While most coverage of the Chambliss-Martin runoff has focused on the fact that Democrats will not get a filibuster-proof majority, there's a deeper story here. On Election Day, Saxby Chambliss beat Jim Martin by only 3%. Just four weeks later, Chambliss won the runoff by over 15%. What the heck happened to Georgia voters?
Obviously Obama wasn't on the ballot, and many Democrats who turned out on Election Day for Obama were not highly motivated to vote again for Martin, a decent but uncharismatic candidate.
But Republican turnout was strong. Why were they so motivated? Chambliss's allies said he would stop Obama's "radical agenda." It appears this message resonated strongly with Georgia Republicans.
So here's a simple question: Will Southern Republicans accept Barack Obama as their president, or will they organize a political (but not military) rebellion against him?
It doesn't matter to them that Obama has bent over backwards to embrace Republicans, including keeping Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, arguably the most powerful position in the cabinet. All of Obama's other appointments have been centrists who have won wide praise from Republicans. Just yesterday, Obama told Republican governors he would treat them exactly as he treats Democrats.
But you can't have a rebellion without a leader. Who would lead Southern Republicans?
The Republican National Committee can't lead the Rebs because it's desperately trying to hold on to non-southern seats. Sarah Palin would love the job, but she's as far from the South as you can get. Mike Huckabee is local, but too jovial. Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina was the leading critic of Obama at the National Governors Association, but South Carolina and Sanford are too conspicuously "red" to be credible. So who else is available?
Enter Jeb Bush.
Just this weekend, Jeb said Republicans need to form a "shadow government." While "shadow government" is a familiar term in parliamentary systems, it's unheard of here in the U.S. And it runs completely contrary to our system of having "one President at a time." Can you imagine the screams from Republicans and the Washington Establishment if Al Gore had formed a "shadow government" in 2000 after George Bush stole the White House from him?
It looks like Jeb's words were not merely hypothetical. Two days after his "shadow government" idea was published, Florida Sen. Mel Martinez -- a close ally of Jeb -- announced he would not run for re-election in 2010. His announcement was preceded by reports he would resign before the end of his term.
A Martinez resignation would allow Gov. Charlie Crist -- another close ally of Jeb -- to appoint Jeb as the replacement Senator. In his statement, Martinez said he "expected" to complete his term -- hardly a firm promise. And Politico reports, "[Jeb] retains a strong following among Florida Republicans and would almost certainly clear the Republican field should he decide to run."
So is Jeb Bush planning to lead a Southern Republican political rebellion against President Obama? Stay tuned. And if you don't want Gov. Crist to appoint Jeb as Senator, sign our petition.
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Lehman Brothers Private Equity adviser
Tenet Healthcare Board of Directors
CNL Bancshares Board
Rayonier Board of Directors
Jeb's cousin, George Herbert Walker, came out on top in the Neuberger Investment Management bid. Tenet, CNL, and Rayonier all have deep Florida connections. Jeb approved numerous settlements with Tenet as Governor.
President George W. Bush did a huge favor to Tenet by omitting any mention of Memorial Hospital and their 34 total deaths after Hurricane Katrina. Twenty four of those deaths belonged to renter, LifeCare. The Carlyle Group purchased LifeCare just weeks before landfall.
The big money, big political boys look after one another. The Bush brand should be Tainted Tylenol. That Jeb can consider running for anything, shows the shallowness of our national leadership bench.
At last. For sometime now I've been waiting for Jeb to surface and now he has with the wonderful catch phrase of setting up a "shadow government." Jeb, you may remember, was the popular Governor of Florida and the heir apparent before his brother beat him to the Presidency. Jeb was the smart brother. He wants to lead the opposition, of course. He's already denigrating Obama's victory by saying that OBama had a significant advantage because of his fundraising warchest; yet he's also saying in the next breath, so to speak, that the Republicans can't be “the old white-guy party,” and need to reach out, especially to Hispanics. He told NewsMax.com, “We have to actually be proposing solutions to what appear to be intractable problems as it relates to education, healthcare, infrastructure. Across the board there are ways that we can show that we are truly on the side of the people that are concerned about the future of the country, without abandoning our principles.” And what are those principles? Some of the Republican staples, such as lowering taxes, reforming education, and reform in general. It's only the beginning, folks, of a long and sustained campaign and it will be interesting to see him cross paths with Sara Palin in times to come. I still believe Jeb Bush is the man to watch. For more, see: www.ocpatriot-runningcomments.blogspot.com.
The WWW has much history stored in numerous archives that will expose this little Bush to the proper scrutiny as to his past dealings.
How's this for a start?
Jeb Bush may be found to be personally involved in the SubPrime Mortgage meltdown by allowing - ALLOWING - known felons to procure Mortgage Broker licenses thru Florida - that would link them directly to the meltdown
Saxon became the state’s chief financial regulator in 2003, through a new office created by the Jeb Bush administration. In his inaugural address in January 2003, Jeb perfectly articulated the triumphant anti-regulatory theme that echoes throughout the mortgage fraud crisis in which 10,000 felons were denied the right to vote but allowed employment opportunities to defraud the public.
http://alanfarago.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/crimes-against-the-state-the-florida-mortgage-crisis/
http://www.atlargely.com/2008/09/what-is-jeb-bus.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/farago12012008.html
And as Fineman said of Bush, "The entire family is incapable of self-reflection," this is true of the Republican party.
Although there may be some hardcore right wingers that will always push their party's agenda regardless of the consequences, most Americans are tired of the rhetoric and want some real and sound solutions.
I encourage the GOP to rebel and to lie and to misinform. I hope the GOP continues to do what it has always done and make it difficult for anyone who disagrees with them to get things done. We have so many problems that must be solved that anyone who works to derail the solutions America so desperately needs, will (I think) be committing political suicide.
As for Jeb Bush, anyone that would vote for or follow any Bush's leadership at this point is beyond all hope and would vote republican even at their own peril. People like that are the problem not the solution.
There has not been one good policy that's come out of the rethugs in the past half century.
Note that Palin campaigned for Chambliss on an anti-Obama platform and Chambliss is continuing it now that he's been re-elected.
DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME. I AM NO SUPPORTER OF THE NEOCONS.
I disagree with the premise. Republicans could certainly accept Obama as their president AND organize a political rebellion against him.
You are correct, so far Obama hasn't appointed a far-left cabinet. As a libertarian, this is about the best I could hope for.
I would hardly call it bending over backwards though, and using Gates as an example is absurd. The American people consider Iraq a won war and Gates has been a large part of that. No way would Obama risk making a change at Defense.
Obama is yet to govern, however. Should he begin to govern like the Chicago street-organizer or the primary presidential candidate, the republicans should oppose him. If Obama nominates someone from the ACLU for SCOTUS, they should oppose him. They were elected by voters who disagree with that sort of agenda and they would be neglectful if they didn't oppose that.
And that is the problem with the Republican way of thinking. Elected representatives are not just to represent the people they think voted for them. They do that as a matter of self-interest, because they want to be reelected. THEIR JOB is to represent everyone in their state or district. Democrats are guilty of it too, of course, but it represents political corruption not meeting their responsibilities. One of the changes we need is to elect people who will FAITHFULLY fulfill Their oaths of office and put people and country ahead of personal aggrandizement.
Elected officials are there to represent even those who disagree with them. You are correct. If any citizen has a request of government or input to give, political party shouldn't matter. The official should be responsive of their request.
But as far as voting goes, if the people don't agree with his votes, he will be gone. The representative has to vote the way a majority of his constituents want, or he just wont be a representative any more.