We Clapped

I... I... No, I just can't do it... sad, really. But maybe someone with a comment will spur me on...

I thought that Jeb was well-spoken. He pointed out that those who are wealthy enough are above the economic damage caused by Covid. He contrasted his concern for the level of authority that emergency powers granted him as governor with the gleeful power-grabs of the progressives. His support of charter schools and home schooling was welcome.

I think perhaps he overplayed the effectiveness of the immigration policies of Reagan and Clinton which only look good in the light of the horrible mess we are seeing now. Looking back at those days, it seems we were then at the top of a slippery slope.

Overall, this was a good interview.

Mark Alexander (View Comment):

I… I… No, I just can’t do it… sad, really.

There was always this sense, particularly after Katrina, where a lot of people said we had elected the wrong Bush brother. But I am no fan of dynastic politics. There was a period in American history where one of three names appeared on the GOP ticket in 13 of 14 Presidential Elections. (And in 2012 we nominated another son of another politician who failed in his own bid for the White House.)

Mark Alexander (View Comment):
I… I… No, I just can’t do it… sad, really.

EJHill (View Comment):

There was always this sense, particularly after Katrina, where a lot of people said we had elected the wrong Bush brother. But I am no fan of dynastic politics. There was a period in American history where one of three names appeared on the GOP ticket in 13 of 14 Presidential Elections. (And in 2012 we nominated another son of another politician who failed in his own bid for the White House.)

Wait until Chelsea runs EJ. Noooooo.

I became very devoted to Jeb Bush during the Terri Schiavo events. I believe he would have been a great president. He was a sane and decent person in a terrible media storm. It was one of the few times I disagreed with George's opinions and actions and wished he had acted more forcefully, although in the end I had to admit that George was right, that the law is the law.

One thing that came out of that time was a redesign of Florida's social services legal structure such that judges could overrule social workers. I don't know what the status of that structure is today in Florida--I've seen many times in my own state whenever Republicans make the tiniest change in state law, the Democrats just bide their time until the Republicans' eyes are elsewhere and they restore whatever it was the Republicans had fixed.

That is how Jeb Bush thinks: how do we fix this. It has been said that after the 2000 election when the Florida chads were the focus of the world's attention, in the year that followed, election reform in Florida took place and some have since said it is one of the best systems in the country--again, I don't know if the reforms have remained in place. I'm sure the state commission that oversaw the reform effort has since moved on to other things and perhaps the system is no longer the best in the world. But for a time, it was.

I also think he did a great job managing the series of horrible disasters that the 2005 hurricane season turned out to be.

Jeb wrote a tremendous book about immigration reform that is a detailed plan for fixing our immigration system at the state and national levels. I haven't read it, but I know it will take a book-length effort to fix our broken system--to provide asylum when we need to and do so effectively. When do we help whole countries rather than accept economic refugees? Immigration policy needs to be a big picture plan where we consider foreign aid, military aid, and our own needs. The interests and legalities involved are legion. I think Jeb did a good job managing immigration within his own state. I've visited only twice, but I was impressed both times by the quality of life there for everyone who lives there.

Some people call Miami the "capital of South America." Jeb Bush has seen the world from an invaluable perspective. He has a lot of wisdom that we could use right now.

Now I have to figure out how to hear a podcast. I'm a reader. So this will be my day's challenge. :-) :-)