So Jeb Bush is making the news right now due to comments he made over the weekend when he stated that illegal immigration is an "act of love" and that we should stop attacking illegal immigrants. He argued that unlike other "crimes," illegal immigration is an individual doing anything they can to better the lives of their family. This is obviously a position that was also held by his brother. The other news is that Jeb is debating a run and will announce by the end of the year. He seems to be leaning towards it as far as I can tell. So, point of the thread? Answer the poll question and then give your thoughts on the potential 3rd Bush presidency...
Unlikely, there is still a pretty bad taste in the mouths of nearly everyone regarding the last Bush presidency. Liberals for obvious reasons and even the conservatives at least CLAIM that they hated some of the things Bush the Lesser did. I think the conservative's cries are merely lip service because they don't want to admit that they didn't oppose Bush at any point in his presidency, but that is merely my own speculation.
The cries are because he wasn't conservative enough. Government expanded wildly under GWB (Medicare Part D, NCLB, TARP, etc.) When you become a lesser version of the opposition, voters tend to just go with the genuine article.
Jeb is probably the republicans best shot, but there are many issues as have been mentioned -- another concern is whether or not his heart is really in it because the primaries are going to be brutal for a moderate conservative.
He's got a shot. Jeb seems like the most viable candidate from the republicans, and I never underestimate a democrats' ability to shoot themselves in the foot.
I also think Jeb's got a shot. Tea party won't go for him, but maybe establishment wins out on an anti-tea-party kick.
I think Jeb's the GOP's best general election candidate - and with a very real shot of winning, with the makings of a potentially good President in my opinion. I don't think the name will hurt him - in a smaller election, yes. But with the Presidency, people vote on the person rather than the name. That said, he has the Chris Christie problem - I'm not sure he makes it through a primary. Or if he does, he's going to have to move to the right pretty far. Given that Perry's fairly innocuous statement about in-state tuition for illegal immigrants basically destroyed his campaign, it seems Bush's statements on illegal immigrants could obliterate him in the primary.
this briar patch routine is getting a little stale Left tells the GOP they should pick the most moderate nominee (Dole/McCain/Romney), then when that nominee loses the general, they blame the primary process. When the GOP runs to the right (Reagan/1994/2010) they win big. Bold colors, not pale pastels. A choice, not an echo.
Romney, Dole and McCain did not lose because they were too moderate. Republicans won the midterms with the tea party because the low voter turnout rates among demographics favor the right in those elections, as well as the political circumstances of the day favorite the right. Dole lost because he was a bad candidate. McCain lost because he was up against history, was dealing with the Bush legacy and because he made several blunders along the way. Romney lost because of the power of incumbency and because he was the embodiment of everything that the middle of America was angry at when he was running. If Romney had been an ultra conservative tea partier the loss would have only been worse. Running an uber rich guy who looks like he was plucked out of the billionaire white boy polo club in the middle of a financial crisis that was blamed on Wall Street and the 1% was a bad move.
With Chris Christie's problems, Jeb Bush is now in the picture. None of the commonly mentioned candidates are viable.
After his "illegal immigration is an "act of love"" comments I just don't see it happening for Jeb. Then there's this... Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) would best former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), were they to run against each other in the 2016 presidential election, a new poll finds. The poll, conducted by Fox News from March 2-4, shows Clinton leading Bush 51 percent to 38 percent.
This is some horrible analysis. 1994 and 2010, you'll notice, were midterms. Wave elections happen in midterms - no different than 2006 on the other side. It has very little to do with running to the left or right. For Presidencies, both Bushes ran to the middle and won - that seems more relevant than Reagan 30 years ago. Dole lost because he was boring and people loved Clinton. McCain lost because people hated Bush & the GOP. Romney lost because he was a horrible candidate. And, of course, the demographics of the country are trending left, so the ONLY chance a GOP candidate has now is to appeal to the middle.
FWIW, I don't think any polling data about a 2016 election today is remotely relevant. Clinton is a well known national figure. Very few people know much about Jeb Bush right now - in polling, he's probably more of a proxy for his brother at this point.
Of course you are right Major about polling at this point. it was more to illustrate the climb. Really for any candidate on the right.
Way too early to declare victory based on a poll that is 2.5 years from the election. EDIT: Major beat me to it...
The Republicans really suck. This is all they can come up with? They keep recycling the same aristocracy type hereditary benefactors whereas if they were truly for individual achievement, freedom and commerce new ideas and people would be injected into the mix.
