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Don’t look now, but another George Bush is gearing up to run for office. George P. Bush, son of Jeb, is the cofounder of a new PAC and is serving in Iraq, all at once. Bush has co-founded an organization, Hispanic Republicans of Texas (HRT), to promote Hispanic-American Republicans in the state. Alongside partners George Antuna Jr. and Juan Hernandez, Bush is aiming to turn HRT into a vehicle to “recruit, elect, support and defend Republican officeholders and candidates for state and local elected offices.” The cause is a worthy and important one. A Republican candidate that was popular with Hispanics and the party base would be a force to be reckoned with — not just in Texas, but nationally.
Mr. Bush, who is himself Hispanic, presumably understands this. We would have asked him about his new organization except that when I called HRT to try to book an interview, I got a call back informing me that Mr. Bush had recently deployed to Iraq, where he is serving a tour as an intelligence officer in the Navy reserves. I did, however, speak to Mr. Bush’s friend and co-founder George Antuna. When I asked him if he or his partners had any political aspirations, Antuna didn’t rule anything out. “I ran at the state level in 2006. I am committed to HRT and pushing this cause totally right now, but I’m not going to rule anything out. I’ll let George P. speak for himself on that one.” said Antuna. He then added: “all three of us [he, Bush, and Hernandez] obviously have a political bug. But right now, we are focused on bridge building so that that we (Republicans) can draw a solid Hispanic candidate to run when opportunities present themselves against Democrats.”
Antuna told me that he, Bush, and Hernandez had been talking about founding HRT for over a year and that Tuesday’s launch needed to happen then, even though neither he nor Bush could attend. “It was going to have to launch eventually… we needed to do it now because we didn’t know whether George would be back from Iraq by November” said Antuna. Of course, Bush knew he was going to war a while ago. All the way back in October of 2009, he gave an interview to the Daily Beast’s Bryan Curtis in which he talked about his impending deployment and his plans to found HRT. In that story, Curtis writes that “Behind the scenes, Bush is co-founding Hispanic Republicans of Texas, a political action committee for which he will do the unglamorous work of recruiting candidates.”
“Unglamorous work” might be a bit of an overstatement. Bush, Antuna and company are looking to put Hispanic Republicans in public office. If they succeed, all of those candidates will owe their careers in part to Bush, Antuna, and company. If one of the HRT founders decided to run, you better believe these individuals would come to bat for them. The more GOP Hispanics that come into power, the more that will be around to back the founders when their time comes.
When President Bush’s immigration push didn’t lead Texas Hispanics to embrace the Republican party, Antuna told me that he and Bush came to a conclusion: “Republicans can write all of the pro-Hispanic policies they want. But until Hispanic voters see a Hispanic running as a candidate, it’s going to be tough for Republicans to attract Hispanic votes.” A Hispanic with degrees from Rice and Texas Law, a record of military service, backed by an organization devoted to making Hispanic Republicans players in Texas politics, and with the last name Bush? Sounds like the kind of candidate Mr. Antuna thinks might be able to win.
Follow Jeb on twitter: @JGolinkin
Another in the Bush crime family. Yawn.
SRSLY. you think having the last name “Bush” is an advantage? Wow – were you in a coma in 2008? Even Texans hated him in the end (approval rating of just 34%: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6084678.html)
Presumably, having served in theatre, he won’t share his uncle’s propensity to engage in preemptive conflict.
The point of the article: he’s trying to enlarge the tent. That’s good, good on him. Good job Jeb (author, not father).
He’s not Hispanic. His mother is Hispanic. His father is obviously not. His name is a bit of a giveaway.
Hammer a stake of holly thorugh his heart. Boil him in garlic. Burn him at the stake. The Bush plutocracy must be destroyed for the good of all mankind.
If this were truly an intelligent, civilized and rational nation, Ralph Nader would be president, Ron Paul would be secretary of state, all of the Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons would be in prison, and Sarah Palin would be a short order cook.
Oh please. Not another Bush. The first two did all they could to destroy the GOP.
Bush, Antuna and company are looking to put Hispanic Republicans in public office. If they succeed, all of those candidates will owe their careers in part to Bush, Antuna, and company.
Quid pro quo as a means to cauterize the GOP’s gushing Latino bloodletting?
Can’t hurt to try, but I have serious doubts that any Bush–even the ‘smart son’s’ Latino progeny–can ultimately overcome the horrid fringe GOP legacy left by GWB/Cheney & Co.
Antuna told me that he and Bush came to a conclusion: “Republicans can write all of the pro-Hispanic policies they want. But until Hispanic voters see a Hispanic running as a candidate, it’s going to be tough for Republicans to attract Hispanic votes.”
These guys have it completely back-asswards. For Latino voters specifically, when faced with choosing between a pol’s ethnicity and their Party’s policies, these voters will vote policies and practices. Every. Single. Time.
Until the GOP both promotes and actively supports policies that Latino communities and voters can get behind, baby Bush’s ‘elect Latino pols’ strategy is just silly busy work.
Marco Rubio is an excellent example (emphases mine):
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_hispanicaffairs/2010/06/can-u-s-senate-candidate-marco-rubio-attract-hispanic-voters.html
“Most people, what they know about Marco Rubio is that he’s a young, well-spoken guy who’s Hispanic,” said Rep. Juan Zapata, a Republican state representative in Florida who was born in Colombia and supports Rubio’s rival Gov. Charlie Crist. “People don’t know the details.”
Zapata said that the Hispanic community would love to support a Latino candidate but that Rubio’s views don’t further the causes of Hispanic voters.
“I’ve known him for a long time and I’ve worked with him and I’m terribly disappointed in the positions he’s taken,” he said.
[L]inking conservative values to conservative politics won’t necessarily translate into votes.
“We’re conservative, but we vote liberal” is the cliche among Mexican-American voters in Texas, said Tatcho Mindiola, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston.
“I think that race, ethnicity, whatever term you use to call it, is a very important factor in these elections, especially for minority groups,” Mindiola said. “The question is always how much of a factor these elements play.”
Florida has long been the exception among Latino voters. Whereas most Latinos in other states vote Democratic, in Florida a strong bloc of anti-Castro Cuban-Americans has traditionally voted Republican. That is changing, with younger generations and more recent immigrants trending Democratic and Cuban-Americans representing a smaller proportion of the Latino electorate.
There was a time, pre-AZ1070, when certain Latino GOP candidates might have successfully segmented their campaign message and made it all about GOP-friendly social issues. Those days are long gone.
GWB himself supported an immigration policy that, today, is anathema to the GOP mouthpieces and their policy shapers. The immigration issue is now front and center. Are young Bush & Co’s candidates willing to stomp all over the GOP’s, uh, ‘controversial’ immigration policy stance? If not, among Latino voters it doesn’t matter who their PAC strives to shuffle into office.
These guys are SO barking up the wrong tree. They have clearly not done their market research homework.
So, Oskar believes in collective punishment? I’m not surprised.
What a rational person would take from this article is that what we have here is an intelligent young person, who his honorably serving his country overseas and has a passion for public service. He is also an Hispanic Republican who would like to broaden the Republican tent to include more Hispanics.
The deranged commentors at Frum Forum take from this that he is a criminal, he is not Hispanic because only his mother is Hispanic (what does that even mean????), and that he should be killed (I understand hyperbole… but its still pretty awful and insensitive). For the kicker, the wildly off topic statement that Ralph Nader should be president!!!
You fiercely independent-minded moderates are really something else.
Watusie, I believe in justice.
Why do you say enlarge the tent when it may be all he is doing is trying to fill the tent that’s already been staked?
He may truly be a good kid, but the mere thought of another Bush in the White House has no appeal for me. I mean, why tempt fate? Weren’t the first two bad enough?
I forgot to add …
Latinos are exceptionally well organized. Enviably so, and equally effective on both local and national levels.
I can’t imagine that this little ‘Latino-friendly’ PAC of baby Bush’s will usurp any sand on this particular activist playground– certainly not in TX, and certainly not NALEO’s:
http://blog.latinovations.com/2010/07/21/naleo-educational-fund-releases-survey-on-hispanic-voting-trends/
* The current debate around the issue of immigration is playing a significant role in the political decisions of registered Latino voters, including increasing the likelihood of voting, and influencing their selection of candidate.
* Immigration has emerged as the top policy issue for Latino registered voters in these four states [CA, CO, FL, TX], overtaking economic issues, education and healthcare.
…Arizona’s controversial new law, SB1070, also may have had an impact on the way Latinos are viewing politics. Cardona said, “What is so striking to me in my many years of looking at polling, is that this is the first time that immigration is the number one issue among Latino voters,”
Is the GOP listening?
I doubt it. To their eat-their-own detriment, since Dems haven’t exactly met Latino expectations:
Sanchez accused Democrats of politicizing the issue saying, they, “would rather have this as a political issue in November rather than a legislative issue right now.”
A couple of weeks ago, President Obama made a national address in which he reaffirmed his support for passing comprehensive immigration reform and said that Democrats were on board, but that it could not happen without at least some support from Senate Republicans.
Sanchez added, “I think the most positive aspects of immigration reform, bipartisan reform, will happen in 2011.”
By now, we certainly know what the broken-record GOP Hillers have to say: “No.”
We’ll be forced to rely upon, again, the teeny few of their otherwise sane pols to cross the aisle.
But what does baby Bush & Co have to say about this? Or, more precisely, what do their supported candidates have to say about Immigration Reform? Because NO ONE–least of all Latinos–cares all that much about the rest of the GOP’s current litany of crazy talking points.
To be continued?
Not a big fan of Dubya and his legacy, but lets be fair – just because his name is Bush is no reason to castigate him, sight-unseen. Let each person be judged on their own merits – after all, the fact that he’s honorably serving in a war zone makes him significantly different than his Chickenhawk of an Uncle.
I’m a bit disgusted by the knee-jerk reactions in this thread.
The sins of the father (or uncle) should not be visited upon the son (or nephew).
His name shouldn’t be a free ticket to power, but it shouldn’t disqualify him either.
If he’s got a lot more George HW in him than George W, he could potentially be a strong candidate though the legacy of his uncle makes his name a serious liability. That’s unfair. Let’s try to judge him by his own actions, not those of his “special” uncle.
I remember reading an article approximately 7-8 years ago about how George Bush III was the new face of the Republican party and he was so magnetic and now Hispanics would flock to the party in droves and the Republicans would be unstoppable.
Here’s an article from six years ago: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/aug/31/uselections2004.usa1
But he made good use of his proximity to power, referring constantly to “mi tío” – my uncle – and promising that with the war in Iraq “almost done with”, his uncle will turn his attention back to relations between the US and the countries that lie to the south.
ktward, good analysis.
As to his name, frankly would anyone notice him if his was were George Smith, having a WASP father and Latina mother? Of course he is trading in on his name. And he is not Hispanic, he is mixed. He might identify himself as hispanic, but does the hispanic community? Drop him in a barrio in East LA and he would surely be utterly lost. It is not his fault, I would be utterly lost at some elite prep school like Gulliver prep school that he attended. I am not saying he won’t have success, we are a celebrity obsessed culture, but the rubber will hit the road as to policies. If you are going to identify yourself as Hispanic, then you have to address Hispanic issues, not just relabel Conservatism as Hispanic friendly.
If Bush comes out strongly for Hispanic issues, condemning the Arizona law, agitating for expanded free trade, workers rights, Spanish language rights (seriously, why we are not teaching Spanish to all first graders is insane to me, Chinese first graders learn English, as to Europeans, we can at least learn the second most common language in our hemisphere) if he does these things, then I will pay attention.
ktward: I can’t imagine that this little ‘Latino-friendly’ PAC of baby Bush’s will usurp any sand
At the rate Obama is sinking, even Hispanic voters won’t stick with Obama by 2012.
Whenever an incumbent President runs for re-election, it’s always a referendum on his job performance.
With the Congress we’re liable to get elected this November, immigration reform will be dead unless Obama pushes extremely hard for it–and Obama doesn’t push hard for anything, as we just saw again today with the death of the cap-and-trade bill. Over and over, Obama flees wide-eyed and tippy-toe away from any confrontation with a determined opponent.
And with immigration reform dead, Hispanics will have little reason to work hard for an Obama re-election victory.
Most likely they will sit out the Presidential race in 2012 and focus on local and state races.
yeah, ok Sinz, Americans will flock to flip flopping Romney? Or the Huckster? And Palin would lose all 50 states. And as to Hispanics, yeah they will sit out an election based on nothing but your own desire? Of course they will flock to the Democrats, and in far greater numbers than previous elections, based on loathing of the racist Republicans and their “it is legal to rape and rob from illegal Hispanics because we know if they report it, they will be deported” law.
The only hope for Republicans is if we have a double dip recession, but it ain’t going to happen. Not that Republicans will not do everything within their power to spike the economy. When the economy improves enough Obama will win re-election handily. And this November Republicans themselves in for quite a shock when this supposed tidal wave turns out to be a just an average wave with Dems still controlling the House and Senate.
I was wondering for years during the 00′s why young George wasn’t serving in his father’s war.
Now that things are cooled down, I guess it’s ok for him to be there. That’s good. Still it’s service, and deserves recognition. After all, some reservists unilaterally decide to not take care of the details (like physicals) that are required to keep them eligible to serve, and it’s good to see that young George is fulfilling his committment.
I’m definitely an outlier here, in that I actually like GHW Bush. I was glad that Clinton was elected in 1992, but had a GHW Bush been elected in 2000, rather than a GW Bush, our country would be in far, far better shape today on all fronts. Or hell, had a GHW Bush been elected in 1980 instead of Ronald Wilson Reagan, I similarly think we’d be in far better shape at least on economic grounds.
But I’m kind of underwhealmed in that I have no idea from this article (or from ANYTHING I’ve read) as to WHY young George is a Republican. What is his vision for the Republican party, except as one with more Hispanics … and presumably with himself winning some races in the future? The Daily Beast article also doesn’t really say what George stands for, except for more Hispanics in the GOP.
Is that a platform?
Remebr, vote GOP in November.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a plan for what the Republicans should do if they win control of the House of Representatives: Spend all their time investigating the Obama administration.
“Oh, I think that’s all we should do,” Bachmann told the Three Fingers of Politics website. “I think that all we should do is issue subpoenas and have one hearing after another, and expose all the nonsense that has gone on. And it’s very important when we come back that we have constitutional conservative leadership, because the American people’s patience is about this big. So we have to make sure that we do what the people want us to do.”
Sinz54 said… At the rate Obama is sinking, even Hispanic voters won’t stick with Obama by 2012.
Uh, what rate would that be? The one that, despite vastly worse economic conditions and being handed two unfinished wars, have him more popular than Reagan at this point?
msmilack // Jul 22, 2010 at 3:26 pm
“He’s not Hispanic. His mother is Hispanic. His father is obviously not. His name is a bit of a giveaway.”
So, half Hispanic is not authentic enough for you? Or, in your mind, he’s not Hispanic because he’s a Bush? By your criteria, I guess we can’t call Bill Richardson Hispanic anymore…or maybe YOU can, because he’s a Democrat.
Unreal.
LFC // Jul 23, 2010 at 10:14 am:
“despite vastly worse economic conditions and being handed two unfinished wars, have him more popular than Reagan at this point?”
Just to set the historical record straight, the economic conditions are not “vastly worse” today than they were in 1982.
They were worse.
The unemployment rate reached nearly 11% by the end of the year and we had double digit inflation at the same time, peaking at almost 14% in 1980 and staying in the double-digits throughout 1981-82. This created a ‘stagflation’ scenario where worker’s incomes stayed fixed while the price of goods and services went through the roof, and made terrible conditions for the unemployed and people on fixed incomes such as Social Security. That’s why Reagan’s approval rating hit 35% at the beginning of 1983. Despite the mess Reagan inherited from Jimmy Carter, he stuck to his fiscal policy, brought inflation down to about 3% in 1983, brought unemployment down to 7% the next year, and won in a landslide in 1984.
We should be celebrating the fact that unemployment is at 9.5% and inflation is non-existent.
jquintana, Richardson, a U.S. citizen by birthright, was raised during his childhood in Mexico City. Richardson’s father was also born in Nicaragua. So having a Mexican mother and a father who grew up in Latin America, and living in Mexico during his childhood is a hell of a lot more authentic than preppy white elite schools. My children are half chinese and half Irish, but they are all American, for them to go around claiming to speak for Chinese Americans would be ridiculous.
easton // Jul 23, 2010 at 11:10 am:
“Richardson’s father was also born in Nicaragua. So having a Mexican mother and a father who grew up in Latin America, and living in Mexico during his childhood is a hell of a lot more authentic than preppy white elite schools.”
Well, his father’s name was William Blaine Richardson Jr, who grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a Citibank executive. For his part, Bill Richardson went to Middlesex prep school in Concord, Massachusetts, then he went to Tufts University, an elite college also in Massachusetts. Sounds fairly “preppy white elite school” to me.
By the way, Richardson has spent his entire political career claiming to speak for Mexican-Americans, and, being one myself, sounds quite ridiculous to me. Especially when he spent extra time in the tanning salon and grew a goatee during the ’08 primaries in the hopes that he’d be picked as the Obama or Hillary running mate…lol.
I think you’re all just infuriated beyond measure that another Bush is coming up the pike to potentially run for national office, whether he’s an ‘authentic’ Hispanic or not.
If he’s as bad as his father Jeb on immigration he, like Jeb, has no chance to get nominated to national office.
Carney // Jul 23, 2010 at 1:21 pm:
“If he’s as bad as his father Jeb on immigration he, like Jeb, has no chance to get nominated to national office.”
If Jeb wasn’t against the AZ immigration bill, he’d have to give up sex for the rest of the year.
I was wondering for years during the 00’s why young George wasn’t serving in his father’s war.
Jeb started a war?
Here’s a question – why was it W and not Jeb who was groomed for the presidency?
Madeline // Jul 23, 2010 at 1:50 pm:
“Here’s a question – why was it W and not Jeb who was groomed for the presidency?”
According to legend, it was supposed to be Jeb and not George W…W’s parents even tried to talk him out of it at one point.
I was wondering for years during the 00’s why young George wasn’t serving in his father’s war.
Jeb started a war?
Yeah – I know. Saw that after it was too late to edit.
Obviously I meant to say uncle … although Jeb WAS a signator to the PNAC manifesto back in 1998 that called for invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Here’s a question – why was it W and not Jeb who was groomed for the presidency?
In my opinion – malleability. W wasn’t groomed by the Bush family for this – he was groomed by some very rich men who saw him as a vessel to carry their water.
My belief is that they selected W because he is absolutely loyal to his backers. He is the perfect organization man – throughout his life success wasn’t won on merit, but on connections and loyalty, and he absolutely internalized that principle (as well as hiring staff based on their willingness to play by the same rules).
And there was no more perfect demonstration of that than his original willingness to accept Dick Cheney’s recommendation that Dick Cheney become his VP nominee.
While I don’t agree with much of Jeb’s politics, I see Jeb as more a chip off his dad’s block – someone who grew up believing in service to the nation. And the money men wanted someone who put their interests above those of the nation when push came to shove.
Oh God, another George Bush? Are we so stupid that we keep anointing this line of idiots? I guess the answer is yes, based upon this article.
No need to repeat content from my previous comments, but I’ve a couple of quick observations:
balconesfault:
Your Jeb/GWB analysis is spot on. But I’ll say it more bluntly: GWB was a uniquely handy patsy for the GOP’s neocon power brokers. This same Zionist/Neocon/RR cabal was wholly nurtured and empowered by Reagan, though they didn’t really gain a whole lot of traction during Reagan. GHWB wasn’t ever part of it, to his detriment. Clinton provided–unwittingly, who could know?–the partisan traction they needed, and we ended up, to disastrous consequence, with GWB by the slimmest and most controversial margins.
Back to the thread topic: this particular baby Bush and his PAC’s aims.
(Parsing his Latino genealogy is a silly exercise. He has a Latino mother; he’s a Latino if he claims it.)
Fact is, this baby Bush and his PAC cohorts believe that electing GOP Latinos is the solution to the GOP’s chronic and foreseeable future bloodletting of Latino voters.
In this respect, they’re idiots.
Latinos vote ISSUES and POLICIES. They do not vote candidate ethnicity.
If they are presented with either voting for A) a white chick who denounces AZ1070 and supports a reasonable path toward citizenship for long-term resident illegals, or B) a Latino dude who supports AZ1070 and changing our Constitution regarding birthright citizenship, they will vote for the white chick. Every.Single.Time.
Unless and until the GOP makes 180-degree shifts in policy re: Immigration Reform–front and center now, compliments of AZ1070–they stand ZERO chance of wooing Latino voters.
Baby Bush & Co have clearly not done their marketing homework, particularly in TX. A WTF? moment if there ever was one.
Demosthenes // Jul 23, 2010 at 3:34 pm:
“Oh God, another George Bush? Are we so stupid that we keep anointing this line of idiots? I guess the answer is yes, based upon this article.”
See what I mean? Absolutely furious at the prospect of yet another Bush. I can’t wait for Chelsea Clinton and the Gore daughters to start running for office so the right wing gets their feathers all ruffled as well.
George the Third? | FrumForum // Jul 23, 2010 at 4:29 pm
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(Parsing his Latino genealogy is a silly exercise. He has a Latino mother; he’s a Latino if he claims it.)
Ktward, due to the mixed nature of most Latinos I could agree he can get away with it (for most Asians, you have to be 100% to be totally accepted), but really, to what end? Trolling for votes based on pure ethnic identification is bs. as you yourself point out. Add to this the only reason he is being mentioned is because of his family connections and in what way can he imagine that hispanics will look at him and see him as one of their own, with their concerns? I am dead tired of this nepotism in politics and it was one reason I opposed Hillary, and I have no desire to vote for any 3rd generation types from either party, unless he or she were to show themselves to be truly exceptional.
easton.
I don’t disagree with you.
Indeed, the fact that baby Bush is Latino is, IMHO, nothing more than a marketing distraction he wishes to exploit for the sake of his PAC. Whatever. Discussion over his Latino ‘purity’ is a waste of time.
Their PAC’s neon mistake is asserting, evidently, that what the gaping GOP/Latino rift needs is more Latino GOP candidates. There’s no kind way to say it: they’re idiots.
Latinos vote issues. Period. The front and center issue is Immigration Reform, and the GOP not only fails to address Latino voter concerns, the GOP’s policy stance literally *offends* Latino voters.
So while sinz is gloating over what he believes is an Obama/Latino voter rift, the issue is Legislative seats within Latino-heavy States and Districts.
The GOP is in a world of hurt where the Latino voting bloc is concerned: even in FL (that’s kind of new) but especially in TX where baby Bush’s PAC is–cough–hoping to make a difference.
To your point, perhaps, is that baby Bush has made this grave error: if he really *were* Latino, culturally, he would recognize how stupid and baseless his PAC’s premise is.
Another George III? The original George III didn’t succeed too well in America, as I recall.
BTW – did a single one of George III’s ten cousins volunteer for military service in Uncle George’s war? Why not?