Is Jeb Bush the GOP's best hope for 2016?
By Richard K. Barry
Not that any of us should be surprised, but Jeb Bush is giving serious consideration to seeking the GOP presidential nomination for 2016. This is according to the New York Times, which also writes this:
And it is true that Mr. Bush's wife, Columba, was born and raised in Mexico and that he speaks Spanish and has a more progressive view when it comes to immigration reform. Having said this, the question that is still unsettled is which Republican Party will be calling the shots in 2016. Will it be the party that should have nominated Jon Huntsman in 2012, a man who would really have created serious competition for Obama, according to Obama's campaign team, or will it be a Republican Party that requires so many litmus tests on so many key issues that it will push all but the most extreme candidates out?
Yes, the Bush name creates complications but it's the party that really has to figure out where it wants to go before we will have a better sense of who can make a credible run.
Until that happens, prospective candidates will have to speak out of both side of their mouths, as Mitt Romney did, making a mess of things as they go along. Maybe Marco Rubio can do that, but can Jeb Bush or others who might be mulling a run? Sad to think the real litmus test for Republicans who seek national office is how well they can lie to core constituencies.
Not that any of us should be surprised, but Jeb Bush is giving serious consideration to seeking the GOP presidential nomination for 2016. This is according to the New York Times, which also writes this:
Mr. Bush is said by friends to be weighing financial and family considerations -- between so many years in office and the recession his wealth took a dip, they said, and he has been working hard to restore it -- as well as the complicated place within the Republican Party of the Bush brand.
After Mitt Romney's defeat by a Democratic coalition built around overwhelming support from Hispanics and other fast-growing demographic groups, many Republicans are looking for a candidate who can help make the party more inclusive without ceding conservative principles -- and no one is the subject of more speculation at this point than Mr. Bush.
And it is true that Mr. Bush's wife, Columba, was born and raised in Mexico and that he speaks Spanish and has a more progressive view when it comes to immigration reform. Having said this, the question that is still unsettled is which Republican Party will be calling the shots in 2016. Will it be the party that should have nominated Jon Huntsman in 2012, a man who would really have created serious competition for Obama, according to Obama's campaign team, or will it be a Republican Party that requires so many litmus tests on so many key issues that it will push all but the most extreme candidates out?
Yes, the Bush name creates complications but it's the party that really has to figure out where it wants to go before we will have a better sense of who can make a credible run.
Until that happens, prospective candidates will have to speak out of both side of their mouths, as Mitt Romney did, making a mess of things as they go along. Maybe Marco Rubio can do that, but can Jeb Bush or others who might be mulling a run? Sad to think the real litmus test for Republicans who seek national office is how well they can lie to core constituencies.
Labels: 2016 election, Jeb Bush, Jon Huntsman, Republicans
posted by Richard K. Barry at
12:46 PM
4 Comments:
Jeb Bush needs to change his last name to be viable.
By
Anonymous, at 5:17 PM
Not sure. Voters have short memories. Ad Jeb is a pretty good performer.
By
Richard K. Barry, at 9:17 PM
Not again! Anyone else out there?
By
Anonymous, at 12:52 AM
I will camp out the night before to vote against this neocon piece of manure! NO MORE BUSHES!!. I am a republican, and we lost because the neocon countryclub wing of the party sabotaged Ron Paul.
By
Anonymous, at 3:18 AM
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