The Legacy of Jeb Bush

If one thing can be said of John Ellis Bush it's that he isn't at all like his brother George. While George W. Bush has made a historical mess of a promising presidency, brother Jeb was able to sit at the helm of Florida politics for eight years and never lose his popularity. Speaking as a Floridian, and there are many who agree with me on this, we're actually going to miss Jeb Bush. He was a moderate leader in Florida during very devisive political times. Yet he wasn't completely flawless.

Right now if you ask many people across the nation about Jeb Bush they'll probably snicker and say that he's just another Bush and we don't need another Bush presidency. It seems Jeb Bush is in total agreement with the latter part of that statement. One of the news events that certainly cemented the image of Jeb Bush as just another Bush in the public eye was the Terri Shiavo controversy. There is no doubt that Jeb should'nt have touched that situation with a ten foot pole. It nearly did destroy his image as a moderate in Florida.

Then there were school vouchers. It was a noble effort to give students who had less of a chance compared to other students to achieve the goal of education that they deserved. Yet the Florida Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional and the program is basically dead. Yet Governor Bush continued the push for vouchers. A noble effort, but not worth the dent it put on his image.

Then there were his family problems. Media outlets tried fruitlessly to prove his infidelity to his wife and even though he had never cheated on her, his marriage was hurt by the accusations. When the media couldn't destroy his marriage, they went after his image as a father. His daughter's problems with drugs were front page news for no reason but to try and hurt the Bush governorship in Florida. It didn't work either.

Most Floridians will remember Governor Bush for his leadership during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. Florida was hit multiple times and the governor never sweated. John Ellis Bush will be definitely be missed in Florida as much as his predecessor, Lawton Chiles, was missed. Many in this state feel that Jeb should get a chance at the presidency, but we also feel the time is not now. He will still be missed though.