Jeb Bush's son chides Gov. Crist for seeking stimulus
ORLANDO - George P. Bush may not be ready to follow his father, grandfather and uncle into politics just yet, but he is trying to help the Republican Party regain a conservative message, which on Saturday included criticism of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.
Bush, the son of former Gov. Jeb Bush, grandson of former President George H.W. Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, addressed a national conference of young Republicans and told them there is a rift in the party between fiscal conservatives and what he calls "D light" -- Republicans trying to appeal to the political middle.
"There's some in our party that want to assume that government is the answer to all of our problems," Bush said. "I'm not going to name any names."
But he said in Florida, there were Republicans who have endorsed the recent $787 billion stimulus plan that Democratic President Barack Obama signed into law. Bush was referring to Republican Crist, who lobbied hard for the bill, including an appearance with Obama in Fort Myers.
"You know who I'm talking about," Bush said, as the crowd attending the Young Republican National Federation murmured and laughed a little tensely. "That's problematic. We as conservatives have to ultimately balance the federal government's checkbook."
Afterward, Bush said he doesn't think Crist is a fiscal conservative and that he may have hurt himself with some Republicans for his appearance with Obama and his support of the stimulus plan.
"That will be on his track record, and people are going to remember that," Bush said, adding that Crist is running the risk of falling in the "D light" category of the party.
"There are numerous actions that I have seen legislatively that do not speak to a strong conservative; it speaks more to a moderate," Bush said. "That's fine, but when you run as a conservative and then you lead as a moderate, that's one thing that any leader would have to reconcile."
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer defended Crist, saying the governor avoided partisan fighting over the stimulus bill and instead pushed for what he thought was best for Florida.
"He's focused on the people and bypassing the political rhetoric," Greer said. "Charlie Crist gets up every day and sees what's going on from a very realistic, practical approach, and then he starts solving the problems through a very realistic, practical approach."
Bush, 32, lives in Texas and works as a partner in a real-estate-investment firm. He married in August 2004 and joined the Navy Reserves two years ago. He said he would like to start a family. In the meantime, he'll continue to raise money for candidates and help promote the party message, but he said family and a career are his main focus.
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel
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