I’m guessing Jeb’s responding to the pundits and elites in the GOP who are trying to convince Republicans that it was the conservative Sarah Palin who ruined John McCain’s chances to become President. Those ‘fiscal conservatives’ believe that if they could just unload all those silly ‘social (religious) conservatives, that they’d draw all those moderate and independent voters everyone was talking about during the campaign.
There is some truth in that. Socially liberal/fiscally conservative GOP types have been a problem. But alas there also is some truth in the converse. Socially conservative/fiscally liberal GOP types (e.g. Huckabee, in spite of his denials, e.g. those spouting "compassionate" conservatism, e.g. Big Government GOP types) have also been a problem. In the 2006 elections the backlash against the GOP was at least as much on their failure to follow fiscal conservatism as it was any social con failures. Not only should social conservatives be pushing their traditional values and touting the economic advantages history proves follow them, but they should have faith that, absent government interference in either direction, their values will be encouraged.
Pushing BOTH fiscal and social conservatism makes sense. Favoring either alone just gets some folks confused and lets the doubly wrong win. So far as I can tell to date Palin, like Reagan, strongly believes in both. Her shortfalls were those of a talented rookie with a bad manager. She's human and thus not infallible, but at this moment she's our best hope. The social cons are sold on her by her life story. Absent the albatross of McCain she needs to convince fiscal sorts nationally as she earlier convinced them in Alaska. Then ignore the wannabe lib-lite RINOs and instead peel off the many conservatives who've been delusionally voting Rat. Just as Reagan did.