Political Language

Political language is such an important idea to understand when listening to a potential candidate, or any political figure for that matter. Everyone’s language within the political realm varies, just as Jeb Bush’s does. Recently Jeb spoke to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs about his outlook on foreign policy. The video is rather lengthy, so I tried to focus on the first part of his speech so I could analyze it more closely. Within the first minute or so he tried to bring some humor to everyone, which I believe was to try to lighten the mood before he fully dived into the major topic of foreign policy.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?324419-1/former-governor-jeb-bush-rfl-address-chicago

            If you watch the video you will clearly see that he does not agree with the way that Obama has handled the issue of foreign policy. The way Jeb goes about saying that Obama’s administration is faulty though is in a respectful manner, while still getting his point across to the audience through his political language. I believe that within this speech Jeb Bush made good use of persuasion, but he was able to fulfill that because of the evidence he had to support what he was saying. Such as him explaining that he has lived outside of the United States and makes a point to travel to other countries to better understand the dynamic in other foreign locations, which clearly shows he knows what he is talking about. I do think though that he could have been more successful with his speech because although he had all of the thoughts and ideas there, he still needs to work on how he delivers it, that way his political language can be more effective.  

            Although this speech was based around foreign policy, if I am “reading between the lines”, I believe that he was also trying to touch on more than just the foreign policy issue. He attempted to touch on education and even immigration, which those two are some of the main issues I see him focusing on in 2016. I thought it was also great that he made the statement of, “I am my own man”, after explaining that he admires what his family has done previous to now. Jeb was explicating talking about foreign policy, but I believe he was also trying to show what he would do differently if he were president, while still being his own person under the Bush name. Through his political language he came off as very relatable to the audience at one point when he hinted toward the fact that at one point in his life he struggled with providing for his family, which many today have the same difficulties. All in all, he really focused on diverse things whether they were explicitly or implicitly stated, which enhanced the experience of his political language in his speech.

Online Presence

Online presence with candidates is something that voters look for within an election and can really influence their thoughts about a candidate. I took the time to evaluate Jeb Bush’s presence and I was very surprised to see how much of a presence he does have online. I noticed though that his presence wasn’t as consistent before he hinted at strongly considering running for president in 2016, which I believe his strong online presence all of a sudden and hinting at running are definitely correlated with one another in some small way.

            Jeb’s website, or better known as the Right to Rise, greets you with a very modern looking interface and shows different aspects about Jeb and is intentionally forcing you to get to know him better, which will in turn help him in 2016. Although there is an option to donate on his website, I still enjoyed going through his website more so than potential other candidates because the very first thing you saw wasn’t a “donate” pop-up. His website also didn’t have an overwhelmingly amount of information that most people would not read anyways, it is very simple and to the point.

https://righttorisepac.org/

           

            As of right now, Jeb is participating in various forms of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, which all get a sizable audience. Out of all four of those though his YouTube page is the latest addition to his social media presence. It not only appeals to the majority of the United States, which is English speaking individuals, but also another big language group, which is the Spanish speaking demographic. Below is a video of one of his recent speeches on foreign policy, which is one of the many things I am sure he will put out into social media between now and 2016.

            Jeb’s activity on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is about all at the same level. He has been fairly consistent since the beginning of this new year of at least posting something every day on these three different platforms. It does make it easy though that there is a way of posting the exact same thing on multiple social media sites all at once though, which is nothing uncommon in today’s technological world. He not only posts things about what he is doing in the political realm, but also things on a more personal note, which allows viewers to connect with him much easier. The personal posts on these forms of social media allows him to be depicted as a “normal human being”, or someone like us, rather than a powerful and major political figure, which can be intimidating to us at times. One example of him relating on a personal level, is when he posted about his parent’s anniversary on Twitter.

            I really didn’t find a lot of major viral videos including Jeb Bush during my search, but I am sure there will be plenty to view if he continues on the path of wanting to run next year. He or his staff did not create one intriguing account that I found though, which is a Tumblr account based around Jeb running for office in 2016. It only has a few posts, but it is entertaining and adds a humorous and light-hearted outlook on Jeb. 

http://jebbushforpresident.tumblr.com/

            After reviewing various media platforms on Jeb Bush, I believe one thing he can do to boost his presence online in 2016 as of right now is to keep up with being consistent on posting something at least once a day so it keeps viewers interested in him. As for the future of his online presence, Jeb and his team will need to start thinking about posting more than just what he is doing, but also include things such as what he stands for on issues, continuing to post personal aspects of his life, and just more information overall that will encourage individuals to vote for him. Jeb’s online presence is not atrocious by any means, but it can always be improved upon, especially when running for something as extreme as President of the United States.

https://www.facebook.com/jebbush?ref=eyJzaWQiOiIwLjY0MjUwOTQ1NTMyNjk0NDYiLCJxcyI6IkpUVkNKVEl5U21WaUpUSXdRblZ6YUNVeU1pVTFSQSIsImd2IjoiOTRhZDBhNTUxNmQ3YThkN2E4YWVmYjJmODNhYWYyZThlNDI0YjI1NiJ9

https://twitter.com/JebBush?lang=en

http://instagram.com/jebbush/

Image and Issues

Although Jeb Bush is trying to push past the obvious fact that the one thing he is really known for is being a son and brother to former presidents of the United States, I still believe that that is currently part of his public image. To be more successful in improving his image, Jeb needs to show everyone that he is not relying on his family member’s history to get him into the White House, or even just further in his political career. With all of that being said he needs to start cultivating an independent aspect to be a part of his image, but also at the same time staying connected to his roots because if he goes completely one way or the other it might cause more harm than good to his campaign. All in all, Jeb Bush needs to find the happy balance between being his own person in the political world, but also at the same time appreciating his family connections within that same political world, which he has already showed in the article below.

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/02/04/jeb-bush-president-2016-family-name/

            When applying the SWOT analysis to Jeb Bush’s campaign of 2016, just like every other potential candidate, he has various things that can be considered in to each category. One of his first strengths is that his entire family has been in the public eye for years now, so all of his secrets are out and they won’t distract from his campaign in 2016. Another strength is that he has seen the presidential election up close and personal, and also knows exactly what the role of president entails, so he has more knowledge than other potential candidates. On the other hand some weaknesses he might have are the numerous amount of times his immediate family members, such as his daughter and son, have been in the news for negative things, which is something to take into consideration with forming his campaign. He has already proved though that he is able to hold those close individuals accountable, while also executing his duties and responsibilities.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91454

            Looking at external aspects of SWOT, a big opportunity he could have is the ability of bringing in more people to support him for the simple fact of his wife being from another ethnic background. Threats that he would have to face though is first off following his father and brother because as hard as he might try people will constantly be comparing Jeb to them, and he will have to address that issue right away. One final threat to his campaign could be that he hasn’t been as big as a leader in the political world in the last few years, so working on name recognition so people will know who he is will be important.

            Jeb Bush’s views on issues for the most part align with typical Republican views, except for his position on immigration. Considering all the issues, I believe Jeb will try to focus on education, foreign policy, and possibly immigration because it could set him apart, in a positive way, from the typical Republican stereotype on issues. He should definitely try to highlight education in 2016 because he very knowledgeable about it and it is typically one of the major concerns. Another one he could highlight is foreign policy because he does have strong views on how it is being handled currently, and possible even the issue of economy. Two issues thus far that it seems like he is running on is education and immigration, which also could become focal for his campaign. Jeb’s image and issue stances at this point in time are a work in progress for the 2016 election.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jeb-bush-on-the-issues-2014-10

http://usconservatives.about.com/od/2016elections/a/The-Case-For-Jeb-Bush-For-President-In-2016.htm

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/2016-election-jeb-bush-family-105748_Page2.html

Jeb 101

Best known for serving as Florida’s governor beginning in 1998 until 2007 is a politician that I can see as having the opportunity to run in the 2016 presidential election, which is Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush is originally from Texas. His father is George H. W. Bush, or more formally known as the 41^st president of the United States, along with his mother being Barbra Bush. His older brother George W. Bush was also president of the United States from 2000-2008.

Jeb has had a continued interest though in public service since his high school years, when he visited Mexico that then led him to the degree he wanted to seek and also a person that would become significant in his life later on. Jeb then attended the University of Texas where he graduated in 1973 with a degree in Latin American affairs. Just a year after finishing college he married Columbia Garncia Gallo, who he met when he visited Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico during high school. The couple then had three children, which are George P., Noelle, and John “Jebby” Jr. Bush.

Although Jeb Bush has had the exposure to national Republican politics through close family members, he eventually made a political life for himself. Becoming the chairman of the Dade County Republican Party is what really launched a series of positions he has had the chance to hold to build his political experience. Following the 1986 election, he was given the opportunity to become Florida’s commerce secretary, which he held until 1988. Although he lost to incumbent Lawton Chiles, Jeb still won the nomination for governor within the Republican Party in 1994. His connections with the Hispanic community allowed him to finally become the governor of Florida in 1998. Jeb then beat the odds in 2002 and was the first Republican to be re-elected in Florida.

Looking beyond the titles though that Jeb has held, he has done so much more that makes him qualified to potentially be the 45^th president of the United States. Even before governor, he was able to work on his father’s presidential campaign while at the same time managing the first Cuban-American Congressman’s campaign, which shows how well he is able to handle many tasks at once. Jeb also dedicated his time to becoming deeply involved in charities within Florida. He was able to be the founder of the public policy think-tank, known as The Foundation for Florida’s Future, while being a co-founder to the first charter school in Florida, and lastly starting the “One Florida” initiative. Jeb Bush has been given several opportunities to do more, such as being given the offer to become the commissioner for the NFL, but he only dedicates his time to what he knows he can put all of his effort into and finishes it effectively and efficiently.

Potentially going into the 2016 campaign, individuals need to know that Jeb Bush is the son and brother of former president’s of the United States. Beyond that though it is essential to understand his connections and ties that he has to the Hispanic community. Lastly, Jeb’s continuous involvement in the issue of education is another aspect that contributes to his potential within the 2016 campaign. By 2016, the nation could possibly be looking at a third Bush to take the role of president of the United States.

http://usconservatives.about.com/od/champions/p/A-Biography-Of-Florida-Governor-Jeb-Bush.htm

https://righttorisepac.org