George W. Bush Calls for End to Pandemic Partisanship

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times


In a video posted online, the former president, who generally avoids speaking out on current affairs, urged Americans to “remember how small our differences are” in a time of crisis.

By Peter Baker
May 3, 2020
Updated 2:42 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — Former President George W. Bush called on Americans on Saturday to put aside partisan differences, heed the guidance of medical professionals and show empathy for those stricken by the coronavirus and the resulting economic devastation.

In a three-minute video message, Mr. Bush, who rarely speaks out on current events, struck a tone of unity that contrasted with the more combative approach taken at times by President Trump as the former president evoked the sense of national solidarity in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat,” Mr. Bush said in the professionally produced video set against music and photographs of medical workers helping victims of the virus and of ordinary Americans wearing masks. “In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise.”

Mr. Bush’s message was part of a series of videos aired online as part of a 24-hour live-streamed project, “The Call to Unite,” that also featured Oprah Winfrey, Tim Shriver, Julia Roberts, Martin Luther King III, Sean Combs, Quincy Jones, Naomi Judd, Andrew Yang and others.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/politics/george-w-bush-coronavirus-unity.html

[yankeepants]

1. Said the man who caused 100s of thousands of deaths.

[Steelrolled]

2. You are right, and ironically

he is also the one who eerily predicted this...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-bush-2005-wait-pandemic-late-prepare/story?id=69979013

[yankeepants]

3. I know I shouldn't but...Face palm.

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. "If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare.

And one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today".

[oldsoftie]

21. Oh, but Facebook says Bill Gates is repsonsible because HE spoke in 2014!

I keep reminding them of this Bush speech far earlier along with plenty of others giving the same warning

[cate94]

4. As much as I disliked GW

I never had cause to believe he didn’t love our country. Trump otoh....

[yankeepants]

7. Seriously? Ignoring the "Bin Laden planning to Strike" warning?

Starting a war for profit. As long as his daughters didn't have to go into battle, everyone else's kids were cannon fodder. Unforgivable.

[CaptainTruth]

50. That was all the PNAC (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Bolton etc)

The Project for the New American Century. They're the ones who planned, & first tried to start, the Iraq war in the late 1990s. For example, see the 2 letters they wrote to President Clinton trying to convince him to invade Iraq.

Bush wasn't a member of the PNAC, but he was their useful idiot & happily went along with their lies & their plan. I think Bush actually believed their lies, as did many Americans & many Democrats in Congress. Same thing goes for Colon Powell, he wasn't part of the PNAC, so they used his credibility to sell their lies.

I'll never forget how, in 2000, the PNAC wrote about their desire to "transform the Middle East" by invading & overthrowing governments, but they needed "some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor" to start ... & then they ignored warnings of 9/11 so they could get their "new Pearl Harbor." (I spent years researching the PNAC, I could write a book, & I'm a believer in the LIHOP theory of 9/11 - Letting It Happen On Purpose.)

Incidentally, when Trump brought Bolton into his administration Bolton was able to talk Trump into realizing another one of the PNAC's goals, which they described in 2000:

"Control the new 'international commons' of space and 'cyberspace,' and pave the way for the creation of a new military service--U.S. Space Forces--with the mission of space control."


Of course, our media misses all of this...

[Skittles]

13. OMG you are SO wrong

[Skittles]

53. ?

the claim was that Dubya loved America - that warmongering bastard put the interests of the GOP above America just like Trump does. Where did I say he wasn't a war profiteer?

[lark]

61. Apologies.

Memo to self - never post before your first full cup of coffee. I will try to remember to re-read any post prior to replying.
I'll also delete the errant reply.

[Skittles]

64. oh don't even tell me about it

I made that mistake the other day, calling someone before my first cup.....bad move!

[cate94]

55. I think he was a shitty President

But I never thought that he didn’t love our country.

[Skittles]

56. sorry, I completely disagree

no one who loves our country would lie their way into a war, causing the deaths of thousands of soldiers and COUNTLESS civilians. No way. Dubya put the interests of the GOP way above those of America. And he was a shitty governor too. He can ROT IN HELL.

[Bengus81]

42. He loved power and money and is responsible for every death in Iraq...

And we endured another round of "Tinkle down economics". Then came 2008...........

[not_the_one]

45. "Tinkle down economics"

This started with Reagan, and let's call it what it is, a GOLDEN SHOWER ORGY for the people at the top, with very little left to "tinkle" down to the "little people".

[Bengus81]

49. Been through four of them now when you add in Brownbacks 0% tax rate for Kansas Corporations..

Which damn near sent Kansas into bankruptcy and never got anyone new to come here or created one damn job anywhere. You had those ambulance chaser lawyers that make millions per year off of car wrecks that before just had an partnership quickly form an LLC for about $50 bucks and they qualified for that rate. Between new moderate Republicans and new Dems elected to the State House and Senate we finally got that give away reversed back to the old tax rate.

There wasn't one Corporation that I remember bitching about losing their 0% tax rate,they knew they got away with murder for about four years.

[cate94]

54. Until Trump

GW was the worst President in my lifetime. I disagreed with almost everything he did. But I never doubted that he loved our country.

[C Moon]

5. Where they hell have all these GOP selfish jackasses been in the last three-plus painful years?

Maybe if you selfish freaks would have come out sooner, we could have impeached the traitor sitting in the WH and we wouldn't be knee deep in this virus.

And by the way, those morons protesting to open the country up now, aren't going to listen to you, Bush Jr.—and neither is the senate.

[cstanleytech]

6. They have been here all the time but they chose to remain silent because they were getting what they

wanted which was tax cuts for themselves and their wealthy friends and supporters as well as the coveted ability to stack the courts with as many partisan right wing hacks as they could.

[oldsoftie]

22. To the trumpers, there is no difference between Obama & Bush.

They both are "establishment". They both "do things the old way". Etc Etc. I've heard it myself many times.

[shotten99]

8. Even a broken clock is right twice a day....

[Laelth]

32. Well, that one is definitely broken.

On that we can agree.

-Laelth

[shotten99]

38. I have no love for W

But his AIDS initiative and half-heated hydrogen fuel cell push were better than nothing.
I'll leave it at that

[Laelth]

39. Fair enough. n/t

-Laelth

[Bengus81]

43. Then in the background he was talking privatizing Social Security......

Who would have got the billions in the system--Kenny boy Lay and Enron??

Thankfully that fell FLAT and I still get a deposit every second Wednesday.

[shotten99]

51. Don't mistake faint praise for a handful of actions for a wholesale statement of support

[Bengus81]

59. I didn't, just posting facts that others might have forgot all those years ago...

If Trump gets elected we could be in for the same kind of crap.

[noneof_theabove]

60. and for

23 hours 59 minutes and 58 seconds it is DEAD WRONG.

[NotHardly]

9. Jr. needs to be remined as how he gave us this shit bag... I can post the video if you wish

George, you know, you knew and you did it any way Mr. Mission Accomplished ... You have my unyielding disregard and hate, you useless millionaire fuck. And, yeah, that is as nice as I can say it.

[not_the_one]

46. There you go again, mincing words....

Welcome to DU. Tell us how you REALLY feel.

[sakabatou]

10. As if today's GOP would listen to Jr.

[Harry Walpurgisnacht]

52. Good Point

Terrifying, really.

[Mike Nelson]

11. Sorry...

... I know he's trying... and may be sincere. I also know what the Obamas and Clintons are doing when they play up their friendships with the Bush family... but the US has not really admitted the GWB Iraq War was based on lies. The truth is important, now more than ever... The misinformation campaign from the FOX and the Bush crowd is the same stuff going on now...

[Jamastiene]

12. Whatever, Shrubya.

Be thankful Trump came along, former Worst President Ever.

[raccoon]

14. The idiot who said you're for us or against us,

Is now saying we need to reach across the aisle?

That’s rich.

[Hotler]

29. and "Sometimes money trumps peace." go fuck yourself shrub. nt

[trusty elf]

16. To hear Shrub utter "We are human beings, equally wonderful in the sight of God" makes me ill.

We won't forget what you did, war criminal.

[trusty elf]

17. "In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants."

We are enemy combatants?

[trusty elf]

18. Clueless George

[Bengus81]

44. Not only would Bush hit the iceberg,he would have backed up and rammed it again...

Explains his eight year disaster. Even HE admits that Trump is making his administration look good.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

19. Who told GWB to say this? Cheney? Rove?

He's always surrounded himself with patriotic non-partisans, right?

[sop]

20. Funny how Old Guard Republicans always condemn divisiveness when it turns against the GOP.

As long as the divisions they constantly foment are working, and getting them elected, it's all good. As soon as voters see the death and destruction caused by their favorite political strategy, and defeat appears imminent, Republicans want everyone to start singing Kumbaya.

[Ford_Prefect]

23. Can we get an Amen on that one!

[Laelth]

31. Same old song. Agreed. n/t

-Laelth

[oldsoftie]

24. Just wait, Monday the talk show hosts will be condemning this statement.

Saying its the DEMOCRATS who are being partisan

[mpcamb]

25. Actually kinda nice he put down his chainsaw and paintbrush to say something reasonable.

It was more than I expected from him.

[tanyev]

26. Well George, there's only one side making it partisan, so you take that message to FOX and OAN, ok?

[lark]

27. Fucking hypocrite, guess it was totally ok to lie & kill thousands for oil but not for virus?

Yes, drumpf is so much worse than him, but he also caused thousands to die for his inaction, inattention and Haliburton/Cheney/Bush profits and political gain. This is laughable considering the source.

[Laelth]

30. Republicans only hate partisanship when their party is losing. n/t

-Laelth

[Blue_playwright]

33. He was the first president I hated...

But, I have to give him credit. He has been a very good ex-President. Philanthropy, his HIV work, crossing the aisle to build close relationships with the Obamas. He was Cheney and the neo-cons puppet. I wonder if he had stood up for himself from the beginning, what type of president he would have been.

[Smackdown2019]

34. Probably he is the last true Republican leader

He is probably the last Republican leader in the era of Trumpism.


Big difference!

Unfortunately those Republicans been taught to vote for any Republicans on the ballot over a Democrat.


Now with trump in office and his Nazi AGENDA, there are still those Republicans still hardcore to vote for him over any Democrat. These are the deplorables!

I have seen some of the Bush Republicans switch party lines over trump, those are what I refer to true Americans.

Trumpers are of their own country, called "Hell" and known as "Hellraisers"

[Gore1FL]

36. The last true Republican Leader was probably Gerald Ford. nt

[Gore1FL]

35. How dare the partisanship he helped enshrine become inconvenient.

I'm glad he's calling out Trump, but the GOP built Trump, and G.W. Bush was one of the cornerstones.

[totodeinhere]

37. After the damage that he and his administration inflicted on this country and on the

world during the eight years that he was in power, I have no sympathy for what he says or does now.

[oldsoftie]

40. Of course, Trump could NOT let that go without making it about HIM! Tweet:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-rips-george-w-bush-after-he-calls-for-unity-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/ar-BB13xd1J?ocid=sf

“Oh bye the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during Impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.” @foxandfriends He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!"

[ehrnst]

41. There were two things GWB actually handled well, for whatever reasons:

Tamping down Islamophobia (of course his family and administration were very wrapped up in Saudi Arabia)

Pandemic planning and awareness, - After he read a book about the 1918 pandemic that affected him, and response to HIV/AIDS, especially in Africa

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-bush-2005-wait-pandemic-late-prepare/story?id=69979013

No, this doesn't excuse or balance all the things he failed at miserably, but there is a chance that some of whatever moderate republicans that are really getting sick of Trump might listen and feel validated to oppose him more.

We are not the target audience for this message, so we can scoff all we like. I'll always appreciate a positive action, without needing to forget or forge all the rest of the shit.

We can say that the creation of the EPA is a good thing, and at the same time say that Nixon was a crook.

[VarryOn]

47. I will not go soft on GWB...

And I can see the temptation in light of who he gets compared to. But...he was the absolute worst person to ever hold the job as President up until his time. He stole an election, allowed 9/11, mismanaged the response, passed the Patriot Act to spy on Americans (the powers of which we are in process of learning), lied about WMDs, empowered greatly Cheney, and on and on!

Trump is a notch worse.

I can only imagine the next one. As bad as Trump is, the next one will be worse...whether it's Pence, Haley, Cruz, Cotton, or whoever. They may be less crass, but, believe me, they have their evil strengths.

[CloudWatcher]

57. "We are human beings" ... including the Iraq War dead?

Does this war criminal even know how many deaths can be laid at his feet? Estimates range from 151,000 to 461,000. [*]

He should be pontificating on Trump from the comfort of a jail cell.

Oh, and I'm not at all sure Trump counts as Human. He certainly displays nothing of Humanity outside of our worst and most selfish traits.

[VarryOn]

58. "GWB in jail" is a wonderful thought...

while waiting his appeals to be exhausted before his treason could be rectified.

[DBoon]

48. There are some things so reckless and destructive not even GWB can abide them

and we have crossed that line in the sand

[Shermann]

62. "Equally wonderful in the sight of God"

So God doesn't play favorites anymore?

Just asking, because in the Old Testament he didn't think twice about smiting people for doing stupid stuff.

[BigDemVoter]

63. Fuck off Chimpy. . . .

GWB STOLE the presidency, and look where we are. Fuck him.