Jeb Bush to Fox: 'Never Say Never' on 2012Friday, 22 Jul 2011
In an interview to be presented on FOX News Channel’s Hannity tonight, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush discusses the 2012 GOP candidates, reasons for not joining the race and how he would tackle the country’s economic crisis if he were leading the country. He also rates President Obama’s handling of the country’s current economic crisis and says he is “failing on the economy.”
Excerpts from the interview are below:
On a potential run for the 2012 presidency:
“I don’t anticipate that, you never say never. This is a standard answer that I’ve kind of learned how to give which is -- you never say never, but I never ruling out being on Dancing with the Stars either … there are a lot of ways you can make a difference. Bob Wise and I are involved with education reform, I’m involved in supporting a lot of causes where, where you know my voice is heard and people that share my belief are excited about moving forward and I can play a role without being a candidate.”
On the current list of candidates in the 2012 election race:
“They’re all good men and women, there capable, they’ve made the all in commitment and this yearning for something else is very flattering for someone if you’re that someone else but in reality I think this race, we have qualified candidates and as it gets closer to the primaries to the caucuses and primaries I think people will begin to see the metal of the men and women that are running.”
On his reason for not running:
“You know I love my brother and I love my dad and I would consider it a blessing if I was a candidate to have their support and be associated with them. I think, the reason I am not running doesn’t have anything to do with politics or underwriting the political risks or anything like that, you know when you run you have to be all in and then you take risks of winning and losing. I’ve never felt comfortable with making political decisions based on whether it was the right thing to do in terms of a poll… By the way, the context changes almost immediately once you embark on a journey like that and it will change ten times between now and the Iowa caucuses, so my motivation really is a personal one. It relates to my family and a desire to fulfill my duties as a husband and a father which is I think we all have a duty to provide financial security for our families going forward so people don’t believe it but I promise you that’s the reason and it doesn’t mean I’m a hermit or gonna live in a cave… I’m totally engaged in the process you know I may support a candidate I don’t know but I intend to have my voice heard just won’t be with a big megaphone.”
On President Obama being critical of his brother George W. Bush:
“That’s a personal thing for me Sean, I get tired of it. I think most people do.”
On President Obama’s approval rating:
“If you recall my dad in 1992 had a approval rating that was double what President Obama has right now and he was running against the seven dwarfs I think …And one of those dwarfs became President… dwarf, you know President Clinton so the notion that somehow these aren’t folks that are capable of winning I just think is ridiculous. These are good people.”
On the current candidates in comparison to previous primaries:
“I think the old order is being dismembered. The Democratic Party, in my opinion, doesn’t really exist it’s just a coalition of communities around special interest and President Obama was very effective in mobilizing support in the downfall of the Democratic Party around his candidacy --- kind of being the organizing principle of that and that’s what he’s going to try to do again. Republicans being more traditional are slower to move into the 21st century model but the old idea that there was someone s...it was someone’s turn you know it was someone’s turn, no longer is valid.”
On President Obama’s grade of handling the economy and national security:
“I’d say national security is a work in progress. It’s interesting that he was very critical as a candidate of the policies that my brother initiated.”
“I’d say failing on the economy. The idea that you can stimulate economic growth by creating massive uncertainty for the folks that make investments, that create the jobs, which are predominately small businesses in our country is just not going to work and then the hyper regulatory climate on top of that, and the fear of just change being always to the detriment of people that are willing to invest and compete and create jobs, it hasn’t worked. And it’s clear that it hasn’t worked and we have long term structural problems that we have to deal with and there I don’t think we ought to be arguing on a partisan basis and we have short term challenges that the president’s policies have been tried and they’ve just failed.”
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Jeb-Bush-Fox-Never/2011/07/22/id/404566
