Bush family spokesman: Barbara wasn't telling Jeb not to run
Washington (CNN) - Former first lady Barbara Bush is not trying to pull the rug out from under a possible presidential bid by her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Bush family spokesman tells CNN.
The spokesman tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that Barbara Bush feels misinterpreted by the media coverage of her most recent comments.
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“Her point is the family feels no entitlement as it relates to the presidency,” said spokesman Jim McGrath.
Last week, Barbara Bush said in a pretaped interview released by C-SPAN that U.S. voters ought to be given a wider range of choices than just scions from a few political families. Jeb Bush, in response to his mother’s C-SPAN appearance, tweeted a lighthearted comment asking, “What date is Mother's Day this year? Asking for a friend.”
"I think this is a great American country, great country, and if we can't find more than two or three families to run for high office, that's silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to run," Barbara Bush said in the C-SPAN interview.
Though her son is certainly qualified to run for president, the former first lady said, "I hope he won't."
"Because I think he'll get all my enemies (and) all his brother's,” she continued. “And there are other families. I refuse to accept that this great country isn't raising other wonderful people."
This isn't the first time the former first lady has delved into her son’s political future. "We've had enough Bushes," she told NBC's "Today" in April 2013.
The former two-term Florida governor is considering running for president in 2016, though he says he hasn't made a final decision.
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Hey, Jeb. Help your mom out here and come public so she doesn't keep having to answer these questions on your behalf. You really aren't going to run for president so why keep that particular dialog going to begin with?
It doesn't matter, anyway. Obama assassinated the family name, for his own political gain.........and no Bush could possibly succeed, because of the extent of that character assassination, for Obama's own political gain.........as he blamed bush for everything he personally screwed up.........and indeed he still IS playing that blame game, 5 yrs. later.
People are sick of the Bush family brand and the world is moving away from them.
This is the kind of republican that makes the party undesirable
bush family=endless wars in iraq
No way this country elects another Bush.
Jeb Bush can take care of himself. He learned a hard lesson when he was thrown under the bus by brother
George. Jeb should have been the nomineee back so many years ago. His Mother is just trying to protect
her son from attacks that will come from the actions of GW. It will be GW's "enemies", not hers, and she
knows it, so does Jeb.
It's not that we don't need another Bush. The truth is, we don't need another Republican, or worse,
a tea party republican.
Rick McDaniel
It doesn't matter, anyway. Obama assassinated the family name, for his own political gain.........and no Bush could possibly succeed, because of the extent of that character assassination, for Obama's own political gain.........as he blamed bush for everything he personally screwed up.........and indeed he still IS playing that blame game, 5 yrs. later.
January 19, 2014 10:27 am at 10:27 am |
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RIck, we have already given 2 Bushs at chance at the White House. The first one we threw out after his first term. The second one left his two terms in office by spitting in the eye of America and leaving us with a recession that his administration failed to stop. They have assassinated their own character.
Don't worry momma bush. Two bushes in the WH was one too many.
@rick, what? LOL
So Obama tanked the economy in 2008? Started the Iraq war? Mission accomplished? Took us into Afghanistan to get bin laden dead or alive but never carried the promise through? 9/11 happened on his watch and they had intelligence report that it would happen.
Fresh air man, step put of the teaklan bubble at least once a day.
What Barbara Bush said about 2 or 3 families hogging the presidency is, by the numbers, wrong. Kennedy only served less than 3 years, and after him came Johnson (less than 8), Nixon (8), Ford (less than 8), Carter (4), Reagan (8), Bush #1 (4), Clinton #1 (8), Bush #2 (8) and then Obama (less than 8 so far). Out of almost 54 years of presidencies, the families of Kennedy, Bush and Clinton can hardly be considered a monopoly on the office. I feel Barbara's statements may be a way to test the waters for Jeb... if the pushback against her statement is great enough, then he looks good for a run for the office. Also, it serves the GOP well if she undermines enthusiasm for having another Clinton in office to add to the appearance of another so-called dynasty. I'm surprised she didn't include John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
Bush assassinated this nation's economy. How come these idiots still think of Bush? It it color? Nonsense. They know Bin Laden was in Pakistan when bombing in Iraq, Afghanistan. These idiots know rampant Medicare fraud was going on. These thugs know USA needs Healthcare., they know it needs Oil-independent. Nonsense talk. Quit.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,
Unless in the bush a young maiden should stand.
Then one in the bush
Is worth two in the hand.
I hope he dose , what a campaign .
Rick being rickdickulous again. It wasn't the current administration that ruined the Bush brand. It was the previous one! There were reasons, strong and plentiful, why Georgie's approval rating was in the teens by the time he slouched away to his gated community retirement.
Aw shucks Mom....who really cares what you think?