Economic Quote of the Day

From a Wall Street Journal op-ed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush:

We either can go down the road we are on, a road where the individual is allowed to succeed only so much before being punished with ruinous taxation, where commerce ignores government action at its own peril, and where the state decides how a massive share of the economy's resources should be spent.

Or we can return to the road we once knew and which has served us well: a road where individuals acting freely and with little restraint are able to pursue fortune and prosperity as they see fit, a road where the government's role is not to shape the marketplace but to help prepare its citizens to prosper from it.

In short, we must choose between the straight line promised by the statists and the jagged line of economic freedom. The straight line of gradual and controlled growth is what the statists promise but can never deliver. The jagged line offers no guarantees but has a powerful record of delivering the most prosperity and the most opportunity to the most people. We cannot possibly know in advance what freedom promises for 312 million individuals. But unless we are willing to explore the jagged line of freedom, we will be stuck with the straight line. And the straight line, it turns out, is a flat line.

If his last name wasn't "Bush" Jeb would have been the ideal candidate for this year. His record in Florida was excellent and he's much more articulate than his former president brother. Conservatives could easily rally around Jeb...but his last name is Bush and I don't see America electing anyone else with that name for a long, long time.

Jeb Says No

I thought this would be the case:

Many Republicans are still searching for that ideal 2012 presidential candidate – someone who can fire up both the fiscal and social conservative wings of the GOP while luring swing voters. And, in recent months, the chatter has often turned to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Bush apparently sought to quiet the murmurs today, telling a Kentucky TV reporter that he isn’t running.

Bush has said that since leaving office in January 2007 that he would focus on making money and advocating for education reforms, which were a centerpiece of his tenure as governor. Even as polls show that he remains popular in Florida, the country’s biggest swing state, many close to him and party strategists have assumed that the Bush family name was a non-starter so soon after the presidency of his unpopular older brother, George W. Bush. Jeb Bush waved off efforts by state Republicans to coax him into the U.S. Senate race.

But the 2010 midterms have served as a bit of a political re-coming out for Jeb Bush, who has traveled the country raising money for Republican candidates. Just this week, he headlined a fund-raiser Monday night in Louisville for GOP Senate nominee Rand Paul. He has also spoken out on a range of political issues, from economic policy to immigration.

Bush said today that his denial was hardly news. Asked why there has been so much speculation, Bush told Washington Wire via email: “I haven’t a clue. I have not been running for a while and answer the question the same way every time.”

Not surprising. I think it's still too early for him to consider a run. However, if a Democrat is elected in 2012 I wouldn't rule him out for 2016.

Jeb?

Stranger things have happened in politics:

This probably isn't the first time you've heard someone ask if Jeb Bush is going to run for president. It won't be the last.

Political dynasties don't just die off, especially when they control the presidency for 12 of 22 years and have in their depth chart the extremely popular former governor of a key swing state.

Some political observers say by all rights, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush should be running for president. He has strong conservative credentials, an impeccable political pedigree, can appeal to the all-important Hispanic population, and could do well in his home state, which is populous, up for grabs, and often decides general elections.

But if you go to his website, jeb.org, there is a blank page. Is it waiting to be filled with a platform? Or is it left over from older ambitions?

No doubt the Bush brand is damaged. When Jeb's brother George W. left office in 2009, fewer than three in ten Americans approved of his presidency.

But there is hope among Republicans that stigma is beginning to fade.

I agree that George W's presidency is looking better every day, but the last name 'Bush' is going to be hard to overcome no matter how good Jeb is. He was a solid governor in Florida, a good communicator, solid conservative, and would make a great president.

Except for that last name. I think it could be a deal killer with many voters.

But, you never know, so I guess I'll start a "Jeb Bush" label on the site.

If His Last Name Was Smith He'd Be the #1 GOP Candidate for 2012

But, sadly, his last name is Bush and I don't think America is going to elect another member of that family:

“It’s kind of like a kid coming to school saying, ‘The dog ate my homework,’ ” Mr. Bush, this state’s former governor, said over lunch last week at the Biltmore Hotel. “It’s childish. This is what children do until they mature. They don’t accept responsibility.”

In fact, instead of constantly bashing the 43rd president, Mr. Bush offered, perhaps Mr. Obama could learn something from him, especially when it comes to ignoring the Washington chatter. “This would break his heart, to get advice that applies some of the lessons of leadership my brother learned, because he apparently likes to act like he’s still campaigning, and he likes to blame George’s administration for everything,” Mr. Bush said, dangling a ketchup-soaked French fry. “But he really seems like he’s getting caught up in what people are writing about him.”

“I mean, good God, man, read a book!” Mr. Bush said with a laugh. “Go watch ESPN!”

I like Jeb. I think he did a great job in Florida and would be a natural as president - quite possibly even better than his brother. However, he'll never get the chance. His dad and brother used up all the enthusiasm there might have been for a President Bush, so Jeb will have to either consider running for a Senate or House seat, or just consulting with other Republicans and taking an elder statesman role.

How to Destroy a Republican Political Career

The TampaBay.com tells us what Gov. Charlie Crist did right to get elected, and what he's done wrong since them which has put him out of the running for the GOP Senate nomination:

The roots of Crist's demise as a Republican superstar sprouted almost as soon as he took office. He revoked nearly 300 appointments by predecessor Jeb Bush, hailed Al Gore and teachers union leaders, and embraced Democrats' calls to mandate paper trails for voting machines.

Crist wrapped himself in the glow of postpartisanship. After the drubbing Republicans took in 2006, Crist became the national model for successful Republicans, the ultimate bipartisan consensus-seeker.

"He ran for governor and was nominated and elected as a conservative,'' said Republican strategist Roger Stone of Miami, a former Crist supporter. "After he was elected he went on an ego trip and began to believe he was more popular and more important than his party and his principles. It was all about Charlie — the cult of Charlie."

The man who used to call himself a "Jeb Bush Republican" was thrilled when Democratic lawmakers called him one of the best Democratic governors Florida had ever had. He proudly showed off the note from former President Bill Clinton congratulating him for easing restrictions on ex-felons regaining their civil rights.

"A lot of Republicans tolerated Charlie Crist because he could win,'' said Republican strategist Rick Wilson. "It took a long time (for people to start criticizing him) because the people that were uncomfortable with Charlie's departure from conservative principles were really shouted down and told to shut up because this is the guy who can take it all the way."

There is an axiom that politicians eventually find themselves in trouble and when that happens, they need their base to shore them up. Crist never tended to his base, consuming himself instead with hugging the center and left.

It is now thought that Crist, despite protestations to the opposite, will jump out of the GOP race and run as an independent. If so, he'll make an easy win by Republican Marco Rubio much more difficult.

Liberals Should Rethink Their Support of Obamacare

A writer in the Washington Post reminds liberals of something they don't want to think about - they won't always be in control of the government health care system they're trying to create:

If you're a progressive like me, and you're upset by the Stupak amendment, which bars federally subsidized insurance from covering abortions, consider this: What if we had a single-payer health-care system and someone like Jeb Bush or Sarah Palin were running the country?

Many liberals remain angry and disappointed that single-payer legislation never stood a chance in Washington. To them, a government-run health-care system seemed an obvious way to put patients ahead of profits.

But a single-payer system would have put us at the mercy of whomever happened to take control of Washington. I'm very happy to have a public plan as an option. But since I don't know who will be in the White House in the years to come, I'm glad that government-run health care won't be the only game in town. If you're not happy about the Stupak amendment, imagine what other limits a conservative government could impose on our health care.

Of course that argument is hysterically overblown, but interesting nonetheless. And if it scares off lefties from supporting a single-payer health care system, all the better.