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Now that George P Bush is no longer in the Texas Attorney General race, you would think we could count on George W. and his family to speak out regarding today's GOP a la Liz Cheney, but all we get is either silence or brother Jeb's inane post about his father enjoying a Chinese meal and a 7-10 split. It's infuriating that they have chosen complicity through their silence, when they know that our democracy is on the line.

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W has long believed that the most polite gift any former President can offer those who now shoulder the responsibilities he no longer bears is silence.

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And I believe that has long served our country well, given that all former presidents were never trump and their party didn't jump over to the quack-a-doodle, fascism side. But that's no longer the case now, is it?

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I agree with you. Jeb has no political future. W had his two terms in the sun. What is keeping them from speaking out?

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The Bush family as a whole has no political future.. they just don't realize it yet. Time to find a new business.

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George W. has spoke out. Not as I would like but he has.

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Other than on the anniversary of 9/11, when, where?

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He supported Biden instead of Trump. And he spoke out after the insurrection. condemning Trump for what he did. George W. is not a Trump supporter.

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No, George W voted for Condi Rice https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/23/george-w-bush-2020-presidential-election-vote-condoleezza-rice

He may not be deplorable, but he is not a leader and no Liz Cheney.

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Liz Cheney has risen to the occasion in a spectacular fashion and I think she deserves a great deal of credit for standing up to the GOP, voting to impeach Trump, leading the Jan 6th Committee and taking on the Great Task of preventing Trump from getting anywhere near the WH….but she did admit voting for Trump in 2016 and 2020. I think we should allow for

some generosity of spirit when judging people whose family, personal history and identity are so intertwined with the Republican Party.

George W is far from perfect. But he didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 and he spent some of his time after the leaving the WH meeting with veterans of the Iraq war and sharing their stories in a book of portraits. Does that atone for the War? No - but it shows some sense of wanting to atone. He also interviewed and painted portraits of immigrants in a more recent book when Trump was putting kids in cages. Should be have been more vocal against some of the Trump administration’s more heinous nativist policies? Maybe…but even a small symbolic gesture like that was meaningful to me. He didn’t have to do it and it was more than what 98% of politicians on the right did.

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Adam Kinzinger also rationalized his way into voting for Trump in 2020. But once all the election denying and calls for violence happened before and after Jan 6, both he and Liz Cheney heard the clarion call, where most republicans refuse to acknowledge the grave threat. I can also say many Democrats have been either asleep at the wheel or hapless in handling this serious assault to our constitution. But when it comes to W and the Bush family, I believe they love the country so why don’t they put it all on the table when so much is at stake?

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I agree with your points on Liz. But W could be doing more. It might not make any difference with the hard core MAGAs. Allow me to be realistic - it wouldn't. But he could make some gains on the margins. I understand the reluctance to intervene on protocol - 'it just isn't done, etc.' In such an exceptional time, however, anyone in a position of influence and good faith belief in our democracy - and I believe the Bush family to be - should be doing all they can.

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Yes, but a whole helluva lot has happened since Jan 6 - I'm more on the side of your "not as I would like" part of your comment! The GQP has done nothing but get worse and worse and worse since Jan 6.

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No, he isn't, and anyone paying attention knows that. The problem is that many Americans pay very little or highly selective attention. As the only living former GOP Prez, he could do a lot of good by being more vocal.

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No, he's not. But with the exception of the "that's some weird s**t" comment at Trump's inauguration, his comments have been designed to criticize and not offend.

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Thought you went back to bed, O. But it is kind of hard to sleep with all the crazy going on these days... ;-)

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Living here in Texas, my guess has always been George P's political future - they sat silently while he went full MAGA, even courting trump's endorsement. Just like John Bolton and all the others - they don't want to lose relevance and future opportunities in Republican circles, especially for their younger generation family members who have chosen political career paths. Which makes it all the more shameful to me.

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But does George P even have a political future after daring to both run against Paxton and then to lose? ( mean, even with no George P in the race, Munez would have lost in the runoff, but it might have been somewhat closer and she at least theoretically might have a future)

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Oct 10, 2022
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Please clap!

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Oct 10, 2022
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You say that like it’s a bad thing.

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Who is that? TC? I am drawing a blank.

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Prescott Bush. US Senator from Connecticut I believe.

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Thanks, I'll have to look him up.

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Oct 10, 2022
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Thank you TC for that info.

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