Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said voters are growing "sick and tired" of President Barack Obama's agenda but argued that conservative Republicans need to hone their messages to capitalize in this year's elections.

The two-term Republican, speaking Monday morning in Lancaster city at a $125-a-plate fundraiser for the state House GOP, sounded as if he was on the campaign trail himself — bringing some 540 conservatives to their feet during his 15-minute appearance.

VIDEO: Jeb Bush rallies local GOP

"President Obama got elected in the minds of some people that he was going to be a different kind of leader, a post-partisan leader," Bush said. "He got elected by other people because he had a clear agenda — and I didn't find it too secret — that said we're going to redistribute wealth and expand government in every means to be able to achieve a social objective.

"In fact, I think what he said as a candidate was that government, with smart people running it, can create more prosperity, more justice and more wealth than the old way that had been antiquated and considered to be not worthy of the 21st century," Bush said.

"It is time for us to provide a compelling alternative to that," said Bush.

Bush's appearance at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square helped to raise some $100,000 for Pennsylvania's House Republicans, including state Rep. John C. Bear, who represents Manheim and Warwick townships. Bear is unopposed in the May 18 primary but faces Democrat Patrick O'Keeffe in November.

But Bush's speech was clearly aimed at invigorating conservatives to work to win majorities in the state House, the governor's mansion and Congress, a goal he believes is attainable given the level of discontent in America.

"There is no society, there is no country in the world that has been successful (by) taxing more, spending more, mandating more, regulating more," he said. "It creates less prosperity. It limits people's hopes and aspirations. It puts a lid on the ability for the next generation to pursue their dreams.

"And so by winning this election — by electing Pat Toomey, for example, as the United States senator from Pennsylvania — and electing more Republicans to the Congress, electing a Republican governor and electing a Republican Legislature … not only will you get better government, but you'll also be sending a clear signal going forward that this avalanche of more government in Washington, D.C., is not to be tolerated," Bush said.

"And guess what? My guess is, across the country, the exact same thing is going to happen," Bush said. "There is a tsunami building not just in Pennsylvania, but I can guarantee you it's building in Florida. I know it's building in places like California as well, where people are saying I'm going to get engaged, I'm going to get involved for the first time.

"I am convinced as I travel around that people are absolutely getting the message that the bedrock principles of limited government you cannot veer from. Government can't grow faster than people's ability to pay for it," said Bush.

Bush is the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush. The 57-year-old served two terms as Florida governor before leaving office in 2007 and has been mentioned as a prospect for the White House in 2012.

He gently chided the party, saying it needs a new line.

"We lost our way over the last two or three election cycles, thinking that we could just go back to the old playbook over and over again and expect the results that we had in the '80s and '90s.

"It is now time for us as a party and certainly for conservatives who believe in limited government to challenge the basic assumptions of how we project our philosophy, how we organize ourselves," he said, "and recognize that 2010, 2012, 2020 ought to be what these elections are about, not about 1980."

Bush did not take questions or speak to reporters during his appearance here.

While making his case for a more limited government, Bush took a shot at Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

"I love Ed Rendell as a person. He's a great guy. I'd love to have a beer with him. I love the fact that he loves sports and all that," Bush said.

"I will never forget six months ago, I'm watching him on CNBC," Bush continued. "He loves to chat on the talk shows, I think you've noticed that. And he's bragging about a small tax increase that he was proposing to the Legislature and was saying that it was a lot smaller than their neighbors'.

"And his case, his argument in front of the American people was, 'Our tax increase is smaller than that of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, and the people of Pennsylvania ought to be grateful.'

"I paused and thought, 'Well, what about Florida? Georgia? North Carolina? Alabama? Texas? What about China? What about the rest of the world that Pennsylvania competes with?'" Bush said.

"Being less bad is not an aspirational goal for the people of Pennsylvania. I think it's important to have people in the Legislature reject that notion," Bush said. "Can you imagine that as a campaign slogan: 'We're less bad. Vote for me?' "

tmurse@lnpnews.com