sites and social media are all talking about the words pronounced by former president George W. Bush.
My mind and heart ached as I read so many of the comments from people on both sides on the issue. I know President Bush is a man who has served my state of Texas my country the citizens of our country and their Republican Party.
Have people listened to the speech carefully and read the transcript? It takes time but it would be good for people to do so before giving an opinion.
I myself had to think carefully about what might have motivated President Bush to say what has caused such controversy. Many said that Bush kept silent most of the eight years President Barack Obama was in Office. That is not true.
President Bush certainly did take a long time as he decided in his limited public appearances to stay quiet about his successor maintaining the custom among former presidents that dates back decades. While not all presidents have adhered to the practice it has created a mostly amicable brotherhood of former presidents.
But President Bush in 2015 criticized then-president Barack Obama. Bush said Obama had caused the U.S. to retreat around the world and that Obama had charted the wrong course in his nuclear negotiations with Iran.
As to his recent speech on the Spirit of Liberty" sponsored by the Dallas-based George W. Bush Institute President Bush said among many other things:
Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.
Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone provides permission for cruelty and bigotry and compromises the moral education of children.
The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.
President Bush never mentioned the name of our current president Donald J. Trump. He did say that the proliferating economic political and national security challenges are made worse by the tendency to turn inward in what many interpreted as a reference to the ideologies espoused by some in and outside the Trump Administration. These matters would be difficult under any circumstances Bush said. They are further complicated by a trend in Western countries away from global engagement and democratic confidence. America must recall and recover its identity he said warning of the consequences of abandoning core values. Weve seen nationalism distorted into nativism forgetting the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America. We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade forgetting that conflict instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism.
We have seen the return of isolationist sentiments forgetting that American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distant places where threats such as terrorism infectious disease criminal gangs and drug trafficking tend to emerge Bush continued.
The facts here are its true Mr. Bush mentioned trends that are transpiring in America right now. Why should we try to cover up the facts or hide them?
Is President Trump responsible? No do not think so. I think he is PART of what has allowed many Americans to not unite in spite of his recent remarks of unity.
No America is not united. America is divided and it is very sad. The Republican Party is not united. Many say it is divided as never before. Why? Because many people in the party have infiltrated from other parties and they either do not consider themselves Republicans or they believe they are the real Republicans calling everyone else who does not agree with them RINOs (Republican in Name Only.)
Some even believe that they are new Republicans perhaps like our own president.
I do not think Donald Trump is the person responsible for todays environment. Many Americans are nativist isolationist... I see them every day posting in social media organizing events in Texas and all over the country. I know many of them by face by name. I know many of them right here in Texas and in the rest of the country since I have traveled so much and attended so many political events.
Many are Trump supporters others are Ted Cruz supporters. Still others dont like anyone. Lets face it.
Yet so many of us still remember and recall how President Reagan who believed in compromise once said the wise words:
If you agree with me 80 of the time you are an 80 friend... and not a 20 enemy.
With this philosophy could Ronald Reagan survive in todays all-or-nothing Tea Party? Can Trump or anyone else survive in this nationalist isolationist atmosphere where demonizing opponents is the norm? I dont think so. George W. Bush was wise to speak the words he did during his recent speech. I fully agree with most of what he said. We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade forgetting that conflict instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism. We see nativism. We can and should protect our country and values without over-heated rhetoric against those who have
come to help Make America Great Again.
Senior Correspondent Adryana Aldeen is frequently featured nationally statewide and locally on Univision Telemundo CNN Espaol FOX News ABC and other media outlets.
