Mind you, if the world were a different place, I might be writing you in two years explaining what a great presidential candidate Jeb Bush would be for the Republicans. But judging by today's political climate, that option seems far-fetched. Is that fair? Not really. Not only was Jeb Bush one of the most conservative governors -- the kind with real executive skill whom the GOP should be looking toward for leadership -- but one of the best, period."Bush"--the name must have the same magic for Republicans that Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King have for liberals. Sure, Lopez knows Jeb Bush running for president would be a bad idea, but she just can't shake the Bush fairy dust out of her eyes.
Fred Barnes doesn't even try. Mel Martinez has decided not to run for re-election, Barnes sees an opening for Bush to get into the presidential ring. Writing in the Weekly Standard, Barnes puts Jeb Bush up there with Saint Ronald Reagan.
I understand the motive here. The conservative intelligentsia wants to avoid having Sarah Palin as the 2012 Republican nominee at all costs and the search is on for an alternative. However, pushing Jeb Bush is a sure sign that writers like Lopez and Barnes aren't smart enough to usefully contribute to the debate.But a Senate bid would signal he at least wants to keep the presidential option open. Bush can't afford to stay on the sidelines if he has any hope of being president. That's why a Senate race makes sense. As a senator, assuming he's elected, he would be a national figure. He would also have a few years to fill the one gap in his political experience: foreign policy.
It's true that Ronald Reagan hadn't held elective office for six years when he won the
Republican presidential nomination in 1980. But he was the leader of a movement. Bush doesn't have that status, though he is far closer to Reagan ideologically than almost any prominent Republican today and certainly more Reagan-like than his brother or father.
She knows that Jeb Bush candidacy would be a disaster for the Republican, but wouldn't it be a wonderful idea if he ran.
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5 comments:
What do you think the likelihood of Bush winning Martinez's seat? I mean if an incumbent with a hispanic background would have to fight for his life, then what chance does a white republican with stronger ties to Bush than any other candidate that got it handed to them in November actually have?
The pollsters have been running out of questions to ask voters, so they are turning to 2012. The most popular candidates amongst republican voters in a recent poll I read (Gallop or Cnn) had Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee getting over 30% each, with Romney at a distant third. So, why not throw in Jeb Bush? Conservative ideologues seem to be in season.
Jeb's chances wouldn't be that bad to get elected for the Senate. He was a popular governor and the Democrats don't have anybody who would be an "obviously" strong candidate.
But Jeb can't cut it as a presidential candidate. He went all out for the right to lifers in the Terry Sciavo case. He'll find that to be anethema to anyone who's not a social conservative.
"Bush"--the name must have the same magic for Republicans that Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King have for liberals.
I would say more like Clinton or Kennedy.
Or Daley.
Or Jackson.
Or Udall.
Or Bayh.
What about all those comparisons between Bush and Jackson, Lincoln, and Winston Churchill?
I don't understand the right wing obsession with the Bush family. They hated George Sr. and George Jr. virtually destroyed the party. So now they look to Jeb?
Isn't there a Goldwater or an illegitimate child of Reagan's they could latch onto instead?
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