Jeb Bush jumps into presidential picture with holiday message saying he will 'actively explore' a White House run in 2016

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[h=1]Jeb Bush jumps into presidential picture with holiday message saying he will 'actively explore' a White House run in 2016[/h]

• Former Florida governor is brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush
• Announcement came Tuesday morning on Facebook and Twitter
• Run could be hampered by fears of a third Bush in a presidential 'dynasty'
• Conservatives object to his stance on immigration, which closely mirrors President Obama's
• Told college grads on Monday not to be bound to career choices based on what their parents chose to do

 

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday took his most definitive step yet toward running for president, announcing plans to 'actively explore' a campaign and form a new political operation allowing him to raise money for like-minded Republicans.
In a holiday message posted on Bush's Facebook page and Twitter account, the son and brother of past Republican presidents said he discussed the 'future of our nation' and a potential bid for the White House with members of his family over the Thanksgiving holiday.
'As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the

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In a holiday message posted on Bush's Facebook page and Twitter account, the son and brother of past Republican presidents said he discussed the 'future of our nation' and a potential bid for the White House with members of his family over the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Bush spoke at commencement exercises for The University of South Carolina on Monday, telling new graduates they should avoid the impulse to pattern their lives after those of their parents

 

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He added, 'In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.'
Kristy Campbell, a spokeswoman for Bush, said he has not yet made a final decision on whether to seek the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2016.
She said that he will announce his decision next year 'after gauging support' for a run.
'This is a natural next step and represents a new phase of his consideration process,' Campbell said.
That phase will include an expansion of Bush's political operations.
He said Tuesday he will start his own leadership political action committee in January, which will allow him to raise money and use it to support candidates in other races.




In his statement, Bush said the committee 'will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation.
The PAC's purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.'
The Democratic National Committee fired back in mere minutes.
'Isn’t this what he’s been doing all along?' asked DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee. 'I don’t know what the difference is between "thinking about" running and "actively exploring" running, but I suspect it has a lot to do with keeping his name in the news.'
'However you see it, there’s no parsing this simple fact: Jeb Bush has fully embraced the failed economic agenda that benefits only a select few at the expense of the middle class. That’s not going to change no matter how many different ways he says he may run.'
Bush's announcement is also sure to reverberate throughout Republican politics and begin to help sort out a field that includes more than a dozen potential candidates, none of whom have formally announced plans to mount a campaign.
Should he ultimately decide to run, Bush can tap into his family's vast political network and his campaign would attract strong support from the same donor pool that other establishment-minded Republicans – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie among them – need to fuel their own prospective campaigns.

 

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GLORY DAYS: In 1999 (pictured), George H.W. Bush was in his post-presidency and his two sons George W. (left) and Jeb (right) were both governors

 

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A Bush candidacy also has the potential to affect the plans of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who came up through Florida politics as a strong Bush supporter and is considering whether to seek re-election to the Senate or run for president in 2016.
Richard Schwarm, a former Iowa state Republican Party chairman, said he expected Bush to run in the Iowa caucuses, as did his father and brother.
Schwarm was among the earliest supporters of George W. Bush, and among those who went to Austin, Texas, to court the then-Texas governor in 1999.
'I think if you're going to be a national candidate you have to go where the ballots are and not be afraid to trust your campaign to Iowa voters, New Hampshire voters, Nevada voters and South Carolina voters,' said Schwarm, who considers Bush among his top considerations for president.
Tuesday's statement is the latest and most definitive signal that Bush plans to try and become the third member of his family to serve as president.
In a TV interview this past weekend, he said he 'would be a good president,' disclosed that he was writing an e-book about his time as governor that would come out in the spring, and promised to release about 250,000 emails from his time in office.
During his two terms as Florida governor, Bush pushed for large tax cuts, overhauled Florida's education system and led the charge to eliminate race-based policies in college admissions and state spending.

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FIGHTING WORDS: On Monday real estate tycoon Donald Trump lobbed a rhetorical hand grenade, saying: 'I'm a Republican but the last thing we need is another Bush. And his position on immigration is ridiculous'

 

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Since leaving office, Bush has continued to advocate for more changes to the nation's schools, including the adoption of new education standards known as Common Core.
Those standards have drawn the ire of conservatives who view them as a federal intrusion into local classrooms, but Bush has continued to call them critical to overhauling the country's education system, while seeking common ground with opponents by saying states should be allowed to develop their own education programs.
Schwarm said while Bush holds some positions that don't sit well with some GOP activists, such as the Common Core standards, 'I think they'll realize his honesty and integrity on speaking out on his mind shows he has the courage of his convictions.'
'Iowans will give him a serious look,' Schwarm said. 'And that's all candidates can ask for. It's up to him to make the sale to Iowans.'
Bush has drawn fire from right-wingers over his position on immigration, which closely mirrors that of President Barack Obama.
Real estate tycoon Donald Trump said Monday night in Washington that he considered that to be a deal-breaker.
'I'm a Republican but the last thing we need is another Bush,' he said.
'And his position on immigration is ridiculous.'

 

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'A Note from Jeb Bush' – his holiday message on Facebook



'Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
'Like many of you, our family was blessed with the opportunity to gather together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
'Columba and I are so proud of the wonderful adults our children have become, and we loved spending time with our three precious grandchildren.
'We shared good food and watched a whole lotof (sic) football.
'We also talked about the future of our nation. As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.
'In January, I also plan to establish a Leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation. The PAC's purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.
'In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.
'Best wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season. I'll be in touch soon.
'Onward,
'Jeb Bush'

 

[SheriffJoe]

 

[SheriffJoe]

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Limbaugh: Hillary/Jeb 2016 ‘The Perfect Ticket’

On his program Wednesday, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh continued his assault of former governor Jeb Bush, saying the potential GOP 2016 candidate and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would form “the perfect ticket.”

“The ideal, the perfect ticket for the 2016 election: Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush,” said Limbaugh on his broadcast Wednesday. “Now they can figure out who’s on top of the ticket on their own.”

“When you compare their positions – Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush – on the key important issues, they are two peas in the same pod.”

“And by the way Barbara Bush loves Bill Clinton. Says so publicly,” said Limbaugh. “The Clinton family and the Bush family are very tight. They are very close. There is never a negative or critical word uttered by a Bush of a Clinton or of a Bush by a Clinton.”

“This is made to order, the way both parties want amnesty – Jeb Bush wants it, Hillary wants it. Both parties want to win the nomination – Hillary by running away from the Democrat base, Jeb by running away from the Republican base. This is an ideal combination,” the popular conservative radio host said. “When it comes to Obamacare, national health care, both parties care about their donors more than their voters. Both parties have the exact same donor class.”

Rush slammed the possibility of a third Bush running for president, saying he would be making a “sacrificial run” to keep a tea party candidate away from the GOP nomination.

“This is a ticket made in heaven. I can’t recall a time in my life when a presidential and vice presidential candidate are so close to each other on the issues,” Limbaugh said emphatically.

“Where if one of them was unable to serve, we wouldn’t know the difference if the vice president had to take office. If Jeb’s at the top of the ticket and they win, and something to him happens and Hillary has to take over, nobody would know the difference. Same token, Hillary’s elected president, Jeb’s veep, Hillary can’t make it for some reason, her husband being the white Bill Cosby might come up, you never know,” said a rambling Rush. “Jeb becoming president, nobody would never know the difference. They wouldn’t skip a beat.”

“The moderates in the Republican Party are scared to death of Hillary Clinton? They’re petrified. What better way to deal with the fear of Hillary Clinton than to put her on your ticket?! The Democrats probably have the same kind of fear as the Bushes,” Limbaugh concluded.

“Why not accomplish both? Bipartisanship, crossing the aisle, united government, no more gridlock, key agreement on all the important issues that people vote on. Clinton, Bush 2016, you choose the top.”

 

[BleedingPurple]

Jeb Bush doesn't stand a chance