Posted on 04/16/2015 10:59:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Jeb Bush will have a big problem to overcome in a campaign, former President George W. Bush told a health-industry conference yesterday, and he should know. The problem will be “me,” Jeb’s older brother told the audience of 7,000, and even their mother realizes the nature of the burden:
Its an easy line to say, Havent we had enough Bushes? After all, even my mother said, Yes, the former president told an audience of 7,000 health IT experts here on Wednesday.
Thats why you wont see me out there, and he doesnt need to defend me, and hes totally different from me. The role of family is not to be a political adviser or a policy adviser there are plenty of those around the role is to say, Hey man, I love you.
Bush is right about the role of family, and offered his usual self-effacing anecdotes to demonstrate it. His daughters didn’t embrace the proposal to campaign for the White House with much enthusiasm, attempting to discourage him at first, but rallying around him when it counted. Bush plans to do the same for Jeb, not on the campaign trail but as an emotional support for his younger brother.
However, GWB is being naive if he really thinks that Jeb won’t need to defend him. Of course he will, for the simple reason that while W’s favorability numbers have returned to a rational level, the assessment of his presidency in the popular culture hasn’t — at least not yet. A February 2014 CNN poll showed that more people still blame W than Obama for the state of the current economy, and the specter of the collapse has still not lifted — nor W’s massive TARP intervention, which helped spark the Tea Party.
Returning to the Bushes to extend the dynasty, and there really is no getting around that perception, naturally raises the question as to whether Jeb will return to W’s policies, and whether they were worthwhile in the first place. Either Jeb will have to differentiate himself from his brother where there probably isn’t too much daylight anyway, or he’ll have to defend those areas where he plans to follow similar policies and approaches. That is uniquely Jeb’s burden; other Republicans only have to demonstrate that today’s GOP has the skill and ideas to address the nation’s problems now. That is one big reason why Jeb carries much more risk in a general election for the GOP.
CBS’ John Dickerson notes that Hillary Clinton has the same problem, which means that the other Republicans can practice their attacks on her by applying them to Jeb explicitly. More likely, though, they will choose to address it subtly by exclusively attacking Hillary on the basis of dynasty and being past her sell date, and let GOP primary voters connect the dots themselves.
jeb is his own burden ... and that is the truth
I think it’s safe to say Jeb will never be POTUS.
But he may well be the R nominee.
And to W I say THANK YOU!!
Save your money, Jebbie. We ain’t votin’ for ya.
What can you say, W owed us one!
NOT YOU IN PARTICULAR GWB,,,IT WILL BE THE ‘BUSH’ NAME...
I SUPPORTED YOU TWICE, GWB, BUT YOU DISAPPOINTED ME WHEN YOU LET HUSSEIN (OF ALL PEOPLE) AND THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DESTROY YOU, WHEN YOUR TERM ENDED...THAT REALLY MADE ME WEEP FOR OUR COUNTRY...
I THOUGHT GWB WAS A GOOD POTUS, AND I TRULY ADMIRED HIM AND HIS FAMILY, THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS N O W....
If W would say something about the failure of Hillary and the bamster, I'd be a lot happier. That he's inadvertently reminding GOP voters of the toxicity of his last name isn't so bad, but crikey, say something about the other side W, they destroyed you and your name.
Too bad he could be bothered to be a burden to Obama at ANY point in the last 6 years. Jeez, what a disapointment.
Stuff it, W - along with your globalist, warmongering neocon crew.
Clue to GWB: Its not the first name which is a problem, its the last name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sRDJpU99Mo
Compassion and false hope has nearly destroy this once great country.
“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” Sing it, Jeb!
Biggest burden on Jeb’s campaign is Jeb!
George isn’t the problem - it’s Jeb’s nutty stand in illegals.
Jeb and Tokyo Rove look like they could be related...we don’t need any of that.
CBS John Dickerson notes that Hillary Clinton has the same problem,
*************
That may well be but so far no real contender has came forward
to challenge Clinton for the democratic nomination.
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