Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Jeb Bush Adds a Weapon (His Brother) Despite Worries It Could Misfire
One of the biggest campaign strategies is having celebrities and well-known figures endorse a candidate. A few days ago, Jeb Bush's campaign had a special guest: his brother, former president George W. Bush. Reporters and politician commentators are divided on whether this a good stately or not. Do you think the strategy will help Jeb Bush get votes and/or gain popularity in the polls? Why or why not? Is there anything in it for President George W. Bush? Is the reminder of the Bush legacy a good thing or a bad thing for Jeb Bush's campaign?
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It's hard to tell whether the Bush legacy will help or hurt Jeb Bush's campaign. It may help him in certain primaries where the Bush family is held in high regard, such as South Carolina. However, I think George W Bush's appearance will hurt Jeb's campaign overall because of his low public approval during his presidency, and due to the public's desire for a Washington outsider candidate. There probably isn't anything in for George Bush since his political career has already passed its peak.
ReplyDeleteWell, now that we know that George Bush wasn't enough to make a significant difference in Jeb Bush's campaign, I think the question becomes will Jeb's endorsement make a difference for any of the remaining candidates campaign? Also, and probably more importantly, where will the money Jeb Bush was able to raise go? My guess on the latter is that it'll either go to Rubio or Kasich because they are establishment candidates just like Jeb was.on the former, I think Jeb's endorsement (most likely to Rubio in my opinion) will bolster whoever he gives it to and his voters will most likely land in Kasich's or Rubio's camp.
ReplyDeleteIn my opnion, I think the Bush legacy will help Jeb Bush's campaign. But it may only help in some instances where the Bush family is held in high regard. In contrast, it might not help becasue George W Bush's presence won't help Jeb Bush's overall campaign. This is becasue of low public approval and this can cause for it to hurt Jeb's campaign.
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ReplyDeleteI think thatJeb Bush was grasping at straws as he tried to save his campaign. In the beginning, he was very adamantly opposed to being associated with his brother or his father because he wanted to be known as his own man, but later in the race when his campaign was not going as well as he might have hoped, he went back on his words. As the article says, he took to mentioning his family unprompted. I think that in the long run, this endorsement will not matter because I do not think that he can win. Because his brother had such low presidential ratings, it did not matter that the two are now being associated with each other.
ReplyDeleteI think it was last-ditch, desperate attempt to help Jeb in the pulls, but there are just so many more formidable and frankly "loud" candidates which have overshadowed Jeb. Also after two Bushes in office, I'm not sure how many people are happy with electing a third one. I think a reminder of the Bush legacy is not something that would help one's campaign. I think seeing a previous president in office on the stand though would definitely rouse people's attention. I think ringing endorsements can only help candidates so much, as we've learned a lot of it is about personality.
ReplyDeleteI agree that George W. Bush's endorsement of Jeb was a last minute effort for him to gain supporters. The Bush legacy wasn't going to help him anymore than it already was, and obviously he would have the support from his brother. Also, I don't think it helped him because George W. Bush wasn't exactly the most liked president. The endorsement didn't hurt Jeb, but it also didn't help him.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Jeb Bush's brother's endorsement does help to draw attention to Jeb's campaign, however, in my opinion it is not a very bright light shining on his campaign and many people are turned away by his presence. After the scandal between Bush and Al Gore in 2001 I believe that a lot of people lost trust in Bush and furthermore lost trust on during his decision to go to war with Iraq. Because of this I believe that Bush's presence will not only turn people away, but it will also be going more influence to the other candidates, which is obviously not what Bush wants. I also think it's important to highlight that if Jeb needs his brother in order to be more recognized and draw more attention, what would try be the quality of his presidency if he had won? In my opinion, that is something none of us want to see.
ReplyDeleteGeorge W. Bush is toxic and Jeb Bush's campaign should have realized that early on and spent all of its time distancing itself from Jeb's brother. For a time, that is exactly what they did. They had "Jeb!" posters with his last name dropped to emphasize him as an individual, not as a member of the Bush family. On the other side of the isle, Hillary is sticking by her last name, going so far as to drop the "Rodham" that she ran for office with for so long, because that name is attached to a popular presidency. Jeb's last name, on the other hand, is coupled with wars and terrorist attacks and increased spending and size of government. To consciously drop his last name on propaganda, and then invite his brother to campaign for him is counterproductive. He is not his brother, but people seeing them together will not come to that conclusion. I'm not sure that other candidates, now that Jeb has dropped out, will actively seek the endorsement of G.W. Bush. Many, many people do not like him as a president. Jeb's decision to bring his brother on was, like others have said, a last ditch effort, so I'm not sure other candidates will want to go that far.
ReplyDeletePoor Jeb. He never really had a chance. His brother's legacy was buzzed about early on in the campaign season. It seemed as though he has shaken it, and was mentioned as a possible frontrunner, but Trump blew him out of the water. The last-ditch effort made by Jeb really shows how desperate he was. I think Jeb would have had a chance had he not have run against Trump. He would have only had to overcome his legacy. Instead, he overcame his legacy and then was kicked down by Trump
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