poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201710/389/1155968404_5617889429001_5617868852001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true George W. Bush slams Trumpism, without mentioning president by name 'Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication,' Bush declared. 
 
 Former President George W. Bush offered an unmistakable denunciation of Trumpism on Thursday without mentioning the president by name, urging citizens to oppose threats to American democracy. 
 
 “Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication,” Bush warned in remarks at the Bush Institute’s Spirit of Liberty event in New York. 
 
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 By chance, Bush was standing in the same spot at the Time Warner Center where former President Barack Obama made a similar plea for democracy and American leadership in late September, shortly after President Donald Trump had finished a belligerent, isolationist speech to the United Nations General Assembly. 
 
 But unlike Obama, who campaigned intensely against Trump and has been taking sideways swipes at him since leaving office, Bush has said very little publicly about the current president, or about American politics at all. Thursday's speech, in which he detailed what he sees as the causes for democratic collapse, the path forward and what were obvious references to Trump — even though, like Obama, he did not utter the president's name — was a major departure in a speech that called on a renewal of American spirit and institutions. 
 
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 "Bigotry in any form is blasphemy against the American creed and it means the very identity of our nation depends on the passing of civic ideals to the next generation. We need a renewed emphasis on civic learning in schools," Bush said. "And our young people need positive role models. Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children." 
 
 "The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them," he said. 
 
 Bush described "this unique moment" — a threat that he sees as worldwide and pervasive throughout American society and politics. 
 
 "When we lose sight of our ideals, it is not democracy that has failed. It is the failure of those charged with protecting and defending democracy," he said, adding later: "We need to recall and recover our own identity. Americans have great advantage. To renew our country, we only need to remember our values." 
 
 Bush spoke at the end of a half-day session that included a genial discussion between Trump’s United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, his former national security adviser and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. 
 
 But Bush took a wider view, acknowledging the failures of divided partisan politics, paralyzed government, the media, institutions of democracy and more that has created a “deficit of confidence.” The problems of terrorism and nuclear proliferation are real, he said, as are the economic trends caused by globalization — but that is not an excuse for going into hiding. 
 
 “People are hurting. They’re angry and they’re frustrated. We must help them," he said. "But we cannot wish globalization away, any more than we could wish away the Agricultural Revolution or the Industrial Revolution.” 
 
 The tyrannies in North Korea and Venezuela are obvious and the fraying of democracies is clear in Europe, Bush said, but Americans must face the problems at home, too. 
 
 “We’ve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. At times, it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates into dehumanization," he said. "Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions, forgetting the image of God we should see in each other. We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism, [and] forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.” 
 
 All of this, he said, is even more important in the face of the attacks outsiders have made on American democracy. Citing the conclusion of all the American intelligence agencies about Russian interference in last year’s elections — which Trump has repeatedly dismissed himself —the former president warned against “subversion,” calling for stronger election security protections and cybersecurity, and a recognition of what is being attempted. 
 
 George W. Bush: Bigotry in any form is blasphemy poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201710/2771/1155968404_5617895976001_5617872013001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" 
 
 “This effort is broad, systemic and stealthy. It’s conducted across a range of social media platforms,” Bush said. “Ultimately, this assault won’t succeed. But foreign aggressions, including cyberattacks, disinformation and financial influence should never be downplayed or tolerated. This is a clear case where the strength of our democracy begins at home.” 
 
 Bush’s speech comes three days after his former rival and fellow Republican, Arizona Sen. John McCain, delivered a similar attack on “spurious nationalism” and call to rediscover American ideals and American democracy in a speech in Philadelphia. 
 
 Some of the phrases echoed each other. 
 
 "We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil," McCain said. "We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don't. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn't deserve to." 
 
 Bush’s version: “Our identity as a nation, and unlike many other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood. Being an American involves the embrace of high ideals and civic responsibility.” 
 
 That, Bush said, is why he has confidence that American will weather its current crisis, as he called on the examples of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Martin Luther King, Jr. 
 
 “Self-correction is the secret strength of freedom. We are a nation with a history of resilience and a genius for renewal,” Bush said. The American spirit does not say, ‘We shall manage,’ or ‘We shall make the best of it.’ It says, ‘We shall overcome’ — and that is exactly what we’re going to do, with God’s help.” 
 
 In an unsolicited response to the speech, Trump White House director of strategic response Steven Cheung pointed to a comment Thursday from a Bush spokesman disputing that Trump was the target of the former president's remarks. "The themes President Bush spoke about today are really the same themes he has spoken about for the last two decades," the Bush spokesman had said. ||||| Former President George W. Bush in a Thursday speech called on Americans to “recall and recover” their country’s identity, slamming the 21st century rise of isolationism, nativism and anti-globalization sentiments. 
 
 Bush spoke at forum in New York City for the George W. Bush Institute and, while he did not mention President Trump by name, the 43rd president delivered an indictment of domestic policies that reject immigrants and free trade and foreign policies that do not confront security threats head-on. 
 
 “We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America. We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism,” Bush said. 
 
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 “We’ve seen the return of isolationist sentiments, forgetting that American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distance places, where threats such as terrorism, infectious disease, criminal gangs and drug trafficking tend to emerge.” 
 
 These realities, Bush said, require Americans “to recall and recover our own identity.” 
 
 The Thursday forum also featured former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who served under former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonMcCarthy predicts House Republicans hold majority in midterms How about a few questions for Robert Mueller? State of American democracy: mean MORE, and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley Nimrata (Nikki) HaleyTrump approval rating drops to 39 percent: poll Iran accuses US of presenting fabricated evidence of Houthi missiles Russia sanctions not on G7 agenda: report MORE. 
 
 Bush’s comments represent an unusual foray into the current political climate for the former president, who left office nearly a decade ago. 
 
 He argued that the “deficit of confidence” permeating throughout the country is one of its “worst national problems,” but he emphasized the “resilience” of America. 
 
 A spokesperson for Bush said the address was a “long-planned speech” that focused on the policies he has supported for decades. 
 
 “The themes President Bush spoke about today are really the same themes he has spoken about for the last two decades,” Freddy Ford said. 
 
 Bush received a round of applause after a line about white supremacy, which has become a prominent part of the national conversation in the last year, particularly since the deadly violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August. 
 
 While Bush also referenced the anger and frustration among Americans suffering due to globalization, he called on the country to adapt to the rapid changes, countering rhetoric against trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump and others view as a barrier to jobs for American workers. 
 
 “We must hear and help them but we cannot wish globalization away any more than we could wish away the agricultural revolution or the industrial revolution,” Bush said. ||||| Story highlights He added that "bigotry seems emboldened" 
 
 The 43rd president also addressed Russian influence on the United States 
 
 Washington (CNN) Former President George W. Bush condemned bigotry and white supremacy Thursday while endorsing policies that run counter to those supported by President Donald Trump. 
 
 "Our identity as a nation, unlike other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood. ... This means that people from every race, religion, ethnicity can be full and equally American," he said during remarks at the George W. Bush Institute in New York City. "It means that bigotry and white supremacy, in any form, is blasphemy against the American creed." 
 
 He added that "bigotry seems emboldened," though he didn't explain why. 
 
 "We've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty," Bush said, adding, "Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions, forgetting the image of God we should see in each other." 
 
 Bush didn't mention Trump during his remarks but did criticize the "governing class." In his recommendations to strengthen American democracy, he said US institutions must "step up" and "we need to recall and recover our own identity." 
 
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– Another prominent Republican is coming out against Trumpism without actually mentioning President Trump by name. In a speech at a Bush Institute event in New York Thursday, former president George W. Bush said that in this moment, "bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication," Politico reports. "Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children." Politico says the speech, which discussed, among other things, factors Bush believes are contributing to democratic collapse and what needs to be done, made "obvious references to Trump" without his name ever being mentioned. "We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, [and] forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America," he said. "Our identity as a nation, unlike other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood," he added, per CNN. "This means that ... bigotry and white supremacy, in any form, is blasphemy against the American creed." Bush said divided partisan politics has failed us and the government is stuck; he also mentioned Russian interference in the last presidential election and called for more election security: "Foreign aggressions, including cyberattacks, disinformation, and financial influence should never be downplayed or tolerated." And he spoke out against isolationism, per the Hill, considering "American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distance places." Sen. John McCain gave a similar speech just days ago.