Jeb Bush on Principles & Values Republican FL Governor; V.P. prospect

Sub-sections under Principles & Values:
• Florida Politics
• Personal Background
• Other issues under Principles & Values

Other candidates' religion is none of my business

TRUMP: He was talking about the border--the government of Mexico spoke with the Pope--

Q: Wait, you think that the government of Mexico somehow got the Pope to say this?

TRUMP: Absolutely. But the pope talked about having a wall is not Christian, and he's got an awfully big wall at the Vatican.

Q [to Bush]: Do you agree with the Pope suggesting Donald Trump is not Christian?

BUSH: I always get in trouble when the Pope says things, because I'm a Catholic. I'm informed by my faith, and he is an inspirational leader of my church. But I don't question people's Christianity. I think that's a relationship they have with their lord and savior. So I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith. He knows what his faith is. And if he has a relationship with the lord, fantastic. If he doesn't, it's none of my business.

We need someone with a servant's heart and also a backbone

Benghazi: Hillary would go between White House & courthouse

Negotiate with Dems to get things done

BUSH: How are we going to solve these problems? There's no way. I mean, all the big issues in American history have been solved by a strong president working across the aisle unifying the country. We now have a divider-in-chief who pushes people down that disagree with him.

Q: You don't think your party's been divisive too?

BUSH: It has. I admit that.

Troubled that we reward people for tearing down our country

I'll change Washington culture like I changed Tallahassee's

Not a firebrand on GOP issues, but passes all "litmus tests"

The bottom line: Jeb and Marco differ more on style than on the issues. But if you are a firebrand conservative, neither Jeb nor Marco will thrill you, although they pass all the standard Republican "litmus tests." If you prefer a safe bet, or support the Republican establishment, then Jeb is your candidate. If you prefer looking forward to the future, or addressing an important new demographic for the Republican Party (youth and Latinos and minorities), then Marco is your man.

I admire my father & brother, but I am my own man

But I am my own man--and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences. Each president learns from those who came before--their principles. their adjustments. One thing we know is this: Every president inherits a changing world. and changing circumstances.

Issues where Jeb agrees with Hillary Clinton

• Immigration: both favor comprehensive reform.
• Environment: both support protecting environmental protection.
• Common Core: both support national education standards, despite their differences on local control.
• Faith-based initiatives: both support working with religious organizations for social services, despite their differences on the role of religion elsewhere in government.
• Multilateralism: both support an America engaged with allies around the world on both military issues and trade issues, with many differences on past wars and past trade agreements.

Voracious reader and self-described nerd

The younger Mr. Bush seems to have defined himself as the anti-George W. Bush: an intellectual in search of new ideas, a serial consulter of outsiders who relishes animated debate.

Below is a selection of what he has read or is now reading:
• POLK--Walter R. Borneman
• THE WORLD AMERICA MADE--Robert Kagan
• KNOWLEDGE AND POWER--George Gilder
• THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD--Zora Neale Hurston
• ABRAHAM LINCOLN--Lord Charnwood
• THE RULE OF NOBODY--Philip K. Howard
• THE FUTURE AND ITS ENEMIES--Virginia Postrel
• THE TRAGEDY OF AMERICAN COMPASSION--Marvin Olasky
• A MESSAGE TO GARCIA--Elbert Hubbard
• THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD--Amanda Ripley
• THE MAGNIFICENT MASTERS--Gil Capps
• KILLING JESUS--Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

GOP isn't about orthodoxy & disallowing disagreement

"Back to my dad's time and Ronald Reagan's time--they got a lot of stuff done with a lot of bipartisan support," he said. Reagan "would be criticized for doing the things that he did."

In the 12 years(!) since he last ran for office, Bush missed the rise of the tea party, and the ascendancy of a new generation of politicians--Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, among them. Those men occasionally, carefully, respectfully break with the movement. Scorning today's Republican Party is, by contrast, the core of Jeb's political identity.

GOP must stop being the party of 'anti' everything

"All too often we're associated with being 'anti' everything," Bush said. "Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on. Many voters are simply unwilling to choose our candidates even though they share our core beliefs, because those voters feel unloved, unwanted and unwelcome in our party."

We need to be the party of inclusion and acceptance

The only way to attract these new faces to the party, Bush said, is through building real, ongoing relationships with others over a long period of time. "As Republicans, we need to get re-acquainted with the notion that the relationships that really matter are not made through Twitter and social media. Real relationships take time to grow, and they begin with a genuine interest in the stories, dreams and challenges harbored within each of us," he said.

Obama divided into "them vs. us"; GOP needs alternatives

BUSH: His campaign was well organized, and they got their vote out. Very basic math. He didn't win in a landslide. He won by 3%, but he won by in some ways dividing the country. So Republicans need to learn from this, and to not just be reacting to what we think is wrong about the president's policies. We need to be advocating positive policies as well.

Q: What do you mean when you say he divided the country?

BUSH: The basic part of his campaign was that those who were successful weren't paying their fair share, even though we have incredibly high taxes for high-income Americans. He ran a campaign of "them and us." And it was quite effective: that somehow Republicans don't care about the large number of people. And it's not true. But in order to win, I think Republicans need to offer a compelling alternative and have proposals on health care, have proposals on tax reform, on entitlement reform.

Reach out to Hispanics based on tone, policy, and religion

1. Put the immigrant issue behind us. What turns off Hispanic voters is the hostile tone of the debate over immigration.
2. Promote freedom of enterprise and educational choice. Licensing regulations often disproportionately hamper Hispanic businesses that tend to operate informally. And public opinion polls consistently show that Hispanics support school choice more strongly than do other groups.
3. Get religion. 2/3 of Hispanics say their religious beliefs are an important influence on their political thinking.
4. Reach out for real. Republicans must make a deep and sustained commitment to Hispanics as partners in pursuit of the American Dream. Republicans should actively recruit qualified Hispanic candidates to run for local and state offices.

America is different because identity derives from ideals

But though our nation was founded on those ideals and continues largely to hold fast to them, America does not hold a monopoly over them. Quite to the contrary, millions of people around the world cherish those ideals and strive toward becoming Americans.

Romney lost because of changing demographics

Bush family name is a detriment that limits career choices

Some saw it as a two-step procedure:

1. leverage the Bush family name and a small personal investment into really big money, always provided by others, and
2. if any deal goes sour, exit early with personal fortune intact, or rely on a bailout from one of Dad's fairy godfathers."

OpEd: Wealthy have high morals, until proven otherwise

Criticisms typically include the insinuation that Jeb helps out his rich friends so that they will give him campaign money. Nothing, in Jeb's mind, could be further from the truth, for two reasons. First, he promotes policies advanced by rich people because, to him, it makes total sense to do so. If someone is rich, it means he or a recent ancestor has proven himself on this Earth, and his opinion is therefore on its face more valuable than that of a poor person. And second, Jeb promotes the interests of the rich not because they give him money and support, but because he truly believes that doing so is in the nation's best interest.

OpEd: Balanced mix of campaigning and governing

Jeb has been more of a mixture of those two. Unlike his brother, he does enjoy governing as well as campaigning. But like his brother, and unlike his father, he has seen the advantages of governing as if he were campaigning.

There are real public policy consequences for this style of leadership, not the least of which is an enervating unease for everyone around him, including even the leaders of the legislative and judicial branches. Everything is a fight--with us, or against us. Everything is a crisis.

Company handbook focused on doing what you are told

This hyperenthusiastic acolyte was the sort that, upon reading Jeb's company handbook, "A Message to Garcia"--an 1899 tract that glorifies the virtues of doing what you are told and not asking any questions--rather than shaking his or her head sadly at what a loon the boss was, instead believed it was simply brilliant, and tried to get his or her own friends to read it.

Florida was not well served by this--a fact that even Jeb seemed to recognize: "Sometimes, if you don't always focus on creating a climate on where staff members' opinions are valued, you don't get them. That's a weakness I think I've gotten significantly better on, but it continues to be a weakness."

9/11/2001: after emergency meeting, went to church to pray

And finally someone asked where Jeb was going next. With the familiar, pinched grin, Jeb told us: "I'm going to Mass."

Something like that, on a day like that, there should have been absolutely no reason for it not to ring true. And yet...it was somehow off, just a little bit. He knew that whatever he said was likely to be widely reported. He was going to Mass. He was a good Catholic, and in a time of trouble, he was seeking solace in prayer.

Why the need to get this message out? Because unlike his brother, Jeb had never been a particularly public Christian. It was more important to be a Christian, in the immediate aftermath of September 11, in the high-contrast, Christianity-versus-Islam worldview that set in.

OpEd on 2016 Hillary: Which family dynasty do you want?

Maybe he could transmogrify his Foundation for Florida's Future into something with a more national-sounding sweep--Foundation for America's Future, say. This would give him the benefit of reusing some of his dad's stationery from his own Fund for America's Future political action committee from the 1970s and 1980s.

Ultimately, if indeed Jeb is hobbled by the myth or reality of Americans' "Bush fatigue," there is one certain cure: Hillary.

Should the senator from NY appear to be the Democratic front-runner, either in 2008 or later, that would immediately provide Jeb a ready answer to those who argue against a Bush dynasty. "We're going to have a dynasty," he could say. "The question is which one do you want? My family's? Or hers?"

2000: Duty to conduct recount in proper manner

Lord knows, there was plenty of commentary to go around.

"When a national leader accused Jeb and George of using Nazi tactics, and the media didn't really respond to that, I was outraged," Dad said. "But it was more than just the political outrage: it was the hurt of a father who has pride in two wonderful sons who would never use such tactics. So it was a period of anxiety, but if George had lost, it wouldn't have been the end of the world for us."

Bill Clinton is using my dad, to benefit his own character

How could two men who fought so hard to beat each other bury the hatchet and start a working partnership as if nothing had happened? To be candid, my brother Jeb maintains Dad is being used. "President Clinton's advisers have figured out that, in terms of character and integrity, a rising tide lifts all boats," Jeb said. "So I could see President Clinton's motivation. Apparently, he is a very likable person. I believe Dad does it because it was important to show the world that partisanship is such that having a nonpartisan relationship between 2 former presidents is good."

Poll: Jeb would lose to Hillary because of “Bush fatigue”

Overall, only a handful of voters think Jeb Bush would make a good president. About one in five (22%) think the governor would make a good choice and 57%disagree. As Jeb Bush is relatively unknown to many Americans, it’s a safe bet that much of the reaction is based on his last name and Bush fatigue.

Among Republicans, 43% think Jeb Bush would make a good president, and 26% disagree. Fully 81% of Democrats and 61% of independents do not think he would be a good choice.

“These results have almost nothing to do with Jeb Bush personally,” the pollster said. “Most Americans know little about him. The negative reaction flows from his brother’s current low approval ratings and, most probably, from a natural aversion to too long a ‘dynasty’ in American politics.”

Pres. Bush plugs Jeb for President; Jeb declines comment

By law, Jeb Bush cannot seek a third consecutive term as governor. There has been speculation in political circles that he could run for president, but he has insisted he will not run in 2008. ”I think Jeb would be a great president, but again, it’s up to Jeb to make the decision to run,“ President Bush said.

Focus on virtue & character, not values

Values have replaced virtues as our moral lighthouses, and there are many different value systems present in our culture. Our character-building institutions have bought into the idea that we have to recognize all kinds of value systems and, instead of providing us guidance, now provide us with tools to justify a wide variety of deviant behaviors. In other words, they do not teach our children right from wrong, but rather how to make informed choices.

Our children need direction, not choices. If we give them the proper direction, the principles by which to live their lives, then in the long run they will be more likely to make the right choices. We must become more virtue oriented and less value oriented.

Pass moral judgment & teach virtue to our children

It is important that we begin to discuss virtue and character in the context of those who exhibit true virtue and character on a routine basis. We must elevate the people who are redefining our culture every day for the better for they are the profiles in character from whom we must learn.

Following their lead, we must make a conscious effort to practice even small acts of character and virtue. If we roll up our sleeves and do our part, the answer to our cultural problems will come.

1986: Appointed state secretary of commerce

Returned home to deal with 2000 post-election crisis

The morning after the election, around 4 AM, Wednesday, November 8, Florida governor Jeb Bush left the Texas Governor's Mansion and boarded a private plane for Florida. His state was descending into controversy, and he needed to be there. Jeb was on the ground at the small Tallahassee airport around 8:30 AM Jeb called me. "We've been invaded," he said. An election for president was transforming into an epic legal battle.

On Election Day, these instructions were printed for voters to see: "After voting, check your ballot card to be sure your voting selections are clearly and cleanly punched and there are no chips left hanging on the back of the card."

1994 and 1998 campaign theme: Think outside the box

A decade and a half after his first appearance in statewide politics, it became clear that there was some truth to the original sales pitch. Jeb does seem more thoughtful and analytical than his father had been, and is obviously much more so than his older brother. But to focus on these differences downplays a far more important truth: that Jeb's agenda and his views on most major topics are virtually identical to that of his father and brother, with at best minor refinements.

OpEd: Delivered FL in 2004, by robbing blacks of their votes

The bigger scandal was that even in the aftermath of Election Day, with the outcome hanging in the balance, we did not fight hard enough. Instead, we let the Republicans outwork us and out-organize us. We should have called immediately for a recount of the whole state, since that would have been fair to everyone and easy to explain. Instead, we let them steal it from us. To me that episode was the defining moment for our party in the last 25 years.

Floridians bravely face the rigors of our paradise

Floridians have bravely faced the rigors of our paradise: wildfires, alligators, mosquitoes, hard freezes, fruit flies, flash floods, citrus canker, and, of course, hurricanes. But we still enjoy our sunrises and sunsets. We are quick to help a neighbor in need, and reluctant to take "no" for an answer. We still gaze in awe at the sight of a space shuttle launch, and welcome tourists with open arms.

We have made the most of our cultural quilt: from a domino game on Little Havana's Calle Ocho to Friday night football in a Panhandle county seat. In our diversity, we are distinctly Floridian.

1994: Anti-abortion; anti-crime; anti-government; anti-taxes

Priorities: public education & public safety

Named after Uncle Johnny Bush and Uncle Sandy Ellis

Mom remembers Jeb being a newborn, and Robin waking up one morning and saying, "I don't know what to do this morning. I may go out & lie on the grass and watch the cars go by, or I might just stay in bed." Mom didn't think that sounded like a normal 3-year-old, so she took her to the pediatrician, who ran some tests and gave them the results: leukemia.

Dad explained to an interviewer years later: "I said, 'What does that mean?' The doctor said, 'Well, it means that she can't... she can't live. You can treat her, or you can let nature take its course.' So we treated her. She was very precious."

Married at age 21 to Columba, age 19

When I asked Jeb recently whether Watergate and the stress it was placing on Dad in any way cast a pall over his wedding, he answered, "He was gracious and accepting even though I placed this burden on him--of not even knowing the love of my life until the night before the wedding... No talk of Watergate."

1967: Repeated the 9th grade at Andover Prep School

Married high school sweetheart, exchange student from Mexico

"I'm not going to lie to you and say we were thrilled," Barbara told one writer. In fact, Barbara was so worried about her son's marriage to a Mexican that she sought advice from her friend the society columnist Ymelda (nee Chavez) Dixon: "I told Barbara, 'As long as the girl hangs a sign around her neck that says "Bush," she'll be fine."

Jeb, who spoke with his wife in fluent Spanish, was spared her further social discomfort in Houston when the Texas Commerce Bank transferred him to Venezuela in 1977 for two years to handle international loans.

Religious affiliation: Catholic.

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What’s an adherent?

Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

Member, National Governors Association/Economic Development.

The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington’s most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing policy reports on innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practices focuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment. NGA also provides management and technical assistance to both new and incumbent governors.

Since their initial meeting in 1908 to discuss interstate water problems, governors have worked through the National Governors Association to deal with issues of public policy and governance relating to the states. The association’s ongoing mission is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state problems.

Fortune Magazine recently named NGA as one of Washington’s most powerful lobbying organizations due, in large part, to NGA’s ability to lead the debate on issues that impact states. From welfare reform to education, from the historic tobacco settlement to wireless communications tax policies, NGA has influenced major public policy issues while maintaining the strength of our Federalist system of government.

There are three standing committees—on Economic Development and Commerce, Human Resources, and Natural Resources—that provide a venue for governors to examine and develop policy positions on key state and national issues.

[Note: NGA positions represent a majority view of the nation’s governors, but do not necessarily reflect a governor’s individual viewpoint. Governors vote on NGA policy positions but the votes are not made public.]

Member of Republican Governors Association.

Founded in 1963, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) is the official public policy and political organization of the Republican governors and governors-elect of the United States of America

RGA Mission Statement
1. To assist in the solution of significant national public policy problems.
2. To enable the Republican governors to take their proper position in expressing the philosophy of the Republican Party within the national party framework.
3. To assist in the election of Republican gubernatorial candidates and the reelection of incumbent governors.
4. To provide a mechanism to facilitate communications and cooperation among its members; with local, state and national Party organizations; with Republicans in the US Congress; and with Republicans in the Executive branch of government during a Republican administration.

The RGA will enhance the visibility of the Association as a unified policy-making and political force with the national media, business community and government through a coordinated communications strategy. By building more awareness of the policies of the Republican governors, the political and policy objectives of the Association as a whole can be achieved. Currently, there are 29 Republican governors representing roughly 60 percent of the American people.

Member of Southern Governors' Association.

The Southern Governors’ Association first met in 1934 to discuss the repeal of discriminatory rates for transporting goods by rail, [and since then SGA] has represented the common interests of southern states’ chief executives and provided a vehicle for promoting them. The ongoing mission of SGA is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan, regional forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state and regional problems.

Objectives:
1. Identify Vital Issue Interests of Southern States. Through SGA, governors identify federal issues of regional concern. SGA then closely follows these issues, analyzes their regional impact and communicates information back to the governors’ offices through reports and meetings. On select federal issues, governors and their staffs formulate regional policy and make recommendations.
2. Advocate Regional Interests in Washington. Through SGA, governors advance their mutual interests in Washington and speak with a unified voice on issues important to the region. Through resolutions, joint letters, Congressional testimony, meetings, and other vehicles, SGA communicates the region’s concerns to Congress, the Administration and federal agencies.
3. Enhance Regional Cooperation. SGA serves as a forum to expedite cooperation among the southern states in solving regional problems. State initiatives reduce dependence on the federal government, maximize state resources, benefit the individual states, enhance interstate relations and place the South in the forefront of regional cooperation and innovation.
4. Promote Innovative Southern Programs and Practices. SGA provides comparative policy information to its members on pressing issues. Through report and other mechanisms, SGA facilitates the exchange of information on individual state responses to pressing regional concerns or federal government actions.