In the aftermath of Obama's announcement of a new foreign policy concerning the issues in the Middle East, the former Governor of Florida, son and brother of former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush, has begun his criticism of the policy. On Wednesday, Bush is expected to make a speech to the nation expressing his views on the topic. Some excerpts from his speech have reached news networks, and people on both sides of the political spectrum are anxious to hear what he has to say.
From what has become available to the public, Bush plans to criticize not only President Obama, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on their policy actions abroad. The crux of Bush's position will be based on the fact that he believes that "The great irony of the Obama presidency is this: Someone who came to office promising greater engagement with the world has left America less influential in the world." He has claimed that the Obama administration is not following up on their campaign promises of making America a more important player on the world stage, instead reducing it to the appeaser who will not stand up to significant foreign aggression. This of course will increase his favor with the Republican Party, as he seems to be the most likely candidate for the GOP 2016 Presidential nominee.
It is interesting to see how informed and knowledgeable this former governor is on the subject of foreign policy. Jeb Bush has grown up in politics, and has watched both his father and his brother take on the challenges of the presidency. However, despite his many family connections to the White House, Jeb is neither his father nor his brother. Another excerpt from Bush's speech shows that he acknowledges his predecessors mistakes and intends to not make the same ones. "I love my father and my brother. I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make. But I am my own man -- and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences."
What do you think this means for the future of American politics? Do you agree with Jeb on the basis that Obama has not been taking the right steps towards a more influential America? Will this speech he gives improve or hurt his chances at running for, or becoming president? What is your personal opinion of Jeb Bush? Do you think he would make a good president or will he repeat the mistakes of his father and brother?
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/17/politics/jeb-bush-iraq-speech/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/02/18/jeb-bush-foreign-policy-obama/23599367/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/us-usa-politics-bush-jeb-idUSKBN0LM06F20150218
7 comments:
Ryan,
Although Jeb Bush has not disclosed his current status for the 2016 election, he has made his presence in the political spectrum quite clear within these past few months. However, one can beg as to what Jeb means by "influence". With the recent actions committed by ISIS against people of all nationalities, many Americans believe that we should step in. Yet, by taking a stand against terrorists, isn't that a way of expanding influence? Moreover, people seem to forget that America was and is not the policeman of the world. Whenever there's a crisis, many of the world powers look to America to see what they will do. In my opinion, I think that America needs to stop putting soldiers on foreign soil. This country needs to work on itself before it can go to other areas. Furthermore, Jeb's speech creates an interesting rift in the current political spectrum. Many find that he is too liberal to be a Republican, others not so much. I believe that his speech also brings to light the differing opinions of politicians; which is always a good thing. After reading your blog, Ryan, I can safely say that I have learned more about Jeb's character. I especially find it interesting that he had to make a statement about his ideas in contrast to his father and brother. Due to his fathers and brothers past actions, Jeb will probably be weary of his actions and his policies.
Links:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/jeb-bush-president-republican-
primary-2016/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/02/18/jeb-bush-considers-himself-lucky-to-have-family-that-shaped-americas-foreign-policy-from-the-oval-office/
Ryan,
I am personally not a fan of George W. Bush or his father, but I find it interesting that Jeb would be bold enough to so strongly oppose Obama given his hopes of running for President in 2016. It is especially intriguing that he is going to attack Hillary Clinton's actions, as the two of them could face off if they lock down Democratic and Republican nominations.
When it comes to what he actually has to say in this speech, I am interested. I honestly do not know much about Jeb Bush, besides his family background, and I think this speech will be crucial for him to entice new voters. Specifically, I think that if he presents his ideas right, he could definitely earn the votes of many former Obama-supporting Democrats looking to see more action abroad. I personally do not think that Obama's actions have made the United States an "oppressed" nation, but rather a nation that has learned from the mistakes of the first two Bush presidents and is weary of entering long and costly wars. Like Lilly said, it is interesting that Jeb has acknowledged that he stands alone from his family legacy and will blaze his own trail; this is definitely admirable. From what I know about Jeb so far, I do not anticipate that he will repeat the mistakes of his father and brother, should he become president in 2016.
Ryan, you ask what does this mean for the future of American politics? Well, I think Jeb Bush’s declaration actually means very little. He is simply playing the political game that countless former politicians from both parties have played. He’s distancing himself from the faults of prior administrations and attacking the current status quo.
Hillary Clinton did the same thing when she ran in 2008, attempting to distance herself from her husband’s scandalous final years in office while also attacking the Bush administration. When he ran in 2000, Al Gore even said that he was his “own man,” not a reproduction of Clinton.
Bush’s words echo their actions; he literally states “I am my own man” in an attempt to show the American public that he respects his familial predecessors but will be a different leader. Other politicians have done the same in the past, so it no surprise that Bush has made a similar statement. In fact, it would be surprising if he were to stay silent on the issue and allow himself to become another figure in the Bush “Dynasty.” Silence would only breed suspicion that Jeb Bush is, indeed, a carbon copy of either his father or brother, which would likely undermine any presidential campaign. For it is unlikely, to quote one CNN article, that “a third man with the name "Bush" [will] win the presidency in a nation exhausted by war and suspicious of dynasties.”
On that vein, I don’t believe that Bush’s declaration of independence solidifies his position as the forerunner in the GOP campaign in any significant way. Republicans may be conservative, but they are not foolish; they are aware that even members of their own party oppose the nomination of a third man from the same political family. Moreover, the conservative GOP base still distrusts Bush’s father due to his tax increases, warnings to the Ukraine, dealings with the Soviet Union, and treatment of Saddam Hussein. Moreover, although popular today in the Republican party, George W Bush left office with a 34% approval rating after leading America into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and a slew of foreign conflicts that would take the Obama administration over 5 years to remove the nation from. So even though Bush is distancing himself from his father and brother, their connection cannot be forgotten.
The evidence suggests, however, that perhaps the connotation attached to their family name is deserved, even for Jeb Bush. Namely, his own foreign policy agenda is quite similar to his brother’s. He believes that Obama has been misled by Iran on nuclear talks and that the administration has bowed to Russia. He opposes reopening connections with Cuba and attacks Obama for pulling out of Iraq, claiming the administration’s failure to keep troops in the country created a void exploited by extremists. George W Bush has made similar comments. Moreover, in terms of identifying his specific policy, he stuck to Republican orthodoxy: promote a strong economy, increase military spending, rebuild NATO alliances, and repair relationships with traditional Middle East allies.
Thus, even though Bush’s speech was clearly an effort to position himself for the GOP primaries, Jeb Bush’s declaration of independence hardly sways my opinions of him. In fact, his speech only makes him appear more unexceptional. So unless he can through action, not just words, separate himself from his father and brother and prove to America that he is not just another Bush, he will not earn my vote. I doubt he will win America’s.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/18/politics/jeb-bush-iraq-speech/
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/jeb-bush-foreign-policy-115295.html#.VOXuJWRgbBc
http://www.gallup.com/poll/116500/presidential-approval-ratings-george-bush.aspx
Personally, I am a fan of Jeb Bush. I think that it is good that he has separated himself from his father and his brother during his political career. After the up and down presidencies of both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Jeb wants to be thought of as a totally different person with his own views and ideas, and I think that, because of this, he has a good chance to win the Republican nomination in the next presidential election. Jeb seems to appeal more to the people than did his father and brother. He has somewhat liberal views on some issues, while being conservative on others. Many think that his liberal views on certain issues will not work for the Republican party, but I disagree. I think that his varying viewpoints make him a very appealing candidate to many Americans.
I also agree with Bush on his opinions of Obama's tenure in office. I do not think that he has really lived up to other's expectations of him and his own ideas at the beginning of his first term. Many of the decisions made by Obama have made this country less influential in the world. He has not dealt with economic and military problems properly and he does not always work with Congress. This speech improves Jeb's chances of running for and eventually being elected president. He is a serious candidate in the 2016 election.
I think this early on it's difficult to determine what this means for the future of American politics. Sam, I understand what you're saying in your reply that he is just "playing the political game" by distancing himself from today's problems, and while that may be true, it seems unfair to expect him to do something else. As you pointed out, other politicians have done the same and if he doesn't distance himself from the problems, that won't do any good becuase there needs to be change. However, I completely agree with you that he needs to take action, and not just speak, to support his stance. To answer one of your questions, Ryan, I think he will be able to learn a lot from having close family members who were in the same position. Having a brother and father to offer their experience and by having his own ideas, he could be successful, but there are always challenges. One challenge he faces, as a New York Times article I read points out, is that his name alone already influences voters. If he has to focus more on proving he is his own person than on actually helping the country, that could be detrimental. The New York Times article I wrote quoted him as saying "New circumstances require new approaches." This suggests that he will have to be different becuase society and the world are different today then they were when his brother or father were in office.The article also said that he that he learned a lot about foreign policy from his time in Venezuela when he was younger, so what he learned from that time will also help him to be unique. Here is the link for the article I read: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/us/politics/i-am-my-own-man-jeb-bush-tells-foreign-policy-group.html?_r=0
In my opinion, Jeb Bush’s campaign is seen by many as another iteration of his brother, former President George H.W. Bush, who led the infamous “search and destroy” for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which were never found. He also enters the race tainted by his alleged involvement in the botched 2000 elections, where his state was the center of poor ballot standards and voting procedures, eventually leading in the victory of his brother for president. Bush, now trying to create a new image as he carries out his own presidential campaign, will be held back by his past mistakes, and will always be criticized around every corner of his policies.
Bush’s foreign policies are flawed in many ways, but share typical ideals with his Republican counterparts. Although he states his brother made some serious mistakes during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, from the lack of social development planning to the mismanagement of secondary initiatives to help rebuild the Iraqi government, he still wants to go out, fists raised in the air, and take on ISIS guns blazing. When asked about the diplomatic relations the current president wishes to set up with Islamic State, Bush immediately stated that Obama’s policies would not cure the current turmoil that is enveloping the Middle East. He claims that a broader stance on national security and a greater military presence overseas would help take out the Islamic State while gathering foreign aid through our dominance. Furthermore, Bush wants to inspire fear in our enemies that we held decades back under his father, George W. Bush, when America was at its finest when it came to international diplomacy.
Although this all sounds very patriotic, Bush’s new policies could easily turn into another disaster similar to his brothers. Obama’s step-by-step initiative to ease us into the conflict with ISIS is preventing another “domino effect” similar to 2003, where we quickly fulfilled all of our military objectives without planning for long-run initiatives in politics and society. Bush, although he shows vigor and enthusiasm towards conquering the terrorist threat, has no sense of the issue at hand. He is starting to become a war hawk, despite trying to differentiate himself from his brother and separate from pragmatists.
Ryan, I think that you have really shown Jed's character and it is clear that although one is always influenced by their family he will try and go down his own path. I also am intrigued to see what he has to say in his speech because he clearly has some interesting things to say. In my opinion Jed seems to be a bold man by speaking out against Obama so strongly, especially with his place in politics at the time. I am sure that many voters will also have some change of views after Jed's speech, especially if he decides to run in 2016. Although it is a heavily disputed topic, it can be assumed that many will support Jed's opinion that the U.S. needs to take more action in foreign affairs. Despite the fact that many Americas agree with Obama's course of action and think that he is doing the right thing by stepping back. Regardless, it should be interesting to see how the speech may increase Jed's support and what his future actions will be, whether they reflect his family's past choices or make him stand out separate from them.
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