The LuLac Edition #2948, June 16th, 2015

JEB BUSH’S LAUNCH

Candidate Jeb Bush. (Photo: CNN).

When Jeb Bush decided to make his presence known last December the waters of the Republican sea did not part in anticipation of his candidacy. As a matter of fact the more Bush seemed he was going to run, the more candidates entered the GOP sweepstakes.
Despite some cool receptions, false starts, stumbling on Iraq (which has become the new Vietnam as an issue for politicians) Bush made his intentions official yesterday. And to me his opening was impressive for a number of reasons.
1. Bush seems committed to be in it for the long run. He seems to have the temperament to not get rattled by the wanna be elitists in that cornfield they laughingly call a state, Iowa and the chowder heads in New Hampshire if he loses in those underrepresented states of the United States. That’s important. He has to be in it for the long haul. Plus he can’t show any panic.
2. He has money. Money to outlast the ship of fools that are currently in the race like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Dr. Ben Carson and others.
3. He has a record in Florida. It’s an old record but hey who doesn’t like classic rock. He has to emphasize what he did right in the state. Plus he has to contrast it with the records of Scott Walker and John Kasich. He has to make his message of leadership better throwing in his Foreign Policy chops.
4. Bush threw a haymaker at the Immigration crazies by speaking in Spanish in his speech. Only people who forgot where they came from and are fearful of new Americans won’t buy his stance on this issue. He knew he wouldn’t get those votes anyway. So I loved that he gave the equivalent of the finger to them.
5. Bush spoke of being his own man. Plus he seemed reasonable.
Reasonable is a short commodity in the GOP of this new century. You kind of get the impression that Bush would rather lose to the zealots in the right wing of the party but somehow get the nomination. It’s a long shot but it can be done. Bush has to run in the “reasonable” primary. That is the primary where real Republican realists need to answer this question, “Do we want to be entertained or do we want to win”?
Plus he has to be ruthless and attack the shortcoming of the other candidates.
Out of all the Republicans, Bush has the best chance to beat a Democrat. Even Hillary Clinton. He can go after the Democrats on the inertia of an Obama administration that played small ball when they had the majority. He could go after Secretary Clinton on Foreign Policy even using the faux Benghazi issue.
Bush’s plan is this. Run a race that his father and grandfather would be proud of. Stand for something. Give the impression that you’d rather stand by your principals instead of sell them out to the fringe groups of a divided and fragmented party. Yes he might lose given the culture of this party that seems so foreign to many centrist people. But Americans might surprise us all and vote for a guy who stares down the nuts in his party.
There was a guy who took the left wing of his party to task in his race. It was called the Sister Souljah moment where Bill Clinton took the rapper to task over her remarks about race in the ‘92 race. She is remembered for that, not her music. The left wing of the party went nuts but Clinton was the guy who unseated Jeb’s father in that election.
Bush doesn’t seem to be the old good old boy country music fan like his brother George W. but he should keep in mind the old song “If you don’t stand for something…you’ll fall for anything.” Great launch. Now he has to stay focused.

GOVERNOR WOLF ACCEPTS MARCUS BROWN’S WITHDRAWAL; WOLF TO SELECT NEW PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER

Former Acting State Police Commissioner Marcus Brown in that uniform that caused such a stir. (Photo:Philly.com)

Governor Tom Wolf announced that Marcus Brown is withdrawing his name from further consideration to be commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. Governor Wolf also announced he will select a new commissioner as soon as possible, and Col. Brown will continue to serve as acting commissioner until a selection is made. Governor Wolf released the following statement:
“For 25 years, Marcus Brown has built a strong and distinguished record in law enforcement. He has unmatched qualifications from his time serving as a beat cop in San Jose to his tenure as superintendent of the Maryland State Police. In between, he commanded the SWAT unit in Baltimore, served as a deputy commissioner for internal affairs in the city of Baltimore, led the Maryland Transportation Authority police force, and earned his law degree.
“Marcus Brown is the type of leader that Pennsylvania would be lucky to have. Despite Marcus’ vast and unquestioned qualifications, the Senate wrongfully rejected his nomination in a move that put politics above the best interests of the people of Pennsylvania, and it is now appropriate to select a new nominee to lead the Pennsylvania State Police.
“Marcus Brown will remain acting commissioner while I search for a new nominee. The Pennsylvania State Police are the commonwealth’s top law enforcement agency, and the most distinguished agency in the country steeped with tradition. Their next leader will build on these traditions while looking for opportunities to ensure that the force reflects the diversity of Pennsylvania.”