It is almost certain that Jeb Bush, age 61, will announce early in 2015 that he will run for president. For the past several months he has been sending strong signals that he will run for the 2016 presidential nomination of the Republican Party. Early next year Jeb Bush plans to publish a book and release 250,000 emails from his two terms as governor of Florida. During a television interview in Miami on December 14, 2014, he stated that “I think I would be a good president.”
According to a December 9, 2014 McClatchy-Marist poll of registered voters, Jeb Bush came second in a crowded field of potential presidential Republican candidates. The question asked by this poll was the following: “If the 2016 presidential primary or caucus were held today, who would you support?”
The results of the poll were as follows: former Republican presidential candidate for 2012 and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney received 19%, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush 14%, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie 9%, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee 9%, physician Ben Carson 8%, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul 6%, Texas Senator Ted Cruz 4%, Texas Governor Rick Perry 4%, Wisconsin Congressman and former Republican vice presidential candidate for 2012 Paul Ryan, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, each received 3%, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, each with 1%, and undecided voters 13%.
It is well known that presidential polls done so early are completely meaningless. However, this poll indicates that establishment Republicans are polling ahead of more conservative ones, even though establishment Republicans were defeated in the last two presidential elections. It also shows that potential presidential candidates who have better name recognition are polling ahead. That certainly would be true for Jeb Bush, that in spite of the fact that he has not run for office in 12 years, his last name is well known to the American public.
Jeb Bush was a popular pro-business conservative governor in Florida who served from 1999 to 2007. Governor Bush had a reputation in Florida as a serious-minded politician who stressed economic development and education standards. He speaks Spanish fluently and his wife is from Mexico. Jeb Bush comes from a powerful and well-connected political family with a father and brother who served as president of the United States. His grandfather was a United States senator. While being related to past presidents is an advantage, it could also be a liability. Is the nation ready to place in the White House three members of the same family?
Former Governor Jeb Bush is intelligent and articulate and speaks all over the United States. National groups such as the Chamber of Commerce like him as well as the Republican establishment. He could easily raise millions of dollars across the country. One would think with all these attributes that Jeb Bush would be an ideal Republican Party candidate for president in 2016. But he is not. Jeb Bush would be a vulnerable candidate. If nominated by the Republican Party, he could lose the presidential election to Hillary Clinton or any other nominee of the Democratic Party in 2016.
Hillary Clinton
The McClatchy-Marist poll indicated that if the 2016 presidential election were held today, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would receive 53% of the votes and Jeb Bush 40%. In fact, Hillary Clinton would defeat all Republicans presidential candidates.
This is very surprising since Hillary Clinton was a complete failure as Secretary of State. The foreign policy of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was responsible for making the United States a superpower in complete retreat.
As a result of their weak foreign policy, the United States is no longer trusted by its allies nor feared by its enemies. Both of them are responsible for what happened in Benghazi, Libya. If Congressman Trey Gowdy’s Select Committee on Benghazi does its job properly, its final report will indicate that Obama and Clinton worked with the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda linked-terrorist organizations to overthrow Moammar Qaddafi.
Later on, both of them were involved in a gun-running operation from Libya to Turkey to Syria and most of the weapons fell into the hands of al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State and the al Nusra Front. President Obama and Secretary Clinton did not provide proper security at Benghazi, failed to send assistance to the Special Diplomatic Compound when under attack by 120 terrorists, and participated in the shameful cover-up after the assassinations of four Americans. The Middle East is in flames and the efforts in Syria and Iraq a disaster.
The reset policy with Russia was a complete failure. China has become under their watch a serious threat to our national security. Lastly, both Obama and Hillary Clinton allowed members of the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate the government endangering our national security.
The main reasons why Bush would be a vulnerable presidential candidate
There are three main reasons why Jeb Bush could be rejected by millions of conservative Republicans and, therefore, he would have a difficult time being elected president. These reasons are his support for a comprehensive immigration reform, which many Americans would deemed it to be an amnesty, his agreement with Common Core and his private equity business. Thus, he should not be nominated by the Republican Party.
Support for amnesty for undocumented immigrants
Jeb Bush supports the legalization of millions of undocumented immigrants even though most of the nation and a great number of Republicans are opposed to such a move. If millions of undocumented immigrants, most of them coming from Mexico, were to become citizens, the vast majority of them will be voting for the Democratic Party. The Republican Party would become a minority party forever.
Illegal immigration is not just a border state problem anymore. Thousands of undocumented immigrants have crossed the southern border with Mexico and have been transported to all 50 states recently. About one-third of those who crossed from Mexico into the United States were unaccompanied children.
Recent polls showed that most likely voters did not support President Obama´s illegal executive order on immigration. The polls indicated that the majority of those surveyed support the implementation of more stringent immigration policies. The deportation of thousands of illegal immigrant children is also supported by American voters, according to the polls.
One poll revealed that 75% of Americans want more enforcement of current immigration laws, including 63% of Hispanics and over 50% of Democrats. A majority named immigration as the most or one of the three most important issues to their vote during the mid-tem elections of November 2014.
Over two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of immigration. This includes one of his key constituencies, Hispanics, who disapprove of his job performance on immigration by 55% to 39%. When asked what should happen to the approximately 90,000 unaccompanied minors who have illegally entered the United States during the past several years, a total of 65% of those polled said the children should be deported.
President Obama has allowed tens of thousands to enter our borders over the last six years endangering our national security. Hundreds, if not thousands of terrorists, have penetrated our southern border with impunity. Thousands of unaccompanied minors, drug cartel members, and gang members from Latin America have also arrived illegally. Of course, many law-abiding poor immigrants have also entered illegally into our country to seek a better life and they do not threaten our national security. They simply jumped the line ahead of the millions of immigrants who have been patiently waiting for legal approval in their home countries to come to the United States.
One illegal immigrant entered three times without being prosecuted as a felony. The fourth time he entered California, he murdered a police officer.
Tim Brown wrote an article entitled “Obama Releases 30,862 Illegal Alien Criminals into U.S. Cities and Neighborhoods” which was published by The Sons of Liberty Media on December 13, 2014. Brown explained that last year the Obama administration released 68,000 undocumented immigrants who were convicted criminals. He said that a recently released federal document from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicated in a report that the Obama administration released 30,862 undocumented immigrants who were convicted criminals, into our cities and neighborhoods.
The author of the report stated that “To both comply with current detention-focused laws and court decisions and ensure available detention space for border enforcement activity and national security/public safety efforts, ICE also released 129,921 aliens from custody, 30,862 of whom were convicted criminals.”
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has ICE under his supervision. How is the homeland going to be safer releasing these criminals instead of the deporting them to their native countries? Obama has irresponsibly released from prison during the last two years thousands of hardened criminals who had entered illegally into our country and many of them committed additional crimes. Obama has committed criminal negligence and got away with this irresponsible action since Congress did not act.
Immigration reform is needed
Immigration reform is seriously needed in our country but one that is done according to the laws of the nation. The Congress needs to pass an immigration reform law that then needs to be signed by the president. Our nation should not tolerate an unconstitutional executive order by the lawless president who Barack Obama is. First, the Congress and states need to challenge Obama’s unconstitutional edict on immigration. Texas and other states have already filed a lawsuit against our would-be-dictator Obama. In January 2015, with Republican control of both the House and the Senate, the GOP needs to use the power of the purse and cut the funding to carry out Obama’s illegal executive actions, including the one on immigration.
Additionally, the Congress needs to consider the recent proposal of Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, that the Senate refuse to confirm any nominee by Obama, except for those in the areas of national security, defense, public safety, and law enforcement, until the president backs down. That would mean no confirmation for any cabinet officers, judges, or any agency officials.
As Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, suggested, Republicans in Congress should start considering pieces of legislation on immigration reform. For example, our high tech industry desperately needs more highly skilled individuals. The current quota of H-1B visas is very low, forcing our multinationals and businesses to move operations abroad. Congress could remove the cap to attract the best and the brightest people to work in our high tech industry.
Steve Forbes also recommended another reform that would allow thousands of foreign students who are earning Masters and Ph.D degrees in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics from our universities to stay in our country and provide them with green cards. Of course, a complete background check should be conducted so we do not provide green cards to radical Islamists, members of the Muslim Brotherhood or individuals with a communist ideology. Unfortunately, Barack Obama has hired many of them as advisors and in important positions in his administration.
During World War II, our nation instituted the Bracero program. Under this program, Mexican agricultural workers came to our country with temporary visas due to the shortage of manpower. The United States could consider a guest-worker program that would bring immigrants to work in agriculture, construction, and any other area where there is a shortage and a need that cannot be filled with Americans living in our nation. These guest workers would not receive green cards, unless they return to their native countries and apply for residency status under our laws.
Once our northern and southern borders are completely sealed, Congress should consider granting resident status to children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to our country when they were very young. These minors attended our schools and learned English, graduated from high school and colleges, and have other skills that our nation would need.
These children should not be punished for a law violation that they did not commit. These young adults, if they are educated and have not committed any crimes, should be eligible for resident status. However, nothing could be done until our borders are fully secure. Otherwise, more illegal immigrants would be encourage enter our nation. The main problem here is the complete lack of trust of President Obama by Republicans. Republicans are not sure that President Obama is committed to sealing our borders.
Support for Common Core
Jeb Bush is a strong supporter of Common Core. In spite of the fact that there is a growing rebellion against Common Core throughout the United States, involving parents, teachers, school administrators, and citizens which has led many states to reject it and others to postpone it, the former governor of Florida still defends ObamaCore.
A Gallup poll done on August 20, 2014 revealed that 59% of Americans oppose the use of Common Core State Standards, as it is officially called. Of the Republicans surveyed, 76% stated that they are opposed to it since ObamaCore violates the Fourth and the Tenth Amendments of the Constitution. In view of this fact, it does not make any sense for Jeb Bush or any present or former Republican elected leader to support Common Core when almost all Republican conservatives want to abolish it.
In order for a Republican presidential candidate to win in November 2016, he or she would need the complete support of conservative Republicans as well as members of the Tea Party who are completely united in their desire to kill Common Core. It is hard to understand why former Governor Jeb Bush continues to insist in keeping Common Core in Florida and throughout the United States. How can any Republican politician or candidate for an elected position support ObamaCore when 76% of Republicans in the nation do not want it?
The Republican Party needs to nominate a presidential candidate who will motivate its conservative base to come out massively to vote in 2016
Jeb Bush and other Republican presidential candidates need to remember that Governor Mitt Romney lost the presidential election in 2012 after millions of conservative and religious Republicans did not vote because they felt that Governor Romney was too liberal. There are approximately 88,000,000 evangelical voters in the nation. In 2012, 50% of these voters did not register to vote. And of those who registered to vote, only 50% went to the polls. This means that only 25% of evangelicals cast their ballots in 2012.
This, of course, was a terrible mistake since Barack Obama was reelected and he is the architect of the destruction of the United States. However, the same thing could happen in the November 2016 presidential election. If the members of Republican Party conservative base become very dissatisfied due to the support of former Governor Bush for Common Core and amnesty, they could refuse to participate in the election. One of the reasons for the tremendous defeat of the Democratic Party in the midterm elections of November 2014 was the fact that millions of evangelicals turned out to vote.
During a recent interview with the Shark Tank, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, stated that Republicans cannot win the 2016 presidential election, if they “don’t stand for anything.” Senator Cruz said that Republicans need to look to the recent past Republican presidential nominees, and do not run similar presidential campaigns that simply “didn’t work.” Senator Cruz stated that if the Republican Party nominates another candidate in the mold of Dole, McCain, or Romney, the same voters, who stayed home in 2008, 2012, will stay home in 2016. Conservative Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz. He is widely expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
Louisiana’s governor Bobby Jindal, who may run for president, sued the Obama administration over the Common Core State Standards or ObamaCore. Governor Jindal stated in his lawsuit that Common Core violated the 10th Amendment of the Constitution by subverting state sovereignty as Obama administration pressured states to adopt the standards in 2010. Jindal initially supported Common Core but changed his mind soon. One day Governor Jindal was helping one of his children with the math homework using a textbook that incorporated the Common Core mathematics standards. He could not believe how horrible the math problems were in the textbook. The very next day, he issued an executive order withdrawing his state of Louisiana from Common Core. The Obama administration used $4.35 billion from the Stimulus Package to blackmail, pressure, or motivate the states to adopt the terrible Common Core State Standards. From the very beginning, five states rejected Common Core. These states were Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Later on, seven states, including Louisiana, rejected ObamaCore. The other six states that withdrew from Common Core were Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Maine.
Four other states are considering withdrawing from ObamaCore. These states are Mississippi, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Utah. Even the very liberal states of New York and Massachusetts have postponed the implementation of this monstrosity that is being pushed hard by the Obama administration.
Jindal’s lawsuit is popular with conservative and Tea Party activists as well as the vast majority of Republicans. Of all the potential Republican presidential candidates, only former Florida Governor Jeb Bush continues to support ObamaCore. He has already lost the support of the conservative base of the Republican Party not only in Florida but across the nation. The National and the Florida Republican Party passed a resolution condemning the Common Core State Standards.
I have spoken numerous times in conferences in various cities of Florida, over the radio in Miami and Orlando and on television explaining to the public how Common Core violates the Fourth and the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution and many federal laws. The United States Constitution and many federal laws prohibit the federal government to implant a curriculum on states.
I have written many articles against Common Core and my organization, Bear Witness Central headed by R. Perez, is part of a coalition of over 50 organizations which are actively seeking to eliminate Common Core from the Sunshine State.
Additionally, I have a 29-page chapter entitled “Obama’s Destructive Common Core Curriculum and Standards” in my recent book, America in Decline (2014). Bear Witness Central Orlando Director, Dr. J. Torres, and Broward County Director T. Alvarez have also written articles and spoken on the radio against Common Core.
President Barack Obama’s national agenda for radically restructuring education in the nation has grown increasingly unpopular all over the country. Just like Governor Jindal, Republican governors have responded by rejecting the implementation of Common Core in their states as it violates not only the Constitution of the United States but also the Constitution of their states as well.
Governor Jindal stated the following: “The proponents of Common Core will tell you that it’s simply about one test and about standards, but that’s a ruse. Common Core is about controlling curriculum. Educators know that what’s tested is what’s taught. Make no mistake — Common Core tests will drive curriculum. Common Core supporters should own up to this fact and finally admit they want to control curriculum. These are big government elitists who believe they know better than parents and local school boards.”
Governor Jindal accurately realized the evil intent of the Obama administration. He said that “What started out as an innovative idea to create a set of baseline standards that could be ‘voluntarily’ used by the states has turned into a scheme by the federal government to nationalize curriculum.”
Together with Pam Evans, I spoke against Common Core State Standards during a meeting of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee on September 17, 2013. Similarly to the National Republican Party, the Miami-Dade Republican Party passed a resolution rejecting Common Core on that date.
Interesting, Constitutional Day is celebrated by the nation on September 17. Thus, the Republican Party of Miami-Dade, on the day that the nation celebrates the blessings of our Constitutional Republic passed a resolution defending the Constitution of the United States. Jeb Bush resides in Miami and one would think that by now, he would have withdrawn its support for Common Core.
The governor of Maine, Paul LePage, signed an executive order against the implementation of the Common Core standards. As indicated earlier, there are now seven states that initially adopted ObamaCore and have now rejected it and many others that are going to reject it soon.
Governor LePage stated in his executive order the following: “The federal government has no constitutional authority to set learning standards in Maine or any other state, nor determine how children in the State of Maine or any other state will be educated. The Maine Constitution specifically grants to local governments responsibility for the support and maintenance of public schools. It is therefore, the right of local school units, not the state, to develop and or adopt curricula and instructional approaches consistent with the state learning standards.”
Governor LePage was also concerned with the data mining component of Common Core. He included the following in his executive order: “That the collection of student data by school districts and the state Department of Education must be done in a manner consistent with state and federal laws intended to protect student privacy. No personally identifiable data on students and/or their families’ religion, political party affiliation, psychometric data, biometric information, and/or voting history shall be collected, tracked, housed or shared with the federal government, nor provided to private vendors for the purpose of marketing or business development.”
Teachers, school administrators, parents and concerned citizens in the state of Maine, as well as in the nation, have spoken out against the intrusive data mining of Common Core that violates several federal laws as well as the privacy provision protected by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.
Common Core opposition
There is a growing national campaign against Common Core led by conservatives and some progressives. There are many Republicans as well as Democrats who are opposed to the federal unconstitutional takeover of education.
Opponents of Common Core are also concerned about the costs involved in the implementation of these standards and curricula. Many believe that Common Core is a cash cow for the corporations, which plan to implement new testing, new curriculum, new professional development, new textbooks, collection of data, and so forth, in order to adhere to Obama’s education policy.
Additionally, there is great concern as to the appropriateness of some of the books that are being included in the list recommended of Common Core. One such book is The Bluest Eye by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, which is included in the 11th grade reading list. This novel is an account of a black girl growing up in Ohio and the molestation, rape, and incest she endures. Conservatives feel that this book has pornography and therefore, should not be used in secondary schools.
The Common Core National Sexuality Education Standards incorporates sex education in the early grades. In middle schools sexual explicit information and posters mentioning anal sex as a way to show love have created an uproar and strong protests among parents, and concerned and religious citizens.
The opponents of Common Core feel strongly that they will defeat ObamaCore. They do not want President Barack Obama to indoctrinate students into his Marxist utopia as he fundamentally transform the schools to match his extreme socialist vision of America.
How can Jeb Bush still support ObamaCore when 76% of Republicans in the nation do not want it? It never made any sense to support the ObamaCore, but to still maintain that position when many states that adopted it are now rejecting it, makes no sense at all. Even the extreme liberal governor of New York has postponed Common Core indefinitely!
Moreover, the National Republican Party, Florida Republican Party as well as many Republican Executive Committees of many counties in the Sunshine state have passed resolutions requesting an end to Common Core in the nation and in Florida. Lastly, for Jeb Bush to alienate conservatives Republicans and Tea Party conservatives activists, who hate Common Core, is sheer stupidity.
Jeb Bush’s international private equity business ventures
Joshua Green and Miles Weiss wrote an article entitled “Jeb Bush’s Private Equity Woes Resemble Mitt Romney’s,” which was published in Bloomberg on December 11, 2014. Green and Weiss explained that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s recent international business ventures indicate that he shares a number of liabilities with Mitt Romney. The reporters indicated that “the 2012 Republican presidential candidate career in private equity proved so politically damaging that it sunk his candidacy.”
Documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 27, 2014 list Jeb Bush as chairman and manager of a new offshore private equity fund, BH Global Aviation, which raised $61 million in September 2014 mostly from foreign investors.
Green and Weiss indicated that BH Global Aviation private equity fund incorporated in the United Kingdom, a structure that several finance lawyers stated that operates like a tax haven by allowing overseas investors to avoid U.S. taxes and regulations. BH Global Aviation is one of at least three such funds Bush has initiated in less than two years through his Coral Gables, Florida, company, Britton Hill Holdings. Jeb Bush is also chairman of a $26 million fund, BH Logistics, established in April 2014 with backing from a Chinese conglomerate, and a $40 million fund involved in shale oil exploration, according to documents filed in June 2014.
Green and Weiss explained that Jeb Bush private equity fund, BH Logistics, raised millions from investors including China’s HNA Group, which is based in Hainan and operates a fleet of more than 500 jets through a subsidiary, Hainan Airlines Company. BH Logistics used the money raised to purchase 1.4 million shares of Dorian LPG Ltd., a liquid petroleum gas shipping company.
Doing business with China, a country that is engaged in a currency and cyber warfare against our nation and that has stated, together with Russia, that it wants to destroy the dollar as an international currency would be quite damaging to Jeb Bush, if he decides to run for president. Many fund managers, lawyers, and other experts in private equity funds find these activities very to be strange for someone considering to run for president.
Green and Weiss pointed out that most private equity funds have a life span of 10 years. Steven Kaplan, a private equity expert at the University of Chicago, said that “while it isn’t impossible that Bush could bail on his investors so soon after taking their money, that would be unusual.” One fundraiser for private equity said that normally a person contemplating to run for president would be winding down such businesses rather than expanding them.
Green and Weiss wrote that “many people have assumed that Bush’s greatest challenge would be dispelling the perception among Republican primary voters that he’s a moderate in a party dominated by right-wing conservatives.” The reporters stated the following: “Jeb Bush’s overseas funds, mysterious investors, and foreign entanglements could prove harder to overcome. As a budding private equity mogul, he’s begun to resemble a Mini-Mitt.”
Green and Weiss wrote that John Brabender, a Republican consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns, stated the following: “Running as the second coming of Mitt Romney is not a credential that’s going to play anywhere, with Republicans or Democrats. Not only would this be problematic on the campaign trail, I think it also signals someone who isn’t seriously looking at the presidency or he wouldn’t have gone down this path.”
The reporters explained that a New York Times article in April 2014 found that Jeb Bush has earned at least $3.2 million in board fees and stock grants from public companies. He has given more than 100 speeches for which he is normally paid $50,000 each. He has also served on six corporate boards.
After he finished his term as governor, Jeb Bush became an adviser to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and, later, Barclays Plc. As Lehman was heading into bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, the former governor of Florida was asked to use his family connections to try and broker a rescue from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. The plan was unsuccessful.
Green and Weiss wrote that when Jeb Bush visited in 2011 the tropical island of Hainan, off China’s southern coast, he received a dignitary’s welcome from the governor of Hainan province, Luo Baoming, due to his family connections. According to Chinese media reports, Jeb Bush praised Hainan’s environmental and economic development and spoke hopefully of establishing stronger ties between Hainan and Florida. Hainan island has the most sophisticated Chinese naval base.
In 2001, President George W. Bush’s first foreign policy crisis came after a U.S. Navy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet and made an emergency landing there. Its captain and crew were held captive for 12 days.
Conclusion
Several months ago, former first lady Barbara Bush was asked what she thought about her son Jeb Bush running for president and possibly against Hillary Clinton. Barbara Bush, who is famous for speaking her mind, said she could not understand why only a Bush and a Clinton were the only people in the nation who could run for president. Of course, the former first lady was absolutely right! Perhaps, Barbara Bush did not mean to disqualify her son. However, our nation deserves better candidates for president in 2016 than Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton.
Jeb Bush will have a difficult time receiving the complete support of conservative Republicans and Tea Party Republicans, as Mitt Romney had in 2012, due to his support for amnesty and common core as well as the potential problem with his international private equity ventures. The international public equity funds managed by Jeb Bush will raise numerous questions, particularly his involvement with Chinese investors.
For all of these reasons, the Republican Party should not nominate Jeb Bush for president and must find a true conservative candidate who can be supported by all Republicans as well as independents and middle-of-the-road Democrats. Hopefully, if a free and fair presidential election is held in 2016 and such a Republican candidate wins the White House, our beloved country would begin to recover from all the damage done by Obama. America would no longer be in decline. America could become again a respected world superpower trusted by its allies and feared by its enemies. Our country will be able to defend freedom around the world and our new president will be able to improve our economy and national security.
If the Republican Party were to nominate Jeb Bush for president, as a loyal Republican Party member and active in the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee, I would work hard to see Jeb Bush as our next president.
