George W. Bush Won't Campaign For GOP Candidates

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Republicans

(Credit: AP)

Former President George W. Bush is not going to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Republican candidates before the midterm elections this fall.

"He's not interested," National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions told reporters today, according to Politico. Sessions said the former president has maintained from the day he left office that he would not get involved with Congressional races or do fundraisers for GOP candidates.

Sessions has taken heat from Democrats for saying Sunday "we need to go back to the exact same agenda" as in the Bush years, though the NRCC insists his remarks were misrepresented.

Even if Mr. Bush were interested in campaigning for Republican candidates, they might not take him up on the offer. CBS News polling in January of last year found that Mr. Bush left office with a 22 percent approval rating, making him one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history.

President Obama and other Democrats have argued that part of the reason voters should not support Republicans in the fall is that the GOP showed itself to be incompetent in the Bush years.

At a fundraiser last month, the president said Republicans "drove the car into the ditch" and now "want the keys back."

"No. You can't drive," he continued. "We don't want to have to go back into the ditch. We just got the car out."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by tsigili July 21, 2010 12:14 PM EDT: Still too much anti-Bush sentiment around......for him to help candidates.

That's mostly irrational....but people are people.; Reply to this comment


by infonato61 July 21, 2010 2:34 AM EDT: There's an interesting news article coming out profiling how our liberal Journalist soft pedaled and pushed under the rug news articles about BHO during his campaign that will surely endear the Democratic president in every ones heart. Transparency and Change, what a hypocrite. You libers just slobber all over yourself about him and his ridiculous policies or non-policies.; Reply to this comment


by jeannettelj July 20, 2010 11:16 PM EDT: This is probably the only good thing Bush has ever done (or not done.) I wouldn't vote for anyone that Bush endorses. Come to think of it, I would not vote for any republican.; Reply to this comment


by cleantheDCcesspool July 20, 2010 10:55 PM EDT: It may be wise, it may be unwise, for former President Bush not to campaign. But as I see it, it is imperative for the future of this country, for obamao to campaign, as actively as he possibly is able, for as many dems as he can find.; Reply to this comment

by pensacola8-2009 July 20, 2010 9:58 PM EDT

Many years of picking on Hillary Clinton, propelled her popularity and she nearly became the President. Former President G.W Bush has become the scapegoat for the weakness in the Republican party.

He really was a descent man, but surrounded by cruel and tyrannical servants like Cheney, Rumsford, and others, who formulated the worst foreign policy and domestic economic disaster ever seen in recent history.

Since no formal prosecutions have been made yet against Cheney, the blame goes to G.W. Bush. There are many of the finest patriots in this country, who still want Cheney's head on a silver platter.

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by infonato61 July 21, 2010 2:10 AM EDT: The Dems have been on control of congress for 43 months and what have you got. The Democratic Congress relaxed the rules to allow the risky loans. Did anyone notice in BHO's finance bill no mention of controls for FM/FM. Gee, they had no hand in the financial melt down? BHO got campaign contributions from them?


by kansas1946 July 20, 2010 9:25 PM EDT: That is probably the best news the Republic-rats have heard in a while.; Reply to this comment

by thy-only_king July 20, 2010 9:19 PM EDT

Obama and other Democrats were in control when the economy went to hell.

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by kansas1946 July 20, 2010 9:26 PM EDT: LMAO. You folks are incredible. I guess you don't remember the bailout that Bush had to propose AND sign in the fall of 2007. The economy was in free-fall. If you are going to bash Obama at least have the cojones to get your fact straight. Lord.


by ffoulkes-2009 July 20, 2010 9:47 PM EDT: Kansas...he was speaking of the Democrat run Senate and House.


by bachagaloupe July 20, 2010 8:51 PM EDT: One of the few times Boy George does something good for America.And get a load of this jerk Peter Sessions wanting to go back to "...the same exact agenda" of the Boy George administration! Is he that dumb?! And this is the guy running the GOP campaigns for the House?! Have mercy!; Reply to this comment


by MurdochSucks July 20, 2010 8:45 PM EDT: Unfortunately, President Obama, we have sadly not gotten the car out of the ditch yet. It will probably be decades before we do. Too deep of a ditch and too damaged of a car to fix in 2 years.; Reply to this comment


by MurdochSucks July 20, 2010 8:38 PM EDT: Darn, I was hoping he would destroy some GOPer's campaign like he tried to destroy the country.; Reply to this comment