Rep. Jeff Flake Sizes Up GOP Future With A 'Blame It On Bush' Lament

Republicans get all emo and aggrieved whenever they hear President Barack Obama publicly discuss the set of circumstances he inherited from his predecessor, a refrain he returned to during his State of The Union address on Wednesday night:

By the time I took office, we had a one year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts, and an expensive prescription drug program. On top of that, the effects of the recession put a $3 trillion hole in our budget. All this was before I walked in the door.

I'm not sure, then, what to make of this comment from Representative Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), as he recently sized up the obstacles the GOP faces as they contemplate a return to power in 2010:

"In 1994, nobody had any memory of Republicans in power... Now they do, and it wasn't pretty. And so we have something to overcome that we really didn't in 1994."

How long before Flake gets the "blame it on Bush" snark-out from his fellow Arizonan, John McCain, last seen on camera coining the "blame it on Bush" refrain at the State of the Union?

[WATCH]

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Comments

[TheIndependenceParty]

01:04 PM on 01/30/2010

Well, I guess Flake fails the platform purity pledge, ... cut him off from all party funds!

The fact that he is speaking the truth, ... and that the previous public memories of abuse of office by Republicans included Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon, ... less than 20 years prior to 1994, ... is a pathetic commentary on where the Republicans have taken their brand, ... repeatedly, in the last century.

Flake may not prefer it, but perhaps he should run as an Independent or a DEmocrat, and remain faithful to his ethics, ... rather than loyal to his party.

The two are apparently incompatible.

[sueno]

12:07 PM on 01/30/2010

The overall problem is that
the truth hurts severely for
the GOP-sters. Bush is the
'poster-child' that they loved
and supported like there was no tomorrow.
Well, guess what, now they're upset
at their own stupidity. These 'whiners'
are ruining health-care, making on-going
racist statements, doing everything possible
to shut down the Government, and now we are to
feel sorry for them? Yeah, right.
Everyone forgets that these 'bums'
brought us to the brink of disaster.
Let them eat 'cake'-

[TheIndependenceParty]

01:10 PM on 01/30/2010

Bush was not compassionate to anyone but the super-wealthy, ... and cast aside the mantle of conservatism by running up trillions in debt to wage an unnecessary war in Iraq, ... entangled us in nation-building he claimed to despise, ... and arguably committed war crimes against detainees and the People of Iraq.

Yet Republicans support him to this day as they would Abraham Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt. To be blindly loyal to such a man is a betrayal to the memory of the other two. Any party which can claim two fine presidents, ... and excuse the worst to ever hold the office, ... Dubya, ... shows itself to be mindlessly obedient and without scruples.

[Mark Twaine]

11:15 AM on 01/30/2010

This Republican is no flake!

[den1953]

10:40 AM on 01/30/2010

I will give the congressman this at least he realizes they have a problem, that being said they can start by distancing them selves from the likes of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and work for the people that put them there. I believe in the political system and the country needs balance between parties,but a constant bashing of either side won't benefit the American people.

[rgilley]

09:49 AM on 01/30/2010

THIS is the republican agenda and why we are where we are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4daYJzyls

[Soulsurfer]

10:01 AM on 01/30/2010

The "Blame it on Bush" strategy from the same people that brought us "Blame it on Clinton" strategy.........amazing. Except trying to blame Clinton for the peace and prosperity during his tenure took some real contortions in logic.

[rgilley]

10:23 AM on 01/30/2010

"Contortions of logic" are what republicans are masters at.

[Horus45]

01:24 PM on 01/30/2010

They got past that by blaming Clinton for 9/11.

[poobah]

10:11 PM on 01/29/2010

Shrub was the gift to the democrats that just keeps on giving. There was so much blame that there is still plenty to pass around.

[PepperzMom]

11:19 PM on 01/29/2010

And the surface has been barely scratched...who knows what's still "hiding behind the curtain", buried on computers?

[LeeCalif]

01:03 AM on 01/30/2010

You guys don't get it. Republicans don't care that bush caused that stuff.
They don't care. They are dishonest. No amount of reasoning will get them to do the right thing.

That's why Obama is heading down the wrong path, again.

[1murillo]

09:51 PM on 01/29/2010

It's true the GOP has been running the nation into the ground since at least Reagan. Though it will take a long time to get back to "normal" we can still have short-term victories. As another writer put it, "Americans want now, now, now."
The Cash for Clunkers was a big success. So what if car sales dropped after that, it wasn't a gimmick, people got new cars (or trucks) that are better for the environment, and money was moving. A rotating "Cash for [you name it]" is a way for the government to directly invest in America, for Americans to live better, and to resuscitate jobs.

[sc29403]

07:10 PM on 01/29/2010

Obama never mentioned Bush; he just stated a fact. A fact that needs to be taken into consideration when we assess Obama in another three years. The pundits aka media have the public thinking Obama signed the $700 billion bail out; Bush signed it into law (Oct) before Obama was even elected in November! They have them thinking we were on Obama's budget this past year when it was still Bush's.

Can we stop blaming and move forward to get back on track? Who cares who derailed us? Who ever it was is long gone, but it certainly wasn't Obama. And they say, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!" Should be Hell hath no fury like a party who loses an election.

[rjw918]

08:10 PM on 01/29/2010

>>Who cares who derailed us?

But it is important to know "what" derailed us.

I believe it is 30+ years of the anarchist sentiment "Government is the problem" given voice by Reagan, aided and abetted by dems folding to the siren song of "deregulation."

The genius of our founding father was to create a power system involving checks and balances.

The rise of corporations in power demands that the government provide the equally important checks and balances on the exercise of those powers.

[rgilley]

09:51 AM on 01/30/2010

A vote for a republican is a vote to destroy those checks and balances and allow corporations to own the country more than they already do.

[jbp1954]

07:06 PM on 01/29/2010

Y'know, I wish Obama would have had the guts to throw the religious right into the blame also. They always follow the Republicans (or the Republicans follow them) and it creates a bigger mess as they can't tend to realistic religion no more than they can wipe their posteriors. I haven't educated myself as to who this Flakes guy is, but from the comments I read he is a different breed of Republican. If so, Good for him because we'll need some like him. The rest that met with Obama today probably will continue just as they have been doing.

[1murillo]

09:38 PM on 01/29/2010

The religious right has much blame to accept. (GWB for example)
But it's already decomposing, there's no sense in calling it out again. There are plenty of real opponents today: GOP, insurance companies, banks....

[rgilley]

09:52 AM on 01/30/2010

The religious right now calls itself The Tea Party.

[pk4obama]

01:24 AM on 01/30/2010

Oh he will get to them......the smack down of the republicans was fantastic TV. Loved the way he took down the governor of Texas. Don't mess with Obama who has a Juris doctorate and taught constitutional law. Obama is a smart man and knows his stuff. It was awesome seehim smackdow n the repubs today, hope he does it again and it is again televised.!

[blizb]

06:53 PM on 01/29/2010

The GOP and policies since "Reaganomics" with the "trickle down" economic theory and "tax cuts for the rich" drove the economy into the ditch.

People seem to be in denial about the GOP and where they have led us, which is to the brink of bankruptcy as a nation.

We do remember that Republicans have been in power and nearly 30 years of Republican rule have destroyed so much.

They have no excuse for bashing a Democrat since it was a Democrat like Clinton to balance the budget, leave Bush a surplus, and create a great job market.

No one wants the Bush years back again but a lot of people would like the economy of Clinton.

Combine the results of bad GOP policies that crashed the economy and the fact the GOP acts only as the party of opposition with no new ideas or solutions they should never get elected at all.

[Neico]

06:59 PM on 01/29/2010

Yep...agreed.

[JerseyExit4]

10:40 PM on 01/29/2010

Trickle Down....

More line "Tinkle Down"..

For eight years we've been "Tinkled on..

Its' warm, Has a yellow tinge to it and it smells funny...

OMG! We'be been pissed on for the last eight years!!!

[Thinker-Belle]

06:47 PM on 01/29/2010

Sounds like Rep. Flake is in touch with reality.

[rgilley]

09:54 AM on 01/30/2010

Perhaps, but when he gets to DC the GOP will have him whipped into the republican corporate line with 48 hours.

[Marnie1]

06:10 PM on 01/29/2010

Reagan spent his entire political running agains a dead man, FDR, and half running against another dead man LBJ.
Bush is still alive and he was the last president, and first non elected president. He's fair game for at least 40 years or more since the Republicans are still running against FDR and LBJ.

[Azsin]

06:54 PM on 01/29/2010

bush did win relection somehow in the 2004
sadly thats when he let no fllod and got those 2 morons on the court

thx independents!!!

[1murillo]

09:40 PM on 01/29/2010

Marnie might have been referring to the debacle in Ohio in 2004.

[Kiabell04]

06:07 PM on 01/29/2010

LOL at his last name being FLAKE.

[Jesster]

06:48 PM on 01/29/2010

Ironically, Jeff Flake is probably the least (or one of the least) "flakey" GOP members of Congress (that includes the Senate, as well.)

[buwdu]

08:12 PM on 01/29/2010

I like his name (Flake), it's so fitting. Similar to how the Bush administration flaked on increasing taxes to pay for all their programs and wars and leaving a huge deficit!

[Scentedflower]

06:02 PM on 01/29/2010

Just say No to a Pre sident - your Mantra
des tructive, polar ising, ob struction create rage, fear, ha te, spin , distortion
water loo, ra cist jokes, comments thrown by your base, media
fail to connect dots as to how opposition could weaken USA in the eyes of the enemy
not condemning rac ist sign of Ted Kenn edy, your great colleague for a decade
how shame full is that? ghosts can influence re-elections & can haunt if not careful
skeletons in own closets but jump to criticise others with sharp tongues, twisted brains
purity test for what ? family values? ethnicity, diversity, phot op, stagecraft
look at the crowd that follows you - no education, no clear understanding of facts, inadequate knowledge, obesity -why cannot you be a role model & empower them
you -the elected servants- respect the pre sident, it is Uncool Not to
civility, respect for diversity, rule of law, ethical behaviour, so children can learn
listen to your pre sident, and people or get fired to join the unemployment lines
countrymen suffering with no health insurance, no jobs - don't obstruct progress
don't blame jBu sh you were there too
we want Him fail, but eager for his autograph? your admission of his greatness
you retreat, he reaches you-how great is that
put Americans first, country first, just a slogan? words must match action
pre sident extended his hand; do the same in good faith, not with a knife behind
either way, He

[tomjack]

05:50 PM on 01/29/2010

Jeff Flake...of the Arizona Flakes?