Jeb Bush silent on political future: Don’t mention dynasty around Florida’s governor
If you really want to scare the Hell out of yourself, try rolling these three little words around your point li’l head: “PRESIDENT JEB BUSH”. Imagine another eight years of a Bush Presidency, this one involving a Bush even more willing to pander to the nutjob Religious RIght (see Schiavo, Terry). Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader may be willing to pander to the Religious Right by endorsing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage (don’t get me started on that one), but Jeb Bush would likely turn over the White House lock, stock, and barrel to Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and their ilk.
What amazes me is that Jeb Bush has a 63% approval ratings among Floridians, which ought to give you an indication of why Florida is such a strange, thorougly #@$^!&-up place. In a state with more sinkholes than people, appealling to people’s self-interest and prejudices is the way to enduring political success. If Bush weren’t term-limited, he undoubtedly could run for another term as Governor and spend four more years in Tallahassee. Frankly, Florida can keep him.
Of course, now that Bush is term-limited, speculation is running rampant about what his political future holds for him. While he may not be willing to discuss the possibilities, it seems that virtually everyone else is. And it’s not as if he would be the first Bush to use a Governor’s mansion to propel himself into the White House (Hmm…d’ya think Jeb would be willing to steal the Presidency like Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader??)
With untarnished conservative credentials and a statewide approval rating of 63 percent, President Bush’s little brother is nearly as popular as Disney World in his home state….
Bush, 53, has ruled out a run for the White House in 2008, refusing even a personal entreaty from Arizona Sen. John McCain, who paid a call late last year to feel him out about a possible McCain-Bush ticket.
“I honestly think it’s because he understands that dynasties are not something Americans warm up to,” MacManus said. “He is young and he can wait.”
He also knows that the family name, for the moment anyway, is a hindrance outside of Florida. A recent national poll by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics concluded that just 28 percent of the public had a favorable view of him, compared with 45 percent who give him an unfavorable rating.
Yeah…his older brother has sure done a bang-up job of making the Bush surname synonymous with lying, cheating, stealing, pandiering, and immoral war, eh? Imagine trying to follow THAT act….
The poll found that the Republican trailed Democrats Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and former Vice President Al Gore.
Yes, the Bush surname has been turned into an albatross by Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader, and I’m not at all certain that Jeb Bush is articulate or persuasve enough to convince the American sheeple that his surname does not automatically mean he is an intolerant, politically amoral, despot. Jeb’s brother is hands-down, without a doubt THE. WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER. How do you manage to overcome that sort of a handicap?? I’m not sure that there is a politician out there with the wherewithal and political skills to overcome that sort of handicap. Not even the most capable, gifted, and solidly competent politician could do that…and no reasonable person will ever accuse Jeb Bush of being capable, gifted, or competent.
As governor, Bush made his mark with aggressive tax-cutting and education reform. His education efforts were dealt a setback recently when the Republican-led Florida Legislature rejected two constitutional amendments he sought to allow school vouchers and reduce class sizes.
Zealous budget-cutting earned Bush the nickname “Veto Corleone” from Florida lobbyists and lawmakers. The governor last year vetoed more than $335 million in state spending. In 2004, he vetoed $349 million….
In two terms as governor, Bush demonstrated an unblinking loyalty to conservative principles — a trait that Gelber said cut both ways in Florida, notably during last year’s wrenching to-and-fro over the life of Terri Schiavo.
Bush led the fight to keep the brain-dead Schiavo alive, a move that was opposed by Schiavo’s husband and unpopular with the public. But his stand burnished his credentials with the GOP’s pro-life, conservative wing.
Jeb Bush may not be a fan of Washington politics, and he may be leery of dynasties, but the nutjob far-Right LOVES him. One has to wonder how long he will be able to resist the entreaties of the Religious Right to carry their banner…perhaps not in 2008, but at 53, Bush is young enough to wait his turn.
If the man has any sense at all, he will stay in Florida and away from Presidential politics. Then again, common sense when it comes to politics has never been something that has often been associated with the Bush Dynasty. Our Glorious and Benevolent leader is certainly Exhibit A….
Gentlemen, start your pandering….
