A Journeyman Reformer

As you know if you read any of the stuff I splatter all over the web, I talk a lot (or write a lot as it were). I hope you also get the feeling that I try to back up what I say by deeds. I try to walk the walk, and that is immensely harder and more time consuming than talking the talk.

I also quickly tire of constant verbal and typographical abuse that is the fodder of most that I see on the Web. Some creative satire like a hard hitting Coulter I enjoy sometimes, but the thinly veiled hate I quickly tire of.

I read the article linked below in the WSJ about Jeb Bush written by Fred Barnes and found it to be enlightening. A lot of what I try to do Jeb Bush has done and continues to do. He is a reformer. I talk also about doing good deeds simply for the sake of the doing. This Bush seems to echo that, he enjoys the doing even more than talking about it. Though they both seem to feed upon each other.

-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123457271366086479.html
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The following quote tells me something about the sincerity of what he says.
-----quote-----
. "I'm totally comfortable with what I'm doing and how I'm going about it. I hope I can find a role to play that doesn't include running for office to make a contribution."
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Some may think he is just showing some false humility and hiding his true agenda. I think not. He sounds like a man that enjoyed fighting the reform fight and knowing what his goals and convictions are. A man sure of himself because he has been there and done that. For a long time.

From the article about what reforms he made as Governor of Florida.
-----quote by Fred Barnes-----
“His tenure was memorable because of his intense focus on reform of education, government, the budget process, civil service, health care, procurement and race-based programs. He also cut taxes in a state with no income tax.”
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I agree also with the article and Mr. Bush that we should decentralize the government. Let the states be freer to experiment with different systems.

I am also so sick of hearing the Democrats and some Republicans always blaming Bush for everything. They must really be dunderheads or complete idiots to believe that drivel. Well Jeb made a good case for my being a dunderhead if all I’m going to do is blame Obama for the next 4 or 8 years.

I had to love his idea of a British style shadow government. I’ve blogged about that for quite awhile now. I think with Cantor and Boehner in the House we have a start. We need to trot out our financial shadow cabinet member with a plan. Etc.

So as I said I talk a lot. But will try to refrain from name calling especially of the President, although when it comes to the Mutt’ess and Jeff of the Senate, it will be too tempting to overcome the obvious completely.

I will try to bring out a shadow type of solution based neighborhood government. It’s more work but hopefully more rewarding. As far as our local party, well I’ll just start doing and see where it leads.

Perhaps I can have a shadow of the contentment Jeb Bush has found from being an activist reformer.
-----quote------
What did he take away from his experience as governor? Mr. Bush says he "learned you could change things if you worked at it. What I learned was how to take ideas and implement them over the long haul. The thing with politics is that it's focused on the here and now." However, "by focusing on the longer-term things I had a chance to take conservative ideas and reform-minded thoughts and put them into practice. It was invigorating. It was uplifting to me personally to see that in America a whole lot of people can work together to accomplish that
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Finally, I will work on my humility by honestly holding my plans and myself accountable, not blaming others for my or my plans shortcomings. Again Jeb Bush put it better than I.
-----quote------
"You have to have an aspirational [mine inspirational?]goal, and you have to communicate it over and over and over. You have to have the humility to recognize that people aren't watching your every word. . . . You have to be constantly adding to the reforms. You have to take the risk of measuring the success or lack of it. You have to be held accountable . . . Sometimes it's not fun."
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Call me naïve, but I think I can at least try and perhaps I’ll learn to find contentment in the trying. Perhaps even some fun in the doing.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

ps

For links about my admiration for British Politics see my side bar near the top for web Cameron and further down under "Update Across The Pond"