Yes, the name is an albatross around his neck. Jeb Bush will relentlessly be tied to his brother George…whom, despite rising numbers over the past year or two, is still thought of negatively by most of the country.
That said, however, Mr. Bush:
-has been a popular two-term governor of Florida, a major swing state,
-he is conservative on most issues but moderate, even liberal, on some social issues (immigration reform comes to mind),
-he has real ties to the Latino population – not just words, but real ones. His wife is a Mexican National, he spent time earlier in his life teaching in Latin America, and he speaks Spanish fluently.
-he remains strongly against same-sex marriage and most abortion rights, which will probably help him in primaries, but will hurt him in key states during the general election.
-and let\’s not discount his huge warchest, said to already exceed $100 million.
Bottom line: Bush is no second coming – he has major flaws. But against the even more flawed Hillary Clinton (assuming she will be the opposition – a big, big assumption), he has a real chance.
