Jeb Bush And The Court of Campaigns Past (op-ed)
A small group of GOP contributors already refer to Jeb Bush as 45, an odd number, one of presidential inheritance, his father was 41 and his brother was 43, but it’s an inheritance that stacks the odds against the heir in the court of public opinion and the court of campaigns past.
Cross examinations in the court of public opinion will range from trivial badgering (Are you now or have you ever been a member…) to redirected anti-war hostility.
One can only imagine questions like, “Your father’s famous phrase is ‘Read my lips no new taxes’, but existing taxes increased during your father’s administration do you also plan on burdening American tax payers?” Or, “Your brother led the nation into a costly war under false pretenses. Are you still an advocate of the Bush doctrine or do you now denounce the Bush doctrine?” Or, “You were a two term governor of Florida. You dealt with hurricanes every year. Did your brother consult you about hurricane Katrina?”
Unfortunately for Jeb Hurricane Katrina produced another famous phrase at a benefit concert, but it’s not by Bush, it’s about Bush not caring about Black people.
But does the Bush administration’s response to a natural disaster prove an absence of concern for Blacks? I doubt it. But the Bush record in the court of campaigns past might prove something bothersome beyond a lack of concern.
In 1988 Bush 41’s presidential campaign benefited from a media consultant produced ad that featured a frightening mug shot of a Black man named Willie Horton. Horton was serving a life sentence for murder but was granted a weekend pass by the Massachusetts furlough program. Horton did not return. He committed assault, armed robbery, and he raped a woman.
Michael Dukakis, Bush’s democratic opponent, was governor of Massachusetts when Horton was released. Dukakis didn’t start the furlough program. It was signed into law by a republican governor in 1972, and Dukakis believed it was good for criminal rehabilitation. The original program did not extend to convicted first degree murders. Years later the Massachusetts Supreme Court extended the right to first degree murders. The Massachusetts legislators reacted and passed a bill to prohibit inmates such as Horton from the program’s privilege. At this time Dukakis was governor and he vetoed the bill because he believed it will cut the heart out of inmate rehabilitation.
When Lee Atwater, Bush’s campaign manager, learned about Horton and the furlough program Atwater said, “By the time we’re finished they’re going to wonder whether Willie Horton is Dukakis’ running mate.”
The name Willie Horton was used by the Bush campaign to subliminally suggest that if Dukakis was elected American prisons will become revolving doors of Black convicted murders furloughed to rob and rape on the weekends. (Public Enemy made an album called Fear of a Black Planet but that’s really a broken campaign record.)
In the 2000 Republican primary Bush 43 won Iowa. John McCain won New Hampshire. The next state was South Carolina. Both campaigns knew a victory would give them the momentum needed to secure the nomination.
The loss in New Hampshire made the Bush campaign panic. In a strategy meeting top advisors suggested they had to hit McCain hard.
As soon as the polls showed McCain was five points ahead of Bush an unidentified group (media consultants) launched a smear campaign against McCain. And since McCain has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh the smear was the dark skinned girl in the McCain family was McCain’s illegitimate child from a Black woman.
McCain lost his temper (Have you no sense of decency!) and, of course, he lost the primary.
For now Jeb can ignore accusations of guilt by association in the court of public opinion. Primary voters are more informed and not easily influenced by public opinion verdicts like general election voters. Plus, taking the high ground will look very presidential. But if a primary contest is close will Jeb’s media consultants abandon the presidential high ground and resort to the low “hit ‘em hard” strategies of previous Bush campaigns?
First published at The New Pittsburgh Courier 4/8/15
Cross examinations in the court of public opinion will range from trivial badgering (Are you now or have you ever been a member…) to redirected anti-war hostility.
One can only imagine questions like, “Your father’s famous phrase is ‘Read my lips no new taxes’, but existing taxes increased during your father’s administration do you also plan on burdening American tax payers?” Or, “Your brother led the nation into a costly war under false pretenses. Are you still an advocate of the Bush doctrine or do you now denounce the Bush doctrine?” Or, “You were a two term governor of Florida. You dealt with hurricanes every year. Did your brother consult you about hurricane Katrina?”
Unfortunately for Jeb Hurricane Katrina produced another famous phrase at a benefit concert, but it’s not by Bush, it’s about Bush not caring about Black people.
But does the Bush administration’s response to a natural disaster prove an absence of concern for Blacks? I doubt it. But the Bush record in the court of campaigns past might prove something bothersome beyond a lack of concern.
In 1988 Bush 41’s presidential campaign benefited from a media consultant produced ad that featured a frightening mug shot of a Black man named Willie Horton. Horton was serving a life sentence for murder but was granted a weekend pass by the Massachusetts furlough program. Horton did not return. He committed assault, armed robbery, and he raped a woman.
Michael Dukakis, Bush’s democratic opponent, was governor of Massachusetts when Horton was released. Dukakis didn’t start the furlough program. It was signed into law by a republican governor in 1972, and Dukakis believed it was good for criminal rehabilitation. The original program did not extend to convicted first degree murders. Years later the Massachusetts Supreme Court extended the right to first degree murders. The Massachusetts legislators reacted and passed a bill to prohibit inmates such as Horton from the program’s privilege. At this time Dukakis was governor and he vetoed the bill because he believed it will cut the heart out of inmate rehabilitation.
When Lee Atwater, Bush’s campaign manager, learned about Horton and the furlough program Atwater said, “By the time we’re finished they’re going to wonder whether Willie Horton is Dukakis’ running mate.”
The name Willie Horton was used by the Bush campaign to subliminally suggest that if Dukakis was elected American prisons will become revolving doors of Black convicted murders furloughed to rob and rape on the weekends. (Public Enemy made an album called Fear of a Black Planet but that’s really a broken campaign record.)
In the 2000 Republican primary Bush 43 won Iowa. John McCain won New Hampshire. The next state was South Carolina. Both campaigns knew a victory would give them the momentum needed to secure the nomination.
The loss in New Hampshire made the Bush campaign panic. In a strategy meeting top advisors suggested they had to hit McCain hard.
As soon as the polls showed McCain was five points ahead of Bush an unidentified group (media consultants) launched a smear campaign against McCain. And since McCain has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh the smear was the dark skinned girl in the McCain family was McCain’s illegitimate child from a Black woman.
McCain lost his temper (Have you no sense of decency!) and, of course, he lost the primary.
For now Jeb can ignore accusations of guilt by association in the court of public opinion. Primary voters are more informed and not easily influenced by public opinion verdicts like general election voters. Plus, taking the high ground will look very presidential. But if a primary contest is close will Jeb’s media consultants abandon the presidential high ground and resort to the low “hit ‘em hard” strategies of previous Bush campaigns?
First published at The New Pittsburgh Courier 4/8/15
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