Posted on 03/31/2005 3:22:27 PM PST by SmithL
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It seemed like Jeb Bush was in a no-win situation by taking up the cause of trying to keep Terri Schiavo alive.
He was going against polls that showed two out of three people thought government shouldn't get involved. Then when courts stopped him from stepping in, some of his conservative Christian base criticized him for not doing more.
But many people agree the Schiavo case was not a political issue for Bush and that the governor will not be hurt by it - especially since he doesn't have plans to run for office again any time soon.
"I can't see it having any impact on Jeb Bush and his political future," said Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida political science professor. "He's not going to be running again in '06 and he says he's not running for the presidency and every one of his advisers is taking him at his word."
Florida limits governors to two terms and Bush's ends in January 2007. Even if Bush eventually decides to run for president, those close to him firmly say it will not be three years from now when his brother leaves office. By the time 2012 or 2016 roll around, the Schiavo case will be a distant memory.
"That's light years in political time," Paulson said. "This issue certainly would be laid to rest if he decides to run."
Those who opposed Bush's intervention may have had longer memories on the issue had he actually stopped the death through his lawsuits, or if he appeased the Christian right and defied a court order and taken custody of Schiavo.
Those on the Christian right may remember he was relentless - within the law - in pursuing a way to keep Schiavo alive. They are also likely to consider his overall record on issues they support and realize he is shared their views.
"He can get credit for trying, but not get blamed for going against her wishes if indeed that's what her wishes were," said Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor.
Either way, Bush is adamant that his motivation was not political.
"This is not a political issue. This goes way beyond politics. I don't know if anybody wins politically having to participate in something like this, to be honest with you," Bush said.
Anyone who has paid attention to Bush's six years in office shouldn't be surprised by his efforts to keep Schiavo alive.
When Bush ran for re-election in 2002, he had already backed laws to restrict abortion, pushed through a voucher bill that allows some children to go to private religious schools at taxpayer expense and openly expressed his support for a state law that prevents gays from adopting children. He was re-elected with 56 percent of the vote.
"His involvement in the Schiavo case is not something out of the ordinary. He's put together a conservative social agenda from the beginning of his being governor," said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor. "He's made a clear connection between his conservative religious values and his public policy."
Once people understand that Jeb Bush himself signed into law the statute that served as the legal basis for Schiavo's starvation, I'd say his chances of being anything more than governor of Florida will vanish.
Do you remember The Maltese Falcon? One key plot/dialogue point was that while a man holding Sam Spade at gunpoint would never find the Falcon if he shot Sam, Sam couldn't be sure that he wouldn't do it anyway.
Jeb Bush got caught bluffing. As such, he would never be able to bluff in any major situation without an extremely high likelihood of being called on it. Whether his weaknesses are real or imagined, the fact that the enemies of the U.S. would perceive them would in and of itself be exceptionally dangerous.
Much of the trouble in Iraq was a consequence of Saddam's mistaken belief that a U.S. President would never act against him without U.N. permission. Were Jeb Bush the President, you can bet that any foreign leader who was shielded by the U.N. would feel free to act with impunity.
Wow, do I see a Hillary administration in our future. Since so many are willing to throw the party aside so easy I am amazed, amazed I say, that Bush won the last election.
Had Jeb openly apologized for signing the statute while standing up for DCF's legal authority, people would have forgiven his past mistake. But forgiveness is impossible without repentance, and as yet I've not heard any repentance from Jeb on that subject.
A good poker player bluffs sometimes and plays it straight others.
Why, because I've only posted since November?
I'm also very displeased with letting this be something to tear up the Right. I'm hoping this will be forgotten before too long, because if not you're correct.
Lets imagine it. Dems controlling Congress and Presidency. All over spiting ourselves?
Hey, cat.
How I think Jeb will be hurt by this is that it happened on his watch. It didn't start there. But THIS happened on his watch and he ran home to Mama. So, it's going to hurt him some. The Gipper admitted his advisers told him IranContra was true, and so it was on his head. He was able to throw it off because he was the Gipper. We'll have to see what Jeb is, but it's early yet.
You won't hear any "repentance" from Jeb because he's not sorry for signing that bill into law. The statute was applied in this case precisely as it was intended.
When the Democrats controlled Congress and the White House, the Republican Party was at the height of its integrity and principle.
Being pro-life is now an extremist position? You certainly don't get it. If the GOP wants in on the party of death action with the Rats, there really is no difference between them.
And we also got the AWB and our military/intelligence gutted.
Not quite worth the cost, is it..
"And we also got the AWB and our military/intelligence gutted.
Not quite worth the cost, is it..."
Therefore, to avoid something that bad happening again, after having just utterly blown a sanctity of life issue, the GOP needs to recover, and FAST.
Pass the Nuclear Option now, and the Bushes still won't be forgiven, but the Republican Party will get itself off the hook, and the pro-lifers will not feel betrayed by the party.
There is a way out of this.
It's obvious.
Why won't the Republicans just DO it?
They've been talking about it for a year and a half.
They have GOT to make a pro-life move, right now, or the parade of the horribles you speak of is going to happen, because the pro-lifers are just not going to stay over future intelligence concerns and the Assault Weapons Ban. They don't CARE.
They cared about Terri Schiavo.
They care about judges and the Nuclear Option.
That's what's been on the front page for two weeks.
At best, the Republicans bobbled it and blew it but meant well. That's not what the pro-lifers see.
So, come on GOP, stanch the bleeding. Pass the Nuclear Option, and the pro-lifers will have nothing more to ask for. The GOP will have done everything it can, and that will go a long, long way to re-establishing the pro-life credentials with the pro-life movement.
Right now, we've just had fecklessness leading to a death, AND the Senate pulling back from the Nuclear Option.
That is an abandonment of the pro-lifers equivalent to the GOP passing a national handgun ban.
You can't get away with it.
And you can't expect to not pay a terrible price for betraying the pro-life base.
So don't betray them.
Pass the Nuclear Option, put the coalition back together, and forget about Jeb Bush.
A guy who did NOT come away from this damaged, incidentally, is Dick Cheney. Pass the Nuclear Option, and Dick Cheney becomes a supremely viable candidate for 2008.
Don't pass it, give the pro-lifers NOTHING after abandoning them over Terri, and get used to the AWB.
But avoids getting unintentionally caught bluffing.
Not just the AWB, but a dwindled military and the eventual destruction of the country most likely.
My #1 thing is gun control, so I guess I can kinda see how you can not care about everything else over a single topic.
Still, it's sad to me to see so many people ready to dump the GOP over something like this.
Good points, I have a feeling the Schiavo case is more highlighting the failure so far of the pro-life movement, on the abortion issue.
Which imo is why many pro-life people reacted so strongly to this case, even though I believe it wasn't the good versus evil struggle that some portray it as.
G32 wrote:
"Well, it appears that a lot of people are abandoning major Republicans because they didn't march in there and cause a total scene.
Frankly, this type of extremism is exactly what pushes people away from the Dems usually. It breaks my heart seeing it come from our side."
Well, you can look at it that way, G2. But it takes a lot of fortitude to be a leader of the free world. And either you learn from your mistakes or you repeat them over and again. And, usually, it's the Republicans sniping at one another, the moderates and the ultra conservatives, take George Will, for example, who I, personally, have never forgiven for pulling his support away from Geo. H W Bush. Anyway, you have to know who you are and where you are leading, in other words, lead, follow or get the hell out of the way!
Some Googling reveals that political science professor Darryl Paulson is a registered Republican. This was not what I expected, based on his comments.
People are going to forget about this at about the same rate that they have forgotten about Jane Fonda's "Hanoi Jane" speeches, about Ted Kennedy's ride with Mary Jo Kopechne, and about Robert Byrd's membership in the Klan. Jeb Bush tried, but he failed to rise to the occasion. His mediocrity as a leader is now written in stone.
A couple of weeks ago, it occurred to me that if Terri had some serious therapy, she might regain enough speech to smile and say "Thank you" to those who had helped her. Would have made a great "Jeb in '08" campaign ad. No more.
Heck, this whole thing will be forgotten as a political issue by November 2006, much less 20 years from now, and won't have the slightest political impact on any campaign anywhere.
Last poker metaphor, I swear!
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away, know when to run.
Jeb knew it was time to fold here. He encountered resistance on almost every level, and chose inaction over a potentially dangerous clash between local law enforcement and state agents. There was a risk that the local cops would ignore his direct order, and thus permanently hobble his authority (as it is, there is no such explicit defiance). Of course, there are those who are upset he went as far as he did, and others who are irate that he did not press on. I don't know which is the more politically potent. On the whole, however, I believe the point is moot, as I don't see Jeb pursuing the Presidency.
This whole situation was all around bad, for everyone involved. Unlike others here, I don't really believe this to be a case of judicial tyranny--just really bad law on the books, and an unwillingness on the part of the FL legislature to change it for the better. That, and a bizarre fact pattern featuring a intra-family feud, a sleazy husband, links between the hospice and the judge, etc., etc. They say hard cases make bad law.
No one's power is absolute. It exists only so far as others will obey. Even Alexander the Great was forced to abandon further conquests in India because his army refused to go farther. Sometimes, in order to keep a position of power, a leader must abide with the prevailing sentiment. I'm sorry to say, the prevailing sentiment in this case was to remove Terri's tube.
While much bitterness was born out of this case, there was some good: more folks will draft living wills, and more scrutiny will be paid to overbroad statutes defining feeding tubes as life support, with probable changes. Terri will be remembered for that. I don't see this case as marking the beginning of a nightmarish Eugenics program, nor do I see it as splintering conservatism or the GOP.
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