world.
It is a culture of self-reliance and personal progress, blended with the unique understanding that everyone is a beloved son or daughter of God, who should be respected and supported, as needed, through the challenges and trials that this mortal life produces.
This is a culture which defines the objective of this life as personal happiness. This definition is coupled with the sure knowledge that choices and actions result in consequences for both individuals and peoples, and that following God’s laws, as closely as possible, is the only way to lasting happiness.
Mormon culture holds and reflects the belief that closely-knit, happy family and extended family units are embryonic expressions of the relationship that we will have beyond this mortal existence both with our fellow children of God and with our Eternal Father in Heaven. It is a culture that extends inclusion in this “Plan of Happiness” to all who wish to be included and who are willing to make the requisite choices that demonstrate a desire to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Often the culture takes on the persona of the loving, but nagging parent, who wisely or clumsily tries to direct the affairs of others, both in and out of the church, with the desire to “make things better.”
The culture of Mormonism is the culture of the believer. Mormons believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in the atonement of His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are the Father’s divinely invested agents, charged with directing the affairs of men here in mortality, that they act in perfect harmony with the Father’s will.
Believing Mormon culture includes the premise that God’s house is a house of order, and that He directs the affairs on earth through His communications with His chosen prophets, both in ancient times and again in these Latter-days. These prophets also work in harmony to establish and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all mankind. The Gospel of the atoning, or redeeming sacrifice of the Savior, Jesus Christ on behalf of every person born upon this earth.
The Mormon culture embodies the stated belief in “doing good to all men,” and allowing all men to, “worship how, where, or what they may.”
Good Mormons make good neighbors (and good presidents).
If historic orthodox Christianity means mainstream Christianity of today then I would agree that Mormonism is not historic Christianity; at least not in every doctrine. Although Mormons have much in common with other Christians Mormons also believe differently than historic Christians in some key areas. But the real questions to ask are 1) What is original Christianity? 2) Is mainstream Christianity of today the same as original Christianity?
Mormons are not supposed to be Christian because we have some doctrinal differences with other Christian groups of today. The foundation for the beliefs of these other groups is the creeds of the 4th. 5th, and 6th centuries and so on.
It is claimed that Mormons are wrong because they believe in extra-Biblical revelation and scripture. Yet much of Christianity believes in extra-Biblical creeds and councils formulated centuries after the time of Christ and the Apostles. Most of the wording formulations in these creeds cannot be found in the Bible. This is often the excuse used to exclude members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) from being Christian. It is well known to historians that Christian doctrine changed over time and across different Christian groups.
The bible is then viewed through the lens of these creeds causing certain interpretations to be favored and other biblical teachings to be minimized or ignored. Interestingly, if you look at the doctrines of the early church fathers before the creeds, they are very Mormon-like. In a number of doctrinal areas the early Christians were good Mormons and would be rejected as non-Christian by many Christians of today.
In many areas of belief (probably the majority of areas) Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe the same as most other Christians. It is true that in some limited areas – some very critical ones – the beliefs of Mormons differ from other Christians. Likewise there are some major areas of difference between Catholics and Protestants and likewise between one Protestant group and the next. Every denomination could make the claim that the other groups are not Christian because those other beliefs differ from their own.
Joseph Smith taught “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it”. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 121).
The central belief of Mormons is that Christ came into the world as the Son of God. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and restored life to the dead. He commissioned twelve Apostles to whom he gave authority. He suffered in Gethsemane, died on the cross, and was resurrected and will come again. He, and only He, provides the means for us to be washed clean in his blood from our sins, which sins we can never correct on our own or through our own works. If that is not Christian I don’t know what is. Christ never taught the need to believe in anything like the creeds. Those came later.
Mormon belief is very much like the teachings of the earlier Christians – before the creeds – and also matches the teachings of Christ and the Apostles. The further back in time you go the more Mormon-like Christian doctrine becomes. Mormons are often portrayed as non-Christian when we don’t believe in the later extra-Biblical creedal formulations.
The early Christians did not have the extra-Biblical creeds of later centuries. Were they then not Christian? The ontological debates and the wording formations of later centuries are not found in the words of Jesus or the words of the Apostles or in the words of the pre-creedal Christians . There is not a word about a one substance god in the Bible or in the early beliefs. If believing in the creeds is necessary to be Christian then that makes the earlier Christians not Christian – it even makes Christ not Christian.
One other interesting aspect of this topic: Some Christians claim that we must get our beliefs and doctrines from the Bible only. It is claimed that God finished his work and no longer has prophets or gives revelation. They say the Mormons are wrong to have prophets and extra scripture. Consider this: If the Bible is sufficient and no post-Biblical revelation is allowed, then the post-Biblical creeds are not necessary and are not authorized by God. If God authorized the creeds then why aren’t they in the Bible? How could they be from God if the Bible is complete, if God has finished his work, and if there is no more revelation? They are extra-Biblical and no one should be held to them as a requirement to be Christian. It is so ironic that Mormons are criticized for having extra-Biblical revelation by people who themselves believe in extra-Biblical creeds. Once one puts on the glasses of the creeds then everything in the Bible is filtered to match the creeds.
Mormons believe in original Christianity restored to the earth through revelation to new prophets. Nowhere does the Bible say that God has finished his work, that the cannon of scripture is closed. It seems ironic to us that we Mormons are accused of adding to the Bible by people who have done just that – added creeds and metaphysical definitions to the Bible. We advocate for believing original Christianity.
Dwight