Comment: Against the background of six hours of interviews on the subject of Russ Baker’s remarkable recent book Family of Secrets, it is worth contemplating the possibility that Jeb Bush might attempt to perpetuate the Bush family’s political dynasty. Concerned citizens should carefully weigh the Bush political machine and its legacy–so amply illustrated by Russ Baker–and its potential extension by Jeb.
Excerpt: Simon Rosenberg is the most bullish of Democratic strategists. The former Clinton administration official and head of the young non-profit group NDN has been the chief proponent of the belief that Barack Obama’s election produced the opportunity for a “30-to-40-year era of Democratic dominance.” A specialist in the political habits of different demographic groups (specifically Hispanics), he insists that, absent a drastic makeover, the GOP risks cementing itself “as irrelevant to the 21st century.”
Sagging poll numbers and policy setbacks have done little to dissuade these rosy prognostications. There’s only one thing that makes Rosenberg nervous: another Bush.
“Jeb [Bush] is married to a Latina, is fluent in Spanish, speaks on Univision as a commentator, his Spanish is that good,” Rosenberg said of the former Florida governor and brother to the 43rd president during a lunch at NDN headquarters last week. “And if you look at the electoral map in 2012, you have to assume that Obama is going to have a very hard time in holding North Carolina and Virginia. The industrial Midwest, where the auto decline has been huge, has weakened Obama’s numbers... a great deal. So Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin become a bit more wobbly. So if you’re Barack Obama, the firewall is the Latin belt from Florida to southwestern California. And there is only one Republican who can break through that firewall. And it is Jeb.”
Such a sentiment, Rosenberg admits, carries a slight hint of hysteria. After all, there is a good chunk of the country that recoils at the idea of another pol with the Bush surname. But that chunk has begun narrowing. And even within Democratic circles, there is an emerging belief that in a Republican Party filled with base-pleasing dramatizers or bland conservatives, Jeb stands out. . . .
They’re Baaaaack...
“I used to be a conservative”:
@Pterrafractyl, on top of things as usual.
Imagine Jeb Bush emerging out of the Republicon convention as the nominee playing out under the “Taqqiya Sunrise” scenario outlined in FTR #735 & 736. October Surprise,anyone? The Bush team would presumable have inside info that it could use to message as one step ahead of Obama on foreign policy.
Is it just me, or are events in the MidEast playing out very much like Dave Emory projected in FTR #735 “Bay of Pigs Meets the October Surprise: Lee Harvey Obama and the Piggy Back Coup in the Middle East”? When Dave is right—as he often seems to be—it’s generally not good news.
@Grumpusrex: It’s surreal to see another Bush presidency emerging as the thing that could save the GOP brand from the “dangerous extremist” label its flirting with in this primary season, and yet here we are. And there’s no ruling out an “American’s Elect” stunt either. A 3rd party run could end up peeling more off from Obama than the GOP, especially with the shiny new ex-conservative Jeb leading the ticket. There are so many strategic objectives that could be simultaneously carried out with a Jeb Bush run that the phrase “killing two birds with one stone” doesn’t quite cut it (A more aggressive type of metaphorically imagery might be necessary).
By the way, anyone hear about the death of Andrew Breitbart?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/02/us-usa-politics-breitbart-idUSTRE8201AV20120302
This should be an interesting show for Dave to do whenever he can get back on WFMU. =)
@Steven L
It’s my personal speculation from observing Mr. Breitbart at press conferences and interviews that he may have been a cokehead of some sort, and that this may have contributed to his early death. I have no evidence to support this theory other than my own gut feelings. He exhibited that inordinate amount of bluster, aggression, and high self regard that is characteristic of users of that drug.
@GrumpusRex: Further investigation into possible drug habits would certainly be interesting.
Oh Mittens, we hardly knew ye:
Well, that settles it. Based on those above comments and quotes it sounds like it’s a done deal: Jeb just pushed Mittens out of the 2016 spotlight, although he’ll never be pushed out of our hearts. Or, at least, GOP primary voters’ hearts:
So if something happens to Romney that causes him to definitely not run again Jeb would be in the undisputed GOP primary leader?
Let’s hope Rafalca’s stable has a good security system.
It’s generally assumed that if Greece drops the euro it will revert back on the drachma. But keep in mind that there’s nothing stopping Greece from powering itself with the magic of Bitcoins:
April Fols!
Yeah, Greece probably isn’t going to voluntarily throw itself down a deflationary death spiral. That’s the troika’s job.
In other economic fantasy-related news, here’s an April Fool’s day article about how Jeb Bush is using Glenn Hubbard, chief architect of his brother’s notorious tax cuts, so the US can rely on the magic of trickle-down economics
Not April Fools! Also not surprising.
So will the US elect Jebby and throw itself a the trickle-down golden shower one more time? We’ll see but it was so much fun last time it will be hard to resist!
Last month, there were some rather alarming reports about the video presentation make by George P. Bush, Texas’s new Land Commissioner, addressing his agency’s staffers: The agency, according to Bush, was facing a threat. An internal threat:
“I don’t and won’t suffer individuals that sit on their laurels or count on their connections to get by,” said Anne Idsal, Bush’s chief clerk. “No one gets or is entitled to get a free ride on this sled. ... Amassing personal power is out.”
Well, the “internal threats” have apparently been identified and based on Bush’s chief clerk, Anne Idsal, it sounds like those “internal threats” involve the amassing of personal power. And that’s now out. Along with most of the agency’s leadership staff. Hopefully George P. Bush’s campaign staff does a better job running the agency since they’re running it now:
No personal power getting amassed here! No siree!
Take that ‘internal threat’! Your days are numbered.