“As much as I reject Donald Trump as our party leader, he did not create the political culture of the United States on his own.”
–Former Republican presidential candidate and governor of Florida Jeb Bush, in an op-ed published in The Washington Post where he denounces Donald Trump, saying he does not reflect “the principles or inclusive legacy of the Republican Party.” But Bush says that it is President Obama, not Donald Trump, who first escalated the conflict, by abusing his power to push liberal policies over the wishes of the American people.
“Eight years of the divisive tactics of President Obama and his allies have undermined Americans’ faith in politics and government to accomplish anything constructive,” Bush writes. “The president has wielded his power — while often exceeding his authority — to punish his opponents, legislate from the White House and turn agency rulemaking into a weapon for liberal dogma.
“In turn, a few in the Republican Party responded by trying to out-polarize the president, making us seem anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker and anti-common-sense,” Bush continues. “The result has been the vanishing of any semblance of compromise or bipartisanship in our nation’s capital. Simple problems don’t get solved. Speeches happen; the important stuff doesn’t. The failure of elected leaders to break the gridlock in Washington has led to an increasingly divided electorate, which in turn has led to a breakdown in our political system.”
Bush then uses the bulk of the rest of the column to propose conservative ideas meant to solve major issues facing the country. Bush argues that Republicans can win back the White House with “the power of our ideas,” such as term limits, a balanced-budget amendment, line-item-veto authority, a tough approach to terrorism, and promoting free markets. While Bush says he will either vote Libertarian or write someone in for president, he urges House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and the Republican-controlled Congress to serve as a check on the president, regardless of which candidate eventually wins the White House.
Bush also attacks Trump’s “abrasive, Know Nothing-like nativist rhetoric,” calling out the business mogul over his lack of serious policies, his use of Twitter to disparage opponents, and his embrace of tactics that “cynically feed” people’s angst and fear. But he also takes aim at presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, arguing that she would only “continue the disastrous foreign and economic policies of the Obama administration, as well as its hyper-partisanship.”
“She has gone as far as to say Republicans are her “enemy” — a clear sign she doesn’t have any more interest in doing the hard work of forging consensus than her former boss does,” writes Bush in a dig at both Obama and Clinton.
The year's nearly out. Sometimes that calls for taking sweet stock of the past months' wonderful events. Coming to the end of 2025, on the other hand, is more like getting to that denouement in the action movie where the survivors take a breath and pat each other on the back for having made it out alive. At this stage, we are Newt getting tucked-in to her Sulaco hibernation tube.
With some effort and a pinch of luck, may we all fare better in 2026 than poor Newt's end at the start of Alien 3.
Why such a shitty year? So much of it, obviously, can be laid at the feet of Lame Duck Donald. Not that he hasn't had loads of assistance in his evil efforts to erase our transgender family and friends, colleagues, and leaders during 2025. The purge, as promised, began right out of the gate on Inauguration Day.
Speaking at a House GOP retreat, President Donald Trump warned that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
"f we don't win the midterms, it's just going to be -- I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me," Trump said. "I'll get impeached."
Trump was first impeached in 2019, after Democrats regained control of the House during his first term, over allegations that he withheld congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government into announcing investigations into his political rival, former President Joe Biden.
A masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a queer woman in Minneapolis after opening fire through the window of her SUV during a confrontation in the street.
Video footage posted online shows two masked ICE officers approaching a Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of Portland Avenue near 34th Street in Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood. One agent can be heard yelling at the SUV's driver -- later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good -- telling her to "get out of the fucking car" while attempting to open the driver's door, as a second officer stands back.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.