Jeb Bush 'Not Running' in 2012

Jeb Bush, the well-known former Governor of Florida and brother of the last President has announced that he is "not" running for President in 2012. This follows speculation from many places, including here at little-old Jumping in Pools.

Politico is quoting an interview from a Florida radio station-- and Bush was pretty unequivocal:

But asked Tuesday by Louisville’s ABC affiliate WHAS following an event with Paul whether he was eyeing a challenge to President Barack Obama, Bush responded flatly: “I am not running for president.”

 

Whether this means that he will or not-- it's about a year too early to see. That being said, I believe that he would be a strong candidate, but his last name is still hurting him.

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Advice of the Day from Jeb Bush

 Fred Barnes has a good piece up from the Weekly Standard-- he was chatting with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush about his future and the future of the Republican Party. According to the article, Jeb isn't running for President in 2012, even though we've written that he'd be a good candidate for the job. Bush was especially elegant by embracing Rubio early on.

Bush was a particularly popular governor, leading the state through a recession and bad hurricanes, even when terrible management nearly destroyed part of Louisiana. He does have some very prescient advice on what the GOP should do in order to carry the midterm elections and beyond:

His advice to Republicans for the midterm elections: Pursue a bold, policy-oriented campaign. “I completely disagree with the idea that you rope-a-dope,” he says. “If we just are trying to be against the president’s efforts to redefine who we are as a nation, eventually .  .  . you can’t score many touchdowns playing defense the whole game.”

Bush seems to be right on the ball with this. Anti-Obama and anti-incumbent senitment will only carry the GOP so far. The Democrats tried this in 2004 with their anti-Bush approach-- and without giving a message of their own, they got whooped.

Bush also singled out Paul Ryan, one of the best leaders in the House today. He also predicted a tremendous Rubio win, with Crist finishing in third.

So keep your eyes on him-- Bush might try for a third in his family in the White House in 2016. He's only 57 at this point.

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Why Jeb Bush Might Not be Such a Bad Idea

Politico has an article up and Hot Air has linked to it about the possibility of a future Bush in national politics. Of course, this is Jeb Bush, the well-known former governor of Florida. Jeb is George W.'s brother and with a voting population not too enamored with the Bushes, the logic of having him be the face of the GOP might not seem like a great idea.

That being said, there are some advantages.

• Credibility: Bush was a highly successful two-term governor of Florida. He was consistently conservative on many issues and remained very popular.
• Experience: Bush pushed through landmark legislation including an education overhaul. In a time of economic uncertainty, the fact that he also served as the state's Secretary of Commerce is a big plus.
• Demographic appeal: Bush is a converted Catholic and is able to play to both the Protestant and Catholic populations. Bush is also married to Columba Bush, who is Latina. Bush is fluent in English and Spanish and has a following among the state's Cuban-American population.
• Popular in a swing state: If Bush was at the top of the ticket, the GOP would carry Florida, period. His appeal would also reach into increasingly Latino states in the West.

So don't count out this solidly conservative success story. Yes, he might have the "baggage" of the Bush name, but he would make a good President. And think about it: could he actually be worse than Obama.

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