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.
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.
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.
I completely agree that him being a Bush is a huge part of his image. I really don't think he will be able to shake that when he is running for president, whether he wants to or not. The people that loved the former Bush presidents will love Jeb but those that did not will have a hard time seeing Jeb as his own man and not just an extension of the Bush Presidential Monarchy..
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Cassi that him being a Bush is something that will be a major part of his image whether he likes it or not. You mention that the negative things his children have been in the media for will be a weakness of his campaign. It is well known that the media likes to use any dirt they can against a candidate but do you really think that anything his children have done is bad enough to prohibit him from becoming president?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that he could gain a new demographic of supporters because his wife is from a different ethnic background. I am interested to see if that ends up being the case. I wonder if he will use that and promote that to gain those supporters?
ReplyDeleteI find it incredibly interesting to consider a 3rd generation Bush in office, and you do a good job about elaboration on his strengths and weaknesses. You also provide a lot of links for readers to gain more insight in to your candidates life and background qualifications for office. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteEducation, and Foreign Policy were also the major marks of his brother. Maybe focusing on those issues would work against him in that way. Unless he has a stark difference in his views on Education and Foreign Policy from his brother.
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