Speaking of being out of touch with the times, consider the politician formerly known as “the smarter brother” until he embarked on a national political campaign and we all realized he isn’t. In truth, Toast! is in some ways a more pathetic doofus than Dubya, if that’s possible. Just goes to show how nepotism and cronyism can carry one way beyond his level of competence. #Jeb!
Anyway, Toast! dropped some jaws yesterday when he praised Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for his handling of the Flint water crisis.
I’ll pause a moment to let that sink in.
Toast! blamed the crisis on too much government regulation, and then praised Snyder for stepping up to solve the problem. Seriously; he did that. I’m not sure even the rubes will buy that one.
A few days ago the Toast! campaign — no, he actually hasn’t dropped out yet — released his education platform. It includes lots of “school choice” rhetoric and stuff about “expanding charter schools.”
Although charter schools still have a lot of supporters, my sense is that the once soaring idea is quickly becoming a lead balloon. It’s like privatizing Social Security; the more people look at it, the less popular it gets. And it opens Bush up to additional scrutiny about his absolutely awful charter school failures in Florida. See, for example,
The Big Jeb Bush Charter School Lie
Florida’s big charter school problem (which Jeb Bush manages not to talk about)
Charter School in Miami Fails, but Proves Useful on Jeb Bush’s Résumé
Testing Time: Jeb Bush’s Educational Experiment
That last article proposes that Toast!’s charter school initiative was supposed to be his answer to Dubya’s “no child left behind” program. We might also remember that one of Dubya’s claims in 2000 was the story of the “Texas miracle,” and how his reforms had so improved Texas schools. And then we found out the “miracle” was based on phony numbers. But that didn’t become public knowledge until after Dubya was selected. Toast!’s claims are already thoroughly debunked.
Not that it matters, since nobody is paying any attention to Toast! any more.
While many people are calling for Snyder to resign or face impeachment, Jeb thinks it’s a good idea to support him?
What a putz!!!
Jeb (!), is now Jeb (#’d) – because he’s getting pounded!
W was a terrible POTUS, but he was a very good campaigner whose team knew how to use the money given him, and they were ruthless.
Jeb (#’d) has a team that doesn’t how to best utilize the money given to him, and that’s toothless.
It’s time for Jeb to tell his Mom and Dad that he’s hanging-up his running shoes, and quiting the race. Actually, it’s way past that time.
I would have loved to hear Anne Richards’ take on Toast! Or Molly Ivins — she would have had a ball with the whole field.
Jeb is as you put it Toast! and he knows it. At this point I think his campaign exists only to deplete the funds collected from the numskulls who gave him millions, he knows his political career is over so time to cash in the grift machine. Good riddance!
Would W have gotten anywhere without Karl Rove?
Here’s all the insight into Bush that one needs to understand the intellectual depth and character of that privileged moron.
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/10/413431225/jeb-bush-and-floridas-scarlet-letter-law-explained
I’ve enjoyed watching Trump pummel Bush into political obscurity with his low energy quips ( save your energy, George). And watching Bush trying to appeal to reason before a mob of rabid wingnuts and baggers. It’s the perfect example of desperation. When it comes to debates…Bush is flat footed and no match to the likes of Trump.
That’s Jeb, not George.. Although the genetic stupidity is kinda homogenous.
Here’s some great news!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/us/2-abortion-foes-behind-planned-parenthood-videos-are-indicted.html?_r=0
I can’t believe the slack jawed, drooling blank looks you get when you explain to folks that the word “Charter School” actually means “Profits for Scumbags Schools”…they don’t get it…Privatizing is just another layer of costs (profits) on top of everything else…how else can a school pay a multi-million dollar salary to CEO’s and so on down the line to expectant share holders…that is tax money that they want…the mother lode of cash…that is why these folks do it…It is profitable, and no one is the wiser…and the kids pay the ultimate price….
I was fortunate enough to have left Florida before Jeb? became governor. But, I had a few very close friends involved in AFSCME. Jeb abolished the Board of Regents and replaced them with some hand picked men. That is to say, he picked them from list of big donors. Since the union’s contract was with the defunct Board of Regents, it also forced them to renegotiate. My best friend, who was president of the local, remarked that, “There is only ONE person who has any background in education and ONE African American, and it’s the same guy!” Only true believers could see it as an attempt to improve the system.
Jeb? seemed, even at a distance, to have two modes of action. One was a series of nods and winks as he handed over the spoils to his cronies and the other was a blatant criminal use of power, e.g. the election of 2000. The tide of his fortune has shifted, but far too late and far too gently.
As a Greek friend of mine observed, “Americans turn everything into a business.” He was talking about the weaknesses of our healthcare system. But, our electoral process has gone the same route. It’s become just another lucrative reality show, and not so far behind the scenes, the plutocrats are becoming the oligarchs.
I heard that on NPR this morning– about the Houston-area grand jury, giant backfire in the campaign against Planned Parenthood. I schadenfreuded, more than just a little.
“Americans turn everything into a business”. The way I see it, that is because capitalism and the “free” market is worshiped like a god. It is the answer to everything, even running a government. I can’t say I really understand how it works but if it was really left alone, free and ruled by supply and demand, it would work fine. But it is manipulated and used by greedy persons. The only thing that matters to them is money. I have read a statement that you can’t have a democracy without capitalism. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I am sure, however, that if we do not take care of each other as human beings, we are doomed. Oh yes, that also includes all the animals, trees, and all of creation. It’s all a part of God or in other words an ecosystem. Now I am starting to sound like a preacher so I will stop.
joanr16…I share in your joy! Maybe somebody should rewrite the chapter on Credentialing for Undercover Video Sting Operations in the Veritas investigative services handbook.
“[charters are] like privatizing Social Security; the more people look at it, the less popular it gets.”
Fortunately, privatization of Social Security is still at the Evil Plot stage. Sadly, charter schools are sprouting up faster than bad mortgages in the George W. days. Unfortunately, our excessively “free market naive” President even backs them. Adding a layer of bureaucracy — the owners of charters– raises costs, just as we see in single payer vs private market health insurance. Parents hate them. We see impoverished school teachers. We see OUR tax dollars leaving OUR schools to feed (often) out-of-state fat cats who administer poorly regulated McSchools.
The civil servants locked out of their offices by the Oregon lunatics which the Almighty US of A with its vast army seems to be unwilling to arrest–they are a metaphor for our country’s problems. Private hands looting shared, public resources. Flint Michigan, too.
“Veritas investigative services handbook”
The thing is these idiots don’t know when to stop. They accomplished what they wanted, with the help of the right-wing media echo chamber they got every pro-life wing-nut in the country fired up, they injected abortion into the presidential debate with new energy. They even got the congress critters to try and cut off funding to PP. If they were smart they would have left it there, but no Gov. Abbott decides he’s gonna put someone in jail, next thing you know some prosecutor discovers the whole thing was a scam, and also appears to be illegal.
“Veritas investigative services handbookâ€
Couldn’t resist:
CHAPTER 1: How to Dress Like A Pimp
CHAPTER 2: Concealing A Camera In Your Tiny Man-Place
CHAPTER 3: Foreign Accents, A Primer
CHAPTER 4: A Directory Of Defense Attorneys*
*from the Christian Yellow Pages only….
CHAPTER 1: How to Dress Like A Pimp
Dress like Super Fly and go by the name Rooster. Have your hen or hens wear hot pants and a boa. It works every time.