Every younger sibling has to deal with hand-me-downs, but for most this ends at some point. That’s not the case for Jeb Bush and he doesn’t seem to mind. As the Washington Post noted today, “Far from running from or downplaying the views once expressed by his brother, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush is embracing them — and emphasizing them.” This might seem odd to anyone who lived through Bush’s two terms; it doesn’t even make sense to W:
Although defending your brother may be admirable, it’s frankly baffling politics. And yet, Jeb is more than happy to run on the platform of a third term for George. Just take a look at the team of advisers Jeb has assembled. On foreign policy, almost all of his advisers come from #43’s administration:
And on economic issues, Jeb’s plucked his brother’s White House economist — one of the architects of Bush’s tax cuts — and a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors during the Bush years. As if that wasn’t enough, Wall Street titan, former treasury secretary, and W. administration alum Hank Paulson has quickly jumped on board the Jeb train.
Because who wouldn’t want advice from the guys who brought you two wars and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression?
Jeb can insist he’s “his own man” until he’s blue in the face but as long as his list of advisers reads like a Who’s Who of his brother’s administration, he’s just what Americans (and his brother) are afraid of: another Bush.
Published: Apr 17, 2015