Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Republicans Don't Like Dynasties. Or maybe they just don't like Jeb Bush.
54% of Americans think electing another Clinton or Bush president would be bad for the country. More than six of ten Republicans say electing Clinton or Bush would be bad for the country while 42% of Democrats believe the same. More Republicans appear to be against Jeb Bush because of his last name than Democrats against Hilary Clinton. Why do you think the parties act so differently towards dynasties? Bush's campaign might also be suffering because the 2016 presidential election is viewed as a supportive "outsider" election while Bush is very much a political insider. Do you think it is the candidates' family name or the distaste of dynasties in general that is hurting Bush's campaign? Do you think Jeb Bush still has a chance at the GOP nomination? Does his family's name hurt his campaign or is fundamentally Jeb's bad performance that causes his drop in polls?
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I think that parties act so differently towards dynasties because, like many other things, they have different opinions on them. Republicans might not like the idea of dynasties as they want small governments and after a while dynasties may start to seem like monarchies. Democrats might not mind or they don't think it's the most important thing about the candidate.
ReplyDeleteI think Bush's campaign is suffering because of the distaste of dynasties. We've already had two Bushs, a third would definitely be a dynasty. I don't think it's the family name because, for the most part, the Bush administrations did not have any huge scandals (like the Clintons did). However, he also has not had a remarkable performance and has not stood out from the crowd.
I think that Hilary Clinton, while another Clinton might be distasteful to some, is very popular because she would be the first female president and has a wide knowledge on foreign policy as she was Secretary of State.
In my opinion, it seems that Clinton is getting more votes probably because she is a woman, and as we learned, women are more likely to vote Democratic. Even though she is a part of this "political dynasty," she brings something new to the table and this is attractive particularly to female voters. And while I have no qualms about a female president, I do not think that gender is an appropriate reason to choose a president.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Jeb Bush is just another Bush. I really do not know who will get the Republican nomination; I think it is possible, but unlikely for Bush. It seems to me that his last name is hurting him because as far as I know, there is nothing as obvious as Clinton's advantage to set him apart from his family.
It seems to me that Hillary Clinton is able to garner a large amount of support from her constituents in the Democratic Party -despite her last name- because she has been able to make a name for herself and prove that she is her own person, and not just Bill Clinton's wife. To the contrary of this, Jeb Bush seems to be an extension of the Bush family "dynasty", not providing a clear distinction between himself and his brother. It is for this reason that I believe Jeb Bush's campaign is suffering. It has less to do with his last name, I think, and more to do with the fact that voters would feel that if he were elected, he would only be serving as a third term for George W. Bush.
ReplyDeleteAmericans in general dislike dynasties. It's not something that's part of our political culture, in contrast to that other nations like England. Republicans may be more opposed to dynasties because their ideology values smaller size and scope of government, and monarchies/dynasties may make it seem like the government has more power. However, Democrats are more supportive of larger government, so they may be more ok with a dynasty. I think the dislike of dynasties and the Bush family name are both contributing to Jeb Bush's lack of success in the polls. Both previous Bush presidents weren't very popular, and that carries weight on the family name. Jeb Bush isn't a very exceptional candidate either, so that plus his family name and the potential for a Bush dynasty does not make him a very popular candidate.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that parties act so differently towards dynasties because different parties have fairly different opinions on almost everything. Republicans like small, concentrated control in government, so the idea of dynasties might not go well with them. Democrats probably wouldn't mind it or think much of it as a deal breaker with the candidate. Jeb Bush is suffering in his campaign for his strong dislike in dynasties. I don't think it's the family name that is the cause of this hurting in Bush's campaign becasue there wasn't any major scandals or bad things that ruined the family name as a whole. On the other hand, I think that Hilary Clinton is very popular because of her being the first female president and all her knowledge as a whole. She is very different, while Jeb Bush just seems to be an extension of the Bush family and nothing new.
ReplyDeleteI think to say that just Jeb's last name is hurting him would be silly. Of course some Republicans don't like dynasties and hate political insiders, but Jeb's downfall can also be attributed to his lack of charisma and lack of consistency. Jeb's best chance is for other Republicans to drop out so he can pick up their followers and be able to get his voice heard over the noise of the other Republican candidates. He has a chance, but I don't think he will win.
ReplyDeleteI think it might have to do a lot with his name that is hurting him, along with the idea of there being a dynasty. Although it is true Jeb is already a political insider and so the idea of his name being a problem is nothing new we shouldn't overlook that he just hasn't really been having a successful campaign on his own. The parties may be acting differently about these dynasties just because the candidates in question are handling it differently. Hilary's name hasn't been to much of an issue for her as much as it has been for Jeb. Maybe it's because he is the son and younger brother of the past presidents rather than the spouse. Honestly I don't think Jeb will get the nomination, he's kind of a goof. There is a slight chance though.
ReplyDeleteI think the term dynasty says it all in this situation. Being in a democracy we are promised control over who leads the nation. The beginning of a dynasty begins to move away from this fundamental law of a democracy. A dynasty is closer to a royal family then it is to a democracy. I personal don’t support Jeb Bush but I am indifferent about Hillary Clinton. I think more democrats support Hillary’s ideas then Republican do concerning Jeb’s; which is what leads to there supporting numbers.
ReplyDeleteJeb’s last name may be a factor as to why many people don’t support him, but I think there are many more important factors. The Bush’s all seem to have similar views on the issues, whereas the Clinton’s views have more differences. It doesn’t help Bush that he’s competing against many more people than Clinton. He’s also a political insider, and Republicans are favoring the outer candidates. Overall, I think people support Jeb less because he’s just not an interesting candidate. Clinton’s getting more support because she’s more consistent on her views, and her presidency wouldn’t be a continuation of Bill Clinton’s. Bush may have a better chance if some of the candidates dropped out, but I don’t necessarily think he can win.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the cause for Bush's struggles is not a distaste for dynasties but rather a distaste for specifically his last name, and the same can be said for Clinton. Both of those names have been linked to significant scandal, and naturally the public will shy away from such things. If both of their families had a clean record and people still turned away from them, then I would tend to think that it was because of a dislike for dynasties, but that is not how I see it now. As for the difference between parties, I think that can be chalked up to how much each party supports political outsiders and insiders currently: Republicans are tending to drift towards outsiders much more than the Democrats are, and it is showing here with Clinton getting more support than her fellow insider Bush. With all of those factors in mind, I think it is generally fair to say that Bush's struggles are caused largely (but not in full) by his last name, although he has also made his own errors, as all the candidates have. Despite all of this, I do not think that Bush is out of the running for the Republican nomination. I think that as the actual election nears, more of the general population will become more interested, and with that people with less conservative, more moderate views will join the ranks of voters, people with perspectives that align more with Bush, and I think that then Bush will have an easier time of finding votes.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough Democrats and Republicans may have different views on dynasties, I believe that the candidate’s predecessors and the candidates themselves are what is affecting Bush’s and Clinton’s popularities.
Bush has had two others come before him: his father and his brother. George HW Bush invaded Iraq for the first time, but then pulled troops out before the end of his term. George W Bush went back into Iraq when he was in office, keeping and adding more troops during his presidency. Also, during both of their presidencies, debt increased. These factors may not affect Republican voters’ perceptions as much as the fact that he has had two family members precede him. Since Jeb has not really created a name for himself and has not been as active as other candidates, these two factors have probably attributed more to his lower popularity. However, I believe he does have somewhat of a chance though.
Clinton only had her husband come before her. During his presidency, the scandal occurred with Monica Lewinsky, which caused a decrease in trust in government. However, Clinton did not invade Iraq, and debt decreased. I do not think the fact that her husband was president is affecting her popularity with Democrats. I believe that she is more popular than Jeb because she has created a name for herself. The fact that she is a woman (which should not matter) definitely helps her, and also the fact that she was secretary of state.
I don't think that people are against a future president being related to a former president so much as they are against a future president with the last name Bush. You can look at Hillary Clinton's numbers, which are significantly better than those of Jeb Bush, and realize that it's not political dynasties that people are against. Instead, it's what those people think of when they hear a certain name. Bill Clinton's favorability numbers are much higher than George Bush's were. With that being said, the fact that there hasn't been huge backlash against political dynasties in this country baffles me. How can one be against a family holding a large portion of the country's wealth, but not be against a family in possession of huge amounts of political power?
ReplyDeleteI do think that Jeb still has a chance of securing the GOP nomination. There are no limits to what money can do, and candidates have seen last minute surges this late in the past. Despite Jeb's last name, I think that this bump in the road was able to be overcome with a strong message and even stronger performance. Unfortunately, Jeb didn't deliver on either, instead relying on his last name to carry him to victory - which clearly isn't working so well for him.
I don't think dynasties are the problem. I honestly think America has a bad case of retrospective voting. Both the Bush and Clinton names are tarnished with a bad reputation. I feel the difference between the Democratic and Republican parties is the respective name. Clinton is regarded with more esteem than George W Bush. Because of this, the respective parties are divided on the issue.
ReplyDeleteI hope Jeb still has a chance because that means that Trump would have less of a chance. In a way, I tend to take pity on Jeb. he's in a tough spot that he's not doing a good job of getting out of.