Jeb Bush’s campaign isn’t doing very well, with Bush garnering support among fewer than 10% of GOP primary voters. A lot has been made already about the nice, polite schoolboy who does not want to get down and dirty with the school bully. The thing is, the polite ‘young man’ is also trailing behind Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina who are hardly bullies, especially compared to Trump. Bush seems to be biding his time right now.
Bush’s electability
Bush has a lot things going for him that American Conservatives should like: his demeanour, his track record as Governor, and his electability in the general elections when November 2016 rolls around. Nevertheless, primary voters are more and more reluctant to support his nomination. I still believe that, although primary voters are lukewarm about a possible third Bush in the White House, they’ll want to nominate an electable candidate. Still, Bush’s current standing in the polls must be of concern to him and his campaign.
Roman dynasties
A lot has been made about the comparisons between the United States and the Roman empire and the idea of ‘dynasties’ in a country with deep democratic roots does not help any. Even Jeb Bush’s mother, Barbara Bush, thinks her son shouldn’t run and made headlines last year when she said there ought to be more people than those with the last name Kennedy, Bush, or Clinton to become President of the USA. Sure, she’ll probably vote for her son out of motherly love but apparently pretty reluctantly.
Motherly advice
He obviously hasn’t headed his mother’s advice but Americans agree with her. In April 2014, at least, nearly 70% of voters seemed to think the United States have had enough Bushes in the White House and perhaps the Senate and the House as well. If not only 70% but even your own mother thinks you shouldn’t run based on your name and genes – despite being thought of as highly competent – you have a branding problem.
The Bush Brand
The Bush Brand needs some invigoration. Jeb is like the time-tested household favorite: good quality, dependable, decently priced, the safe choice. All good stuff, of course, but just not very exciting. The challengers are the new products that promise to hold the future. Sure, they are untested and depend on buzz, but they surely catch your attention. It’s just that they may break sooner than expected, or not even deliver on the promise. Jeb’s way of marketing his candidacy may be direct mail as opposed to a glitzy multi-purpose digital content channel with social integrations driving the stakeholder conversation.
It’s still gonna be Bush
When New Hampshire and Iowa have had their primaries, we’ll have more clarity. I still think it’s gonna be Bush who’ll take on the Democrats next year. He has the experience, infrastructure, and establishment support. Now he just needs to convince his mother.
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