Jeb Bush criticizes the nostalgia for Reagan era

On May 3, 2009, the Washington Times had an article about a panel of Republicans discussing the future of the party and it was posted to a message board on May 4:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that it’s time for the Republican Party to give up its “nostalgia” for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

“You can’t beat something with nothing, and the other side has something. I don’t like it, but they have it, and we have to be respectful and mindful of that,” Mr. Bush said.

The former president’s brother, often mentioned as a potential candidate in 2012, said President Obama’s message of hope and change during the 2008 campaign clearly resonated with Americans.

“So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant. I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the good old days in the [Republican] messaging. I mean, it’s great, but it doesn’t draw people toward your cause,” Mr. Bush said.

“From the conservative side, it’s time for us to listen first, to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit, to not be nostalgic about the past because, you know, things do ebb and flow.”

Someone posted this comment:

I agree completely. It was nauseating watching all the GOP candidates fawn over the Gipper in the campaign. I love Ron, but he wasn't the be-all, end-all of conservatism.

We're 20 years removed from when Reagan left office. Running on a Reagan platform would have been akin to Reagan running on an Eisenhower platform.

Move forward. State your own ideas as your own, and stop trying to be like a guy half the electorate doesn't remember.

I wrote this comment:

I was born during the Reagan era, so I don't remember his Presidency. The biggest complaint against him seems to be that he supported amnesty. We do need someone who is optimistic and patriotic and supports policies that will expand freedom and prosperity, but it has been 20 years since his administration and it is time to look to the future. We shouldn't worry about whether someone is the same as Reagan, the important issue is whether they support the Constitution and the free market. If those policies tend to match Reagan's, then that is swell. I recently saw someone wearing a "What Would Reagan Do" t-shirt and it just seemed quaint and pathetic.