There must be something in the water at the Bush family household, because Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, will be the third Bush to seek the presidency of the United States.
Could the dynasty continue? It seems so. Until mid-July, Jeb held the frontrunner status. Since then, Donald Trump and Ben Carson have surpassed his polling average. Yet political scientists expect Carson and Trump’s reign will not last long. Jeb Bush, a fairly moderate Republican, could be the party’s best chance at a victory.
Jeb Bush was the governor from a swing state, Florida, and was the first Republican to hold the office for two consecutive terms. While in Mexico on a high school exchange program, he met his wife Columba. Both of these facts could help Jeb secure some minority votes with Hispanics.
During his two terms as governor, Jeb Bush was accredited with introducing environment improvements like preserving the Everglades, supporting caps for medical malpractice litigations, moving Medicaid recipients to private systems, and state education reform by issuing vouchers and promoting school choice.
Here is a breakdown of some of Jeb’s positions on the major issues:
Abortion: Abortions should only be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger. There should be no public funding for abortion clinics.
Oil: Bush supports the creation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the controversial drilling method called fracking.
Immigration: People in the United States illegally should be provided a path to legal status, but not access to permanent citizenship. In order to avoid deportation, illegal immigrants should be required to pay fines, get work permits, pay taxes, not receive government assistance, and have no criminal record. Eliminate all sanctuary cities.
Same-sex marriage: After the Supreme Court ruling that occurred this summer, Bush said people should accept the court ruling and respect same-sex couples in committed relationships.
Gun Control: Bush believes in the right to bear arms. He also support a state’s right to place restriction on the purchase and possession of firearms.
Affordable Care Act/“Obamacare”: If elected president, Bush has promised to completely repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Taxes: Bush wants to cut taxes for all Americans and believes in minimal government interference. Additionally, Bush supports a decrease in capital gains taxes and property taxes.
Iraq war: Bush has said that he would have not started the Iraq war that his brother engaged our country in during his presidency. He also maintains that the world is a safer place without Saddam Hussein.
Education: Bush is a strong supporter of the Common Core education standards across the U.S. While governor of Florida, created the first government-funded voucher program.
Foreign Policy: Cancel any nuclear deal that Obama and Kerry have established with Iran. Expand troops in countries near Russia to provide protection from Putin. Strengthen the embargo with communist Cuba, instead of opening relations. Support U.S. ally Israel in any terrorist attacks. Develop a harder strategy against ISIS through advisory, not military action.
The Republican field of candidates is large and competitive, but Jeb Bush has the experience, name-recognition, and moderate-stance more recently favored by the party elite to secure the Republican presidential nomination for 2016. It’s still too early to tell, but we could easily have another Bush in office soon.
Next week I’ll tackle the other dynasty: Hillary Clinton.
