The Business of American Presidential Campaigns: Welcome Jeb Bush to the Family Enterprise?

Keywords or Term: Political Heritage; America’s Presidency; Central Intelligence Agency, Order of Skull & Bones; Prescott Bush; George H.W Bush; George H. Bush; Jeb Bush; from Females, Gays, Lesbians, Asians, Blacks, Jews, Mexicans, gentiles; brown skinned Hawaiian-bred man; President Barack Obama; Hillary Rodham Clinton; Elizabeth Warren

Recently my wife suggested that the Bush family has the business of campaigning for the US presidency cornered. At first I thought the comment was absurd, since no specific family or person(s) can claim to have cornered a business as ephemeral as running for a political office. After all, the constitution opens the door for every free-born and willing American to run for any political office of choice, from city council to the Speaker of the House or majority whips in US Senate. To orchestrate my wife’s concern to the level of attention of American voters, I said I’ll visit the candidacy of Jeb Bush in this posting. To be sure that other Americans are concerned about this problem and would like some escalation of some sort, I will affirm here that I do not have complete expertise and or wisdom to address why Americans may be contemplating voting into the Presidency or candidacy of the second progeny of the same man, who once ran the Central Intelligence Agency, in an age of transparency; or, give a second thought to the brother of a former President under whose term America experienced the worst financial melt-down in recent memory.

On second thought, the notion still perplexing, the possibility seemed no longer unrealistic with the announcement from Jeb Bush that he was setting up an exploratory committee and APAC, pending a plan to run for the White House in 2016. The Bush family has been involved in campaigning for the White House for over twenty years, counting twelve for George H.W. Bush (Bush I); eight for George W. Bush (Bush II); and now, the impending two year run of former and 43^rd Governor of the State of Florida, Jeb Bush. The Bush clan appears to share a native believe that American problems can only be solved by their family in the White House the third time around. This notion probably springs from their grandfather’s (Prescott Bush) service to the nation as a Senator from State of Connecticut and probably, George H.W Bush’s brotherhood in the secret society of the Order of Skull and Bones, Yale University, Connecticut. No one can deny the lofty resume of the 41^st President of the United States: 43^rd Vice-President of the US; Chief of US Liaison to the People’s Republic of China; 48^th Chairman of the Republican National Committee; US Ambassador to the United Nations; and of course, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Does political power and service generate decadency and ascendancy of some sort to one’s children, grandchildren or great grandchildren? Can one’s political heritage define one’s destiny in seeking the office of the US President; and, or guarantee one’s performance in that high office? The White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture forming the core of the American 20^th century outlook is partially if not completely endemic of this family tree; and may be one very credible, if not complete affirmation of the urge or desire to run for the US Presidency by members of the Bush Clan.

When put bluntly and starkly, are the Bushes’ the only family in America who has the wherewithal, either financially or hereditary, to bear the burden of leadership that will see Americans to the promised land; the utopia, which the foremost civil right preacher once said, a nation where my children will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin? Are the Bushes so very foremost and brilliant in all wisdoms to address the ever so present challenges of making the system fairer or the competitive field livelier; where minorities and immigrants are not castigated for moving here to better their lot in life, while working years in mundane jobs that hardly pay their ways through the ever so competitive free enterprise system? Perhaps this is true, considering how many very competent people, politicians, businessmen, college professors, senators and legislatures, who have same prowess, if not better skills and wisdom than the Bushes, who have failed to come forth to run for the highest office in the land. Until the middle of the twentieth century, hardly did we have men and women of color in high political office. Not even till early eighties, did we have a very viable person of color run for the US Presidency. The Presidency was perceived as the lofty prize of puritan Anglo-Saxon male for over two centuries before came the man who said, Yes, we can, while running for the office in 2007-2008.

American presidential campaigns and political landscape have irrevocably changed since the advent of Barack H. Obama. But the perception still persists that only the puritan male Anglo-Saxon with well-known names or family connections; or, with a brand name American voters are familiar with, can only win the White House. Unfortunately, there are some of us that believe that such myopic notion of voter’s behavior is conflated; and, the successes of the Presidency of that brown skinned Hawaiian-bred man has changed the game, forever! No longer are American voters under the spell or impression that only a group of people or family are called to the Presidency; or favorable enough to be nominated by either major political party; or, move forward to winning the White House. Anglo-Saxons male are not so much the benevolent deities that will profess solution to our nation’s challenges, socially, economically, or politically. The landscape has changed and fresh ideas for change can come from Females, Gays, Lesbians, Asians, Blacks, Jews, Mexicans, gentiles and what have you. Proficient Leadership is not solely germane to one single person or family. The American ideals are self-evident in all the sub-groups that make up America and anyone, anyone with the leadership skill and the spirit to serve is welcomed at the altar of presidential grace.

American minority groups must aim higher than before. They must understand that the notion of being second to anyone is archaic and very much undemocratic. Huge Campaign chest might look elusive at first; however, if professed solutions in campaign messages sync with the voters; and, a candidate is dynamic and convincing enough to carry his campaign to the door steps of voters before November, 2016, winning is no longer an aberration but a certainty to a degree in our probably post-racial society. American political problems are hardly insurmountable; minorities aspiring to higher office of Mr. or Mrs. President just have to believe in their message bringing succor to the tireless working voters who are ready to help along finding solutions to these nation’s problems. Finally, no one is actually ordained or destined to become the President of any country; most people you find in political offices, at one time or the other have doubted if they could actually win an election to that office. Huge and deep campaign purses, often urged by many political campaign strategists, may help; but are not often the complete solution to winning elections.  Sometimes, sedulous pursuit and moral principles of a candidate have surmounted the odds of failure to being elected to a political office.

A winning presidential campaign would be guided by specifiable voters’ bread and butter caviar message; and, by all means the candidate may want to assuage doubts from first time listeners. The US Presidency campaign message(s) need not be inconsistent with the immigrant status, sex, religion, race, morality, or what have you; but should be simple enough not to confuse or damage the self-interest of the voter. Peddling political messages does not necessarily have to be at a warp speed or break the bank to accomplish the goal; history has shown some politicians winning elections with shoe-string campaign chest. Maybe not the Presidency; however, the possibilities are there and there is often a first time! Candidates must never hold themselves back or aloof from voters; or be perceived as such; or worst still, a flip-flopper. The Republican Party of today has been seeking new blood in the mainly Anglo-Saxon dominated party hierarchy; such fresh bloods from minority groups, including Women, Mexicans and Asians, have eluded the party because of their professed bias, clothed in the principle of exclusions in major national issues that affect these subgroups’ welfare. This is why crafting a message appealing to the needs of these sub-groups are so essential to victory at the national level and one that has recently eluded their party’s flag bearer.

Jeb Bush is not a messiah or politician by instinct. Although he had a somewhat meritorious service as 43^rd Governor of the State of Florida, no Democratic Floridian will tell you, that he often know and understand what will work and what policy will not work for Floridians. Neither his affiliation to the Bush clan of past Presidents of the United States guarantees his success to become the Republican flag bearer; or eventual US President. Nor his name brand automatically dedicated loyalty of national voters in elections. One judgment a new comer, male or female from the minority subgroups, will experience in 2016 Presidential elections is the possibility of what seems for now impossible: the nomination of a candidate other than Jeb Bush as the Republican flag bearer; and,  the chances of his losing the contest to a female candidate in the overall elections.

Mr. Jeb Bush began talking about the welfare of the middle class tonight in San Francisco. He proposed the overhaul of the country’s immigration and education system, including job training and easement of regulations to spur economic growth. These are not essentially new ideas; in fact, most of them have been proposed, accomplished or in the process of being accomplished by the Obama’s Administration except for the recalcitrance of the Republican Congress. Minorities playing for the same audience could have offered much creative ideas and proposal, and show how they would build a coalition of more resourceful and nationalistic group to help find answers to American Problems. They could have also offered solid and convincing augment as to how they will build on the accomplishments of the current administration.

A major complicating factor to Jeb Bush’s ambition for many outsiders who heard his speech, is the fact that he continues to reiterate the archaic Republican swing song that Obamacare or Affordable Care Act is a job killer and its ‘monstrosity’ must be rolled back, including executive orders that President Obama reverted to, when he could not get help from Congressional Republican legislators on the same propositions he is putting forward as course for his presidential run: middle-income earners welfare, immigration reform, education reform, easement of over burdening laws on the book that has prevented economic growth. For many political watchers, his proposals are not new; his blame game, very emblematic of Republicans; and his informal advancements hardly veer from the condemnation of current administration by Mitt Romney in his run for the White House in 2012.  

Perhaps the lightness of his proposals and the similarity of his criticisms reminiscent of Mitt Romney’s past offer, including the horrible  insinuation that President Obama is to blame for the rise of Islamic State group in Middle East, shows how short sighted and how historically ignorant Jeb Bush is, even in current time. If Jeb Bush can talk about weak leadership in Obama’s Administration season, maybe he should scout the books for the criminally culpable enterprise his big brother led in the course of his foreign voyeurism across the globe while 43^rd President of the United States (2001 – 2009). For record purposes, George W. Bush and his Vice President, Dick Chaney, are still wanted in some Europeans Countries for possible war crime conviction. When George W. Bush was exiting the Presidency, his approval rating was so low, the worst ever since records were kept; it is very shameless for the Junior Bush, Jeb Bush, to say anything actually critical of a President who cleaned up after the mess his big brother left behind. No wonder Jeb Bush met with Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 Presidential nominee who is contemplating another run in 2016, at his Utah residence a day before the San Francisco speech. What did he offer as the reason for their awkward meeting: to discuss policy! Come on ladies, a female candidate and President is in the making: wither Hillary Rodham Clinton or Elizabeth Warren?

In the past, competing candidates for a political office hardly share their note books or ambition or inclination towards the office in public. Here is a situation where competing candidates for the Republican flag bearer are meeting and discussing behind closed doors, potential policies for America. Who ordained these guys as America’s saviors? This is the real reason American voters must look themselves in the eyes and say, neither a Bush nor a Romney for America. These guys are from privileged backgrounds that have a sense of entitlement. Let’s us join together to put forth a President who shares our convictions, both establishment Republican candidates must be halted before they get a chance to do damage to America. Jeb Bush’s big brother, George W. Bush just did us in eight years ago; and, Mitt Romney has shown how disdainful he is of the underprivileged and poor. Need I say more?