No to 'Jeb Bush for President'

I like Jeb Bush; I like his brother, George. At a personal level – not a political level – they live the sorts of lives that conservatives should want us all to live. Mitt Romney also has lived an honorable and decent life, with hard work and love of family as vital elements of his character. While George H. Bush, John McCain, and Bob Dole are much less likeable, I cannot, as a conservative or a patriot, dismiss out of hand their courage against evil nations in combat or their noble tenacity in combat or after combat injuries. But these three, like George W. Bush, Mitt Romney – and Jeb Bush – will not produce the radical, but legal, conservative revolution that our nation needs.

As I have noted before, in the last century, there have been precisely three men nominated by either political party who are true conservatives – Coolidge (perhaps our greatest president), Goldwater, and Reagan. Out of the fifty major political party nominations in the last century, exactly four have been conservatives – Coolidge and Goldwater nominated only once each. I disagree with those who see no difference between the two political parties. Democrats are owned body and soul by the godless, misanthropic left. Republicans are divided into three parts: the Charlie Crist utter opportunists who care about nothing but his ego and his power; the Bush/Romney dynastic clan who feel a sense of noblesse oblige toward their countrymen; and the true conservatives, who see in liberty the only real function of government. The first group – the Jim Jeffords, Lincoln Chaffee, and Chuck Hagel types – are enemies, pure and simple. The second group, however, are profoundly misguided and will never lead a conservative revolution because they would not understand the need for it. These are the sorts, like Jeb Bush, would think making government more efficient and honest will cure our nation’s ills: dead wrong, of course, but not malicious. It is this class of Republican whom we have been enticed into nominating: folks like Tom Dewey, the incorruptible prosecutor; Dwight Eisenhower, the great wartime organizer and leader; Herbert Hoover, the selfless humanitarian and wise businessmen; Alf Landon, the honest Midwest governor; and so on. There is some marginal benefit in having these sorts in the White House. Eisenhower kept us from war, and Nixon ended a Democrat war. They treat our allies like allies instead of enemies. All of the conservative Supreme Court justices have all been appointed by Republican presidents, including these RINO presidents. But these presidents are, at best, simply caretakers. We need revolutionaries. Jeb Bush falls right in the middle of this bowl of warm tapioca. He is a good campaigner; his long and happy marriage to a Mexican woman might really affect the Hispanic vote; he is a popular former governor in a key state. Conservatives, however, would find only negative reasons for supporting his presidential run: he would be better than Hillary. Jeb Bush could, however, really help the conservative cause in America if he set his sights lower. In four years, Bill Nelson will be running for re-election. Winning his seat, which in normal times would be safe, may be a key to Republicans controlling the Senate. Jeb Bush is a formidable Floridian campaigner. Why not win this Senate seat for Republicans in a swing state? This ought to be a message for Republican RINOs dreaming of the White House from swing or even blue states. Governor Christie, you are probably the only Republican who could beat Bob Menendez, so why not make that your political goal? Governor Kasich, you could probably beat Sherrod Brown in Ohio, so why not run for that office when you term ends in 2018? Governor Romney, the pseudo-Cherokee radical Elizabeth Warren will face voters in 2018 as well – why not try to unseat her then? Challenging incumbent Democrat senators with strong Republican challengers in states like Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and Massachusetts helps the conservative cause, even if the winner is more milquetoast than we would like. If Jeb Bush wants conservatives to see him as a true ally in our cause, he should begin right now to build up a formidable campaign now to win the Senate seat held by Nelson in the 2018 election. Let folks like Christie, Kasich, and Romney do the same in their blue states. Jeb Bush for senator? You bet! Jeb Bush for president? No way.