Jeb Bush's 2016 campaign is off to a bad start. He's flipped-flopped so many times on immigration, no one can tell what his actual position is. And now, instead of being forthright about his W's disastrous adminsitration, he's embracing him.
One of the biggest obstacles facing him if he is to mount a White House run could be his name. There is some resistance in the US, a country proud of its democratic credentials, to electing a third Bush into the White House. But the main problem is the negative feelings still arouse by the George W presidency.
Seeking to confront that issue, the former Florida governor told NBC: "In his four years as president a lot of amazing accomplishments took place. So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now."
Let's look at what history is saying about W's tenure right now:
- While Bush was in office, the median household income declined, poverty increased, childhood poverty increased even more, and the number of Americans without health insurance spiked.
- President Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll showing Mr. Bush's final approval rating at 22 percent.
- The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with the Bush tax cuts, will account for almost half of the projected $20 trillion debt in 2019.
- Early exit polls released on Tuesday evening show that about half of voters still blame President George W. Bush more than President Barack Obama for the country’s economic problems and most cite the economy as their top issue in the election.
Heckuva job!
As for comparing W.'s record to "what's going on now," the Obama administration has produced more jobs in 4 years than Bush/Cheney did in 8 -- not to mention the fact that they haven't suffered the worst mass-casualty terrorist attack in US history, let a US city drown, and presided over the worst financial crash since the Great Depression.
Good luck with that "W. was a great president" stuff, Jeb! It's a winner for 2016.
